I haven't had the (dis)pleasure of playing Tarkov for quite a while now, but it looks as though they're pulling some scummy microtransaction shit lately. This "Unheard Edition" is astoundingly tone-deaf.
Pretty much. You're very early days, but if you're around lvl 10-15 and still having trouble with Hard difficulty, try switching up your Primary. A lot of the primary weapons are straight up garbage and need balancing. Bugs are probably the easiest of the two enemy types to start out on...
Probably not the helmet, as no helmets have any properties. But that armor? Hell yeah that's a great idea. Trends with the last Warbond's arc resistance too!