Wardogs’ Honeymoon Period Is Officially Coming to an End

Balancing issues are starting to become more apparent

Wardogs entered Steam Early Access on Sept. 10, and it's had an astronomical start. Developer Bulkhead’s competitive shooter peaked at 428,666 concurrent players during its first weekend, according to the data-tracking site SteamDB, with just a measly 26,000 drop by its second. While praise for Wardogs has been mostly unanimous, it seems like the honeymoon period for this new FPS that sits between Battlefield and Escape From Tarkov on the "hardcore" spectrum is starting to wear off.

One of Wardogs' unique aspects is how it uses both experience points (XP) and in-game cash as complementary progression systems. Earning cash is central to everything you do in Wardogs, because you must spend a hefty chunk of your bank balance to unlock specific items, then each time you respawn, you must purchase your entire loadout. The ability to spend money and unlock those items is gated behind your level, however, which is increased by earning XP.

As is often the case with multiplayer games, the community has advanced through the progression system at a fairly even pace. In less than a month, the in-game meta has already undergone numerous phases as a result.

At the start of the game’s life cycle, anyone capable of landing shots with a sniper rifle would trounce most enemies and cause havoc from the foliage, as everyone was only running Level 1 armor at best. That was followed up by a few days of players in constant pursuit of the roaming hot zone, which is the part of the map where every player inside it counts for double. This resulted in non-stop infantry firefights, and was arguably the most enjoyable period of the game so far. Now that players are starting to unlock some of the strongest weapons and equipment, there's more to complain about.

"Wardogs is progressively becoming FOB (forward operating base) building fobbits and less about fighting in the control zone," FPS content creator TheTacticalBrit posted on X. Meanwhile, Reddit user Icy_Hurry8645 posted that "90% of the time, when I go outside the FOB, I open my map looking for action and I just don't know where to go," alongside a map screenshot of one of their games where almost all of their teammates are within one FOB.

One reason for this style of play is that, once a team has a drill set up at an FOB, it acts as a magnet whenever it's activated, pulling the hot zone straight to its location. If a team is mostly situated within the FOB, they'll rack up points incredibly quickly. Reddit user markyymark13 identified the problem just a few days after launch with a long post, part of which calls for a nerf to the drill mechanic and more incentive to engage in combat within the hot zone. As Reddit user Cainsiderate points out, it's also the most profitable option.

My experience has been similar. I'm having an absolute blast with Wardogs, but the meta shift has been noticeable. Considerably more players are sitting on mortars and firing shells at opposing FOBs, and while getting a mortar kill is so satisfying, a healthy meta requires all strategies to be viable, rather than one reigning supreme; especially when that dominant play style is incredibly slow-paced.

Wardogs is still in early access, so coupled with the fact it's a live-service game, balance patches are part of the process. The second season is right around the corner, coming on Oct. 15, so hopefully some adjustments will arrive with it. But FOBs, drills, and mortars aren't the only complaints: Level 4 armor, the highest tier of player protection you can buy, is also winding players up.

On Reddit, I_C_Weiner2 told a story about encountering an enemy wearing a Level 4 helmet and armor. They "dumped three 12GA slugs into them from point-blank range" but despite this, the enemy turned around, got the kill, then kept going with their PKM. "Before any team scored even 20 points, this player had racked up over 30 kills." Of course, that one player could have been incredibly skilled, but I_C_Weiner2 also stated that "there are so many balance issues that the game has lost all of its fun, and it's happened incredibly quickly." Given how many upvotes the post got, it seems like the opinion resonates with many.

There are a number of similar complaints across both Reddit and X, but Bulkhead is aware of them. Joe Brammer, the CEO at the studio and executive producer on Wardogs, posted on X about how the team is preparing for "the sentiment around Wardogs to go more negative." As always with anything on the internet, however, there are naysayers to the naysayers, with folks defending the current state of the game.

One example is this Reddit post about how Wardogs shouldn't be considered another "run-and-gun shooter" that I think misses the point of the complaints; it's not an issue that mortars, FOBs, and drills are viable, it's that they're too powerful. Another post shows a screenshot of the green team winning 100-0-0, thanks to the entire team rushing the hot zone constantly. An admirable strategy, but it requires willing and communicative teammates, which isn't always going to happen.

Wardogs is a fantastic innovation in the FPS space, and it has a bright future. As expected, though, cracks are starting to show; it'll be a true testament to Bulkhead if the team is able to address them and respond in a timely manner before too many players drop off.