Getting your Arena Breakout: Infinite ammo choice wrong is the single most common reason a raid ends with your kit on someone else's back. You can land five center-mass shots and still lose the fight because the round you loaded can't get through the plate in front of it. This guide breaks down the two numbers that decide every gunfight — a bullet's Pierce Level and an armor's Armor Level — how they interact, and which ammo is actually worth loading in Season 6: White Nights (live since June 30, 2026).
We'll cover the penetration math in plain terms, a Pierce Level tier framework you can read at a glance, how armor durability quietly changes the outcome, the budget ammo that punches above its price, and exactly what Morefun rebalanced this season. Numbers in extraction shooters churn every patch, so everything here is stamped to the current build — re-check the in-game charts at the next season boundary.
Quick answer: In Arena Breakout: Infinite, a bullet's Pierce Level is derived from its raw Penetration stat (Pierce Level ≈ Penetration ÷ 10, rounded down). Armor is graded Level 1–6. If your Pierce Level is equal to or higher than the enemy's Armor Level, you'll reliably punch through for near-full damage; if it's lower, penetration chance and damage drop off fast — so you shoot limbs or wear the plate down instead. Tier 4 ammo (e.g. M855A1, BP) is the budget sweet spot for most raids. Verified for Season 6: White Nights (June 30, 2026).
How does ammo penetration work in Arena Breakout: Infinite?
Every round in ABI has a raw Penetration stat. The game buckets that number into a Pierce Level, and the rule the community has reverse-engineered is simple:
Pierce Level = Penetration ÷ 10, rounded down.
A round with 34 penetration is Pierce Level 3. A round with 47 penetration is Pierce Level 4. A round with 71 penetration sits at the top, Pierce Level 7. Players on r/ArenaBreakoutInfinite describe the same relationship — "the tiers for penetration [are] usually around 10, so an ammo with 37 penetration is treated as T3 ammo." (Note: the exact Pierce Level ↔ Penetration mapping is community-derived from the in-game ammo screen, not a published Morefun formula — treat it as a strong rule of thumb, not gospel.)
Two other stats sit next to penetration on the ammo screen and get merged together far too often:
- Base Damage — the flesh damage a round deals after it penetrates. This is what actually kills.
- Armor Damage — how much durability the round chews off the plate per hit.
A round can be a brilliant armor-breaker and a mediocre killer, or vice versa. High-penetration AP rounds often trade flesh damage for the ability to get through plates; hollow-point-style rounds do the opposite. That trade-off is the entire game of ammo selection.
Arena Breakout Infinite ammo chart: Pierce Level tiers 0–7
The cleanest way to read ABI ammo is by Pierce Level band rather than memorizing dozens of individual penetration integers (which change per season). The in-game ammo list spans Pierce Level 0 through 7. Here's the framework with representative rounds per tier:
| Pierce Level | Rough penetration band | What it's for | Example rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | ~0–19 | Pistol/PDW starter ammo; only reliable vs unarmored limbs | Basic 9×19, buckshot pellets |
| 2 | ~20–29 | Early raids, low armor; struggles vs Level 3+ | Low-tier rifle/pistol AP |
| 3 | ~30–39 | Handles Level 3 armor comfortably | 5.56×45 M855, mid-tier 7.62 |
| 4 | ~40–49 | The budget workhorse — pens Level 4, contests Level 5 | 5.56×45 M855A1, BP |
| 5 | ~50–59 | Anti-Level-5/6 kits; more expensive | High-grade AP rifle rounds |
| 6–7 | ~60–71 | Top-end armor shredders; premium price | 7.62×54mm 7N37 (top of the chart) |
Read this as a map, not a spec sheet. The tier bands are stable; the precise penetration number on any single round can move with a balance patch, and third-party ammo charts routinely go stale within weeks of a season change. Before you commit real Koen to a stack, open the ammo item in-game and read the current Penetration, Base Damage and Armor Damage values yourself. If you want a fuller live table, ABI's own ammo reference and the Steam Community cheat sheets are the closest thing to an up-to-date list — just confirm they're stamped to the current build.
How do armor levels work in ABI?
Armor in Arena Breakout: Infinite is graded on a six-tier scale, Level 1 through Level 6, and Morefun refers to gear by level directly in official patch notes. Higher level = more protection and a higher chance to stop a given round, but two things complicate the simple "higher is better" reading:
- Coverage matters. A plate carrier only protects the areas it covers. A Level 6 chest rig does nothing for an arm or a leg — which is exactly why under-penetrating players are told to aim at limbs.
- Durability is a hidden dial. Every armor piece has a durability value that degrades as it's shot. The lower the current durability, the higher the chance a round passes through, regardless of level. A community breakdown puts it starkly: a worn Level 6 plate at low durability behaves roughly like the level below it — which is why "shoot the same plate repeatedly" is a legitimate tactic when you're under-tiered. Chip the plate, then the round you already have starts getting through.
This is also why the armor you loot isn't always the armor you should wear: a battered high-tier plate can be worse than a fresh mid-tier one, and repairing or swapping matters as much as the level number on the item card.
What happens when Pierce Level meets Armor Level?
This is the interaction that decides the fight. The community-tested rule of thumb (no official damage table has been published, so treat these as approximate) works like this:
| Matchup | Result |
|---|---|
| Pierce Level > Armor Level | Reliable penetration, close to full damage. This is where you want to be. |
| Pierce Level = Armor Level | Partial penetration — roughly ~80% damage, with penetration chance climbing as your raw Penetration sits higher inside that level band. Still very killable. |
| Pierce Level < Armor Level | Penetration chance falls off sharply and damage decays toward ~50% when you're several levels under. Slow, unreliable kills. |
Layer durability on top: as the enemy's plate wears down, an under-tier round's effective performance climbs. So a Pierce Level 4 round that bounces off a fresh Level 6 plate can start punching through the same plate once you've beaten its durability down. The practical takeaway is that you rarely need the absolute top-tier ammo — you need ammo that matches or slightly under-matches the armor you expect to meet, plus the discipline to break plates and hit unarmored areas.
