WARDOGS Season 3 Patch Notes: Everything You Need to Know
WARDOGS
By EncampedWeevilPublished November 11, 2026|Updated November 11, 2026
Today, Bulkhead finally dropped the WARDOGS Season 3 patch notes one day before its full release. There’s a lot of new things coming, including new maps, servers, weapons and equipment changes, catch-up mechanics, and a Molotov rework.
WARDOGS Season 3
Before we begin, we previously broke down a lot of the upcoming details that are arriving in Season 3, so we recommend you read that coverage, as this one will be mostly highlights. But with that out of the way, let’s get to the big stuff.
Firstly, there is going to be a new map, Sabatulo. This is going to be WARDOGS’ first city map, focusing on close-quarters fights. Alongside this new map, there is a new game mode players can opt into, Limited Mode. In this new game mode, vendors have a limit on the types of items they can sell players. For example, players wouldn’t gain access to:
Hollow Point (HP) or Armor Piercing (AP) ammo.
Level 3 or Level 4 armor.
Attack vehicles.
CIWS, Stingray, MG Nest, or Drill Rig.
Anti-tank mines.
It’s designed to encourage ‘small out warfare’ for players who want to play in a rules setting with fewer end-game items and weapons.
New Multi-Track Unlocks
Moving into Season 3, some shared items can now be unlocked from more than one role track. For example, armor, backpacks, tactical vests, and parachutes can now be unlocked from every role track. Ammo types are getting spread across role tracks as well.
This means you no longer have to dip into several roles to speedrun WARDOGS levels or progression to get the early game items you want.
Each role gets access to certain role-adjacent items slightly earlier than the other roles, to help reinforce that role’s identity. For example:
Assault gets their armor before any other role.
Medic gets their tac vest before any other role.
Support gets their backpacks before any other role.
Recon gets their AP before any other role.
New Catch-Up Mechanics & Slower Seasonal Cadence
The devs are also introducing some catch-up mechanics if you fall behind during a season or you just want to take a break to play GTA 6. Season 03 introduces:
XP Catch-Up Bonus: Increasing weekly XP bonuses for lower-level players.
Extended Vendor Discounts: Bigger discounts as the season progresses.
These bonuses are aimed at helping players who join the season late catch up so they can at least unlock the mid-tier gear and weapons faster before the season ends.
Speaking of seasons, WARDOGS seasons are getting extended by 3 months. As a result of longer seasons, the devs are also dialing back the progression speed for the launch of Season 3
Movember Charity Event
During the month of November, Bulkhead is teaming up with Movember to raise money for men’s health. You can grab the Tactical ‘Stache DLC, and 100% of all profits from this DLC are going to Movember.
In addition, the more you play throughout November, the bigger your ‘stache grows, and it’s all about putting in the hours for a good cause. Plus, you will receive:
Movember 2026 Tactical ‘Stache: An exclusive in-game mustache cosmetic that grows as you play, equippable throughout November.*
Movember 2026 Scoreboard Badge: A permanent badge of honour to show your support for men’s health all year round.
It is worth noting before buying that the Tactical ‘Stache can only be equipped during November, but the badge is all year round.
Weapons & Equipment Highlights
With every season, there are a ton of changes arriving for most weapons, equipment, and armor. We will put the detailed patch notes below, but here are some of the bigger highlights first.
Bulkhead is outright removing the Infrared Range Finder from the vendor. They tried nerfing it last season, but that didn’t stick, so they are removing it for now until they can tune it the way they like.
Molotov Cocktails now set you on fire, dealing damage and forcing you to drop your held item. They are also cheaper to unlock, and they do less damage against armored vehicles and heavy armor.
As for the other highlights:
50-78% damage buff for AH6M miniguns
Parachute indicator to discourage people jumping early
AH6R rocket accuracy nerf
Lvl 3 Hammer unlocks much later now, instead of giving players Verba to fight helis early
Increased cockpit damage reduction to pilot
Heli price reduced
Windows cleaned (it’s easier to see out of vehicle windows)
CIWS damage bug fixed, and max-up angle decreased
Economy buffs for pilots for killstreaks and killing other vehicles
Full Patch Notes
If you want to read the whole detailed list of patch notes, you can read them right here:
Assault Rifle & LMG Bone Damage
Assault rifle torso damage is back to Season 1 values, and LMG torso damage now matches assault rifles. Both deal more torso damage than in the Season 2 update:
Upper torso: +13%
Middle torso: +3%
Lower torso: +3%
This applies to all targets, with or without armor. Armor still reduces damage by the same percentage as before.
TCX-SPR Handling
Recoil reduced. The TCX-SPR climbs less in full auto, so you can keep sprays on target for longer.
Less side-to-side drift during sprays, making recoil easier to pull down.
DMR Damage Buffs
DMR damage has been adjusted. Some values have been increased, landing between Season 1 and Season 2
Body: every DMR now kills an unarmored player in 2 shots (was 3).
