Wardogs Best LMG and Shotgun: M249 vs PKM vs M500

The Wardogs support weapons come in two pairs. For LMGs, the M249 SAW opens at Support level 15 and the PKM at Support 30; community data gives the PKM 55 damage a round against the M249’s 28, for $4,500 a life instead of $3,200. For shotguns, the M500 at Support 10 is the upgrade over the starter MP43. Neither shotgun works in open ground.

All four guns feed the Support track. Carrying a shotgun or an LMG, like building and repairing, earns Support XP whatever else is in your kit, so picking one is a levelling choice as well as a combat one. How fast Support levels come on the Season 1 curve is in our Wardogs Season 1 leveling guide, and the rifles that compete for the same primary slot are compared in the best Wardogs assault rifle guide.

Wardogs LMG and shotgun unlock levels and prices

Bulkhead has not published an unlock table, so the levels and costs below come from community sources, not from an official list. Three of them agree on every row: G2A’s Support guide of September 11, the fan-run WARDOGS Hub progression list, and the “Unlocked By” tables in Dexerto’s community-run Wardogs wiki. WARDOGS Hub marks its list as a community snapshot from September 2, 2026, “reported, not confirmed”.

The level gets you permission to pay the unlock. After that you still pay the cost per life every time you spawn with the gun. Bulkhead’s official Season 1 changelog of September 9, 2026 moved several vehicles and raised the FOB and Large Hammer prices, but it lists no level or price change for any of these four guns. For how the cash side builds up, see how to make money fast in Wardogs.

Wardogs M249 vs PKM: LMG stats compared

The stats below come from Dexerto’s community-run wiki and WARDOGS Hub, not from an official stat sheet. WARDOGS Hub says its weapon cards date from the Closed Alpha of August 7, 2026. Where both sites give a figure, they match.

The magazine is the one place the sources differ. Dexerto lists the M249 with a 200-round box fitted by default and Gaming with Daopa’s weapon page mentions both a 100-round fabric pouch and a 200-round box. WARDOGS Hub’s attachment list for the M249 shows 20- and 60-round STANAG magazines and the 100-round fabric magazine, which opens at Support 15 with the gun, but no 200-round box. Every source gives the PKM a single 100-round box.

What the numbers mean in a fight: WARDOGS Hub’s own model has the M249 needing four hits to drop a 100-health target, about 212 ms at full fire rate, and the PKM needing two. The M249’s 28 damage is the same figure Dexerto gives the Galil, so it is a rifle-calibre gun with a big magazine. The PKM’s 55 sits just under the FAL, the hardest-hitting assault rifle in our rifle comparison. Dexerto describes the PKM as suppressing “thanks to its high powered rounds and slower rate of fire”, but no source puts a number on that rate.

Which Wardogs LMG to buy: M249 SAW or PKM

Buy the M249 first. You have no choice before Support 30, and even after it the M249 is $1,300 cheaper every life. G2A’s Support guide says reaching it at level 15 “unlocks the classic sustained-fire Support playstyle”. Dexerto rates it A-tier and the PKM S-tier.

Ammunition is the less obvious reason. The M249 fires 5.56mm, the same round as the M4, Galil and T-21, so in a rifle-heavy squad you can refill from a teammate’s crate; Gaming with Daopa gives that as the reason to unlock the SAW before the PKM. The PKM’s 7.62x54mmR is shared with the SVD, so it only has a ready supply when a Recon player is already carrying one. WARDOGS Hub prices a box at $15 for 5.56mm and $30 for 7.62x54mmR.

Take the PKM when you can afford to lose it. At $4,500 it is 45% of the $10,000 loadout budget WARDOGS Hub works from, against 32% for the M249. That leaves little for armour, a sidearm and a tool, which is why G2A’s advice for either gun is to control a lane from cover and make crossing it expensive for the enemy, not to push the objective with it.

Wardogs M249 SAW UnlockThe M249 SAW needs Support level 15 and a one-time unlock before you can buy it each life.From $51.99View offer

Wardogs M500 vs MP43: shotgun stats compared

These figures also come from Dexerto’s community-run wiki and WARDOGS Hub, not from Bulkhead. Both shotguns fire 12 gauge, and Dexerto lists the same base damage of 25 for buckshot, rifled slugs and tracer shells in either gun. Neither source says how many pellets a buckshot shell holds, so shots-to-kill for the shotguns cannot be worked out from this data.

The M500’s “6-shell pump action” line and the MP43’s “use both barrels” line are the in-game descriptions as Dexerto reproduces them. Dexerto’s data sheet for the M500 also says “semi automatic” while marking it as needing a rechamber between shots, which matches a pump gun, not a semi-auto. The MP43’s 900 RPM, listed by both Dexerto and WARDOGS Hub, should not be read as sustained fire: it is a two-barrel gun.

