Bulkhead announced new competitive balance rules for the 2nd season of WARDOGS, scheduled for October 15, 2026. The changes include money and experience bonuses for the Lonestar faction, which has lower performance than its rivals, as well as 20% discounts on equipment for teams that are significantly behind in score.
The measures were detailed in a statement published on Friday (9). According to the studio, Lonestar has a lower win rate than the other two factions, while some players avoid choosing it. The developer identified the negative perception of the team as one of the main factors fueling this imbalance.
To address the problem, Lonestar will receive money and XP multipliers, as well as additional rewards for wins, exclusively during the 2nd season. The exact multiplier values have not yet been disclosed.
The studio also announced changes to the starting positions of the three factions on the Bakurani map and adjustments to Lonestar's uniforms, which will have less saturated colors to reduce its visibility in combat.
20% discount will be unlocked with a minimum difference of 40 points
Another change will allow any faction to buy equipment at a 20% discount when it is at least 40 points behind the 2nd-place team.
Unlike Lonestar's exclusive incentives, this benefit will be determined by the score during the match. Thus, any team that reaches the established condition will be able to receive the discount at the game's vendors.
The combination of the two measures introduces distinct economic incentives: one aimed at the faction with historically lower performance and another conditioned on the competitive disadvantage of each match.
Bulkhead also reported that administrators of community servers may be punished if they improperly exploit the bonuses intended for factions. The statement did not detail the expected penalties.
The changes come after WARDOGS surpassed 3 million copies sold, a milestone announced by the studio in September, just over two weeks after its early access launch.
The 2nd season will also include four new weapons, four vehicles, and performance and progression improvements. The full patch notes, including additional balance adjustments, are scheduled for the beginning of the launch week.
The new rules have been announced but remain unimplemented. Their debut is scheduled for October 15.
