WARDOGS · Assault Handbook

AR builds, ballistics & zeroing, kit, ammo · data: EVA data-mine (9 Oct) + Dexerto wiki, Season 1

Season 1 numbers. Season 2 lands Thu 15 Oct 2026: progression wipe, cash turns into Gold Bars, and Bulkhead is changing weapon damage, recoil and suppression. Re-check after the patch.

TL;DR

Best rifle: FAL (Assault 35). 2 chest shots on no armor, 3 on L1–L2, 0.10 s to kill. Before that: M4 (0.24 s), Galil or AK-74.
Every AR: RVG grip (unlocks at Medic 16) · TopComp (CQB 74 on the AK, Three Port on the FAL) · Tricon 1.5x · standard mag. Never the TDG or 45° grip.
Zero 100 m and aim center chest to 200 m. M4: aim 36 cm high at 300 m and 71 cm at 400 m. Your rifle is in the table.
Ammo: FMJ. AP against L3–L4 (5.56 needs 7 shots instead of 8–10). Never HP into armor.
Kit: L3 helmet + L3 armor (skip the L2 helmet), 2 smokes, IFAK. About 22 kg = Medium, −13% speed.

Builds

FAL

End-game meta

Assault 35 · $200,000 · $6,500 per buy · 4.25 kg · .308 Win

66.01Chest dmg

650RPM

840m/s

800 mFull dmg

0.50 sADS

NoneL1L2L3L4Body23345Head12223

Optic

Tricon 1.5xor

Spectr 4x (tap fire)

Muzzle

Three Port Brake (−22% vert.)or

AR Multi-Cal Supp.

Grip

RVG Vertical

Mag

20 rnd standard. Skip the 30.

Why: twice the damage of 5.56. 2 chest shots on no armor, 3 on L1–L2, 4–5 on L3–L4, where 5.56 needs 8–10. One headshot kills a player with no helmet.

M4

Fastest 5.56 TTK

Assault 20 · $100,000 · $2,800 per buy · 2.92 kg · 5.56×45

30.82Chest dmg

800RPM

910m/s

500 mFull dmg

0.49 sADS

NoneL1L2L3L4Body456810Head23345

Optic

Tricon 1.5xor

Four Reticle Reflex

Muzzle

TopComp (−18%)or

Orpheus Max (−26%, Support 45)

Grip

RVG Vertical

Mag

30 rnd standard

Why: 800 RPM: 0.24 s TTK on no armor and 0.54 s on L3, the fastest of the 5.56 rifles. It climbs fast, so stack vertical control.

Galil

Mid all-rounder

Assault 10 · $35,000 · $2,200 per buy · 3.95 kg · 5.56×45

30.82Chest dmg

650RPM

950m/s

400 mFull dmg

0.49 sADS

NoneL1L2L3L4Body456810Head23345

Optic

Tricon 1.5xor

Four Reticle Reflex

Muzzle

TopComp (−18%)or

AR Multi-Cal Supp.

Grip

RVG Vertical

Mag

35 rnd stock. No 50 drum.

Why: fastest bullet of any AR (950 m/s), so the least drop and lead. The 35-round stock mag covers multi-kills. Full damage only to 400 m.

AK-74

Best early

Assault 3 · $10,000 · $1,600 per buy · 3 kg · 5.45×39

28.62Chest dmg

650RPM

880m/s

500 mFull dmg

0.45 sADS

NoneL1L2L3L4Body456810Head23345

Optic

Tricon 1.5x

Muzzle

CQB 74 (−20%)or

PBS-4 Supp.

Grip

RVGor

AFG Angled (15% faster ADS)

Mag

30 rnd standard

Why: fastest ADS of the ARs (0.45 s) and easy vertical recoil. It costs only $1,600, so losing it hurts less.

T-21

Budget starter

Starter · $600 per buy · 3.27 kg · 5.56×45

30.82Chest dmg

750RPM

910m/s

300 mFull dmg

0.53 sADS

NoneL1L2L3L4Body456810Head23345

Build

Hexagon Brake (−22% horiz.)+ RVG + Tricon or Compact T-2 · 30 mag, not the 60

Why: heavy side-to-side bounce and full damage only to 300 m. Replace it with the AK-74 at Assault 3.

