WARDOGS: kicked for high ping? Understanding Season 2 ping limits and finding the right server

Since Season 2, official WARDOGS servers can remove you for high latency. This is not a crash or a ban but an intended rule. This article explains how the ping limits work and what you can do. As of 23 October 2026.

How the ping limits work

According to the Season 2 patch notes of 14 October:

• Official servers have their own maximum ping depending on region.
• You are only kicked if you exceed the limit over a sustained period, so short spikes should not be enough.
• Server-side lag spikes are excluded from the measurement.
• After a kick, you cannot rejoin the same server until the next map transition.
• Community admins can set their own limits.

On 21 October, BULKHEAD tightened the rules: the maximum ping on a server is being lowered to 175. A region lock has also been announced, with no date yet. Our news on the 175 cap has the background.

First check: ping kick or something else?

A ping kick usually affects a specific server or region and happens after you have been playing for a while. If you cannot connect at all, are stuck in the queue or see a WD-L error code at launch, it is a different problem. Our articles on login, queues and kicks and on launch errors cover those. Note the server name, time and message for every kick.

Finding suitable servers

• Select only regions close to you in the server browser. Since Update 0.1.2, region select shows how many regions are active.
• Use the ping tags and maximum-ping filters introduced with Season 2.
• Compare your ping in the list with the server's limit. If you are close to it, a small fluctuation is enough for a kick.
• After a kick, pick another server rather than waiting for the map transition.

Improving your connection

These steps are general networking practice, not instructions from BULKHEAD:

• Play over an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi, which is prone to fluctuations and packet loss.
• Stop downloads, streams, cloud sync and updates on other devices on the same network.
• Restart your router and PC if your ping is suddenly higher than usual.
• Check whether a VPN or proxy is active. It can lengthen the route and raise your ping.

Third-party ping optimisers or routing services are not an official solution. The studio has not confirmed whether they are compatible with the anti-cheat and future region rules.

Playing with friends in other regions

This is currently the hardest case. On official servers, at least one of you will quickly exceed 175 over long distances. One option is community servers, whose admins may set their own ping limits for cross-region play according to the patch notes. BULKHEAD has not explicitly said whether the new 175 cap applies there too, so check the details of each server. Brammer has promised solutions for players worldwide, without a date.

If your ping is actually low

If you are kicked despite a stable, low ping, record the server name, region, time, your displayed ping and the exact message. A screenshot of the server list helps. Report the case via Team17 support or the Steam Report a Problem forum. Unusual cases help the studio tune the limits, which the patch notes say are still being refined.