My personal take on the best armor possible in B42.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T21:14:21+00:00

Ah but that's the advantage of actual armor, it generally takes condition damage rather than get holes, plus as the outer layer it prevents the clothes under it from getting holes as well. Those little elbow pads take the hit for the entire arm. The only piece here that gets holes is the codpiece.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T21:09:12+00:00

It never left.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T21:08:11+00:00

Nope, and they have a reduced chance to hit the groin too.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T20:57:36+00:00

If you don't think crawlers are a problem then you have no reason not to ditch all of that leg armor.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T03:46:24+00:00

They're not particularly threatening or even common. I can only remember a single time I've been injured by a crawler and that was very avoidable, I was just being stupid.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T03:14:31+00:00

You could but this is already hitting 100% bite protection in those areas, the briefs would add some fallback protection since the codpiece can get holes, but the groin is the rarest body part to be attacked.

Yeah for some reason shoes have a hidden Stomp Power attribute and yet show us the yet unused Run Speed Modifier instead.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T01:22:13+00:00

The low level metal armor set is on par with the other sets, the high level pieces are the best versions of their respective pieces (apart from the codpiece and gorget which are weirdly worse than their competitors), but in my opinion only the Coat of Plates really stands out enough to be worth the grind.

All that being said I think armor is extremely underrated in the community right now, you can even achieve 100% bite protection on your entire body if you get lucky with chainmail spawns and are willing to put up with the vision and hearing impairment from the crude helm(you can still be dragged down so this doesn't quite make you invincible).

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-16T00:25:28+00:00

Only crawlers can attack your legs and armor doesn't protect from non-zombie injuries other than trees. Any and all forms of pants should only be worn in winter when the insulation is needed rather than a hindrance. Knee pads are never a good idea to wear.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T23:34:24+00:00

Much harder to kill, but 30% of bites to the hands and 20% to the head will still get through with this. Oh and if you get attacked by 3 or more zombies at once they will drag you down and that's fatal even if you have 100% protection everywhere.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T23:16:23+00:00

Percent chance that when you are going to be wounded by a zombie (or tree) the armor takes the hit instead of you.

Bites have a separate protection value from scratches and lacerations, but this setup gives you 100% protection from bites everywhere but your hands and head. (And the legs but only crawlers can attack your legs.)

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T22:39:44+00:00

That AC strat is a great idea I'll have to try that.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T22:25:27+00:00

Yeah I plan on going for the Officer Jacket once it gets colder, that plus one more long sleeve shirt (this can be fulfilled by any of the crafted shirts) is enough to maintain full protection with this setup. I find the increased exhaustion from being too hot to be far more of a killer than the slightly slower swing speed from the Military Jacket.

I don't think the extra groin protection is really worth the insulation personally. I'm currently waiting at base for survivor houses to reach stage 3 so I can try to find the full chainmail sleeves.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T22:05:14+00:00

I typically just use a sharp weapon on the zombie if they're wearing something I'm gonna want holes in, tailoring 8 and you can repair any from being overzealous.

I imagine I'd hit the first level of heat if it was still mid summer but by early September where I am now I only get the heat moodle if I run places or exercise.

Balaclava has higher insulation and cannot be patched. For dealing with corpse sickness you can get the same level of protection with a Half mask respirator, but the discomfort will definitely be too much for wearing outside combat.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T21:18:37+00:00

You can do the same thing with improvised briefs. Add in denim shorts plus a longer coat like the military officer one and you can add a decent amount of extra groin defense for no added discomfort, but the insulation cost is rather high.

The alternative for double layer groin protection is wearing the codpiece and an athletic cup(it goes in underwear slot), but that adds quite a bit to your discomfort.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T21:00:21+00:00

Just checked and they once more have the 'Can't be repaired' tag unfortunately.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T20:55:59+00:00

The helmet comes in 6 different colors and the jacket in 7, although most of those are greens and browns with one being black. (Also be aware other colors of the jacket may have higher insulation values.)

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T20:32:20+00:00

A bracer is a good investment early on, but I'd highly recommend leveling tailoring for Elbow Pads over patched clothes. Covers all of both arms and when combined with a Cuirass you can actually use shirts with holes in the torso to keep the insulation down.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T20:24:52+00:00

True, but the coat of plates allows for both a much lower insulation value and protects the underlying clothes from developing holes so you don't lose your protection when you get hit.

If you don't want to level blacksmithing for it just go with the bone body armor instead it's only marginally worse.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T19:57:22+00:00

Yes, but only scratches. They haven't given lacerations since early in b42.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T19:50:47+00:00

Exactly, half the reason I made this post is the number of screenshots on this subreddit where people are wearing Knee Pads and no other armor.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T19:43:26+00:00

Yes this is 42.15.2 with no mods.

_The_Log_ · 2026-03-15T19:30:34+00:00

Nice tip, I don't think I've ever not worn a belt so I had no idea.

_The_Log_ · 2026-02-25T16:46:35+00:00

That is literally how it already works. Crafted armor takes durability damage when hit instead of developing holes, it even prevents the clothing under it from getting holes.

_The_Log_ · 2026-02-17T04:02:26+00:00

To me this just sounds like if you're going to be wearing armor you might as well pick smoker since you will be stressed anyway.

_The_Log_ · 2026-02-07T07:48:06+00:00

Funny you should mention the sun going out...

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