Attachment stats

From EVA's attachment sheet. "ADS" is aim-down-sight time: faster is better.

Foregrips

RVG Vertical	Best	−25% vertical · −13% horizontal · 10% faster ADS	Medic 16
AFG Angled	Good	−25% horizontal · 15% faster ADS. Good on the AK-74.	Assault 14
Rubberized Ergonomic	Good	−18% vertical · 2% slower ADS. Best vertical grip before Medic 16.	Assault 11
Shift	Good	−29% horizontal · 13% faster ADS	Assault 48
TDG Vertical	Trap	−30% vertical, but 10% slower ADS	Wardog 58
CQR Front Rail	Trap	−30% vertical, but 15% slower ADS	Assault 38
45° Angled	Never	the only grip that adds vertical recoil (+5%)	Wardog 33

Muzzles

Orpheus Max	Best	−26% vertical · −10% horizontal · 7% slower ADS. Galil, M4, T-21.	Support 45
Three Port	Best	−22% vertical. FAL.	Recon 36
CQB 74	Best	−20% vertical. AK-74 only.	Assault 8
TopComp	Good	−18% vertical · 5% slower ADS. 5.56 rifles.	Assault 5
Hexagon Brake	Good	−22% horizontal. For side-to-side bounce (T-21).	Assault 2
AR Multi-Cal / PBS-4	Good	hides sound and muzzle flash, so snipers and helis can't find you. Slower ADS.	Assault 21 / 27

Optics

Tricon 1.5x	Best	community meta. Zero 100–200 m. The wiki card shows a small ADS penalty, the data-mine in your notes says it is 3% faster.	Assault 12
Four Reticle / Kobra	Good	1.2x, fixed zero, faster ADS. Close range.	Medic 6 / Wardog 21
Spectr 4x	Good	zero 100–400 m. FAL tap fire as a pseudo-DMR.	Support 21
Holographic	Trap	your notes say slower ADS, the wiki says slightly faster. The Four Reticle beats it either way.	Assault 22

Magazines

Standard 30/35: no penalty.
FAL 20: faster ADS, less recoil.
50–75 drums: up to 50% slower ADS and more recoil (data-mine in your notes).

Ballistics & zeroing

Weapon	Zero	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	800 m
FAL	100 m	14 cm0.7 mil	42 cm1.4 mil	83 cm2.1 mil	139 cm2.8 mil	209 cm3.5 mil	389 cm4.9 mil
M4	100 m	12 cm0.6 mil	36 cm1.2 mil	71 cm1.8 mil	118 cm2.4 mil	178 cm*3.0 mil	332 cm*4.1 mil
Galil	100 m	11 cm0.5 mil	33 cm1.1 mil	65 cm1.6 mil	109 cm*2.2 mil	163 cm*2.7 mil	304 cm*3.8 mil
AK-74	100 m	13 cm0.6 mil	38 cm1.3 mil	76 cm1.9 mil	127 cm2.5 mil	190 cm*3.2 mil	355 cm*4.4 mil
T-21	100 m	12 cm0.6 mil	36 cm1.2 mil	71 cm*1.8 mil	118 cm*2.4 mil	178 cm*3.0 mil	—

Holdover = how far above the target to aim, in cm and in mil (1 mil = 1 cm per 10 m, the hash marks on MRAD scopes). Lead = how far ahead to aim at a target running 5 m/s (an assumed sprint speed, WARDOGS does not publish one). Calculated from muzzle velocity (g = 9.81, no drag inside the full-damage range). Check it in the firing range: patches change velocities.

Zeroing rules

Sight in at 100 m and aim center chest out to 200 m. The round lands a hand-width low at 200 m, which is still chest.
Between steps (for example 160 m): keep the lower zero and aim at the top of the head. A low miss still hits neck or chest. Dialing up to 200 m and aiming low sends the round over the head.
Long shots: PgUp/PgDn dial the zero in 100 m steps, then aim dead center. If you don't want to dial, use the holdover table.
Past the full-damage range the round loses speed as well as damage, so it drops more than the table says (marked *).

