Ammo and armor: how armor piercing works and which rounds to load
- Checked
- Game version
- Update 2.3.30
Every point of armor above your round’s armor-piercing (AP) level cuts damage: the game multiplies damage by 2 ÷ (armor − AP + 2), and armor at or below your AP does nothing. Load AP rounds whose level matches the enemy’s armor and the hit lands at full damage. The shots-to-kill calculator runs this formula for any gun, round and boss.
How the formula plays out
The armor value comes from the target’s body armor, or from its helmet when the hit is a critical; your own shots are critical exactly when you aim at the head (headshots and crits). Your AP is the round’s level plus the gun’s own AP bonus (QBZ-191 and MPX add 0.5). Difficulty also scales damage dealt to you.
| Target armor | AP 1 (standard) | AP 3 (AP rounds) | AP 5 (advanced AP) | AP 6 (special AP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 (Lv.3 Body Armor) | 50% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 4.3 (Lv.4 Heavy, Lv.4 Ballistic Helmet) | 38% | 61% | 100% | 100% |
| 5.4 (Lv.5 Heavy Body Armor, Vida) | 31% | 45% | 83% | 100% |
| 6 (Lv.6 Body Armor) | 29% | 40% | 67% | 100% |
Worked example: Vida wears Lv.5 Heavy Body Armor (5.4). A standard AR round deals 2 ÷ (5.4 − 1 + 2) = 31% of its damage; an Advanced AP Bullet (AR) at AP 5 deals 2 ÷ (0.4 + 2) = 83%. Each hit also strips durability from the armor equal to the round’s armor break.
Ammo by calibre
| Calibre | Rusty | Standard | AP | Advanced AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S (pistols, SMGs) | −1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0, ×1.2 damage, armor break 6.6 |
| AR (assault rifles) | −1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6, ×1.1 damage |
| L (battle rifles) | −1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6, ×1.06 damage |
| MAG (magnum) | – | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6, ×1.1 damage |
| Sniper | −1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Shotgun shell | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −1, ×1.4 damage |
| Arrows | – | 0 (wooden) | 2 (basic AP) | 4 (intermediate AP) | Explosive: 3 |
The Special S round trades piercing for armor break: it shreds armor durability quickly instead of ignoring armor. Energy rounds sit at AP 3 (small and large) and 4.5 (enhanced small). Since update 1.1.6, every gun firing sniper rounds passes through one enemy and Magnum guns through two.
Special AP blueprints drop from the Storm Area bosses, and Jeff’s Extract Fuel unlocks buying AP Bullet (AR). The weapon table lists which calibre each gun takes, and the best weapons and ammo guide gives the quest that unlocks each round and the gun to carry on each map.
Body armor and helmets
| Armor | Body value | Durability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lv.2 Body Armor | 2 | 60 | |
| Lv.3 Body Armor | 3 | 80 | +3 inventory slots |
| Lv.4 Body Armor | 4 | 100 | +3 slots |
| Lv.4 Heavy Body Armor | 4.3 | 150 | Security Captain, Goofy Goose, Mad Bomber |
| Lv.5 Body Armor | 5 | 120 | +2 slots |
| Lv.5 Combat Body Armor | 5.1 | 136 | +5 slots |
| Lv.5 Heavy Body Armor | 5.4 | 180 | Vida |
| 6B13 Killa | 5.6 | 180 | +4 slots, shorter stamina recovery wait |
| Lv.6 Body Armor | 6 | 150 | +2 slots |
| Helmet | Head value | Durability |
|---|---|---|
| Lv.2 Light Helmet | 2.2 | 56 |
| Lv.3 Light Helmet | 3.2 | 69 |
| Lv.4 Ballistic Helmet | 4.3 | 81 |
| Lv.5 Light Helmet | 5.1 | 71 (hearing −0.5) |
| Lv.5 Combat Helmet | 5.3 | 94 |
| Maska-1SCh KE (Killa) | 5.4 | 70 (narrower view, faster stamina recovery) |
Some odd headgear is extreme: the Can Helmet has 9 head armor but only 5 durability and shortens view distance. Gun durability matters too: below 50% a gun loses damage and accuracy.
Backpacks
| Backpack | Slots | Carry weight | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Bag | 12 | +10 kg | Common loot |
| Travel Bag | 17 | +15 kg | Purchase unlocked by Orange’s Official Courier |
| Survivor’s Backpack | 23 | +22 kg | Purchase unlocked by Orange’s Expert Courier I |
| Military Backpack MAX | 30 | +30 kg | Reward from Orange’s Premium Sniper I; blueprint in the Storm Area |
Sources
- Decompiled game code: Health.cs and ItemAgent_Gun.cs (duckovAPI)Armor damage formula, gun AP plus bullet AP, head armor on critical hits.
- Ammo pages (Bilibili Duckov wiki, Chinese)AP level, damage multiplier and armor break for each round.
- Game item data (escapefromduckov.net)Armor values, durability and backpack capacity.
- Update log V1.1.6 (Steam)Sniper and Magnum rounds pierce enemies.
Read next
Best weapons and ammo for each stage and armor tierWhich gun and ammo to carry in Escape from Duckov from Ground Zero to Lab Area 37: the quests that unlock AP rounds, damage against each armor tier, and the community's top rifles.
How to beat every boss: armor, weaknesses and the right ammoBoss-by-boss strategy for Escape from Duckov: health, armor value, how hard each boss hits, elemental weaknesses, the rounds that kill fastest and the mistakes that get you killed.
Storm Area guide: storm protection, the Four Horsemen and Koko KokoHow to reach and survive the Storm Area in Escape from Duckov: the Lv.3 certificate gate, a first-raid loadout with 2 storm protection, the Four Horsemen's weaknesses, the lever rooms and Koko Koko.
Lab Area 37 guide: unlock, cold protection, bosses and the LabyrinthHow to unlock Lab Area 37 in Escape from Duckov, how much cold protection each item gives, where Killa, Tagilla and the other bosses are, and the quest chain to the Labyrinth.
Making money: early route, what to sell and steady incomeHow to make money in Escape from Duckov: an early route by map, what to keep and sell, why field merchants refuse your money, value per kilogram, the Bitcoin Miner and the best-paying quests.
Beginner guide: first raids, difficulty and the bunkerWhat to do in your first hours of Escape from Duckov: which difficulty keeps lost gear recoverable, the first Jeff quests, what to build first and what the Pet Backpack protects.
Armor piercing vs damage: when special rounds loseThe Special Bullet (S) beats AP rounds only below armor 0.4, and the Special Shotgun Shell loses to a standard shell from armor 0 to 4. Armor ranges for every high-damage round.
Headshots and crits: why crit rate does not apply to your shotsFor the player, a shot is critical exactly when you aim at the head, and a crit meets the helmet. Which guns gain from headshots, and which bosses' helmets make a headshot worse.
Shotguns vs armor: pellets lose the same share as rifle bulletsEscape from Duckov splits a shotgun's damage between its pellets and applies armor as a multiplier, so a shotgun keeps the same share through armor as a rifle with the same AP.