Armor is a universal buyable ability for all classes except the Super Battle Droid, Droideka, Wookiee, Jedi, and Sith. It is separated into 3 Levels. Level 1 of armor is always purchased by default. One armor point protects against damage better than one health point. Disregarding the small damage randomization, armor reduces normal blaster damage by 50%. The main exceptions are lightsabers and snipers. Armor reduces lightsaber damage by 20%. Snipers penetrate armor a decent amount. Different classes can purchase different amounts of armor.
Substitutes for Armor[]
Some things work better to enhance one's survivability than armor. For example, someone playing as a Commander could sacrifice rank 3 armor for rank 1 dodge. As long as he is standing still, he can take no damage from shots that would otherwise hit him.