WARDOGS Beginner's Guide

WARDOGS Beginner’s Guide Quick Overview:

1. WARDOGS’ core mode is a large-scale variation of King of the Hill where three teams fight over one Control Zone. The team with the most players inside earns points, and the first team to reach 100 points wins.
2. Cash is central to WARDOGS. You purchase your weapons, gear, and vehicles for each life, earn money through kills and teamplay, and keep your profits between matches.
3. WARDOGS has no traditional locked classes. Instead, your equipment defines your role, while actions such as fighting, healing, supporting, driving, and piloting contribute to separate progression tracks that unlock more gear.
4. Maps are huge, and there is no squad spawning. Getting yourself and other players from the team base back to the Control Zone is part of the game, making ground vehicles and helicopters extremely important.
5. Players can fight over towers to influence the Hot Zone or build and fortify their own Forward Operating Bases, creating defensive positions supported by supplies, fortifications, and weapons such as anti-air defenses.

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What is WARDOGS and What Makes it Different?

As defined by the devs, WARDOGS is a tactical all-out warfare FPS where 100 players split into 3 teams fight over one control zone.

The three teams are Lonestar (blue), Valkyra (red), and Manticore (green). You pick one when joining a match, so if you're playing with friends, make sure everyone joins the same faction. 

Every 30 seconds, the team with the most players in the zone gets a point. The first team to reach 100 points wins the match.

Now, if you’ve been thrown under the hype train started by the big streamers and YouTubers, who seem to enjoy the game a little too much and scream that it's better than Battlefield?

If you’re like me, you must be tired of hearing the same thing for every new upcoming game, so let me make it clear: I own both WARDOGS and Battlefield 6, which this game gets compared to the most, and WARDOGS is not better than Battlefield 6. Both games give you different thrills. Battlefield gives you that military action with Michael Bay blockbuster-style explosions and scale. And it’s great at what it does.

I can’t say that comparing this to BF6 is totally wrong, though. At a glance, WARDOGS feels like BF6 on a larger map. It has similar vehicles - buggies, MRAPs, APCs, tanks, and two types of helis.

So, if you are comparing WARDOGS to BF6, which is totally understandable, WARDOGS gives you way more agency during the match.

What do I mean by that? In BF6, you have 4 classes that are good at something specific, but it still always boils down to killing enemies better than the enemy team. A great example of BF6 trying to give players more things to do but failing is the Hammer tool, which can be equipped instead of a knife. In the trailers, you could see it being used to break walls and create openings. But in reality, you’ll never see something like that.

That’s where WARDOGS is different - you actually need all the tools you can get, and you can win the match in a lot of different ways, not just by killing enemies. How? Read next.

Economy: Cash is King

WARDOGS has a persistent player economy where the money that you earn during the match carries over with you to the next game. 

Every new player starts with $10,000. That’s your initial bankroll, and since your balance carries between matches, blowing most of it on your first few lives can leave you struggling later. But you earn in-game cash for completing team play actions:

• Killing enemies
• Assisting kills
• Spotting enemies
• Reviving teammates
• Healing teammates
• Transporting teammates into the Control Zone
• Piloting teammates into the Control Zone
• Controlling/occupying the objective
• Performing actions inside the Hot Zone, which pays double cash
• Destroying enemy vehicles; destroying a packed helicopter can produce a large payout
• Building bases / useful fortifications
• Resupplying teammates
• Delivering supplies to the frontline (loading/unloading supplies)
• Selling/providing items to other players (you can buy a supply drop, buy items to put inside, and then put your own price on it)

And this isn’t even the full list, because on top of that, players can choose to tip you for reviving them, transporting them, etc. And profits from each game get banked into your account to spend in the next match.

Do check out my guide on how to make money fast in this game, it'll give you a few ideas for earning more cash.

And here comes the risk factor - the more expensive things you buy: tanks, expensive gear, weapon mods, faster healing items, etc. the more you might lose on death. Not every match will be profitable, especially in the beginning.

Secondary Objectives

The ultimate goal in a match is reaching 100 points for your team faster than the other 2 teams. This is done by entering the designated area, and as I’ve explained, if players from all 3 teams are inside it, the team with the most players at the moment gets a point. But there is more.

Hot Zone

The Hot Zone is a smaller moving area located inside the larger Control Zone. While standing inside it, you count as two players instead of one toward your team's Control Zone population. You also earn double cash for actions performed while inside the Hot Zone.

So, let's say Red team has 20 players inside the Control Zone while your team has only 17. Normally, Red wins the next scoring tick. But if four of your 17 players are standing inside the Hot Zone, those four effectively count as eight. Your team's total becomes 21, and suddenly you are the team earning the point. This makes the Hot Zone one of the most important places on the map, especially when the teams are relatively even.

