Wardogs, the popular Steam Early Access FPS, offers a surprising amount of depth, allowing for diverse playstyles that extend beyond simple combat. Success can be achieved through strategic planning and resource management, even without firing a shot. This guide compiles essential tips and tricks that the game itself may not explicitly teach.
Ammunition and Reloading
When purchasing from the vendor at spawn, prioritize buying loose ammunition over additional magazines. Loose ammo stacks more efficiently and is cheaper, allowing you to refill magazines as needed. To quickly reload all available magazines in your inventory, press 'C' while holding loose ammo. In high-stakes firefights where time is critical, holding down the 'R' key will rapidly dump your current magazine to insert a new one, sacrificing the remaining rounds for speed.
Essential Items and Revivals
Always purchase the free emergency resuscitator available each life from the vendor. This functions identically to field resuscitators, with the only limitation being that you can only carry one at a time. It costs nothing and can be a lifesaver, even if you're not playing a medic role. Before attempting to revive a downed teammate, check their inventory for a resuscitator. You can loot it from them and use it to bring them back to the fight, especially useful if you've already used your own medical equipment.
Loadout Management and Aiming
To speed up your deployment, utilize the 'rebuy last loadout' button, conveniently located in the bottom-left corner of the vendor interface. This allows you to quickly re-equip your previous loadout without navigating menus. Unlike many other FPS games where holding your breath is reserved for sniper rifles, Wardogs allows you to steady your aim with any weapon by holding the Shift key while aiming down sights.
Communication and Tactical Awareness
Be mindful that enemies can hear your proximity voice chat. While invaluable for close-range coordination with teammates near your Forward Operating Base (FOB), consider switching to squad or text chat when on the frontlines to avoid revealing your position.
Vehicle Utilization
Once your team accumulates 20 points, prioritize purchasing the spawn vehicle APC. Positioned correctly within a control zone, this vehicle acts as a direct teleportation point for allies from spawn. As the driver, you earn cash for every teammate who utilizes it. Ensure it's parked in a well-hidden or defended location. Even if you don't purchase it, utilize the deployment board at spawn to locate and teleport to an existing APC, a far faster method than driving or flying to the frontlines.
To neutralize an enemy APC, focus on destroying the radar dish on its roof rather than the entire vehicle. This renders the spawn functionality inoperable, though enemies can repair it with a wrench. Regular ammunition is sufficient to destroy the radar. When entering or leaving a friendly base, always close the doors. This simple action prevents enemies from easily infiltrating. To bypass enemy base defenses like Hesco walls, park a vehicle next to it and use its hood to gain the height needed to climb over.
Economy and Support Roles
Earning money reliably is crucial in Wardogs, as nearly every action grants cash. Focusing on relatively safe activities like spotting or base-building can yield significant profits. Spotting, in particular, offers an easy way to generate passive income. Equip binoculars or a monocular and tag unseen enemies; they will be marked for your team, and you'll earn cash when they are eliminated.
When constructing buildings, maintaining an optimal distance from the target while interacting allows for faster building. Standing too close causes the aiming reticle 'X' to dance erratically, whereas finding the right distance keeps it stable for efficient construction. If piloting a helicopter, keep parachutes in its inventory for passengers who may not have their own. Don't delay departures waiting for a full chopper; even a few passengers are better than no deployment. To improve flight control, enable rotary vehicle mouse control in settings or use a controller for a more beginner-friendly experience.
Combat and Equipment
Smoke grenades are invaluable, especially for medics or those pushing the hot zone. Their large, persistent smoke clouds provide essential cover and cost only $100. Avoid using the initial sniper rifle, as it cannot reliably one-hit kill armored opponents. Instead, earn experience through spotting and use the SKS marksman rifle until better sniper options like the Mosin-Nagant become available.
Loot at the top of towers often includes valuable equipment like weapons and defibrillators. For mortar or artillery support, use a third-party calculator like the one on WardogsHub to input coordinates for precise targeting. To fire mortars rapidly, press 'C' after the first shot to skip the trajectory view and immediately fire again, allowing for up to three quick successive shots. Purchasing a remote detonator also grants you one C4 charge, sufficient for breaching a single gate.
Avoid using the surrender emote unless genuinely intending to surrender, as it causes you to drop your weapon. If you need to access your items quickly and cannot recall hotkeys, hold '4' to bring up a radial item wheel. When being healed by a teammate, remain stationary; any movement will interrupt the healing process and frustrate your ally.
Prioritize building drills, as they can significantly influence match outcomes by magnetizing the hot zone to their location. To climb ladders silently, hold the 'Alt' key, the same key used for walking quietly. For mounted weapons like those on vehicles, use WASD for faster turning, reserving mouse input for fine adjustments. Be aware that enemy bodies can also be dragged, allowing for strategic repositioning for ambushes or easier looting. While the tutorial covers ricochet, remember that bullets can penetrate thin materials like wood or sheet metal. Hover over friendly FOBs on the map to see their specific supply needs. Unpack dropped supplies at your FOBs by interacting with them on the ground, as they are unusable until unpacked. When parachuting, deploy your chute just before the meter's white section enters the red to avoid excessive hang time or a hard landing. Lock your vehicle doors when driving in contested areas to prevent enemies from entering and attacking unnoticed. Finally, remember to tip your teammates for services like driving, piloting, reviving, and healing. These small gestures contribute to team morale and a more positive experience for everyone.
If you find a downed enemy, they are waiting to be revived. You can either take cover and wait for an ally to attempt a revive, or allow the revive to complete before eliminating both for a greater cash reward. Ping downed allies to signal you are en route for a revive, ensuring they don't give up and helping them retain their loadout.
Advanced Tactics
Bullets can penetrate surfaces; if an enemy is behind thin cover, continue firing. Hovering over friendly FOBs on the map reveals their exact supply needs. Ensure dropped supplies at FOBs are unpacked to make them usable. When parachuting, wait until the last moment before deploying your chute to avoid becoming an easy target. Lock vehicle doors to prevent enemy infiltration. Tip teammates for valuable actions to foster goodwill.