WARDOGS Season 3 first week guide: what to level and where the cash is

Season 3 (build CL-533731) wiped cash, levels and XP on 12 November. From role level 10 up, every level costs more XP than in Season 2, shared gear now unlocks on every role track, and the economy pays more for some jobs and less for others. This guide covers what to level in week one, which unlocks moved and where the cash and XP are. Every number comes from the Season 3 client data.

Short answer.

Stay on one role. Armour, vests, backpacks and parachutes now unlock on every role track, so you no longer need the Wardog track for them. Role level 20 costs 275,000 XP (111,500 in Season 2).

Each role gets one kind of gear first: Assault the armour (Level 2 at 14), Medic the vests (5), Support the backpacks (2), Recon the AP rounds (27).

Unload pallets inside a friendly FOB. Outside one a pallet pays a quarter of the cash.

Destroy emplacements. L81 Mortar, Talon 9K-SAM, MG Nest and Stingray pay $1,300 each, a Vanguard CIWS $2,400.

Revive in the Hot Zone. Revive and heal cash is ×4 there: a Medical Bag revive pays $2,800.

Gold Market: 35 and $100,000, down from $150,000.

What the Season 3 wipe changed#

Role XP is back near Season 1, and slower at the top#

Levels 1 to 9 cost the same as in the last two seasons: 22,500 XP to reach level 9. From level 10 every track asks for more than in Season 2 and even Season 1. Level 35 alone costs 150,000 XP. All six role tracks use the same curve.

Total role XP	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3
Level 10	35,000	25,000	36,750
Level 15	110,000	54,750	118,250
Level 20	250,000	111,500	275,000
Level 30	500,000	318,200	625,000
Level 50	1,500,000	1,150,000	1,950,000
Level 90	4,362,750	3,598,750	4,907,500
Level 100	6,000,000	5,132,500	6,600,000

BULKHEAD plans Season 3 for about three months. A weekly XP catch-up bonus and an extra vendor discount for lower-level players grow each week, per role, so week one runs at the base rate. Log your levels in the progression tracker to see what the next unlock costs you.

No Lonestar win bonus, same placement pay for every faction#

The Season 2 client still carried a $10,000 faction win bonus for Lonestar, which BULKHEAD switched off on the server in October. The Season 3 client sets it to $0 for all three factions, so Lonestar, Valkyra and Manticore earn the same end-of-match bonus:

Faction place	Flat cash	Share of your match cash	XP bonus
1st	$1,000	30%	×2 of your match XP
2nd	$500	25%	×1.75
3rd	$250	20%	×1.5

The game counts your match cash in $10,000 steps up to $100,000 and your match XP in 500 steps up to 2,500. Earn $24,000 in a match your faction wins and you get $1,000 + 30% of $20,000 = $7,000 on top. The best case is $31,000 and 5,000 XP for first place.

Gold Market at $100,000#

The Gold Market still opens at 35, but the unlock now costs $100,000 instead of $150,000.

Full servers pay more#

Every cash and XP reward is multiplied by the server's player count. Below 10 players you earn nothing. You get ×0.15 from 10 players, ×0.2 from 20, ×0.4 from 30, ×0.7 from 40, ×0.9 from 50 and full pay from 60. On a 30-player server you keep 40% of every payout.

Multi-track unlocks: your week one route#

Shared backpack, helmet, vest and parachute unlocks on both the Wardog track and the Assault track in Season 3 — Shared gear now sits on every role track next to the Wardog track. © BULKHEAD

In Season 2 armour, vests, backpacks, pallets and ammunition sat on the Wardog track only. Season 3 puts 42 shared items on 2 to 7 tracks at once, and the first track to reach an item opens it. The Wardog track got slower for most of them: Level 2 armour moved from 30 to 50, Level 4 from 100 to 180.

Shared gear: who gets it first#

Tracks are listed fastest first. Unlock cash is the same on every track.

Item	Role tracks	Unlock cash	Wardog track, Season 2 → 3
Level 1 Armor + Level 1 Helmet	4, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7	$10,000 + $7,500	3 → 8
Level 2 Armor + Level 2 Helmet	14, 16, 16, 16, 21, 21	$50,000 + $37,500	30 → 50
Level 3 Armor + Level 3 Helmet	32, 36, 36, 36, 41, 41	$100,000 + $75,000	70 → 150
Level 4 Armor + Level 4 Helmet	40, 45, 45, 45, 48, 50	$200,000 + $150,000	100 → 180
Medium Tac Vest	5, 8, 9, 9, 14, 14	$10,000	14 → 15
Large Tac Vest	12, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22	$25,000	50 → 47
Field Backpack	2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6	$20,000	12 → 10
Assault Backpack	12, 14, 15, 18, 22, 22	$50,000	32 → 37
Ruck Backpack	21, 23, 23, 23, 26, 26	$100,000	55
Sport Parachute	15, 15, 18, 18, 18, 22	$25,000	34 → 45

Assault reaches Level 2 armour 2 levels before Medic, Recon and Support and 7 before Driver and Pilot. A Medic wears a Medium Tac Vest from 5, and a Support player carries a Field Backpack from 2. Ammunition follows the same rule; the full HP and AP table is in the Season 3 weapon meta.

