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Heavy armor platting allowing protection for the torso and vital organs. Favored by mommas boys who don't have time to bleed.
— Description at GTA CW.
Armor-GTAIV

Body Armor is a pickup in the Grand Theft Auto series that serves primarily to protect the player's health from specific forms of damage, most notably gunfire. In most cases, body armor in the games is illustrated as a protective blue vest.

Description

First introduced in the original Grand Theft Auto, the body armor's primary function is to serve as padding for the player health, in effect extending the player's resilience to damage from gunfire, explosions and fire.

GTA 1 — GTA 2

In early top-down GTA games, armors in both GTA 1 (as well as Grand Theft Auto London mission packs) and GTA 2 serve their intended purpose, adding 10 more hit points to the player's existing health, but provides no protection to the player when they fall from great heights, are run over by vehicles, or are beaten up by the police and arrested. Armors are most commonly found spawned in specific locations or crates, and, in the case of GTA 2, can also be acquired by crushing specific cars.

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

Body armor continued to be featured between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, undergoing several more changes. In all of its appearances, armor now offers nearly the same amount of hit points as the player's full health, doubling the player's resistance to damage. The armor hit points stayed the same until GTA San Andreas where the armor is now a bar instead of hit points. In addition, armor can now pad injuries from falls, collisions with vehicles on foot, and even melee attacks; the armor in GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City Stories is an exception, providing no protection to the player from falls, while the armor in Grand Theft Auto Advance provides no protection to melee attacks.

In addition to spawning in specific locales, body armor can also be purchased at stores that sell weapons, such as Ammu-Nation, as well as entering the police/SWAT Enforcer trucks. Like the player's health, armor hit points between GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories (sans GTA Advance) can typically be increased easily via side-missions (such as "Vigilante"), as well as 100% completion of the game.

The appearance of armor pickups has also changed significantly after GTA III. When included in GTA III, the pickup assumed the appearance of a shield icon; in games after, however, the pickup is redesigned as a spinning vest, possibly to avoid confusion with the police bribe pickup.

GTA IV — GTA Chinatown Wars

Armor in GTA IV has been refashioned slightly out of realism. It no longer offers protection to falls, collisions with vehicles on foot, or melee attacks (including hand-to-hand combat and melee weapons), increasing the player's chances of death from these hazards. Armor in GTA Chinatown Wars appears to revert to pre-GTA IV settings.

As expected, armor can be found lying about in specific points of the city (distinguishable by its red glow) as well as underground weapon dealers in GTA IV or AmmuNation.net in GTA Chinatown Wars. NOOSE Enforcers still provide the player some armor, but only gives the player roughly one third of the maximum amount (With the exception of GTA Chinatown Wars, which gives the player full armor).

GTA V

Grand Theft Auto V introduced a more complex body armor system, including five tiered armor vests ranging from small arms protection to large caliber weapon and explosive protection. Body armor once again provides protection from falls and impacts. Each next level tier provides an added 20% armor, and the player cannot buy the weaker armor after buying the next tier (buy light, cannot buy super light).

  • Super Light Armor: $500 (20% armor)
  • Light Armor: $1000 (40%)
  • Standard Armor: $1500 (60%)
  • Heavy Armor: $2000 (80%)
  • Super Heavy Armor: $2500 (100%)

These five armor suits can be bought from Ammu-Nation

Armor suits have been reported to be massively weaker in GTA Online, even at 100%. Probably to compensate for this, players are able to have up to a maximum of ten reserve armor vests (at level 135) in their inventories.

The strength stat, when fully increased does seem to negate this. As it seems the strength stat gives a boost to both armor and health slightly. The armor difference is still very low (around 10-15% depending on the weapon used) but it seems that a super heavy vest (%100), with a character at max strength, can take 2-3 more hits from a carbine rifle or handguns, than a character with a super heavy vest (%100) without a very noticeable strength stat. This is caused by the fact that the strength stat DECREASES overall damage, and not just adds more health. This can be beneficial as it allows much more resilience with armor at range, and thus making armor purchases, and strength enhancing activities a better investment.

Locations

Grand Theft Auto III

Portland

BodyArmor-GTAIII-Locations

All body armor locations (GTA III)

Shoreside Vale

Staunton

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Ocean Beach

Washington Beach

Leaf Links

  • In a sand bunker at the Northwest part of the course.

Vice Point

Prawn Island

Downtown

  • On roof of a building near the test track at the north of the district (use the stairs behind).
  • On roof of Hyman Condo (10 Hidden Packages collected award).
  • In a alley at south of The Well Stacked Pizza.
  • Can be bought for $200 in the Ammu-Nation after Jury Fury.
  • Behind a building beside the The Greasy Chopper.

Little Haiti

Little Havana

  • In the corner of a blue house just west of the basketball court complex (behind some bushes).

Vercetti Estate, Starfish Island (after "Rub Out")

  • Southeast beside the steps leading to the upper garden (10 Hidden Packages collected award).
  • In a small room at bottom of the stairs (10 Hidden Packages collected award).
  • In the lounge North of the main hall central staircase.

Vice Port

  • In the entrance of a building North across the street from the big ship.
  • Between some crates in the parking lot beside Vice City Transport Police (east of Escobar International Airport).

