Armor

Gear

Armor is a type of gear that offers superior protection to clothing, and can be worn over clothing. Armor tends to carry heavier movement speed penalties than clothing, though. Default colonist move speed is 4.61 cells per second (c/s).

If left exposed with no roof, armor will deteriorate until it disintegrates.

A colonist wearing any apparel with health between 21% and 50% will get the 'Wearing worn-out apparel' thought, and armor is no exception to this. A colonist wearing any apparel with health 20% or below will get the 'Wearing tattered apparel' thought, replacing the 'worn-out apparel' thought. These thoughts do not stack.

Aside from the percent decreases to certain kinds of damage that armor confers, a colonist wearing armor has a passive chance of outright avoiding all damage from some attacks, as the reinforced plates can sometimes utterly deflect a bullet. This will be represented by a "chunk" sound and a spark, akin to a colonist with the mining job striking a rock wall. The chance of this happening depends on the armor rating of each piece of armor.

In addition, armored enemies (such as Mechanoids, especially Centipedes) have this same chance of simply ignoring damage, so it is advised to bring your heaviest weapons to bear against these deadly foes.

The Overview screen has an Outfits tab that manages apparel profiles. The Outfits system provides a way to exclude colonists from wearing damaged apparel that causes mood debuffs.

As of version 0.15.1279 (29 August 2016) the Gear tab shows aggregate stats about armor.

As of Alpha 17, all armor now sell at 70% market price.

Armor Stats

There are 4 types of armor ratings.

Armor - Blunt	protects against blunt trauma such those from blunt melee weapons or explosions.
Armor - Electric	protects against EMP damage. As of Alpha 16 this is obsolete as EMP weapons don't deal physical damage.
Armor - Heat	protects against temperature-related damage, mostly burns. Good against incendiary weapons.
Armor - Sharp	protects against sharp damage. This covers a wide variety of damage, from sharp melee weapons, to gunshots, to animal bites.

Each point of armor from 1 - 50% reduces damage by 1%.
Each point of armor between 51 - 100% provides a 1% chance to not take damage.
Each point of armor beyond 100% reduces damage by 0.25% and gives a 0.25% chance to not take damage.

Armor is calculated separately for each piece of armor/ apparel worn.

Durability

Armor takes damage when it gets hit and successfully blocks damage for the wearer.

In Alpha 17 armor now takes a constant fraction of incoming damage instead of absorbing all prevented damage. This makes good quality armor last about the same time as low quality armor.

Clothing Layers

Main articles: Apparel layers and Table of Human Body Part Groups

Each item of apparel or utility gear is worn on a specific location of the wearer's body. That location is determined by two things:

The body part groups it covers.
The layer or layers it occupies.

Apparel combinations are limited by layer and coverage - an item cannot be worn with another item that covers the same body parts and on the same layer. Thus, items covering the same parts but on different layers are compatible, as are items on the same layer but with no overlap in coverage. Items that cover multiple layers conflict with items on all layers.

Layers are also used to determine the order in which armor calculations are performed, with the outermost layer's armor applying first, and progressing through the layers until the attack is stopped or there are no more layers.

The layers, from innermost to outermost, are:

Skin: The closest layer to the body, and mostly used for apparel below the head.
Middle: The second closest layer to the body, and mostly used for apparel below the head.
Outer: The third layer from the body, and mostly used for apparel below the head. Note that it will be displayed on the pawn's sprite above all other layers, even though it is considered below the following layers for actual mechanical effects.
Belt: Technically the fourth layer. A distinct layer for utility items to allow them to be worn alongside any other apparel but not with each other.
Headgear: The fifth layer, and used for headwear. There are several items that cover body parts typically covered by the other layers however, in which case this will be above them.
Eyes: The outermost layer. A distinct layer only used for the blindfold to allow it to be worn alongside headwear.

Which body parts currently have items that occupy each of the layers is shown in the table on the below; layers and body parts which are not currently used by gear were omitted. As such, the hands and feet which are not covered by any apparel or any layer, are omitted.

Body Part Group	Coverage	Skin	Middle	Outer	Headgear	Eyes	Belt
Full Head	Head, Ears, Nose, Jaw, Eyes				×
Upper Head	Head, Ears				×
Eyes	Eyes					×
Shoulders	Left & Right Shoulders	×	×	×
Arms	Left & Right Arm	×	×	×
Torso	Torso	×	×	×
Waist	Waist						×
Neck	Neck	×	×	×	×
Legs	Left & Right Leg	×	×	×

Examples

You can't wear pants as well as tribalwear, since both cover the "skin" layer and cover the legs.
You can wear pants and a button-down shirt, since while they both use the "skin" layer they don't cover the same parts.
You can wear pants and a duster, since while they both cover the legs pants use the "skin" layer while a duster uses the "outer" layer.

Middle Layer

Main article: Armor vest

Armor Vest

Main article: Armor Vest

A basic plate, strapped to a colonist's or raider's chest to protect their torso from gunshots and some other injuries. (Main article: Armor Vest)

Middle and Shell Layers

Main article: Power armor

Power Armor

Main article: Power Armor

Durable but heavy armor. Not advised for 24/7 wearing on colonists due to the movement speed and work penalties, unless they have to wear parkas anyway. (Main article: Power armor)

Over Head Layer

Main article: Simple helmet

Simple Helmet

Main article: Simple Helmet

Cheap, but bulky protection for one's noggin. Can be made out of various materials to potentially improve durability and therefore lifetime. Less protective than an advanced Helmet.

Main article: Advanced helmet

Advanced Helmet

Main article: Advanced Helmet

Mid-tier headgear that provides better protection than the simple helmet. Companion to the Armor Vest.

Main article: Power armor helmet

Power Armor Helmet

Main article: Power Armor Helmet

Advanced, but uncomfortable. It is currently the only helmet that covers the entire face. (Main article: Power armor helmet)

Main article: Psychic foil helmet

Psychic Foil Helmet

Main article: Psychic Foil Helmet

Great protection against mind-reading lizard men. Not so great at stopping bullets.

Accessory Layer

Main article: Shield belt

Shield belt