Wardogs Season 2 Damage Changes: .308 Cut by 25%

Wardogs Season 2 cuts base damage for four calibres: .308 Winchester by 25%, 7.62x54mmR by 20%, 7.62x39mm by 19% and .50 Cal by 16%. The cuts hit every weapon using those rounds, vehicle guns included. Level 3 armor now blocks 50% of damage instead of 55%, and Level 4 armor 60% instead of 65%.

Bulkhead’s Season 02 Patch Notes, posted October 14, 2026, explain the reason. High-calibre rounds built for sniper rifles were doing “close to sniper damage at a much faster fire rate” in assault rifles, DMRs and LMGs. Season 2 went live on October 15.

Wardogs Season 2 calibre damage cuts

Bulkhead says the cuts apply to “every weapon that uses these rounds, including infantry & vehicle weapons”. It names the Little Bird AH-6M Minigun, the Z20 Lakota Minigun and the Humvee Minigun as vehicle weapons affected.

Bulkhead stresses that high-calibre weapons are not meant to be “bad” now. The FAL still has the highest damage per shot among assault rifles, but sits closer to the TCX-SPR and the M4.

How each Wardogs weapon class changed

Sniper rifles that use the affected calibres also lose base damage, but Bulkhead raised their hit-location damage to compensate. Sniper rifles stay the category for big single-shot damage. Our best sniper rifle guide was written before these changes.

DMRs get weaker headshots and upper-body hits, so they sit between assault rifles and snipers. Bulkhead says they should be “more punishing than an assault rifle, but not a faster-firing sniper rifle”. Every DMR also got a new recoil pass.

Assault rifles do slightly less damage on body shots, and torso damage is now more even across the upper, middle and lower torso.

LMGs now match assault rifle body damage. Bulkhead says LMGs should win through sustained fire and magazine size, not by out-damaging rifles on every shot. Our assault rifle comparison and LMG and shotgun comparison use Season 1 numbers.

Scout Rifle headshots now kill a target with no helmet in one shot. A Level 1 helmet takes two headshots.

Wardogs Assault Class LevelingAssault class leveling: the new TCX-SPR unlocks at Assault level 20 in Season 2.From $24.00View offer

Armor and helmet changes in Season 2

The Level 4 helmet also has drawbacks now: muffled audio and proximity chat, a restricted field of view, and a visor that fogs over when you sprint. In return, Level 3 helmets cut suppression by 68% and Level 4 helmets by 80%.

Armor also costs more. Level 3 armor went from $2,000 to $2,500, the Level 3 helmet from $1,500 to $2,000, Level 4 armor from $4,000 to $5,000 and the Level 4 helmet from $3,000 to $4,500. The Level 3 helmet and armor unlock moved from WARDOG level 60 to 70.

12-gauge slugs and the Compound Bow now scale their damage against armor by armor tier, instead of one flat reduction.

Suppression, parachutes and other combat changes

Suppression was rebuilt. Bulkhead says it “was inconsistent and often unnoticeable”. Near misses from small and medium calibres now suppress much more, rate of fire is taken into account, and screen shake was toned down.

Parachutes take longer to open and do not open below about 10 metres. Bulkhead warns that if you are falling fast and open below roughly 50 metres, you will take fall damage. The Basic Parachute rose from $100 to $500, while the Sport Parachute dropped from $1,000 to $700.

Several single weapons changed too:

• MP5: recoil pattern now more horizontal, because it “was too easy to use”.
• Super-45: more damage fall-off beyond 50 metres, pushing it into close range.
• MGL-40: muzzle velocity cut by 25% and stronger damage fall-off on the outer blast radius. When fired from the Little Bird bench, it also has more inaccuracy and sway, slower ADS and a reload penalty.
• Mosin: gets a new PU 91/30 3.5x scope and loses access to other optics.
• Compound Bow: less arrow drop, and slightly better against low-tier armor than in Season 1.

Heavy and Artillery top turrets now use assault rifle and LMG hit-location values against infantry, instead of helicopter cannon values.

New Molotov and the four new Season 2 guns

The Molotov Cocktail is new in Season 2. It splashes fire on impact, deals damage over time to anyone standing in it, burns destructible foliage and is weakened by rain. It unlocks at Assault level 13 for $25,000 and costs $340 at the vendor.

The four new guns and where they unlock:

Three of the four use calibres that were just cut. Our Season 2 weapons and vehicles guide covers the new vehicles as well.

Wardogs weapon unlock and class leveling services

If you want the new guns without the class grind, our Wardogs boosting page lists class leveling and weapon unlock orders.

Wardogs Recon Class LevelingRecon class leveling: the M14 marksman rifle unlocks at Recon level 25.From $24.00View offer Wardogs Support Class LevelingSupport class leveling: the Evo-3 Ultra LMG unlocks at Support level 30.From $24.00View offer Wardogs FAL UnlockFAL unlock: still the highest damage per shot among assault rifles after the Season 2 cuts.From $359.99View offer

Frequently asked questions

Was the .308 nerfed in Wardogs Season 2?

Yes. Base damage for .308 Winchester rounds was cut by 25%, for every weapon that fires them.

Is the FAL still good in Wardogs Season 2?

Bulkhead says the FAL still has the highest damage per shot among assault rifles, now closer to the TCX-SPR and M4. No community test of the new values had been found as of October 15.

How much damage does Level 4 armor block now?

60%, down from 65%. Level 3 armor blocks 50%, down from 55%.

Can the Scout Rifle one-shot in Wardogs?

Yes, on a headshot against a target with no helmet. A Level 1 helmet takes two headshots.

Where do you unlock the M14 in Wardogs?

Recon level 25, for $100,000. It costs $7,400 at the vendor.

Sources and update history

• Bulkhead: WARDOGS | Season 02 Patch Notes (Steam) (October 14, 2026)
• Bulkhead: WARDOGS | Season 02 Preview (Steam) (October 9, 2026)

Update history: Published October 15, 2026. Facts last checked October 15, 2026 against the sources above.