Season 1 Progression & Unlock Changes in WARDOGS
Published 2026-09-195 min read
How the Season 1 patch rescaled WARDOGS leveling: the full XP curve table, moved unlock levels and every vendor price change.
Season 1 shipped with the pre-load build on September 9, 2026, and the headline change is progression: early levels take meaningfully longer, the curve flattens past 35, and a stack of unlock thresholds and prices moved.
The New XP Curve
Levels below 6 are unchanged. From 6 upward, here is the total XP each level now requires, against the pre-patch values:
| Level | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 8,750 | 9,250 | 5.7% slower |
| 10 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 40.0% slower |
| 15 | 54,750 | 110,000 | 100.9% slower |
| 20 | 111,500 | 250,000 | 124.2% slower |
| 25 | 192,000 | 325,000 | 69.3% slower |
| 30 | 293,750 | 400,000 | 36.2% slower |
| 35 | 416,500 | 500,000 | 20.0% slower |
| 40 | 551,250 | 650,000 | 17.9% slower |
| 45 | 689,500 | 800,000 | 16.0% slower |
| 50 | 838,000 | 1,000,000 | 19.3% slower |
The median player now sits around level 20 after 20–25 hours. The heaviest hikes land between levels 15 and 20 — roughly double the old grind — so plan your class choices early rather than re-rolling mid-campaign.
Unlock Levels That Moved
- Artillery now sits at Career level 90 — artillery mains have the longest road in the game.
- The Heavy Tank (L2A6) moved to Driver level 35.
- The Driver track was reordered to escalate through attack vehicles, so hauling in a Kodiak now feeds naturally into gun-truck and armor unlocks.
- Smaller shifts: the Sports Parachute (Career 36→35), Large Backpack (56→55), and AP ammo tiers all moved a level or two.
Vendor Price Changes
| Track | Item | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Forward Operating Base | $2,500 | $7,500 |
| Vendor | Large Hammer | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Career | Artillery Tank | $400,000 | $500,000 |
| Recon | 6-10x MRAD scope | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| Recon | 6-10x MOA scope | $30,000 | $45,000 |
| Support | Medium Hammer (unlock) | $10,000 | $25,000 |
| Support | Large Hammer (unlock) | $25,000 | $75,000 |
| Pilot | Small armored supply crate | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Pilot | Little Bird (miniguns) | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Pilot | Z20 Lakota (unlock) | $50,000 | $35,000 |
| Driver | URAL (unlock) | $50,000 | $35,000 |
| Driver | Dune Buggy (unlock) | $35,000 | $25,000 |
| Driver | Kodiak Flatbed (unlock) | $15,000 | $35,000 |
XP Event Adjustments
- Air-vehicle kill: 300 → 250 XP.
- Supply crate items selling under $75: 25 → 1 XP — the crate-resale exploit is dead, and the whole crate purchase curve was rescaled from 25–250 down to 1–200.
What It Means for You
Logistics got cheaper to reach (URAL, Dune Buggy and Z20 unlock thresholds dropped) but building got pricier (FOB kit, hammers). If your plan is transport-and-build support, start with the driver-friendly routes in our class guide and the FOB building guide before the price of entry climbs further.