Wardogs, the competitive first-person shooter from developer Bulkhead, entered Steam Early Access on Sept. 10 with an astronomical debut, but the game’s initial honeymoon period is now visibly wearing off. The tactical FPS, which occupies a contested space between Battlefield’s large-scale warfare and Escape From Tarkov’s punishing hardcore gameplay, peaked at 428,666 concurrent players during its first weekend according to data-tracking site SteamDB, with only a modest 26,000-player drop by its second. That surge was accompanied by near-unanimous praise, but less than a month into its life cycle, the community is raising mounting concerns about a shifting meta and balance problems that are threatening to erode the game’s momentum.
Wardogs distinguishes itself through a dual progression system built on experience points (XP) and in-game cash. Earning cash is central to nearly every action in the game, as players must spend a significant portion of their bank balance to unlock specific items and then purchase their entire loadout each time they respawn. The ability to spend money and unlock those items is gated behind a player’s level, which is increased by earning XP. As is often the case with multiplayer titles, the community has advanced through this progression system at a fairly even pace, and in under a month the in-game meta has already undergone numerous phases.
A Meta That Has Gone Off the Rails
At the start of Wardogs’ life cycle, anyone capable of landing shots with a sniper rifle would trounce most enemies, causing havoc from the foliage while opponents ran Level 1 armor at best. That was followed by a few days of players in constant pursuit of the roaming hot zone, the part of the map where every player inside it counts for double. This produced non-stop infantry firefights and was arguably the most enjoyable period of the game so far. Now that players are unlocking some of the strongest weapons and equipment, there is more to complain about.
“Wardogs is progressively becoming FOB (forward operating base) building fobbits and less about fighting in the control zone,” FPS content creator TheTacticalBrit posted on X. Meanwhile, Reddit user Icy_Hurry8645 noted that “90% of the time, when I go outside the FOB, I open my map looking for action and I just don’t know where to go,” alongside a map screenshot showing almost all of their teammates clustered within a single FOB.
One reason for this style of play is that once a team sets up a drill at an FOB, it acts as a magnet whenever it is activated, pulling the hot zone straight to its location. If a team stays mostly within the FOB, they rack up points incredibly quickly, making it the most profitable option available. Reddit user markyymark13 identified the problem just days after launch in a lengthy post calling for a nerf to the drill mechanic and more incentive to engage in combat within the hot zone. As Reddit user Cainsiderate points out, the FOB-centric approach is also simply the most lucrative path.
My experience has been similar. I’m having an absolute blast with Wardogs, but the meta shift has been noticeable. Considerably more players are sitting on mortars and firing shells at opposing FOBs, and while getting a mortar kill is so satisfying, a healthy meta requires all strategies to be viable, rather than one reigning supreme; especially when that dominant play style is incredibly slow-paced.
A Wardogs player
Wardogs is still in early access, so coupled with the fact that it is a live-service game, balance patches are part of the process. The game’s second season is right around the corner, arriving on Oct. 15, so hopefully some adjustments will come with it. But FOBs, drills, and mortars are not the only complaints: Level 4 armor, the highest tier of player protection available, is also winding players up.
Balance Concerns and a Prepared Developer
On Reddit, user I_C_Weiner2 recounted encountering an enemy wearing a Level 4 helmet and armor. They “dumped three 12GA slugs into them from point-blank range” but, despite the effort, the enemy turned around, got the kill, then kept going with their PKM. “Before any team scored even 20 points, this player had racked up over 30 kills.” Of course, that one player could have been incredibly skilled, but I_C_Weiner2 also stated that “there are so many balance issues that the game has lost all of its fun, and it’s happened incredibly quickly.” Given how many upvotes the post received, the sentiment clearly resonates with many players.
There are a number of similar complaints across both Reddit and X, but Bulkhead is aware of them. Joe Brammer, the studio’s CEO and executive producer on Wardogs, posted on X about how the team is preparing for “the sentiment around Wardogs to go more negative.” As always with anything on the internet, however, there are naysayers to the naysayers, with some players defending the current state of the game.
One example is a Reddit post arguing that Wardogs shouldn’t be considered another “run-and-gun shooter,” and that the issue is not that mortars, FOBs, and drills are viable, but that they are too powerful. Another post shows a screenshot of the green team winning 100-0-0 thanks to the entire team rushing the hot zone constantly. An admirable strategy, but one that requires willing and communicative teammates, which is not always going to happen.
Looking Ahead
Wardogs is a fantastic innovation in the FPS space, and it has a bright future. As expected, though, cracks are starting to show. It will be a true testament to Bulkhead if the team is able to address these balance issues and respond in a timely manner before too many players drop off. With the second season landing on Oct. 15, the coming weeks will be telling for whether the studio can course-correct a promising title before its early access momentum fades.
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