WARDOGS Season 2, which BULKHEAD calls Season 02, starts on 15 October 2026, and the biggest confirmed change is to progression. BULKHEAD has said every season gets a new XP curve and a new item order, so the levels you unlock things at will move.
That matters if you planned your Season 1 grind around specific unlocks. Full Season 2 patch notes aren't out yet, so this is what we know so far, from BULKHEAD's Steam posts and the team's posts on X up to the Road to Season 2 preview on 9 October.
What's confirmed for WARDOGS Season 2
- A new XP curve and item order: the Season 1 changelog (9 September) says "Each season we will have a different XP curve with different item orders."
- New gear: the 9 October preview names four weapons (TCX Spear, M14, PP-19 Bizon, Evo-3 Ultra), a Molotov, four vehicles including the T-72 and Flakpanzer Gepard, and three buildables. Our Season 2 weapons and vehicles guide covers each one.
- Rotation: CEO Joe Brammer said on X (12 September) that each season BULKHEAD will change the order of progression, add new weapons and vehicles, and rotate out existing ones.
- Rain: a new weather preset per map, not an event that rolls in mid match (BULKHEAD on X, 23 September). The preview says it changes visibility, engagement ranges and sound, and server-wide thunder can briefly mask footsteps.
- IR rangefinders return with batteries: the 2 October hotfix pulled them from the vendor "until Season 02, where they will require batteries to use".
- A Wager Vendor: an experimental vendor where you stake your own cash on objectives you pick. BULKHEAD says it may pull it mid-season if it proves too exploitable.
- Lonestar bonuses: the blue faction got cash and XP win bonuses and multipliers at launch, plus new spawns on Bakurani. BULKHEAD removed the cash and XP bonus on 15 October, a day after launch, saying it "got a few things wrong". Any team 40 or more points behind second place still gets 20% off at the vendor.
Is there a wipe in WARDOGS Season 2?
Several sites report a full progression wipe on 15 October, with levels, cash and unlocks all reset. We couldn't find the word "wipe" in any BULKHEAD Steam announcement, including the 9 October preview, and none of the team's posts we checked spells out what resets on that date.
| Item | What BULKHEAD has said | Source |
|---|---|---|
| XP curve | A different one each season | Season 1 changelog, 9 Sep |
| Unlock order | Changes each season | Changelog, 9 Sep; Brammer on X, 12 Sep |
| Gold Market unlocks | Persist across seasons | Co-founder Howard Philpott on X, 29 Aug |
| Levels and cash on 15 October | Not stated in a post yet | Reported by press and fan sites |
| Season length | Season 2 onward "could be whatever we decide" | Brammer on X, 27 Aug |
What the new XP curve means for your unlocks
Season 1's curve was set in the launch changelog: levels 10 to 20 were slowed down, the curve flattened from 35, and big items moved, such as Artillery to Career 90. Our Season 1 changelog explainer covers every move.
The Season 2 curve and item order haven't been published. Until they are, treat any unlock level you've seen, including ours, as a Season 1 value. Here's what to recheck once the notes are out:
- Unlock levels: our weapon unlock costs guide lists every Season 1 unlock. We'll update it for the new order.
- Class routes: the fastest XP routes in our Driver, Pilot and Recon guides may change if kit unlocks in a different order.
- What a life costs: if equipment is added or rotated out, the kits in our loadout cost guide will shift too.
- Earning cash: our cash farming guide covers the routes that still work after the 0.1.2 exploit fixes.
Balance changes heading into Season 2
Some of the groundwork for Season 2 has already shipped in Season 1 updates and hotfixes. These changes are live now, as of 9 October, and two of them point straight at the new season:
- IR rangefinders pulled: BULKHEAD agreed with players that they "cross the line into being too overpowered" and took them off the vendor on 2 October. They come back in Season 02 needing batteries.
- CIWS against the Havoc: the same hotfix made the CIWS destroy a Havoc in around 6 seconds instead of 12, after BULKHEAD said it had overcorrected.
- Exploit fixes: update 0.1.2 made revive checks fully server authoritative, capped vehicle fly-through rewards and scaled rewards for destroying buildables by their build progress.
- Easier server choice: a new Deploy screen lets you pick Official, Community, Infantry Mode or Low-Level servers directly.
What we're still waiting on
The 9 October preview says the full patch notes, including every balance change, drop early next week alongside the Season 02 trailer. Until then, these are still open:
- A launch time: only the date is confirmed.
- The new curve and item order: including the unlock level for each new weapon and vehicle.
- What resets: whether levels and cash carry over into Season 2.
- What rotates out: BULKHEAD has named what's coming in, not what's leaving.
- How long it runs: no end date has been given.
Rather skip the grind? Season 2 puts class level 50 at 1,150,000 XP, and the unlocks you want may sit at different levels. Class XP Boost levels the class you need for you, from 10K XP up to a whole class.
Questions about how either works? The FAQ on our WARDOGS page covers both. We'll update this page with the full Season 2 patch notes as soon as BULKHEAD posts them, so check back after 15 October.