Fort Baxter

  • At top of the east entrance guard tower.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Los Santos

San Fierro

Las Venturas

Red County

Whetstone

Bone County

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Portland

Staunton

Shoreside Vale

  • Next to the firetruck at the airport.

GTA Vice City Stories

Downtown

Little Havana

Ocean Beach

  • At the Marina Sands Hotel.
  • In front of a wall in the underground carpark.
  • Southwest corner on top level of the Ocean Beach Parking Garage.
  • At the parking garage near the Ocean Bay Marina piers.
  • Grassy area at southeast part of Ocean Beach.

Grand Theft Auto IV

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Alderney

  • Acter - In an alley near the corner building off Lee Rd. To find it, climb the wall on the side where there usually are police cars, and find the way down the alley to the armor.
  • Acter Industrial Park:
    • on the western side, near a burning barrel on the railroad tracks.
    • Inside an old warehouse just inside the door. The player also may see that he will use in a mission "Pegorino's Pride" given by Jimmy P.
  • Alderney City:
    • At the end of the easternmost wall at the Alderney Ferry Terminal.
    • Near some red and white plastic crates off Jonestown Ave
  • Berchem:
    • Next to the West wall of the Plumbers Skyway on the ground.
    • Next to the stairs from the building that leads out into the parking lot of Babbage Drive and Fleming St. The player can get there from the east side building entry and walk up the stairs. The player will find this useful in a mission later in the game.
  • Leftwood - In the alleyway on the North side of a chain link fence of Franklin St.
  • Tudor - Below the Plumbers Skyway bridge on a support beam, the player can hop over from the one next to it.
  • Westdyke - On a ledge above the door of a building with the Sprunk sign in the front, climb on the dumpster to get it.

Algonquin

  • Castle Gardens - In a pipe in the construction area.
  • Charge Island:
  • Colony Island - In the graveyard behind an Angel Statue marker.
  • Hatton Gardens - In a construction area, walk down the ramp and find it underneath it.
  • Lancaster:
    • In a small alley North of the Skeeza shop off Albany Ave. 
  • Northwood:
    • At the junction on the docks between the wood and cement (off Grummer Road), on the lowest level.
  • Below the Northwood Heights bridge support between the columns.
  • Purgatory - In the southwest corner of the parking garage on the second level next to a trash receptacle in Purgatory.
  • Star Junction:
    • The player will find this body armor in the mission "Late Checkout" given by Ray Boccino. If he doesn't do the mission, it is only accessible by helicopter drop and its on the rooftop patio near the red and yellow LOGGER umbrella in Star Junction at the Majestic.
    • On a back alley ledge in Star Junction off Lorimar St where it is possible to see some skylights. Use the dumpsters to access it.
  • The Exchange:
  • The Triangle - In an alley, on the Northwest corner of the block, its a slim alley to go into.

Bohan

Broker

  • Cerveza Heights - On the rooftop of Sum Yung Gai inside the large noodle bowl with chopsticks. There are emergency stairs on the south side, with the help of a car the player can jump on them. The player can also access the bowl by getting into the Subway overpass from the Huntington Street LTA station and jump into the rooftop.
  • East Hook - In the Platypus ships central control area up top with the steering wheel. The player will have to helicopter drop to get it, there is a mission ("A Dish Served Cold" (Only if choosen Revenge after "One Last Thing")) the player may be able to use it in as well, but the player won't have to drop to get it then.
  • Firefly Projects - In the junkyard to right, between the junk and the roofing, in the leftover remains of a pickup.
  • Francis Intl. Airport:
    • Northwest of an orange and white box and then behind the cement barrier. The player WILL get a 4 star wanted level if daring to go after this one.
    • In the Francis International Airport area, on some rooftop generators. There is a ladder on the side to access it.
    • Just off the Broker Dukes Expressway, in a small grassy area, near the airport fuel station.
  • Hove Beach - Across from the first safehouse on the billboard. It's really hard to get it, the player have to jump off the Broker Dukes Expressway to the North to to access the rooftops and them carefully jump to the billboard to get it.
  • Meadow Hills - Behind a 2 car brick garage off Stillwater Ave.
  • South Slopes - On the East side of a steel gated door, just walk right through to get it. In an alley north of Sundance St.
  • Steinway - Under the boardwalk on the rocks as it descends down to the water, north Dukes Drive.

Dukes

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

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Grand Theft Auto V

Gta5.armor

Body armor locations in GTA5

Blaine County

Los Santos County

Los Santos Metropolitan Area:
Outside Metropolitan Area:

Gallery

Trivia

Body Armor clothing
  • In the Grand Theft Auto IV beta, body armor would be physically represented on one's character model if equipped. As with the fingerless gloves that were also 'cut', this wearable armor still exists in the retail version and can be equipped via a trainer, though without any effect unless the in-game armor is equipped as well. However, body armor is now able to be physically shown on characters in Grand Theft Auto Online.
  • In GTA V, the armor depicted on the ground when picking it up does not match its armor value. Say, the armor pick-up on the ground is a weak $500 body armor bought at Ammu-Nation, even though it gives the armor value of a $2500 body armor bought at Ammu-Nation. 
  • In GTA V and GTA Online, the super light vest model in Ammu-Nation is actually a plate carrier model, and is used by the military. The model of the in store vest also does not match the actual model used when worn by a character. Its model is still visible when worn by NPCs (professional criminals, and military). 

See also

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