Developer BULKHEAD has publicly grouped the arsenal into six categories \u2014 assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, sniper rifles, sidearms and launchers. That is the framing you will see repeated in trailers and marketing, and it lines up with the six the brief for this guide names. What actually sits inside the vendor is a little messier \u2014 more on that below.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
TL;DR<\/p>
- Every WARDOGS<\/a> weapon is bought with cash that persists between matches \u2014 nothing is handed out for free except one rifle<\/li>
- The Bushmaster M17S is the confirmed $0 starter rifle for new Lonestar recruits<\/li>
- BULKHEAD names six weapon categories, but the alpha vendor actually sorted stock into seven tabs<\/li>
- Weapon counts differ by build: 33 recorded in the beta\/alpha, 37 confirmed for Early Access<\/li>
- Players under account level 9 get a shop-wide discount, so the \"real\" price only kicks in once you level past it<\/li><\/ul><\/div>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Category"},{"header_text":"What it covers"},{"header_text":"When it's worth buying"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Assault rifles"},{"cell_text":"All-range backbone; assault rifles like the Valkyra A-91 and the Lonestar Bushmaster are the versatile backbone of most loadouts"},{"cell_text":"First purchase priority once you outgrow the free rifle"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"SMGs"},{"cell_text":"SMGs and shotguns dominate close-quarters fighting in the urban blocks of the Control Zone"},{"cell_text":"If you're fighting mostly inside buildings and compounds"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"LMGs"},{"cell_text":"LMGs trade handling for suppressive fire that locks down chokepoints"},{"cell_text":"Holding a lane or a Hot Zone entrance for your squad"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Sniper rifles"},{"cell_text":"Sniper rifles reward patience and punish anyone who forgot the ballistics exist"},{"cell_text":"Open maps, long sightlines, and a steady aim"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Sidearms"},{"cell_text":"Backup weapon slot, cheap insurance for when your primary runs dry"},{"cell_text":"Almost always \u2014 it's the cheapest safety net in the shop"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Launchers"},{"cell_text":"Rocket launchers exist purely to erase vehicles, buildings, and fortified positions"},{"cell_text":"When vehicles or fortified points are the problem, not infantry"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"How to Buy Weapons in WARDOGS: The Vendor and the Free Rifle","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
There's no crafting bench, no loot drop and no battle-pass unlock here \u2014 the only door into the arsenal is the vendor, and the only currency it accepts is your persistent cash balance. You get a starting cash sum once per account rather than once per match, it carries between matches, and you buy a kit before each life so your role is decided by what you can afford at that moment. That single detail is what makes the vendor feel less like an equipment menu and more like a budget you're managing across an entire play session.<\/p>\n
The one universal exception is the Bushmaster M17S<\/strong>. The Bushmaster M17S is the one genuine freebie, a $0 starter rifle for new Lonestar recruits, and everyone below level 9 gets a blanket 50 percent discount on the rest of the shop. Below level 9, the shop discount softens the blow of your first few purchases; above it, you're paying full list price for everything that isn't the Bushmaster. Beyond that starter rifle, most of the roster sits behind two separate gates rather than one: a class or account level that makes the weapon available to buy, and a cash price that actually buys it. Reaching the level makes a weapon available, and the unlock price is what actually buys it \u2014 both have to be satisfied, hitting the level alone doesn't hand you the weapon. Sidearms follow their own track: pistols are the only category gated on plain account level rather than a class, running from Judge at level 18 up to Deagle at level 90.\n\n\n<\/p>\n
\n$0<\/span>Bushmaster M17S price<\/span><\/div>\n33\/37<\/span>weapons: beta vs Early Access<\/span><\/div>\nLvl 9<\/span>new-recruit discount cutoff<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Source"},{"header_text":"What you get"},{"header_text":"Requirement"},{"header_text":"Who it suits"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Free starter rifle"},{"cell_text":"Bushmaster M17S, an assault rifle"},{"cell_text":"Playing a Lonestar recruit, no cash needed"},{"cell_text":"Every new player, day one"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Vendor purchase"},{"cell_text":"Any weapon you've unlocked"},{"cell_text":"Cash on hand at that specific price"},{"cell_text":"Anyone with a healthy balance"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Class-level unlock"},{"cell_text":"Access to that class's weapon