WARDOGS Season 3 Arrives November 12 With Major Changes

Bulkhead acknowledges Season 2's progression issues, announces a November 12 launch for Season 3, and outlines major changes for the tactical shooter.

Bulkhead has conceded that some decisions around WARDOGS Season 2 didn’t pan out as they had hoped. The developer addressed much of the community input, discussing what went wrong, how player reactions shaped its decisions, and what fans can expect from the game’s upcoming third season. 

In a lengthy developer conversation, the company covered several contentious Season 2 issues, including progression speed, faction balance, new content, and the game's long-term plans. The team also admitted that its quick response to community comments occasionally led to decisions that created new problems.

The biggest immediate news came from Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer, who confirmed that Season 3 has been moved up to November 12.

Brammer said the decision to speed up progression in Season 2 was a mistake, allowing some players to reach Tier 4 armor and main battle tanks in just a few days. For gamers who want a different experience, limited-mode servers that will not include power weapons or vehicles are also coming in the forthcoming season. So Season 2 will run for about four weeks before the next big reset.

The developers said they “overloaded” Season 2 with guns, tanks, and other enhancements, because they were worried about giving enough material to a live-service game. In retrospect, the studio believes it should have spent more time testing and polishing existing features instead of rushing to add new material. Bulkhead also said it may have overreacted to vociferous neighborhood objections.

There was a lot of chatter about the issues on Reddit, YouTube, and social media, but internally the data showed most people were actually happier with Season 2 than Season 1. But progression was still important. The top 25% of players improved 2.4x quicker than they did in Season 1. The XP bonus faction also drew the best players, leading to an imbalance where one team could dominate matches.

Bulkhead said he hopes to move away from very short seasons in the future.

Instead of major changes every four to six weeks, future seasons will reportedly run about three months, with substantial mid-season updates every six weeks. The studio also discussed its long-term Intel advancement system, which will include persistent skill trees. Could they gain talents based on what they like to do? Like piloting? Smaller bonuses and more substantial upgrades that are available across seasons.

Another big discussion was the thermal rangefinder. Developers concede the equipment is inherently hard to balance, with some contemplating its outright removal. Wardogs Season 3 could bring big changes. Bulkhead also previewed a new map with more verticality, inner areas, and a wider variety of fighting scenarios. “Hospital” was given as one possible setting.

The developers restated their commitment to valuing player choice over perfect competitive balance, balance issues notwithstanding. They want to retain the unpredictable sandbox moments, particularly the games when whole teams bring in vast numbers of tanks. In the end, it looks like Bulkhead wants to learn from Season 2, and not repeat its faults. With November 12 coming, Season 3 will be a critical opportunity for the studio to reestablish confidence and offer a more sustainable experience.