Armor: the SVD, BMR-308 and M14 now need 1 to 2 less body shots at every armor level. The SKS needs 1 less shot against Level 2 and Level 4 armor.
Head: every DMR now kills a player with no helmet in 1 headshot (was 2). The SVD, BMR-308 and M14 now kill through a Level 3 helmet in 2 headshots (was 3).
Neck: damage has been increased, but it still takes 2 shots to kill.
Arms and legs: no change.
We’ve made these changes to DMR damage as we believe the Season 2 damage changes were
overtuned when they were made in tandem with the recoil changes.
Compound Bow
Arrow speed increased by 50%. Arrows now reach targets faster, and you need to lead moving targets less.
Molotov Cocktail
The Molotov Cocktail was rarely unlocked and used less than its counterparts last season. These changes should encourage more experimentation with it.
Getting caught in Molotov Cocktail fire now sets you ablaze, dealing damage and forcing you to drop your held item.
Cheaper to unlock: $25k → $12.5k .
Reduced Molotov Cocktail damage against armored vehicles and heavy armor, as it was overperforming there.
Basic Parachute
The Basic Parachute is now an emergency parachute, ideal for bailing out of helicopters. It’s not for jumping off towers.
It takes longer to open, and you can’t pull it within about 20m of the ground.
It’s effective above about 100m (still survivable above 60m if you react fast enough).
Price increased $500 → $1,250 .
Sport Parachute
The Sport Parachute now turns, glides and dives much faster, with a stronger, longer flare.
It comes down a little faster, so steer it or flare to stay in the air.
Built for BASE jumps, and effective above about 60m (still survivable above 40m if you react fast enough).
Price increased $700 → $2,250.
Additional Parachute Changes
Helicopter passengers now see their height above the ground, above the minimap. Check it against your parachute’s effective height on the item tooltip before you jump.
New reward for parachuting into an enemy FOB.
Pick the right parachute for the jump. A Basic Parachute off a tower is an expensive way to die.
Halligan Bar
Enemy supply crates can now be forced open with a Halligan Bar, dropping a random item on the ground.
Corrected Item Weights
AMP-9 20 RND Magazine: 1 kg → 0.3 kg
Improvised Explosive Device: 1.5 kg → 2.7 kg
Improvised Explosive Device Trigger: 1.5 kg → 0.2 kg
VEHICLES
Vehicle Handling
Wheeled vehicles now roll downhill when you’re off the throttle.
Slightly improved traction on the Ural and Humvee, so the rear wheels slip less.
The Ural, Kodiak, Humvee, Dune Buggy and Wolf-110 now lose some grip when pushed beyond the top speed they can reach under normal acceleration (e.g. when going downhill).
The Ural can no longer reach unfair speeds by rolling backwards downhill. It now rolls backwards no faster than it can drive forwards.
Vehicle Reverse Speed
Wheeled vehicles reverse faster, so you can back out of trouble quicker, especially in combat.
Bobcat: 16 → ~25 km/h
Kodiak: 33 → ~57 km/h
Humvee: 35 → ~57 km/h
Dune Buggy: 43 → ~50 km/h
Ural: 15 → 27 km/h
Wolf-110: 27 → ~40 km/h
Vehicle-Mounted Miniguns
Increased minigun damage multipliers against infantry, putting them between Season 1 and Season 2 levels after Season 2 nerfed them more than we intended. Fewer bullet-sponge moments, and newer pilots have an easier time getting value from them:
Head: +50%
Neck: +78%
Upper torso: +64%
Mid torso: +55%
Lower torso: +50%
Pelvis, arms, legs: +56%
Helicopter Rockets
AH-6R Littlebird [Rockets]
Rocket pods now fire their own 70mm rockets instead of sharing the Havoc’s 122mm rockets.
Damage is unchanged: 70mm rockets deal the same damage to vehicles and infantry as the AH-6R Littlebird’s rockets did before this update.
70mm rockets now have thrust instability and wobble in flight.
These small changes make the AH-6R Littlebird [Rockets] slightly less effective against infantry, while leaving it unchanged against vehicles and FOBs, which are its intended targets.
Increased damage protection for the pilot and co-pilot in the MH-6, AH-6R and AH-6M Littlebirds, putting it between Season 1 and Season 2 levels and making them slightly more resistant to ballistics. Pilots and co-pilots were being shot out of their seats far more often than the Littlebird itself was being destroyed, so this lets cockpit occupants survive a few more hits.
Window Cleaning
The window material for all vehicles in first person was changed in Season 2 to support rain. This caused an unintended smear and visibility issue for first-person vehicle users, which is why it wasn’t included in the Season 2 patch notes.
The BULKHEAD window cleaning team has been successfully deployed, and all vehicles have had their windows thoroughly cleaned for Season 3.