family"},{"cell_text":"Leveling the matching class, not your account"},{"cell_text":"Players committing to one role"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Account (WARDOG) level unlock"},{"cell_text":"Pistols specifically, Judge through Deagle"},{"cell_text":"Account level 18 up to level 90"},{"cell_text":"Long-term players chasing the full sidearm line"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Step-by-Step: Buying Your First WARDOGS Loadout","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n\n\nThe honest cost of chasing the full arsenal is a progression cost, not a cash cost: the pistol line alone runs from account level 18 up to level 90, and since WARDOGS<\/a> hasn't shipped yet, nobody outside a closed test has a real hours-per-level figure to hang on that climb. Treat any specific hour estimate you see right now as a guess until Early Access data exists \u2014 the honest answer is that reaching the top sidearm is a long-term goal, not a first-weekend one.<\/p>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"steps","intro":"Follow this sequence to get it done fast.","steps":[{"title":"Spawn in with the Bushmaster M17S","description":"it costs nothing, so there's no reason to skip your first few lives without it.","image":null},{"title":"Check your account level for the discount","description":"anything below level 9 means the entire shop is running at a reduced price, so buy your first cheap upgrades while that window lasts.","image":null},{"title":"Pick one category to upgrade first","description":"a cheap SMG or shotgun for close range, or a cheap sidearm, does more for your survival than saving for one expensive rifle.","image":null},{"title":"Track what class and account level actually gate","description":"a weapon showing in the vendor as locked usually needs a class level, not just cash, so check which grind applies before saving toward it.","image":null},{"title":"Bank cash instead of spending it all every life","description":"since the balance carries between matches, holding back some cash after a bad death protects your next few spawns.","image":null},{"title":"Save toward pistols separately","description":"they only unlock on plain account level, so no amount of cash rushes them faster.","image":null}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
![\"Wardogs](\"https:\/\/shared.akamai.steamstatic.com\/store_item_assets\/steam\/apps\/1867240\/a11d28bbef79746e0b77a54fb52b9541f51af039\/ss_a11d28bbef79746e0b77a54fb52b9541f51af039.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787240917\")
<\/figure>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Why the WARDOGS Weapon Count Keeps Changing: 33 vs 37","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\nThe beta number: 33<\/h3>\n
The alpha roster recorded 33 weapons, and that figure comes from testing where only one faction was playable, so faction-gated vendor stock is still possible beyond that count. Anyone quoting a full weapons list right now is quoting a snapshot, not the finished game.<\/p>\n
The Early Access promise: 37<\/h3>\n
Bulkhead has stated 37 weapons are confirmed for Early Access, up from the 33 recorded during testing. That gap is most likely new additions plus whatever the other two factions add once they're playable, but BULKHEAD hasn't broken down exactly which four guns are new.<\/p>\n
What this means for a weapon list<\/h3>\n
Any weapon list published before September 10 \u2014 including names, categories and prices \u2014 should be read as a work-in-progress. The Steam page itself frames Early Access as a starting point rather than a finished economy: BULKHEAD plans deeper progression systems and broader gameplay additions including expanded weapon categories throughout Early Access. For the wider cash system that decides what you can afford in the first place, the WARDOGS money guide<\/a> covers how that balance is actually earned.<\/p>\n\n
Warning<\/p>
Every price you see attached to a WARDOGS weapon right now comes from pre-launch testing, not a published Bulkhead price list. Treat any specific dollar figure as a snapshot that can change before or during Early Access, not a number to plan a long-term budget around.<\/p><\/div>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Buying Weapons When Your Cash Is Low","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
What actually pays off early<\/h3>\n
Sticking with the free Bushmaster M17S longer than feels natural is the single cheapest decision available. It trades a little precision and handling for a lower price and rugged reliability, and it's the weapon new players can afford without risking their whole bankroll. A cheap sidearm as a backup slot is the next sensible spend, since it covers you when your primary runs dry without eating a large chunk of your balance.<\/p>\n
What people buy early and regret<\/h3>\n
