An essential part of a DMZ operator’s kit is their armor vest. Basic vests can feature one, two, or three armor plates, each boosting your survivability in the field. But the best vests in the game—such as the three-plate Stealth Vest—include a bonus effect that gives you an edge in battle.
However, you don’t just drop into the map and find one of these lying around anywhere. Three-plate Stealth Vests are very rare to find in the wild, but fortunately, there are ways to pick one up for yourself.
What does a three-plate Stealth Vest do in DMZ?
The three-plate Stealth Vest grants a DMZ operator a version of the classic Ghost perk, which makes the user invisible when enemies use UAVs, drones, or cameras. Your shots also won’t appear on the radar or Tactical Map unless a UAV is active.
While the Comms and Medic vests have their benefits in a team environment and are relatively easier to craft, the Stealth Vest is arguably the best pick for DMZ, particularly if you prefer to go it alone.
Now you know what it does, how can you get your hands on one?
How to get a three-plate Stealth Vest in DMZ
Find one—if you’re lucky
You can find three-plate Stealth Vests on any DMZ map inside points of interest, key caches, Strongholds, or any red rare weapon crate.
Unfortunately, they are incredibly rare to pick up in the wild. I come across them most often inside the larger POIs in Al Mazrah, in particular, the Al Sa’id Shopping Center and the U.S. Embassy. However, it’s down to pure chance, so your results may vary.
Defeat an enemy operator wearing one
Pretty simple right? After eliminating an enemy player, their equipment will be spread out over a small area—including their Stealth Vest, if they were wearing one. You can then simply pick it up to equip it for yourself.
One issue though: you’ve got to find them first. Since they won’t appear on a UAV or radar, I suggest a Hunt contract, which can be found on your Tactical Map marked by a green icon with a skull emblem. This will give you the general location of a player’s squad, after which you can hunt them down. Downing them all within five minutes gets you a cash bonus, too.
Craft or Barter for a three-plate Stealth Vest
The easiest way to get one, at least in my experience, is to craft or Barter for a vest at a Buy Station. First, you must unlock the recipe for the three-plate Stealth Vest. As of season five, to unlock the Barter recipe you’ll have to head into Koschei Complex’s Factory Wing and eliminate the Sniper commander.
Once he’s defeated, you can then Barter for the vest at any Buy Station. The recipe, as of season five, requires:
- One encrypted USB drive.
- One game console.
- One comic book.
Comic books are very easy to find anywhere in the world, while game consoles are a little rarer—try supermarkets or tech stores around Al Mazrah City and Sa’id City. The encrypted USB drive is the toughest of the lot—search every computer tower you find.
I tend to find my encrypted USB drives near the Police Academy or the bank, but any computer can hold one. Once you’ve got all three, head to a Buy Station and Barter for one.