Which Wardogs shotgun to use: M500 or MP43

G2A’s guide sums up the split: the MP43 at $400 is for lives where your real job is building, repairing or carrying something expensive, and the M500 is worth it “when you expect repeated infantry contact in compounds, interiors and defensive positions”. Dexerto’s tiers are further apart, A for the M500 and D for the MP43.

The practical reason to keep the MP43 is Support XP on a budget. It earns the same track as the M500 for a third of the cost per life, so a builder with a hammer and an MP43 levels Support without risking much. G2A’s warning applies to both: “Neither weapon solves the biggest weakness of Support: open ground.”

A shotgun or LMG is only half of a Support kit. The RPG-7 opens at Support 5, before any of these four, and G2A calls it the first major milestone of the track. Its advice for heavy kits is to specialise: take the LMG to hold a lane, the launcher to fight vehicles, and keep the build cheap when the job is construction.

Do Wardogs support weapon unlocks reset in Season 2?

Bulkhead’s Season 02 teaser on Steam dates Season 2 to October 15, 2026. The Season 1 changelog also says “Each season we will have a different XP curve with different item orders”, so the Support levels in the table above are not guaranteed to carry over. What the wipe takes, including cash and levels, is covered in our Wardogs Season 2 wipe guide. Re-check the unlock levels once Season 2 is live.

Wardogs Support levelling and LMG unlocks at PandaPlay

The M500, M249 SAW and PKM each sit behind a Support level and a cash unlock; the MP43 is available from the start. If the climb to Support 15 or 30 is the part you want to skip, these are the Wardogs services on our Wardogs boosting page that match this guide.

Wardogs Support Class LevelingThe M500 needs Support 10, the M249 Support 15 and the PKM Support 30.From $24.00View offer Wardogs PKM UnlockThe PKM opens at Support level 30 with a one-time unlock on top.From $139.99View offer Wardogs M500 UnlockThe M500 pump shotgun opens at Support level 10 with a one-time unlock.From $29.49View offer

Frequently asked questions

What is the best LMG in Wardogs?
There is no official ranking. Dexerto’s community wiki rates the PKM S-tier and the M249 A-tier; the M249 is the one most players can reach and afford first.

What level does the PKM unlock in Wardogs?
Support level 30, with a $150,000 one-time unlock, according to G2A, WARDOGS Hub and Dexerto. Bulkhead has not published it.

How much damage does the PKM do?
55 per round in both Dexerto’s and WARDOGS Hub’s data, against 28 for the M249. Its fire rate is not confirmed by any source we found.

Is the M500 better than the MP43?
For repeated close-range fights, the community sources say yes: six shells against two, and Dexerto rates it A-tier against D. The MP43 is still the cheaper way to earn Support XP.

Do shotguns and LMGs level Support in Wardogs?
Yes. G2A and WARDOGS Hub both list shotguns and LMGs as Support-linked weapons, alongside launchers, drills and hammers.

Sources and update history

Every weapon figure in this guide is community-sourced; Bulkhead has published no official weapon stat table or unlock list as of the check date.

• Bulkhead, Pre-Load Live & Season 1 Changelog (Steam), September 9, 2026 (no changes to these four guns; “different XP curve with different item orders”)
• Bulkhead, WARDOGS | Season 02 Teaser (Steam), September 22, 2026 (Season 2 date)
• G2A News, WARDOGS Support Guide: Best Weapons, Equipment, Leveling, September 11, 2026 (unlock levels, unlock and per-life costs, role advice)
• WARDOGS Hub, Progression: Every Unlock Level and Cost, data as of Season 1 (snapshot September 2, 2026), checked September 28, 2026
• WARDOGS Hub, weapon pages for the M249 SAW, PKM, M500 and MP43, updated September 13, 2026 (damage, fire rate, magazines, ammo prices, loadout share, shots-to-kill model; vendor renders)
• Dexerto Wardogs Wiki, M249 SAW, PKM, M500 and MP43, September 4, 2026, checked September 28, 2026 (stats, Unlocked By tables, tiers, in-game descriptions)
• Gaming with Daopa, WARDOGS M249 SAW and PKM weapon guides, August 11, 2026 (magazine options, ammo sharing)
• Gaming Pro Max, WARDOGS PKM Weapon Guide, September 13, 2026 (7.62x54mmR shared with the SVD)
• Bulkhead / Team17, WARDOGS on Steam (screenshots)

Update history: Published September 28, 2026. Facts last checked September 28, 2026 against the sources above.