WARDOGS: repair broken scope zoom and ladder slide bindings

If rebinding the mouse wheel breaks binocular, rangefinder or variable-scope zoom, empty custom entries may be overriding the original bindings. Steam and Reddit reports describe a targeted repair. Several users say the in-game reset does not reliably restore it. Checked: 23 September 2026; this is a community workaround, not a confirmed patch.

Back up the file and locate the entries

• Fully close WARDOGS.
• Open %LOCALAPPDATA%\Wardogs\Saved\Config\WindowsClient in File Explorer.
• Copy GameUserSettings.ini somewhere safe, then open the original in a text editor.
• Search for ScopeZoom inside the long CustomKeybindings line.

These steps apply when the affected entry contains PrimaryKey=(bIsCustom=True) without a Key value. Do not replace every occurrence: other actions may be deliberately unbound.

Restore the zoom bindings

For Input.NamedActions.Player.ScopeZoom.Increase, replace only the empty PrimaryKey expression with:

PrimaryKey=(Key=MouseScrollUp,bIsCustom=True)

For Input.NamedActions.Player.ScopeZoom.Decrease, use:

PrimaryKey=(Key=MouseScrollDown,bIsCustom=True)

Preserve the surrounding parentheses and commas. Save, launch and test an optic with adjustable magnification. Avoid repeating the mouse-wheel reassignment that triggered the issue.

Shift no longer slides down ladders?

fnN’s Steam guide describes the same pattern for Input.NamedActions.Player.SlideDownLadder, with a reader reporting success for ladder sliding. If its PrimaryKey is empty, replace it with:

PrimaryKey=(Key=LeftShift,bIsCustom=True)

The linked guide also covers adding a missing entry. Do not paste it at an arbitrary location: CustomKeybindings is a single structured list.

If it does not help

Close the game and restore your backup. Resetting the entire file also affects other settings and is unnecessary for this targeted repair. Leave the file writable initially so later settings can save. The reports establish successful individual repairs, not a universal fix for input problems.