WARDOGS Classes Explained: All 6 Roles, How Each Earns XP & Which to Level First

WARDOGS (BULKHEAD / Team17, Steam Early Access since 10 September 2026) splits every player into six roles — Assault, Medic, Recon, Support, Driver and Pilot. Each role has its own XP track from level 1 to 50, its own weapons and its own unlock ladder, and on top of all six sits your overall Wardog level (1–150), which has a separate XP curve and gates account-wide gear such as armour tiers and the SPH-2 artillery. This guide covers what each role actually does in a 100-player match, which actions pay XP, and which track to grind first.

Values below are Season 1 numbers as tracked by the community and the Season 1 changelog (early October 2026). BULKHEAD tunes XP and prices between patches and has announced a new curve for Season 2 on 15 October — treat exact figures as a snapshot, not a promise.

• 6 + 1six role tracks plus the account-wide Wardog track
• 1 → 50every role levels independently to 50
• 1 → 150Wardog level, its own XP curve — not a sum
• 100players per match across three factions

The six roles

• Levels 1–50

  Assault

  XP from kills & assists

  The frontline gun role and the only track with a single XP source. If you are not winning gunfights, you are not levelling.

  Kit: rifles, pistols, M67 frags · Gates: AK74 at 3 ($10,000), M4 at 20

  Assault leveling →
• Levels 1–50

  Medic

  XP from heals & revives

  Bandages, heals and revives on squadmates — self-heals pay far less. A packed Control Zone is a revive farm.

  Kit: SMGs, bandages, defibrillator · Gates: MP5 at 15

  Medic leveling →
• Levels 1–50

  Recon

  XP from spotting & marked kills

  Spot enemies with binoculars and earn a bonus every time a teammate finishes one of your marks. Pays with a squad, not alone.

  Kit: snipers, DMRs, compound bow · Gates: SKS at 5 ($25,000), MK22 at 25

  Recon leveling →
• Levels 1–50

  Support

  XP from building, repairs & artillery

  FOB structures, repairs, resupply and destroying enemy assets pay all match long; artillery kills are the biggest single payout.

  Kit: shotguns, LMGs, launchers, C4, mines · Gates: RPG-7 at 5 ($30,000), MAAWS at 20

  Support leveling →
• Levels 1–50

  Driver

  XP from transport & vehicle kills

  Deliver passengers and supplies, park spawn vehicles in the zone, and every gunner kill on your vehicle counts for you. Needs a cash bank.

  Kit: all ground vehicles · Gates: Kodiak at 2 ($15,000), Dune Buggy at 10, L2A6 tank at 35

  Driver leveling →
• Levels 1–50

  Pilot

  XP from flying people & pallets

  Helicopter transport and supply runs — a pallet in the zone is worth three kills. The most skill-gated track, and the most expensive to crash.

  Kit: helicopters, rockets, miniguns · Gates: AH-6M miniguns at 4 ($50,000), attack heli ≈40

  Pilot leveling →

What each role is paid for

Every role has a handful of "big ticket" actions and a stream of small ones. These are the community-tracked Season 1 values:

Two things follow from that table. First, Assault is the only role with a single XP source — if you are not winning gunfights you are not levelling, which is why it is the track players most often pay to have done. Second, the logistics roles earn in bursts: one pallet in the zone is worth three kills, one spawn-vehicle delivery two.

Weapons, vehicles and the unlock ladder

Unlocks are gated by role level and bought with in-game cash — the level opens the item, the cash buys access (and most kit is then re-bought every spawn). Confirmed Season 1 gates include:

• Assault — AK74 at level 3 ($10,000), M4 at level 20.
• Medic — MP5 at level 15.
• Recon — SKS at level 5 ($25,000), Range Finder access at level 8 ($15,000), MK22 at level 25.
• Support — RPG-7 at level 5 ($30,000), MAAWS at level 20; the Large Hammer costs $75,000.
• Driver — Kodiak pickup at level 2 ($15,000), Dune Buggy at level 10, the L2A6 heavy tank at level 35.
• Pilot — AH-6M with miniguns at level 4 ($50,000); the attack helicopter arrives around level 40.
• Wardog — level-2 armour and helmet at 30, Field Backpack access at 12 ($20,000), Deagle at 85, SPH-2 artillery at 90 ($500,000), level-4 armour at 100.

Under Wardog level 9 the New Recruit discount halves vendor prices, so the first evenings are the cheapest time to try every role.

How the XP curve treats every role

All six role tracks share the same Season 1 curve, published by BULKHEAD in the Season 1 changelog:

BULKHEAD's own expectation is that the median player sits around level 20 after 20–25 hours on a role. Level 50 is four times that XP. The full curve and the fastest farms are in how to level up fast in WARDOGS.

Which role should you level first?

• Support if you want levels. Hammer swings, structures and resupplies pay all match long, and artillery kills are the single biggest Support payout. It is also the cheapest track on our price list because it is the quickest to farm.
• Medic if you play with a squad. A packed Control Zone is a revive farm; defibrillator revives are worth a kill each and pay cash on top.
• Driver or Pilot if you want money as well as XP. Spawn-vehicle runs and pallet deliveries are the best-paid actions in the game in both XP and cash — but you need a bank for the vehicle first (see the cash farming guide).
• Assault if you are the best shooter in the lobby. It is the most satisfying track and the slowest for everyone else — there is no logistics fallback when the gunfights go badly.
• Recon as a second track. Spotting pays little on its own; it pays well when your squad converts the marks.

Class level vs Wardog level

The Wardog track is not the sum of your role levels; it has its own 1–150 curve that every action feeds in parallel. Two players can both be Wardog 40 with completely different role spreads. If you care about an account-wide unlock (armour, Deagle, artillery), you are grinding Wardog XP whatever role you play; if you care about a weapon, you are grinding that role. Both reset at the Season 2 wipe on 15 October.