Hardened (perk)

Hardened is a Tier 2 perk in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is one of the three perks in the game that is purchased by default. It is roughly equivalent to the Deep Impact perk and FMJ attachment from past Call of Duty games. It also shares an effect with Stopping Power Pro from Modern Warfare 2.

Overview
Hardened increases the surface penetration for any guns fired by the user. Its pro version increases the damage of bullets against killstreaks by 25% and reduces the effects of flinching when damaged by 80%.

Pro Challenges

 * Penetration Kills - Get 10 kills using Hardened and shooting through walls.
 * Bullets in Aircraft - Shoot 200 bullets into enemy aircraft.
 * Equipment Shot - Destroy 1 piece of enemy equipment through a wall.

Tips

 * Using Hacker along with hardened will make destroying equipment through walls and completing the Equipment Shot challenge much easier.
 * An easy way to destroy equipment through walls is to locate a claymore, then move so something obstructs your view. Claymores are commonly found at doorways, making the doorjamb an excellent tool to shoot through and gain your Equipment Shot challenge.
 * The M60 &quot;Big Ammo&quot; has a magazine of 200 rounds, which is exactly the amount needed to complete the Bullets in Aircraft challenge.
 * Ghost Pro will make the Bullets in Aircraft challenge much easier to complete, as the aircraft cannot retaliate in most cases.
 * In addition to the M60 w/ Extended Mags for completing the Bullets in Aircraft challenge, it is also useful to use a weapon with a high rate of fire, such as the FAMAS, with Extended Mags or Dual Mags. Scavenger will also be helpful in finding more ammunition.
 * Killstreaks (such as the RC-XD) also count towards the Equipment Shot challenge, even though they are not included in the challenge description and will not glow with Hacker.

Trivia

 * The icon for Hardened makes it appear as though the bullet is breaking through the outline of the icon, representing its ability to improve surface penetration.