WARDOGS Season 1 changes progression and selected costs compared with the beta-focused balance. BULKHEAD says levels 10–20 are slower, the curve flattens from level 35 onward, Artillery is now a Career level 90 unlock, and the Heavy Tank is a Driver level 35 unlock. It also lists specific vendor, supply, scope and vehicle price changes. These are launch-season values, not a guarantee of a permanent economy or a single best grind route.
What changed in Season 1?
BULKHEAD's official Pre-Load Live & Season 1 Changelog says earlier balancing had been designed for weekend-long beta tests. The launch-season curve is intended to better match its longer-term progression goals, with a different XP curve and item order possible in each season.
| Area | Official Season 1 change |
|---|---|
| XP pacing | Levels 10–20 are slower; the curve flattens from level 35 onward. |
| High-value unlocks | Artillery moves to Career level 90; Heavy Tank moves to Driver level 35. |
| Vendor choices | Forward Operating Base and Large Hammer vendor prices rise. |
| Server moderation | A new report-tracking system was added, with lower influence for repeat and bad-faith reporters. |
| Performance | The changelog lists frame-generation, shadow-cache and crash-path work, but does not promise one result for every PC. |
How much slower is the XP curve?
The changelog provides representative bands rather than a universal “hours to max level” promise. Level 6 moves from 8,750 to 9,250 XP (5.7% slower), level 10 from 25,000 to 35,000 (40% slower), level 15 from 54,750 to 110,000 (100.9% slower), and level 20 from 111,500 to 250,000 (124.2% slower).
That is important context for players comparing a beta screenshot with Early Access: old weekend-test pace is no longer the right baseline. It does not prove a fixed time-to-level, because match length, performance, team contribution, future updates and seasonal changes all affect real progress.
Which unlocks moved?
- Artillery Tank: Career level 55 to Career level 90.
- Heavy Tank: Career level 35 to Driver level 35.
- Sports Parachute: Career level 36 to 35; Large Backpack: 56 to 55.
- Several Driver-track items were reorganized, including the Kodiak Flatbed, URAL variants, Dune Buggy and Heavy Tank.
- The Deagle moves from Career level 90 to 85; selected Medic, Support and Recon unlocks also change.
The announcement calls this a Season 1 item order and XP curve. It does not say these locations will never change in a later season, so plan around the live in-game requirement rather than an old guide or video.
Selected economy changes
Some costs rise to make expensive support decisions more deliberate. The Forward Operating Base vendor price changes from $2,500 to $7,500, and the Large Hammer vendor price from $1,600 to $2,400. The official list also raises the Support Large Hammer from $25,000 to $75,000 and the Recon 6–10x MRAD scope from $25,000 to $40,000.
Not every listed price goes up. For example, the Z20 Lakota changes from $50,000 to $35,000, the URAL from $50,000 to $35,000, and the Dune Buggy from $35,000 to $25,000. Read the full changelog when buying a specialist item: one price change is not evidence that every vehicle or role became cheaper or more expensive.
What was fixed around reports, voice and stability?
- The report system now tracks reports, and repeat or bad-faith reporters carry less influence.
- When match termination is off, cheater bans are announced in the server; the “kicked from server” message should now appear only after an actual ban.
- The server browser filtering was reworked and community-server image scaling was fixed.
- The changelog says voice chat should recover after a failed join, with improved reliability under load and a visible communication status.
- Listed PC work includes configurable render-target pooling, lower shadow-cache refreshes and fixes for several crash paths.
A practical first-session checklist
- Check your track before saving for an item. Artillery and Heavy Tank now sit on different stated progression paths.
- Expect beta XP estimates to be stale. Use the live Season 1 requirement rather than copying a test-build route.
- Recheck the price before committing cash. Focus on the current role and item, not a general claim that the economy got harder.
- Test voice after a failed join. The official note says recovery should work; record the server and time if it does not.
- Report suspected cheating in-game. The tracking system changes report weighting, but players should still submit factual reports rather than assume an outcome.
Bottom line
Season 1 gives WARDOGS its first official live progression baseline: some mid-level XP targets are deliberately slower, late progression is reshaped, and important unlocks and prices have moved. The useful takeaway is specific—not “everything costs more” or “there is one fastest grind.” Check the listed role, level and price in the live build, and treat future seasons as potential balance changes unless BULKHEAD confirms otherwise.