WARDOGS skill trees: all 130 skills and Intel in the game files

BULKHEAD's "Road to Season 03" dev vlog shows the future meta game for only a few seconds at a time, labelled "Early meta designs – subject to change". We went through those shots frame by frame and checked them against the files of the current Season 2 client (build CL-516586). Much of what the vlog shows is already in the game files, unused: six skill trees, the skill names, how strong each skill gets, and Intel missions that pay a new currency.

The meta game is planned for 2027, not for Season 3. On 12 November Season 3 adds only multi-track unlocks and Limited Mode (our Season 3 article). Everything below is early design or unused data, and the numbers can change before release.

Six skill trees, skill points per role#

The role bar at 3:49 has six tabs: Infantry, Recon, Medic, Support, Driver and Pilot. There is no Assault tab. In the game files the Infantry tree takes its place, and an older string still calls it "ASSAULT". The selected Recon tab shows "Skill Points 4" and "1750/10000 XP". The Infantry tree shows the same "Next skill point 1750/10000 XP" with "40 points available", so these look like placeholder numbers.

The client agrees on the structure. Each role has its own skill point currency (SkillPoint.Role.Infantry to SkillPoint.Role.Pilot), so points earned as a medic do not go into the pilot tree. The trees hold 130 nodes in total:

The other 68 nodes have only a name, a description and a place on the grid. How much XP a skill point costs, how many points you can hold and what a rank costs are not in the client. Those values are most likely set by the game server.

The Infantry tree#

The tree at 5:13 has a movement branch in the middle, assault rifles on the left and SMGs on the right. Each node has three to five pips, which look like ranks.

Here is what the vlog shows and what the client holds for each node. "At rank 4" is the strongest value in the files.

The files also have Infantry nodes the vlog does not show: faster movement while crouched or prone and ADS movement speed for AR and SMG (+40% each), sprint-breaching through doors, plus named-only nodes for melee damage and speed, faster vaulting, sliding down ladders, reduced suppression, grenade throw strength and tac-swim duration. The vlog also shows a Marksman weapon switch node on this screen. In the files that skill belongs to the Recon tree.

How strong a skill gets#

All 61 value curves in the client use one of two shapes: down from ×1.0 to ×0.6, or up from ×1.0 to ×1.4. The curves end at rank 4, so each rank is worth 10%. A rank 4 assault rifle recoil skill takes 40% off vertical recoil, and a rank 4 stamina skill makes stamina regenerate 40% faster.

The vlog's pips do not match that: some nodes have three, others five. Either the rank count changed after these files were made, or the pips mean something else. We will know when the meta game ships.

The other trees#

Some skills in the files already have a working effect. Others have only a name and a description, so they are ideas rather than finished features. Percentages are the rank 4 values.

Recon#

Already working

• Sniper rifles and DMRs: recoil, ADS speed and ready-to-fire skills
• Faster weapon switch for sniper rifles, DMRs and pistols (+40%)
• Enemies take 40% longer to spot you
• The "enemy spotted" mark lasts 40% longer
• "Cold Blooded": less visible in infrared
• A sniper rifle kill refills focus
• Lockpicking

Name only

• Spotting enemy buildables and deployables
• Hearing nearby enemy squad chat
• Quieter interactions
• Stronger melee from behind
• Faster bolt cycling

Medic#

Already working

• Medkits are used up 40% slower
• Faster switching to medical items (+40%)
• A sprint boost after a revive, for you and for the revived teammate (+40%)

Name only

• A medic bag with extra slots for medical items
• Faster revives
• A longer bleed-out timer
• Faster defibrillator charge and more charges per battery
• Less damage taken while reviving

Support#

Already working

• LMGs and shotguns: recoil, ADS speed and ready-to-fire skills
• Detonator range +40%

Name only

• Throwing grenades back
• Building anything with small or medium hammers
• Faster repairs and refuelling
• Tougher buildables
• Less damage to teammates from your explosives

Driver and Pilot#

The two trees have the same 12 nodes: one set for ground vehicles, one for aircraft.

Already working

• Up to 40% less impact damage
• Up to 40% less fuel use
• Supply crates 40% tougher
• Mounted machine guns: recoil and ADS speed skills

Name only

• Auto-repair at refuel stations
• Faster engine start
• Faster repairs and refuelling at spawn

Intel: a third currency#

Intel is the currency BULKHEAD first described in its HotZone podcast. The panel at 3:50 has two progress tracks, "Cash" at level 3 ($50,000 of $75,000) and "XP" at level 2 (16,000), a reward ladder from level 1 to 5 with a reward of 100 waiting to be claimed, and a mission "Assault Specialist: Get 15 kills with an Assault Rifle" at 2/15 with a reward of 300.

The in-match "Missions" tab at 4:18 has a "High Priority Intel" counter at 3 of 15 with "20HRS 40MIN" under it.

The client already has Intel missions, though the numbers differ from the vlog. There are three passive tracks with five tiers each: earn cash, earn role XP and play time. Tier 1 pays 100 Intel and tier 5 pays 500, so a full track pays 1,500 Intel and all three pay 4,500. The cash track asks for $5,000, $12,000, $30,000, $80,000 and $200,000. The XP and play time tiers are all the same (500 XP, 30 minutes), which looks like placeholder data. The menu also has headings for "Precision Missions", "Mission Bonus" and an "Intel Booster", but no missions behind them yet.

Our take: a counter out of 15 with a countdown under 24 hours looks like a daily allowance that resets. In the podcast BULKHEAD described Intel as a set amount per day. The vlog does not say what High Priority Intel is.

Spending Intel: a web instead of a list#

The screen at 4:11 replaces today's unlock lists. Every item sits in a ring around the centre, and the counter reads "10/332 owned". The selected item is the FAL 30 RND Magazine in "Ammo · Ring 7", locked with the rule "Unlock the space of an item touching it first". You buy your way outwards, and items that touch each other do not have to be from the same category: filters highlight weapons, attachments, ammo, gear, spec items and items.

The panel works out the cheapest route: "Shortest path · 7 unlocks · 7 Intel". As far as we can read the frame, it runs Level 1 Armor → Remote Detonator → M18 Signal Grenade: Damaged Vehicle → CQB 74 Brake → Dual Port Brake → Super-45 Flash Hider → FAL 30 RND Magazine. In this mockup every step costs one Intel, so a magazine you want could mean buying armour, a grenade and two muzzle brakes on the way.

A second version at 4:20 shows the same idea with 219 items ("4%, 8/219 owned") and a numbered path through the rings.

This web is not in the client yet. Today's unlocks are 264 nodes across seven tracks, and every one of them is priced in cash and needs a role level. Nothing costs Intel or skill points. It fits what BULKHEAD said in the podcast: Intel is not tied to one tree, so you spend it on whatever you want to reach.

Note: the vlog labels these screens "Early meta designs – subject to change", and BULKHEAD plans the meta game for 2027. The skills, ranks and Intel amounts above are unused data from the Season 2 client and may not match the release.

Sources: WARDOGS | Road to Season 03 on the BULKHEAD YouTube channel; our datamine of the WARDOGS Season 2 client, build CL-516586.