Zero per rifle + optic

Weapon	Weapon zero	Optic	Optic zero	You can dial
FAL	100–600 m	Tricon 1.5x	100–200 m	100–200 m
FAL	100–600 m	Spectr 4x	100–400 m	100–400 m
M4	100–500 m	Tricon 1.5x	100–200 m	100–200 m
Galil	100–400 m	Tricon 1.5x	100–200 m	100–200 m
AK-74	100–1000 m	Tricon 1.5x	100–200 m	100–200 m
M4	100–500 m	Four Reticle	fixed	fixed

You can only dial where the rifle's range and the optic's range overlap. Reflex sights are fixed.

Leading moving targets

Weapon	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m
FAL	0.12 s0.6 m lead	0.24 s1.2 m lead	0.36 s1.8 m lead	0.48 s2.4 m lead	0.60 s3.0 m lead
M4	0.11 s0.5 m lead	0.22 s1.1 m lead	0.33 s1.6 m lead	0.44 s2.2 m lead	0.55 s2.7 m lead
Galil	0.11 s0.5 m lead	0.21 s1.1 m lead	0.32 s1.6 m lead	0.42 s2.1 m lead	0.53 s2.6 m lead
AK-74	0.11 s0.6 m lead	0.23 s1.1 m lead	0.34 s1.7 m lead	0.45 s2.3 m lead	0.57 s2.8 m lead

Leading moving targets

Lead in mil stays the same at every range inside the full-damage range: target speed ÷ bullet speed × 1000. A 5 m/s runner needs about 6 mil with an 830–900 m/s rifle and about 13 mil with a 380–400 m/s SMG.
Players stop about every 10 s to scope in or check the map. Shoot then, and you don't need to lead at all.
Running straight at you or away from you: no lead, aim for the drop only.

Recoil without attachments

Crouch or go prone: both steady vertical and horizontal recoil a lot, with no bipod.
Tap fire past about 40 m. Spray only inside that.

Kit

L3 Helmet · $1,5003 kg · Wardog 60. A 5.56 needs 4 headshots instead of 2. Covers the neck.

L3 Armor · $2,00010.5 kg · Wardog 60. A 5.56 needs 8 body shots instead of 4.

Operator Backpack · $80015 slots · Wardog 20. Assault Backpack ($1,200, 21 slots) at Wardog 32.

Medium Tac Vest · $250Unlocks quick slots 5–8 and reloads faster · Wardog 14.

GGX 17 · $200Cheap backup. M1911 ($300, Wardog 40) needs 3 shots to kill instead of 4.

Loose ammo, not spare magsCheaper, and more rounds per slot. Repack mags in lulls.

2× Smoke · $100Cross open ground and break sniper sightlines.

IFAK · $800Heals to full · Medic 9. Bandage ($200) only heals 35 HP.

C4 · $250 + detonator $550Destroy enemy FOBs and buildables. Halligan Bar ($1,100) pries doors, not gates.

Basic Parachute · $1002.5 kg. Bail off roofs and towers.

This kit weighs about 22 kg, which puts you in Medium.

Armor & helmets

Tier	Armor	Helmet	Blocks (FMJ)
L1	$400 · 3 kg	$200	30%
L2	$1,000 · 4.5 kg	$500 · 1.6 kg	40%
L3	$2,000 · 10.5 kg	$1,500 · 3 kg	55%
L4	$4,000 · 18 kg	$3,000 · 4.5 kg	65%

Skip the L2 helmet: it only saves you a shot against 2 of 28 guns (BMR-308, M1911). Go L1 straight to L3. Armor unlocks: L2 Wardog 30, L3 Wardog 60, L4 Wardog 100.

Weight classes

Kit weight	Class	Move speed	Notes
under 10 kg	—	full
10–17 kg	Light	−5%
17–27 kg	Medium	−13%	slower ADS, less stamina regen
27–40 kg	Heavy	−20%	no tactical sprint
40 kg +	Super Heavy	−20%	no sprint, slowed

Source: WarDogs.News weight-class table. Other guides give −12% / −19%. An Adrenaline Pen drops you one class for a short time.