What's the best ammo in Arena Breakout: Infinite right now?
There is no single "best ammo" — there's best ammo for a budget and a zone. Loading Pierce Level 7 rounds for a Normal-zone run is lighting Koen on fire; bringing Pierce Level 3 to a Forbidden Zone lobby is bringing a knife to a gunfight.
- Budget / everyday raids — Tier 4 is the sweet spot. Rounds like 5.56×45 M855A1 and BP sit at Pierce Level 4, penetrate Level 4 armor cleanly, and stay competitive against Level 5 — all at a fraction of top-tier cost. The Steam Community cheat sheet's advice for new players is blunt: "Tier 4 ammo is the sweet spot for budget runs."
- When you're broke — aim for flesh. If you can't afford ammo that pens the armor in front of you, stop shooting the plate and hit limbs and the head. Uncovered body parts ignore the penetration math entirely.
- Against over-tier armor — trade or chip. Dum-Dum-style rounds trade penetration for raw flesh damage and can be brutal against lightly-armored or exposed targets; otherwise, focus fire one plate to break its durability, then let your existing round start getting through.
- High-roller kits — Pierce Level 5–7. Reserve the expensive AP rounds (topped by 7.62×54mm 7N37) for Lockdown and Forbidden Zone runs where Level 5–6 armor is the norm and the loot ceiling justifies the spend.
Match ammo to expected armor, keep a cheaper flesh-damage option in your rig for emergencies, and you'll win far more trades than someone hauling only the priciest rounds.
What changed for ammo and armor in Season 6?
Ammo and armor balance is re-tuned every season in ABI, so a chart from two patches ago is a liability. Here's what's official and current for Season 6: White Nights, straight from Morefun's Steam announcements:
- New ammo added: .45 APWC, 12×70 Dragon's Breath, and 5.56×45 M855A2 joined the pool this season (Season 6 Update Announcement, June 29, 2026).
- 191-Series weapon nerf: Season 6's balance pass includes a nerf to the 191-series platform, alongside broader "Rebalancing of Ammo, Weapons & More."
- Red ammo can no longer be placed in Secure Cases. A hard, current restriction called out in the Season 6 reveal — plan your carry accordingly.
- No extra accessories smuggled in chest rigs or backpacks into raids — a separate S6 loadout rule worth knowing before you kit up.
For context on how volatile these numbers are, the previous season set the tone. In the Season 5: Distortion patch notes (April 2, 2026), Morefun stated: "Reduced damage of certain LV.5 and above red ammos and decreased firing powers of certain bolt-action and marksman rifles." Whole ammo classes shifted in a single update. The July 30, 2026 Live Update continued fine-tuning (including base/armor damage adjustments to collab weapons). Bottom line: treat any ammo tier list — including this one — as a snapshot, and re-verify the exact penetration values in-client at each season boundary.
FAQ
What is Pierce Level in Arena Breakout: Infinite? Pierce Level is the tier a round's raw Penetration stat falls into, and it's the number that decides whether you get through armor. The community-tested rule is Pierce Level ≈ Penetration ÷ 10, rounded down — so a round with 40 penetration is Pierce Level 4. Match or beat the enemy's Armor Level with your Pierce Level and you'll reliably penetrate.
Why don't my bullets penetrate enemy armor? Almost always because your Pierce Level is below their Armor Level. When Pierce Level is lower than Armor Level, penetration chance and damage drop off sharply — you'll see hits register with little effect. Either bring higher-tier ammo, shoot unarmored limbs and the head, or focus fire one plate to break its durability until your current round starts getting through.
What is the best budget ammo in ABI? Tier 4 (Pierce Level 4) ammo such as 5.56×45 M855A1 and BP is the widely-agreed budget sweet spot. It cleanly penetrates Level 4 armor, contests Level 5, and costs far less than top-tier AP rounds — ideal for the Normal and Lockdown raids where most of your runs happen.
How many armor levels are there in Arena Breakout: Infinite? Armor is graded on a six-tier scale, Level 1 through Level 6, with higher levels offering more protection. Remember that durability matters independently: a worn high-level plate can perform closer to the level below it, so the condition of the armor is as important as its tier.
Does armor durability affect penetration? Yes. As a plate takes hits, its durability drops, and the lower the durability, the more likely a round is to pass through — regardless of the armor's level. This is why repeatedly shooting the same plate lets under-tier ammo eventually break through a high-level piece.
Did Season 6 change the best ammo? Season 6: White Nights (June 30, 2026) added new rounds (.45 APWC, 12×70 Dragon's Breath, 5.56×45 M855A2), nerfed the 191-series weapons, and blocked red ammo from Secure Cases, following Season 5's cuts to LV.5+ red ammo damage. Balance shifts every season, so re-check the in-game Penetration and Damage values on your go-to rounds after each patch.
More Arena Breakout: Infinite guides
- Does Arena Breakout: Infinite wipe? Season resets explained
- Arena Breakout: Infinite DMA Guard error fix (VT-d / IOMMU)
Facts verified against official Morefun Studios Steam announcements for Arena Breakout: Infinite (app 2073620), current as of Season 6: White Nights. Penetration-to-Pierce-Level mapping and the pen-vs-armor interaction are community-derived from the in-game ammo screen; confirm exact values in-client, as ammo and armor are rebalanced every season.