It is also naturally where some of the nastiest fights happen. You're putting a bunch of players who count double, earn double cash, and desperately don't want to leave into one relatively small area. Add tanks, helicopters, artillery, medics constantly reviving people, and whatever fortifications players have managed to build nearby, and things can get messy very quickly.

During the beta, Hot Zone felt like the PvP zone, where people would go not necessarily caring about earning points but to fight. It was either that or trying to take over the towers controlled by other teams. The Hot Zone constantly moves. It’s slow enough so you can actually keep up, but the direction is so random, it can sometimes lead you to where the enemy comes from. If only there was a way to have the zone move in a certain direction…

Drill Towers & Tower Codes

There are 2-5 large towers around the map, and they basically act as WARDOGS' secondary objectives.

Towers aren’t hot zones, you don’t get double points per player, but each tower contains a piece of code.

Once you recover the full code, the Hot Zone can be pulled to a tower like a magnet if you enter the entire sequence.

Tip: Share tower digits in team chat aswhen  soon as you find them. If you know the third digit is 5, posting something like XX5 tells everyone both the number and its position. As more towers are checked, your team can fill in the blanks or try guessing the few remaining possibilities.

This also creates an actual job for players who don't want to spend the entire match fighting in the main blob. In one of the developer videos, one of the players describes his playstyle as flying between towers, clearing them, grabbing their codes, and immediately moving on to the next one.

He might barely touch the main fight, but getting those codes can influence where the main fight happens next. That’s what I meant I said you have more agency.

Drill Rigs: Bring the Hot Zone to You

Towers aren’t the only way to influence where the Hot Zone goes. If your team has built a Forward Operating Base, or FOB for short, you can also construct a Drill Rig and use it to pull the Hot Zone toward your own position.

The important part is that the Drill Rig needs fuel, so this isn’t something you just place and forget about. Your team has to build the FOB, keep it supplied, fuel the rig, and then defend the whole thing once the Hot Zone starts moving your way.

Basically, you can build a heavily fortified FOB, set up anti-air and other defenses, bring in supplies, position vehicles nearby, and then use the Drill Rig to basically tell the other two teams: come fight us here.

If you want to learn more on how to build things in the game, check out this Building Guide. It'll show you the basics you need to know.

If it works, your base can suddenly become the center of the match. Enemy infantry starts pushing the walls, tanks move in, artillery and mortars start hitting the position, helicopters try to land players nearby, and your logistics players have to keep bringing ammunition and supplies while everyone else tries to hold the Hot Zone.

So, while towers let you influence the Hot Zone through existing objectives on the map, Drill Rigs let your team build its own position first and then try to bring the fight directly to it.

Player Roles

Like I said before, WARDOGS has roles, but it doesn’t have traditional classes that dictate what you can equip.

There are Assault, Medic, Recon, Support, Driver, and Pilot progression tracks, but you never select one before spawning. Instead, you buy whatever weapons, gear, and tools you plan to use during that life.

So, think of these as progression paths rather than classes. What you actually do during the match determines which ones you progress.

How Roles Work

Your role is basically determined by your actions.

Progression Track	What You’ll Generally Be Doing
Assault	Fighting enemy infantry and playing as a frontline soldier
Medic	Healing and reviving teammates
Recon	Spotting enemies and providing information
Support	Supplying teammates and helping with logistics/support tasks
Driver	Transporting teammates and operating ground vehicles
Pilot	Flying helicopters and transporting players by air

The important part is that none of these tracks restrict your equipment.

You don’t need to select Medic to carry a Defibrillator. You don’t need to select Recon to use a Rangefinder. And equipping an LMG doesn’t suddenly lock you into Support.

Instead, you can mix tools from completely different roles.

For example, you could bring:

• an assault rifle as your Primary Weapon;
• a pistol as your Sidearm;
• a Defibrillator;
• a Rangefinder;
• medical supplies;
• grenades;
• extra ammo.

Now you can revive people when things go wrong, scout distances when your squad needs information, and still fight normally when neither of those jobs needs doing.

That freedom is one of the biggest differences between WARDOGS and shooters built around predefined classes.

Equipment Slots

Your three main equipment slots are assigned directly to keys 1, 2, and 3:

Key	Slot	What Goes There
1	Primary Weapon	Your main firearm or bow
2	Sidearm	Your backup weapon
3	Spec. Item	Specialist weapons and role-specific tools

Your loadout then has additional Gear slots for:

• Helmet
• Armor
• Tac-Vest
• Backpack
• Traversal

There are also quick-access slots from 4 through 0, which are used for items you carry rather than additional permanent equipment slots.

Primary Weapon

Your Primary Weapon is what you’ll spend most of your firefights using.

WARDOGS currently divides them into seven categories:

• Assault Rifles
• SMGs
• Shotguns
• LMGs
• Marksman Rifles
• Sniper Rifles
• Bows

And again, there are no class restrictions here.

A player focusing heavily on Medic progression can carry a sniper rifle. A Recon player can run around with an SMG. A Driver can buy an LMG before grabbing a vehicle.