Early and mid goals by role#

Early means role levels 1 to 15 (118,250 XP in total). Mid means 16 to 35 (1,125,000 XP to level 35). Each entry shows the level and the unlock cash.

Track	Early, level 1 to 15	Mid, level 16 to 35
Assault	Level 1 Armor + Level 1 Helmet 4 $10,000 + $7,500; Remote Detonator 5 $15,000; 5.45 HP 6 $15,000; Molotov Cocktail 8 $12,500; Galil 10 $35,000; Level 2 Armor + Level 2 Helmet 14 $50,000 + $37,500; Sport Parachute 15 $25,000	Large Tac Vest 18 $25,000; TCX-SPR 20 $100,000; M4 28 $150,000; Level 3 Armor + Level 3 Helmet 32 $100,000 + $75,000; FAL 35 $250,000
Support	Field Backpack 2 $20,000; RPG-7 5 $30,000; 9K333 Verba 8 $50,000; M500 10 $50,000; Assault Backpack 12 $50,000; Large Hammer 14 $75,000; PKM 15 $100,000	MAAWS 18 $100,000; M249 SAW 20 $150,000; Ruck Backpack 21 $100,000; Gunner Backpack + Sling 25 $125,000; Evo-3 Ultra 30 $200,000; MGL-40 35 $250,000
Medic	MP5 4 $25,000; Medium Tac Vest 5 $10,000; 9 mm HP 8 $15,000; Individual First Aid Kit 10 $25,000; Large Tac Vest 12 $25,000; Medical Bag 14 $50,000; PP-19 Vityaz 15 $50,000	Adrenaline Pen 17 $25,000; AMP-9 20 $75,000; Defibrillator 22 $110,000; Super-45 35 $200,000
Recon	SKS 5 $25,000; 5.56 HP 7 $15,000; Range Finder 8 $25,000; Mosin Nagant 10 $50,000; SVD 12 $50,000; 7.62x39 HP 13 $15,000; Compound Bow 15 $150,000	BMR-308 20 $125,000; M14 25 $100,000; Ghillie Body Suit 26 $80,000; 5.56 AP 27 $75,000; 7.62x39 AP 28 $75,000; MK22 30 $150,000; .308 AP 35 $75,000
Driver	Small Armored Crate 2 $10,000; URAL 3 $35,000; Mechanical Supply Pallet 4 $10,000; Wolf-110 8 $50,000; Ammo Supply Pallet 11 $25,000; Humvee 15 $75,000	Large Crate 18 $20,000; Fuel Supply Pallet 19 $50,000; Large Armored Crate 24 $50,000; Humvee [Minigun] 30 $150,000; T-72B3 35 $250,000
Pilot	Small Armored Crate 2 $10,000; AH-6M [Miniguns] 8 $125,000; Z20 Lakota 10 $35,000; Ammo Supply Pallet 14 $25,000; Sport Parachute 15 $25,000	Large Crate 18 $20,000; AH-6R [Rockets] 20 $250,000; Z20 Lakota [Miniguns] 25 $85,000; .308 HP 26 $15,000; Large Armored Crate 30 $50,000; Havoc 35 $750,000

Full lists for every level are in the progression tables: Assault, Support, Medic, Recon, Driver, Pilot.

Unlocks that moved#

Item	Track and level	Unlock cash	Note
Molotov Cocktail	13 → 8	$25,000 → $12,500	Burning players drop their held item
9K333 Verba	14 → 8	$50,000	MANPADS against early Littlebirds
Large Hammer	8 → 14	$75,000	Swapped with the Verba
RPG-7	6 → 5	$30,000
Remote Detonator	4 → 5	$15,000	Unlocks C4 with it
Compound Bow	16 → 15	$150,000
Adrenaline Pen	16 → 17	$25,000
AMR 50	35 → 41	$200,000
Dune Buggy	9 → 12	$25,000
Humvee	14 → 15	$75,000
Large Crate	17 → 18	$20,000	Also 18
Large Armored Crate	15 → 30	$25,000 → $50,000	Also 24
T-72B3	20 → 35	$250,000	Also 155
SPH-2	31 → 40	$350,000	Also 145
Flakpanzer Gepard	25 → 45	$300,000 → $500,000	Also 165
L2A6	35 → 50	$500,000 → $750,000	Also 200
Havoc	35	$650,000 → $750,000

Three items left the unlock trees. The Infrared Range Finder (Season 2: 32) is out of the game until BULKHEAD redesigns it, so Recon spots with the Monocular 2 and the Range Finder 8. The 93mm rocket for the RPG-7 (was 6) and the Broadhead Arrow (was 16) need no unlock.

Where the cash and XP are in week one#

The economy page lists every reward with its formula. These are the ones that changed or matter most after the wipe.

Supply runs: stay inside a friendly FOB#

Crates and pallets pay only inside a control zone or the Hot Zone, where the cash doubles. Each drop in a row adds a streak bonus, up to 10 steps. New in Season 3: a supply pallet unloaded outside a friendly FOB pays ×0.25.

