All prices and values are from Season 1 (Early Access). Season 2 arrives October 15, 2026 and may change them. Totals below use verified vendor weapon prices only. Bulkhead has not published armor, attachment, or full equipment prices, so treat each total as the floor, not the ceiling.
How roles work
WARDOGS ties weapons to role tracks. Using assault rifles progresses the Assault track, SMGs progress Medic, light machine guns and launchers progress Support, and marksman and sniper rifles progress Recon. Leveling a track opens that role's better weapons.
Every weapon has two costs. The opening cost is the one-time level requirement plus cash payment that makes it purchasable. The per-life price is what you pay each deployment. Die with it and it is gone; Bulkhead has not published any refund figure, so every loadout below assumes lost gear is fully spent.
Each role gets two loadouts: a budget version you can run from a thin bank, and an advanced version for players with real income. Below level 9 the vendor halves all prices, which makes the budget versions even cheaper while you learn.
Assault: the zone fighter
Assault rifles cover the mid ranges where most control-zone fighting happens. This is the default role for new players.
Budget (priced core: $0–$600). Run your faction's free rifle (A-91, Bushmaster M17S, or KH-2002) at $0, or step up to the T-21 at $600 ($300 below level 9). The T-21 gives you 28 damage at 750 RPM with full auto and no level requirement. Either choice leaves your $10,000 seed account nearly intact.
Advanced (priced core: $2,800). The M4 at $2,800 per life: 28 damage at 800 RPM, the best 5.56mm rifle on the vendor's listed stats. Opening it takes Assault level 20 and a $100,000 one-time payment. Run this when your per-match income covers $2,800 a life without thought.
Beyond. The FAL ($6,500 per life, Assault 35 + $200,000 to open) trades up to 60 damage per shot at 650 RPM. It is the hardest-hitting rifle option and the most expensive habit in the Assault line. Only players with deep banks should live here.
Medic: the close-range specialist
The Medic track opens the SMG line: high fire rates, short ranges, buildings and trenches.
Budget (priced core: $900). The AMP-9 at $900 per life, no level requirement, verified 900 RPM in 9x19mm. It is the cheapest way into full-auto close-range play. Damage is unpublished, so judge it on price and role: it is a specialist, not a rifle replacement.
Advanced (priced core: $2,600). The Super-45 at $2,600 per life: 30 damage at a listed 1,200 RPM, the highest fire rate in the game. Opening it takes Medic level 35 and $150,000. This is a late-game weapon for players who live in close quarters.
Stepping stones. The PP-19 Vityaz ($1,200 per life, Medic 4 + $25,000 to open, 800 RPM) and the MP5 ($1,500 per life, Medic 15 + $75,000 to open, 800 RPM) bridge the gap. Open them in order as your Medic level climbs; do not pay a $75,000 opening fee before you can afford the per-life price that follows.
Support: the backbone
Support opens light machine guns for sustained fire and launchers for anti-vehicle work.
Budget (priced core: $400). The MP43 at $400 per life, no level requirement. The cheapest gun in the game and a serviceable close-range pick while your Support level climbs. Stats are unpublished; keep it in buildings.
Advanced (priced core: $3,200). The M249 SAW at $3,200 per life, opening at Support level 15 plus $100,000. The sustained-fire answer for holding zones and covering advances. The PKM ($4,500 per life, Support 30 + $150,000) lists 55 damage at 600 RPM but costs more at every step; most players should stop at the M249.
Anti-vehicle (priced core: $2,000). The RPG-7 at $2,000 per life, opening at Support level 5 plus $30,000. Bring it when enemy armor is on the field. It is a tool, not a primary: in infantry fights it is dead weight.
Recon: the long game
Recon opens marksman and sniper rifles for long sightlines and overwatch.
Budget (priced core: $1,100). The Scout Rifle TD at $1,100 per life, no level requirement. The only sub-$1,600 marksman option. Stats are unpublished, which makes this the hardest budget pick to evaluate on paper; its value is the low price of learning the Recon playstyle.
Advanced (priced cores: $2,400 / $4,800). The SKS at $2,400 per life (Recon 5 + $25,000 to open) is the affordable step up. The SVD at $4,800 per life (Recon 12 + $50,000 to open) lists 55 damage at 480 RPM and is the serious mid-game marksman rifle.
Beyond. The AMR 50 ($8,800 per life, Recon 35 + $200,000 to open) lists 107 damage at 42 RPM: the hardest single shot in the game and the worst value on the vendor. A specialist tool for extreme range, not a loadout to live in.
Cost cheat sheet
| Role | Budget core | Advanced core | Opening cost to reach advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assault | $0–$600 | $2,800 | $100,000 (Assault 20) |
| Medic | $900 | $2,600 | $150,000 (Medic 35) |
| Support | $400 | $3,200 | $100,000 (Support 15) |
| Recon | $1,100 | $2,400–$4,800 | $25,000–$50,000 |
Add armor, ammunition, attachments, and equipment on top of every core. Bulkhead has not published those prices, so the real per-life cost is always higher than the table. Budget one tier below what you think you can afford until you have measured your actual spending.
Three rules for spending
- Never field an advanced loadout unless two quick deaths leave you solvent. A $2,800 M4 life on a thin bank is how accounts die. The gear is gone when you are; the balance has to survive it.
- Open weapons in the order you play the role. Opening costs are sunk the moment you pay them. A $150,000 Super-45 opening fee for a role you barely play is $150,000 burned.
- Use the sub-level-9 discount to experiment. Everything is half price below level 9. That is the cheapest window you will ever get to try the T-21, the AMP-9, and the MP43 and learn which role fits you.
Advanced loadouts only make sense with advanced income. A $2,800 M4 life on a $900 AMP-9 income is how banks die. Match the loadout to the income, not the ambition.