This guide will give a general overview of what rounds armor can defeat, what armor covers, and how to defeat armor in the total conversion mod Operator.
Chest Plates
Chest plates are the most important piece of armor you can get in Operator, as they cover important vitals such as your heart and lungs. They can also be the toughest armor, with premium options being able to stop rifle rounds. Keep in mind however, that since they cover relatively little area, you can still be shot in the throat.
As illustrated by the graphic above, chest plates in Operator are rated with the NIJ Ballistic Protection levels. Level 3A will protect against handgun, smg, and shotgun rounds, Level 3 will protect against rifle rounds, and Level 4 will protect against armor piercing rifle rounds.
Material also matters when it comes to chest plates. Ceramic plates are a lot lighter, but will degrade a lot faster under fire. While a Level 3 Ceramic plate will stop rifle rounds, enough 9mm will eventually saw through it. Steel plates are much heavier, but will stop more rounds. While a Level 4 Ceramic plate will stop an AP 5.56 round, a Level 3 Steel plate will stop much more 5.56 FMJs.
Most plates are either Ceramic or Steel, but there are two exceptions. The Level 3A Soft plate is made of kevlar, making it pretty light compared to the ceramic options. The Level 3 UHMWPE is made of state of the art ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, having the same protection as Level 3 Steel while being lighter than Level 3 Ceramic.
Helmets
Although they will not stop rifle rounds, they do resist handgun rounds and 12 gauge. This makes them (especially with face protection) a good safety blanket against enemies using handguns, smgs, and shotguns.
Keep in mind, you can still take a round to the face if you do not have face protection. Even with face protection, you can still get shot in the neck. You also want to keep in mind that helmets can block portions of your field of view and add weight, especially face protection.
Body Armor
Body armor is made of Level 3A Kevlar, meaning that rifle rounds will rip right through it. However, the body armor choices will cover areas not covered by your plate, giving you additional protection against handguns, smgs, and shotguns. Make sure to keep weight in mind.
The kevlar will protect your chest and stomach, letting you soak more rounds to the stomach.
The criticals will additionally protect your sacrum and neck, common targets for failure to stop drills. Consider this if you run into a lot of smgs and shotguns.
Limbs+ will additionally protect your upper arms and legs. This will help protect those precious little arteries in your limbs.
Defeating Armor
Wearing armor can win you gunfights by being able to tank otherwise life ending rounds, however you need to keep in mind that your opponents will also likely be rocking it. Understanding good shot placement and failure to stop drills will help you end fights quick.
AP Rifle Rounds
If you are using AP Rifle Rounds you can just aim center mass and let it rip. This should drop any threat except for Level 4 Steel plates in a few shots. In case someone is rocking Level 4 Steel, you may want to zipper drill. For the zipper drill, when shooting someone after the second round, let the recoil ride you up into their throat and face.
Rifle Rounds
Shots to the neck, head, and sacrum will put down any threat. If you suspect you will run into enemies rocking plates, you can dump multiple rounds into the neck or pelvis. If your marksmanship is on point, you can go for a head-shot.
Handgun Rounds and 12 Gauge
Try to dump rounds into any unarmored area, ideally the face, neck, or pelvis. If they are rocking full armor, you might need to aim for the lower limbs. If you are using a smg or shotgun, you can try throwing rounds into an armored pelvis until you get through, but this might take more shots than you would like.
Epilogue
This guide should have helped you understand how armor works and how to deal with it in Operator mod. Send this to anybody who is wondering why that guy they mag-dumped 5.56 FMJs into their chest did not drop.