Vanguard CIWS / 20x102mm Rounds
20x102mm rounds now damage each vehicle section once per round, instead of hitting it several times as they pass through.
Damage has been retuned across all vehicles to match the original intent. Each vehicle now takes the same or slightly less damage than before, to accommodate the change above:
Havoc: roughly the same damage as Season 2.
Z20 Lakota: roughly the same damage as Season 2.
MH-6, AH-6R and AH-6M Littlebirds: slightly less damage.
The anti-air emplacement’s maximum aim angle drops from 65° to 60°, which increases the overhead blind spot.
Tanks
Tanks are now more resistant to grenades. A single grenade could destroy a tank’s engine, which made grenades do the job rocket launchers are meant for. Tanks are now more formidable against a few small explosives.
Hedge & Wall Destruction
Box hedges can now be flattened by vehicles (except the Bobcat).
Stone walls can now be destroyed by tanks and artillery.
Supply Crates and Pallets
Supply crates can no longer be deployed inside safe zones, matching supply pallets. They were blocking vehicle spawns at HQ, getting in the way of vehicles, and in some cases preventing pilots from landing safely.
Lowered the height supply crates and pallets can be dropped from without breaking:
Supply Crates: ~60m → ~35m
Armored Supply Crates: ~80m → ~35m
Supply Pallets: ~90m → ~40m
Armored crates no longer survive higher drops than standard crates. They’re still resistant to bullets and explosions.
Crates and pallets still break if they hit the ground or an object too hard. Your speed counts as well as your height, so dropping from a moving helicopter makes the landing harder. You can still deploy safely at up to ~80 km/h at around these heights.
Item tooltips now show the new drop heights.
Vehicle Price Adjustments
Wolf-110 [M2 Browning]: $7,800 → $6,800
Kodiak [M249]: $6,750 → $6,250
AH-6M Littlebird [Miniguns]: $12,000 → $10,480
Havoc: $28,000 → $26,000
The Wolf-110 underperformed as a threat due to how exposed its driver and passengers are, leaving it
overpriced compared to its alternatives. The Kodiak has also been brought down alongside it, easing
its profit margins during the longer grind to a tank.
The Littlebird and Havoc now have extra rewards to incentivise dogfights (destroying a vehicle with
your own vehicle within 1,000m of a control zone now earns the full control zone reward) and
competent pilots (air vehicle kill streaks when killing enemy players), but the upfront cost was still
turning away a lot of pilots.
These changes make each bad life for attack vehicles slightly more manageable.
PROGRESSION & ECONOMY
XP Required Per Level Increased
The XP required for each level has been increased.
Overall progression speed has been slowed for Season 3’s launch and is more aligned with Season 1 speeds, restoring the journey many players previously enjoyed.
Item Unlocks (Multi-Track Unlocks)
Some shared items can now be unlocked from more than one role track, so you can earn them by playing the role you enjoy.
Armor, backpacks, tactical vests and parachutes can now be unlocked from every role track.
Dipping into several roles to speedrun WARDOG levels is no longer the fastest way to unlock shared items.
C4 has been moved slightly later in the Assault track to make space for multi-track items, and the Molotov has been moved earlier alongside its improvements.
C4: Level 4 → Level 5
Molotov: Level 13 → Level 8
Ammo types have been moved later in the WARDOG track and spread across the role tracks according to where the weapons that use them unlock.
Tanks have been moved later and re-added to the WARDOG track.
Level 20-35 → Level 35-50 Driver
Level 145 → 200 WARDOG
Large Hammer has been moved later in the Support track.
Level 8 → Level 14
The Large Hammer was a notable power spike for builders and it came too early.
Until we rework building unlock system, we’ve decided to push the large hammer slightly later to make mega-bases slightly harder to setup very early in the season.
Verba has been moved earlier in the Support track.
Level 14 → Level 8
By moving the Large Hammer we’ve delayed anti-air options for dealing with the AH-6M [Miniguns] by the time it comes online, this gives Support players the option again.
AMR 50 has been moved later in the Recon track.
Level 35 → Level 41
Losing Faction Vendor Discount
The vendor discount for the losing faction is now based on how far it is behind the first-place faction, instead of the faction one place above it. This should encourage players on the third-place faction to buy more firepower and compete with the other two factions.
Cash Rewards
Doubled cash for destroying enemy buildable weapon emplacements:
L81 Mortar, Talon 9K-SAM, MG Nest, Stingray: $650 → $1,300
Vanguard CIWS: $1,200 → $2,400
Re-added air vehicle kill streak rewards when killing enemy players.
Destroying a vehicle with your own vehicle within 1,000m of a control zone now earns the full control zone reward.
Pallets deployed outside a friendly FOB give reduced rewards.
Deploying a lower-value crate now pays a smaller reward, scaled to the price of the items inside it, to discourage crate drop spam for profit.
Reduced spotted target killed reward on high-value targets:
