A dedicated player of Bulkhead’s zombie survival mode Wardogs has publicly laid bare the punishing experience-boost grind that defines the mode, revealing that unlocking a single coveted item—the level 24 Medic medical bag that both revives and heals teammates—could demand roughly 13 hours of additional playtime. The revelation comes as the community weighs in on whether the steep progression curve is a deliberate design choice by developer Bulkhead or an unintended barrier, with season 2 set to launch on October 15 and wipe every player back to level 1.
The player, who has been chasing the “best sawbones on the server” goal, had already reached Medic level 18 within the first 30 hours of playing Wardogs. That early pace suggested the grind would be manageable, but a closer look at the XP thresholds painted a steeper picture. After gaining 17 levels with 177,619 Medic XP, the next rank—level 24—will require 337,000 XP. In other words, the player is only about 52% of the way to the item they still need, despite having climbed seven ranks. “I wish I hadn’t,” the player wrote, noting that the slowdown is not a skill issue: match performance has actually improved, thanks to new defibrillators and stronger medkits, yet rank gains have flattened to a single step per night of play.
The Mountain of XP
To estimate how the remaining 48% would translate into real-world time, the player ran an informal test. Playing an average match with a focus on revives and healing, and even bringing an SMG and purchasing stims to administer to teammates, they recorded a modest scoreline over a 50-minute match on the winning team. The result: roughly 16 more matches, or about 13 hours of playtime, to unlock the medicine bag.
For a casual player who typically spends just two or three hours on the games they do play, the projection feels deflating. “By my standards, I’ve been going hard on Wardogs these past two weeks and yet I’m still at least a week away from unlocking this singular item,” the player explained. The numbers have since become a talking point, with some observers describing the climb as “surprisingly reasonable” and others calling it “totally deflating.”
It’s a question of degrees. To what degree is Wardogs meant to accommodate players with limited time, and how much should Bulkhead cater to the diehards racking up hundreds of hours?
Wardogs player
The debate highlights a broader tension in complex multiplayer games, where perceived difficulty often splinters along the lines of player skill and commitment. Lowering the XP required to unlock powerful items like the medicine bag, an RPG, or an attack helicopter would accelerate meta progression and flatten the competitive landscape. Conversely, leaving the grind untouched means a mid-tier player may never unlock certain items before the next wipe—fair in principle, but unappealing in practice.
Community Reaction and Technical Context
Opinions across the player base remain divided. Some argue the XP milestones escalate too quickly, while others contend the grind would be tolerable if not for the planned seasonal wipes that reset progress. A third camp insists Wardogs needs its massive XP treadmill to remain engaging over time.
Looking Ahead
Bulkhead is reportedly absorbing the feedback surrounding the grind and has alluded to future features that could reshape progression from season to season, though no specific changes have been confirmed. The developer’s first major patch since the early access launch remains a few weeks away. When season 2 begins on October 15, every player will be wiped back to level 1—effectively returning everyone to the base of the mountain.
For now, the question of whether Wardogs’ XP curve is a feature or a flaw remains open, but the player’s transparent breakdown has given the community a concrete benchmark against which to measure the mode’s long-term viability.
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