Every Escape From Tarkov player knows it: You wear a helmet with a face shield and still get knocked out with one shot. Many people think it's a bug, but it's an unavoidable feature!
Players suffer: In forums like Reddit, players keep complaining about a bug that is supposed to make the face shield of their own helmet unusable in Tarkov. Despite the shield, they died from a single hit. What many do not know, it is a wanted feature that affects the hit boxes.
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Helmet basics: In Escape From Tarkov, helmets help protect you from bullets and shrapnel. Since update 0.8, they also protect detailed zones on the player's head:
Before the update, there was only one large head hit box, which made a face shield completely unnecessary. But even now players keep appearing who claim the face shield of their helmet is bugged.
The misconception: Escape From Tarkov is realistic, so many players think that the areas of the body that are optically covered by a part of the helmet (or other armor) are protected as well. Believe it or not, that is wrong.
As discussed above, there are 5 different hit zones on your character's head. These and only these are protected by your helmets described areas of protection. They don't change in size or height. Hit boxes stay the same despite your helmet beeing bigger or covering more space.
Let's take the Fast MT as an example. This helmet protects the top of your head and your neck. Thanks to Tarkovs modularity you can add a face shield later. The following zones are not protected here:
If you look at a picture of the Fast MT, that seems quite plausible. After all, the helmet only covers these areas optically.
Another example from the other end of the spectrum might be the Shattered Mask. This armor covers the entire face including the ears and forehead which is part of the top of your head. However, the description of the mask reveals that only the jaw area and eyes are protected here. These areas are not protected:
In Escape From Tarkov it doesn't matter, which area your helmet/mask is optically covering. The only thing that counts is which hit zone on your head is said be protected by it.
In the case of the Shattered Mask, it means that the entire forehead area of the mask has a purely decorative purpose. You can shoot straight through it.
There is a solution: now that you know you are not automatically protected just because it looks like it, you have to find a solution, of course. The most common accidentally hit part of the skull in Tarkov is the ears.
Now the simplest solution is therefore to buy ear protection. Optionally, you can also grab the Ronin helmet, which protects all segments.
A thing to watch out for: If you die from a single hit in the head, it's not a bug. The helmet and face shield you were wearing simply didn't serve the purpose of protecting the hit area. So pay attention to which head areas your helmet + face shield protect. If the ears are missing, buy earmuffs with them!
It's your turn: Now your opinion is asked, what do you think of the developers' solution and do you have a better idea? Let us know in the comments or chat with our community on Facebook.
Source: Escape From Tarkov Gamepedia