Drop	Base cash	Streak step	First drop in a zone	11th drop in a row	XP, Driver / other track
Small Crate, Small Armored Crate	$125	+$25 (was +$50)	$250	$750	200 / 150
Large Crate, Large Armored Crate	$250	+$25 (was +$50)	$500	$1,000	250 / 200 (was 400 / 300)
Supply pallet in a friendly FOB	$625	+$125	$1,250	$3,750	400 / 300 (was 500 / 400)
Supply pallet outside a friendly FOB	$625 × 0.25	+$125 × 0.25	$312.50	$937.50	400 / 300

Crate XP also scales with the value of the gear inside. Under $100 of contents a crate earns no XP, from $100 it earns ×0.1, from $1,500 ×0.25, from $5,000 ×0.5, and full XP needs $10,000 of gear. In Season 2 full XP took $2,500. Fill your crates with rifles, armour and ammo before you fly them out, and plan a FOB's supply needs in the FOB calculator.

FOB fights and emplacements#

BULKHEAD doubled the cash for destroying emplacements. The payout does not depend on the zone; a half-built emplacement pays for the part that stands, and assists get a share by damage dealt.

Target	Cash, Season 2 → 3	XP
L81 Mortar, Talon 9K-SAM	$650 → $1,300	175
MG Nest, Stingray	$1,300	175
Vanguard CIWS	$1,200 → $2,400	300
Forward Operating Base	$2,500, plus up to $7,500 for the supplies inside (full at 25,000)	500
Hot Zone Magnet (Drill Rig)	$2,750	700

Assault players also get paid for getting inside:

Parachute into an enemy FOB (new): $1,000 in a control zone, $2,000 in the Hot Zone, nothing outside the zones. It pays once per FOB.
Hack a FOB: $1,000 in a control zone, $2,000 in the Hot Zone, with 250 or 500 XP. Hacking the same FOB again pays half, a third time nothing.

Support players who stock a FOB earn from its Drill Rig. The rig pulls the Hot Zone to itself and runs on Fuel supplies stored in the FOB. When a player supplied by your FOB activates it, the new FOB supply assist pays $2,500 split between all assisting players, plus 250 XP each. Activating the rig yourself pays $2,500 and 500 XP. Limited Mode has no Drill Rig, MG Nest, Stingray or Vanguard CIWS, so these payouts only exist on standard servers.

Revives and heals in the Hot Zone#

Medic pay depends on where your patient lies: ×2 in a control zone and ×4 in the Hot Zone.

Action	Cash	XP	Cash in the Hot Zone
Revive, no item	$400	200	$1,600
Revive with Medical Bag	$700	250	$2,800
Revive with Defibrillator	$600	250	$2,400
Revive with Adrenaline Pen	$600	200	$2,400
Heal with Individual First Aid Kit	$800	250	$3,200

Reviving the same teammate again pays 76% of the base, then 52%, 28% and 4%. The IFAK at 10 and the Medical Bag at 14 are the Medic's week one money makers.

Spotting: half pay for the same target#

Recon still earns when teammates kill what you marked. A spotted kill pays ×2 in a control zone and ×4 in the Hot Zone, and a quarter when the third faction gets it. New in Season 3: when the same target dies to your spot again, you get half, and the third time nothing.

Spotted target destroyed	Season 2	Season 3
Enemy soldier	$400, 150 XP	$400, 125 XP
T-72B3	$2,400	$2,000
L2A6	$3,300	$3,000
AH-6M [Miniguns]	$1,000	$850
FOB	$2,000, 250 XP	$2,000, 200 XP
Hot Zone Magnet	$1,650, 225 XP	$1,500, 200 XP

A spotted soldier killed in the Hot Zone still pays $1,600. Spotting a FOB pays $500 by itself, and an enemy soldier $100 and 25 XP.

A first week by track#

Track	Earn with	Aim for
Assault	FOB hacks and paradrops in the zone, emplacement kills	Level 2 armour 14, TCX-SPR 20
Support	Stocking a FOB that runs the Drill Rig, emplacement kills	9K333 Verba 8, PKM 15
Medic	Revives and IFAK heals in the Hot Zone	Medical Bag 14, Defibrillator 22
Recon	Spotting over the Hot Zone	SVD 12, 5.56 AP 27
Driver	Full crates and pallets into a friendly FOB	Large Crate 18, T-72B3 35
Pilot	Crate and pallet drops from the Z20 Lakota	AH-6R [Rockets] 20

Build the kit you want in the loadout builder, and check the Sabatulo map for zones and FOB spots before your first run. Limited Mode caps gear at Level 2 armour and FMJ, and its cash and XP carry over to standard servers.

Method and limits#

Levels, unlock cash, XP curves and rewards come from the Season 3 client, build CL-533731, compared with the Season 2 build CL-516586. The What changed page lists every changed number.
Reward amounts are base values before the player-count multiplier. The catch-up bonus and vendor discounts are server-side and not in the client data.
We read the formulas from the game files and did not test every payout in a match.