Ammo

Caliber	Ammo	No armour	L1	L2	L3	L4	Unlock
5.56 (ARs, M249 uses 32.4)	FMJ	30.82 (4 shots)	21.58 (5)	18.5 (6)	13.88 (8)	10.8 (10)	default
	HP	61.62 (2 shots)	9.17 (11)	6.66 (16)	2.92 (35)	0.43 (233)	Wardog 10
	AP	24.66 (5 shots)	20.22 (5)	18.74 (6)	16.52 (7)	15.04 (7)	Wardog 83
5.45 (AK-74)	FMJ	28.62 (4 shots)	20.03 (5)	17.18 (6)	12.89 (8)	10.03 (10)	default
	HP	57.21 (2 shots)	8.51 (12)	6.19 (17)	2.72 (37)	0.4 (250)	Wardog 16
	AP	22.9 (5 shots)	18.77 (6)	17.4 (6)	15.35 (7)	13.98 (8)	Wardog 93
.308 (FAL)	FMJ	66.01 (2 shots)	46.22 (3)	39.62 (3)	29.71 (4)	23.12 (5)	default
	HP	132.02 (1 shots)	19.62 (6)	14.28 (8)	6.25 (16)	0.9 (112)	Wardog 65
	AP	52.82 (2 shots)	44.9 (3)	42.26 (3)	38.3 (3)	35.66 (3)	Wardog 140

Chest damage per hit, with shots to kill in brackets. EVA data-mine.

Which ammo

FMJ is the default. Armor blocks 30 / 40 / 55 / 65% of it at L1 / L2 / L3 / L4.
HP does 2× to flesh, but armor blocks 85–99% of it. Only use it on players with no armor, or aim for arms and legs.
AP does 20% less to flesh, but armor only blocks 10–20%. It wins against L3–L4 armor and helmets.
Headshots do about 2.1×. L3 and L4 helmets also cover the neck. L4 armor also covers the upper arms and pelvis.
HP and AP rounds unlock on the Wardog (career) track. The vendor sells the tracer versions.

Arms and legs (no armor there)

Caliber	FMJ	HP	AP
5.56 (ARs, M249 uses 32.4)	15.1	30.2	12.1
5.45 (AK-74)	14	28.1	11.2
.308 (FAL)	32.4	64.8	25.9

HP to the legs does full HP damage even on armored players, unless they wear L4 (which covers upper arms and pelvis).

Field rules

Positioning

Silhouette: stay off cliff edges and towers and away from open windows. Stand 1–2 m back inside rooms so the sky doesn't outline you.
Routes: don't run straight across fields. Move from cover to cover.
After a kill, don't rush to loot. Their team knows which direction you shot from.

Gunplay

Trigger discipline: don't shoot at a sliver of body. The sound and muzzle flash give your position away.
Repack mags during lulls. Never start a fight with 10 rounds left.
Use RVG, not TDG.

Reading a squad wipe

Body + backpack still there	Waiting for a revive. Teammates are nearby.
Body + backpack gone	They gave up = squad wiped

Objectives pay Assault XP

Action	XP	Cash	Takes
AR or pistol kill	250	$2,750
Hack an enemy FOB	250	$2,500	30 s
Capture a tower	250	$750	10 s
Activate a drill rig	500	$2,500	10 s
Activate a tower	500	$2,500	slow code

EVA. Repeating the same action on the same players pays less each time.

Progression ladder

Level	Unlock	Cost	Why
Start	T-21	$600	starter
3	AK-74	$10,000	first real rifle
5	TopComp Brake	$7,500	5.56 recoil
8	CQB 74 Brake	$12,500	AK recoil
10	Galil	$35,000	950 m/s
12	Tricon 1.5x	$10,000	meta optic
14	AFG Angled	$10,000	ADS grip
20	M4	$100,000	fastest 5.56 TTK
21	AR Multi-Cal Supp.	$20,000	stealth
35	FAL	$200,000	end-game

Unlocked by other roles: RVG grip: Medic 16 · Four Reticle Reflex: Medic 6 · Spectr 4x: Support 21 · Three Port Brake: Recon 36 · Orpheus Max Brake: Support 45