Only the strong survive? What so we should make the very first gun you find in the game and make it just as powerful as someone who busted their asses looking for an exotic weapon? The weapon stats don't even play a part in this other then the changes in the rate of fire, impact and so on. If you have a weapon with the same attack and impact as someone you're fighting against but they have a higher rate of fire you're gonna get hit more and die. If you have a weapon with the same rate of fire but have a lower impact then you're going to die. The exception here is if you think about your movements and don't give them the advantage that they have that you don't. As for armor? It's just a cosmetic choice right now what affects your defense and recovery is your [i]skill tree/ Subclass[/i] and it's effect on the armor, recovery, agility that you gain.