The question isn't “What weapon does my class allow?”

It's “What weapon do I want for what I'm about to do?”

Sidearm

Slot 2 is your Sidearm.

This is much simpler. It's your backup weapon for situations where reloading your Primary would take too long, you've emptied your main weapon, or you're carrying something less suitable for close-range fights.

Since every piece of equipment contributes to both cost and weight, however, even your Sidearm is something you can decide to spend more or less money on.

Specialist Item

The Spec. Item slot is where WARDOGS' classless system becomes much more interesting.

This slot can be used for specialized combat weapons and tools that enable completely different playstyles.

Depending on what you have unlocked, this is where you'll find things used for jobs such as:

• anti-vehicle combat;
• anti-air;
• healing and reviving;
• reconnaissance;
• engineering and breaching.

This means two players carrying the exact same Primary Weapon could still be doing completely different jobs.

One might have a launcher and spend most of the match hunting vehicles. Another could be running around reviving teammates with a Defibrillator.

And because you're not locked into a class, what you put into the rest of your backpack can push that flexibility even further.

Backpack and Carried Items

Your Backpack determines how much additional equipment you can bring with you.

This is where you carry the stuff that doesn't occupy your three main equipment slots, including things like:

• ammunition;
• medical supplies;
• grenades;
• explosives;
• building materials;
• logistics supplies;
• utility equipment.

The bigger your backpack, the more flexibility you have, but there is a catch. Backpack inventory uses a grid, and items take up different amounts of space. A 2×1 magazine occupies two inventory squares, so carrying lots of spare magazines can eat through a small backpack surprisingly quickly.

Everything you carry has weight. And speaking of equipment, I made a list of the best loadouts in the game, make sure to give it a look as well, while you're at it.

So just because WARDOGS lets you carry gear for several different jobs doesn't mean stuffing your backpack with everything in the Equipment Vendor is a good idea.

Tac-Vests and Quick Slots

Your Tac-Vest is closely connected to the quick-access slots shown underneath your backpack inventory.

These are keys:

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.

Quick slots let you get to carried equipment without digging through your backpack every time you need it.

This becomes especially useful when you're carrying several frequently used items such as:

• bandages;
• grenades;
• medical equipment;
• explosives;
• utility tools.

So, a useful way to think about the difference is:

Backpack = how much stuff you can carry.

Tac-Vest = how easily you can access that stuff during a fight.

Build for What You Actually Plan to Do

This is probably the most important thing to understand before buying your first expensive loadout. Don't try to recreate a traditional class just because other shooters trained you to think that way, instead, ask yourself what you're actually planning to do during that life. If you're going into the Control Zone with infantry, bring weapons, armor, ammo, grenades, and maybe something that helps your teammates survive. If you're heading for a tower, you might want lighter equipment and tools that help you scout or clear the place quickly. If you're planning to drive supplies around, spending a fortune on the heaviest armor and biggest weapon might just mean risking more cash on a job where you barely expect to shoot anyone.

Loadout Weight: More Gear Means Less Mobility

Everything you equip in WARDOGS adds weight, and once your loadout crosses certain thresholds, the game starts hitting your movement and weapon handling.

There are four weight classes:

Weight Class	Main Effects
Lightest	No penalties
Light	-5% Max Speed, -5% Jump, -14% Stamina Regen
Medium	-12% Max Speed, -10% Jump, -35% Stamina Regen, +5% ADS Time
Heavy	-19% Max Speed, -14% Jump, +14% ADS Time, +50% Lean Time, Tactical Sprint disabled

Heavier kits also increase aim sway, so loading yourself with armor, weapons, ammo, and supplies can make you noticeably worse in a firefight.

Progression System

WARDOGS has two progression layers: your general player level and six separate role progression tracks. Pretty much everything useful you do during a match contributes to progression, while the type of actions you perform determines which role you progress.

General Level

Your general level represents your overall account progression. Playing matches, fighting, completing objectives, and helping your team earns XP that pushes this level higher.

On top of that, you also gain progression in specific roles depending on what you're actually doing.

Role Progression Tracks

There are six:

• Assault
• Medic
• Recon
• Support
• Driver
• Pilot

Reviving teammates progresses Medic, spotting enemies contributes to Recon, transporting players progresses Driver or Pilot, and so on. Speaking of transport, check out this Vehicles Guide to learn more about how to get and use different cars and helicopters in the game.

These aren't classes, so you can make progress in several tracks during the same match.

Progression Unlocks Things You Can Buy

Leveling up unlocks access to new weapons, gadgets, gear, vehicles, and other equipment, but you don't get them for free. Unlocking an expensive rifle simply means it becomes available for purchase. You still have to spend your own cash every time you want to bring it into battle.

Read our other WARDOGS guides:

• Best Loadouts
• Vehicles Guide
• Building Guide
• How to Unlock Weapons
• How to Make Money Fast

F.A.Q.