Do not trade shots with T4 armour. Shoot what it does not cover. Level 4 armour takes 65 per cent off any hit to the torso, pelvis and upper arms, and nothing protects the legs. Switch off hollow-point once someone is plated, aim low or at an open head, and keep your own kit cheap while you learn.
This guide is for the new player who has just been deleted by someone in a kit worth more than their whole account. The figures are the game's own as of Season 1, and most are reported rather than confirmed by Bulkhead. Anything that comes from r/WarDogs is labelled as a player report.
What does T4 armour actually do?
It is a flat percentage taken off each hit, plus a durability pool that wears out. It is not a second health bar. Here is the full ladder, as the game's own item figures read for the vest and helmet slots (reported, alpha-1 figures; prices are list prices, see methodology).
| Tier | Vest | Reduction | Durability | Covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Armor | 30% | 200 | upper, middle and lower torso | $400 |
| 2 | Medium Armor | 40% | 220 | torso | $1,000 |
| 3 | Heavy Armor | 55% | 250 | torso | $2,000 |
| 4 | Super Heavy Armor | 65% | 300 | torso, pelvis, upper arms | $4,000 |
| Tier | Helmet | Reduction | Durability | Covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Helmet | 30% | 80 | head | $200 |
| 2 | Medium Helmet | 40% | 100 | head | $500 |
| 3 | Heavy Helmet | 55% | 180 | head, neck | $1,500 |
| 4 | Super Heavy Helmet | 65% | 200 | head, neck | $3,000 |
Two things matter for you. A full T4 kit lists at $7,000, and the vest sits behind Wardog level 100 at $200,000 to unlock (reported, from community progression readings). Whoever is wearing it has come a long way up the Wardog track, which is worth remembering when you are the one on the floor.
The second: no tier covers the legs. That gap is the whole plan, and the gear catalogue lists coverage for every piece.
Why does everyone say hollow-point is the answer?
Because on an unarmoured target it is excellent. Players in the 5 October r/WarDogs thread "How It feels being a new player lol" (3,744 score, 1,473 comments) describe the high-tier gap as a balance problem and suggest hollow-point rounds and unarmoured limbs as the workaround. That is a player report, and half of it holds up.
The game's ammunition figures say what hollow-point (HP) does, against standard (FMJ) and armour-piercing (AP). These are our reading of the game's tables; how the engine combines the two multipliers is our assumption, not a published rule.
| Round | Damage to flesh | Armour works at |
|---|---|---|
| FMJ | x1.0 | x1.0 |
| Hollow-point | x2.0 | x1.5 |
| Armour-piercing | x0.8 | x0.3 |
In plain terms: HP hits bare flesh hard and armour stops it better, AP does the reverse. The one in-game reading we have is starker than the table suggests: in the beta, HP read 61 damage on flesh against 28 for FMJ, then only 9 through the cheapest $400 vest. Against T4 it can only be worse. That was one round at one plate, so treat it as direction, not a curve.
So the thread's advice works only if you hit somewhere the plate is not. HP into a T4 chest is wasted money: it costs twice standard on a 9mm and four and a half times on a .308 (see the ammunition catalogue). AP would be the right tool, but the 5.56 version unlocks at Wardog level 83, which a new player will not reach this season.
Where should you aim against T4?
Head and torso are the only zones with published multipliers (reported, beta-1). Neck, pelvis, arms and legs are not published, because the sources disagree.
| Weapon class | Head | Torso | Head through a T4 helmet* | Torso through T4 vest* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assault rifle | x2.35 | x1.0 | 0.82 | 0.35 |
| SMG | x2.1 | x1.05 | 0.74 | 0.37 |
| Marksman rifle | x2.5 | x1.3 | 0.88 | 0.46 |
| Sniper | x3.2 | x1.45 | 1.12 | 0.51 |
*The last two columns are the multiplier times 0.35, our simplification for standard ammunition if armour simply removes 65 per cent. It is a ranking, not a measurement. Even so, a rifle headshot through a T4 helmet still does more than twice what a T4 torso hit does. If the helmet is cheap, the head is the target. If the helmet is T4 as well, the legs are the only zone with no armour and no stated penalty, but nobody has published the leg multiplier. Budget for more hits than a bare torso would take.
That is also where the hollow-point advice earns its keep. Unarmoured leg, arm or open head: double flesh damage. Anything under a plate: not.
What can a new player do instead of out-shooting it?
The 6 October thread "The game is turning into seal clubbing" (447 score, 926 comments) is more useful than the complaint. Commenters there argue, as player reports, that you can still earn money and XP with a cheap kit, by:
- Playing support rather than chasing kills.
- Using cover and position over raw aim.
- Scavenging enemy gear after a fight you won.
- Joining an established FOB, so your income does not depend on your own firefights.
Other players in a separate 6 October thread argue the opposite problem: that endgame gear (T4 armour, Havocs) is too cheap, and a wipe is needed. That is opinion, not data. Our own prices above list the vest at $4,000, which you can judge for yourself.
For the economy side of staying solvent on a cheap kit, see the cash economy explained and WARDOGS tips. If you want to be on the receiving end of a rich FOB's income instead, how to build a FOB is the long game. Community kits are on the loadouts page.
How long does this advice last?
Until the wipe. Season 2 starts on 15 October 2026 (confirmed, Bulkhead's "Season 02 Teaser" on Steam, 20 September). The reset resets cash and levels, and Bulkhead has not announced the day. Full detail is in the progress wipe FAQ.
On the Push to Talk podcast, published 2 October, Bulkhead's developers showed a Level 4 helmet for Season 2 with a visor that cannot be lifted and a "little vision issue" (confirmed that it is coming; no stats given). The shop figures above already list a Super Heavy Helmet, so we cannot say how the two relate. When the wipe lands, everyone starts without T4. How fast the top players get it back is the open question.
What we do not know yet
- Leg, arm and neck multipliers. Unpublished. The advice to shoot legs is a player suggestion, not a measured result.
- How armour and ammo type combine. The game's tables give the multipliers, not the formula, and the one beta reading does not fit a simple one.
- Armour-piercing at T4 in real play. No published readings.
- The Season 2 Level 4 helmet's stats, and whether it is the Super Heavy Helmet or a new piece.
Seen something that settles one of these? Send it over and the tables change with a date on them. Until then: low, not at the vest, and not with hollow-point.
