how effective is armor against infected?

[sf]

Or does it have any effect at all?

I noticed as a I was clearing infected NPCs (not generic infected) that a great majority of their helmet/armor were practically brand new (white). I don't think all of them started with IS, so probably are infected when fighting other infected.

[CellNav]

My source is the editor :

Helmets vary by type ... Damage Absorption 8, 10, or 12.
Bullet Proof Vest = 2

Btw, white = bad. Grey = good. I have worn grey and have seen it drop to white. If I wear white, it never goes grey.

[CellNav]

Note in this screen shot the four vests on bottom left. From left to right :

Black, Grey, Light Grey, White .... Black = good, White = bad.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2138083181
Damage reduces it's durability until it's white. Don't shoot the armor if it's not white (shown above npc as colored pips left of health), if you want to keep it.

EDIT: .... I think the color schematic should be Green, Blue, Orange, Red.

[arcana75]

What the hell I thought the healthiest is white and it gradually degrades to black. So it's the other way around??!! OMG I've been trashing all my dark vests keeping all the white ones.

[CellNav]

The way I figured it out was trial and error. I wasn't able to test the shades of grey until I had more than one vest with different shades of grey scale. If you give a vest to storage (or take one), the game will auto-equip the best vest. This is the same idea when getting a larger back pack, it will auto-equip the large pack.

I can see why Bob is using grey scale. Black usually means (IMO) that it is FULL, white means empty. Gray scale has 256 values (0-255). The vest damage will count up or down (I forget which value is 255), therefore changing the armor rating color (slowly) from black to white.

[Senin-Gado]

White = good.

I understand that the armor if have a effect on infected is the amount of damage the bite does, but not on how it infects you.

[CellNav]

Originally posted by Senin-Gado:

White = good.

I understand that the armor if have a effect on infected is the amount of damage the bite does, but not on how it infects you.

What is your source to make you believe white is good?
I pretty much explained in a previous post my findings.

[arcana75]

Originally posted by CellNav:

The way I figured it out was trial and error. I wasn't able to test the shades of grey until I had more than one vest with different shades of grey scale. If you give a vest to storage (or take one), the game will auto-equip the best vest. This is the same idea when getting a larger back pack, it will auto-equip the large pack.

I can see why Bob is using grey scale. Black usually means (IMO) that it is FULL, white means empty. Gray scale has 256 values (0-255). The vest damage will count up or down (I forget which value is 255), therefore changing the armor rating color (slowly) from black to white.

I'll be honest I feel you're mistaken. My most active character is of course the MC, and I take her out for raids, and I've always equipped white armour.

Each time I go sortie I will re-arm and re-equip and for body armour I always switch out armour cuz it is no longer white, meaning it went from white to grey. It did not stay white which would have been the case if it was the worst condition. It was always going from white to grey. I've never seen my equipped armour go from grey to white after heavy combat otherwise I would have noticed the discrepancy by now.

But I'm happy to be wrong.

The auto-equip thing though, I don't think is reliable. Bag sure they auto-equip the biggest, but the game doesn't auto-equip best melee or best ranged nor warmest clothing, so it's not a safe assumption armour behaves the same. Plus if I tried tossing in helmets while wearing a Light Combat Helmet, the game doesn't auto-equip a Heavy or Riot or Combat or Camo helmet which I believe has better durability than the Light, so it's possible the game doesn't equip the best armour based on condition either.

[Senin-Gado]

For the first game, it worked the same. And because I used a white one and it turned black when I was receiving shots until it disappeared.
And I think no have effect in infected.
Edit: I suppose it auto-equip the worst so disappears earlier and doesn't take space in your inventory anymore.

[_.Ainz._]

Originally posted by arcana75:

What the hell I thought the healthiest is white and it gradually degrades to black. So it's the other way around??!! OMG I've been trashing all my dark vests keeping all the white ones.

it is white that fades to grey, ive killed alot of people with armour and as i shoot em, thier armour pips fade from white to grey to broken.

Also with regards to the OP, armour is useless fighting infected xD as their only way of damaging you is through grapples, which bypass armour.

[CellNav]

You guys are correct ... my deepest apologizes. Maybe I can blame it on old age. I ran a slow motion test, ouch ... now I'm the one with "hoof 'n mouth" disease ... :(

Originally posted by Senin-Gado:

Edit: I suppose it auto-equip the worst so disappears earlier and doesn't take space in your inventory anymore.

Oh ok ... yeah, an auto-garbage-disposal mechanic ... Now it makes sense.

Appreciate ya gentlemen !!! (for giving the old man a break) ...

[sf]

My guess was also white being new if the color scheme matches the one we see on top of enemies (tool tip showing helmet and armor as dots then health as a bar). I have to damage a lot of them on enemies... armored infected is a really, really, troublesome, lol. Especially the IS-strain that takes >= 3 katana hits from a guy with full fitness/melee just to cripple. If I see more than 1, I run.

But I think my question was misunderstood. I must have phrased it badly.

What I wanted to ask was: how good is it as protection against bites/infection, if it even offers any of that protection of that type at all. Since these NPCs all get infected without having their helmet/armor damaged at all. Or is this a result of OOS "simulated combat" ?

[CellNav]

Originally posted by sf:

What I wanted to ask was: how good is it as protection against bites/infection, if it even offers any of that protection of that type at all. Since these NPCs all get infected without having their helmet/armor damaged at all. Or is this a result of OOS "simulated combat" ?

I believe Azma answered that question among all the hub-bub :
vvvvvvvvvv

Originally posted by Azma:

Also with regards to the OP, armour is useless fighting infected xD as their only way of damaging you is through grapples, which bypass armour.

[CellNav]

Speaking of killing the IS wearing armor .... Considering the armor auto-equips, I suppose it won't be wise to equip any of our npc's with more than one armor, in the likely hood they should turn against us ... :(

The auto-equp mechanism (bad to good) reminds me of biological armor we've seen in space ship games. You know, armor that heals itself. Not exactly but the idea gives a new meaning to the word TANK (with armor skirts regen).

[sf]

Originally posted by CellNav:

Originally posted by sf:

What I wanted to ask was: how good is it as protection against bites/infection, if it even offers any of that protection of that type at all. Since these NPCs all get infected without having their helmet/armor damaged at all. Or is this a result of OOS "simulated combat" ?

I believe Azma answered that question among all the hub-bub :
vvvvvvvvvv

Originally posted by Azma:

Also with regards to the OP, armour is useless fighting infected xD as their only way of damaging you is through grapples, which bypass armour.

Ah thanks (to Azma as well!). missed that when I read all the posts too quickly. I suspected that. Yeah, too bad NPCs auto-equip armor so there is no way to force them not to when going against infected.

They work wonderful on human enemies though. I put multiple armor on watchtower guards which effectively makes them unkillable (at least for a while). Helmets though, never had the need for more than 1 as it seems NPC only targets torso, and only stray shots will hit the head.

[arcana75]

I wouldn't say armour is ineffective against zeds. Zeds can cause wounds/bleeds aka damage on top of the virus, and with armour you can fend off such damage and get infected if you fail the dodge/grapple challenge. Without armour you'll be both infected and wounded.