WARDOGS Season 2: Bulkhead drops Lonestar bonus, slows Driver XP and brings Season 3 forward

The first days of Season 2 did not go to plan. Within 48 hours, BULKHEAD reversed two core ideas of the update and said it would bring Season 3 forward significantly. We summarise the studio's statements and separate them from what is still open. As of 23 October 2026.

15 October: bonus removed, Driver XP slowed

On launch day, WARDOGS posted a video message on X in which CEO Joe Brammer admitted mistakes. A backend update was announced with these points:

• The extra cash and XP bonus for Lonestar alone is removed.
• Driver progression is corrected.
• A Driver exploit that let many players reach tanks too early is closed.
• Limited Mode servers without power weapons and heavy vehicles are coming soon.

According to PCGamesN, Brammer put the Lonestar bonus at 5 percent cash and 2.5 percent XP. It was originally meant to run for about a week. Because strong players switched to Lonestar straight away, the blue team suddenly won far more often. The other faction changes, such as the new spawns and the discount for teams falling behind, were not reported as reverted.

The Driver exploit and 24-hour bans

According to reports on the video, players used a nearby FOB for quick shuttle runs into and out of the zone. That let them level the Driver role rapidly and unlock tanks early. Brammer said players who abused this most heavily get a 24-hour ban, affecting fewer than 1,000 players. Community reports of XP resets or longer bans had not been officially confirmed by the studio as far as we can tell.

Limited Mode servers with Update 0.25

Limited Mode servers are meant to replace the current Low-Level servers. Level 4 gear, power weapons, tanks and artillery would be disabled there, so matches play closer to the Level 2 armor stage. PCGamesN reports they are planned for the mid-season Update 0.25. The name is provisional and there is no fixed date.

17 October: no reset, Season 3 comes earlier

Two days later, the studio acknowledged on X that Season 2 has not felt like a real fresh start for many players. The deliberately faster progression was the wrong call, it said, with some players reaching end-game gear such as Level 4 armor and main battle tanks within days.

BULKHEAD ruled out an immediate reset that weekend, saying it would be unfair to players who had already progressed. Instead, the studio is looking at bringing Season 3 and some of its content forward significantly. Clear balance problems will still be fixed, while divisive changes get more time before adjustments.

What is still open

• There is no start date for Season 3.
• There is no date for Update 0.25 either.
• New written values for Driver XP and logistics had not been published as patch notes as of this article.

On 23 October, WARDOGS announced on X a new vlog for the following week, reflecting on Season 2 and previewing Season 3, plus a pilot podcast on the Season 2 launch that weekend. Only then should it become clearer how long Season 2 will last.

What this means for you

If you play now, you keep your progress until the next season change. Expect Season 2 to be shorter than planned. Our season reset guide explains what was reset at the last change and what carried over. The launch values of Season 2 are in our progression and cash guide.