Dropping most of your starting balance on one expensive rifle the moment it unlocks is the classic mistake, because a bad death immediately after leaves you back at the vendor with nothing to buy. The two-gate system makes this worse for anything class-locked: you can save the cash for a weapon and still not be able to buy it if your class level hasn't caught up, so spreading cash across multiple classes early tends to delay every unlock rather than speeding any of them up.<\/p>\n\n
Tip<\/p>
If you're under account level 9, front-load your cheap purchases now \u2014 the shop-wide discount disappears once you level past it, and there's no way to buy back into that pricing later.<\/p><\/div>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Common Misconceptions About WARDOGS Weapons","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
Myth: the free rifle is just a placeholder<\/h3>\n
The Bushmaster M17S isn't a tutorial weapon you're meant to abandon the second you have cash. One community damage model built from Alpha figures had the Bushmaster ranking above several paid rifles on raw time-to-kill, with the caveat that it can't take attachments the way paid rifles can \u2014 so it's a genuinely competitive early gun, not a placeholder, just an inflexible one.<\/p>\n
Myth: the six categories are the full picture<\/h3>\n
BULKHEAD's own six-category framing \u2014 assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, snipers, sidearms, launchers \u2014 isn't how the actual vendor sorted its stock in testing. The alpha vendor's primary-weapon tabs ran assault rifle, SMG, shotgun, LMG, marksman rifle, sniper and bows \u2014 seven tabs \u2014 with sidearms living as their own equipment slot and launchers having no dedicated tab at all. If you're hunting for a shotgun or a bow in a menu labeled by the marketing six, that's why you won't find one.<\/p>\n
Myth: expensive always beats cheap<\/h3>\n
In a system where the wrong purchase can leave you broke for your next three spawns, a weapon's raw stats matter less than whether you can actually afford to keep using it after a death. A mid-cost gun you can rebuy consistently beats a top-tier one you can only afford once. The full picture of how that persistent balance gets built up in the first place is covered in the game's broader core loop breakdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Our Take: Is the WARDOGS Weapon Economy Worth the Learning Curve","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
Our Take<\/p>
The pay-per-gun system is the most interesting thing about WARDOGS' arsenal, and also the thing most likely to frustrate anyone expecting a normal shooter loadout screen.<\/p>
Making every weapon a spend instead of a menu toggle forces decisions that most shooters don't ask of you, and giving new players a genuinely free, genuinely usable rifle in the Bushmaster M17S is a smart way to soften that first impression. Where it gets shakier is the moving target: a 33-to-37 weapon count and alpha-only pricing mean nobody can hand you a definitive weapon list yet, and the two-gate system (class level plus cash) will punish players who don't plan around it. None of that is a dealbreaker \u2014 it's just a system that rewards patience over impulse-buying, which is unusual enough to be worth watching once Early Access<\/a> actually locks the numbers down.<\/p><\/div>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"faq","items":[{"question":"Is the Bushmaster M17S actually free in WARDOGS?","answer":"Yes \u2014 the Bushmaster M17S is a $0 starter rifle for new recruits on the Lonestar faction side, and it's the one confirmed universal freebie in the arsenal."},{"question":"How many weapons does WARDOGS have?","answer":"33 weapons were recorded during testing, and Bulkhead has confirmed 37 for Early Access \u2014 treat both numbers as accurate for their respective build rather than picking one as final."},{"question":"What are the six weapon categories BULKHEAD talks about?","answer":"Assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, sniper rifles, sidearms and launchers \u2014 though the actual vendor in testing split some of these further, including separate shotgun, marksman rifle and bow tabs."},{"question":"Do weapon prices carry between matches or reset?","answer":"The cash you spend on weapons comes from a balance that follows you between matches rather than refilling each round, so a bad match can genuinely leave you unable to afford your usual loadout in the next one."},{"question":"Is it worth saving cash instead of spending it every match?","answer":"Given that weapons persist as a purchase rather than a pick, holding some cash in reserve after a rough match protects your next few spawns \u2014 spending your entire balance the moment you have it tends to backfire the first time you die early."}]}],"bottom":[{"acf_fc_layout":"more_articles","heading":"","posts":[],"count":10},{"acf_fc_layout":"chat","heading":""}],"meta_description":"How WARDOGS weapons work: six categories, the free Bushmaster M17S starter rifle, and why every gun in the vendor costs real cash that carries between matches."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4290"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tag?post=4290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}