WARDOGSSeason 02
Lonestar recruitment poster pinned to a post at a muddy base

// Teamplay & servers //

Lonestar
needs you

Team-kill votes, team-switch friction, region ping caps, moved Bakurani spawns, and a Season 2 experiment paying the blue team more.

// Faction balance experiment

The Lonestar bonus

We are performing a social experiment with Season 2 to see how and if this affects win rate data and perception of the faction. Lonestar is an established PMC backed by one of the world's leading economies. Lonestar has cash... and Lonestar needs you.

  • Lonestar cash & XP win bonus, Season 2 only.
  • Lonestar teamplay action cash & XP multipliers, Season 2 only.
  • All faction spawns have moved on Bakurani.
  • New vendor discount for the losing team: 20% off if they're at least 40 points behind second place. Relevant to all teams, not just Lonestar.
  • Community server hosts being seen to exploit the faction bonus will be punished.
Lonestar poster at a base
Lonestar has cash… and Lonestar needs you.

// Conduct

Team switching & team kills

Team switching (once a team leads by 10+ points)

  • You cannot switch teams again for 15 minutes after joining one.
  • If you switch teams or join a match in progress, your map stays obscured until you reach the control zone for the first time.
  • You cannot use the spawn vehicle until you reach the control zone for the first time.
  • These changes are intended to increase friction for team switch abusers, whilst still allowing you to join the team of your friends if needed.

Team-kill: Forgive or Punish

  • Team killing is now handled by a victim-driven vote, to allow for forgiveness but also punish purposeful teamkills.
  • When a teammate kills you, you are asked to Forgive or Punish.
  • Punish results accumulate against a teamkiller, leading to kicks and escalating bans for repeat offenders.
  • Forgive removes a potential mark against the player who teamkilled you.
  • Note: Respawning and then leaving the safe zone without voting, forgives automatically.

// Servers

Ping limits, seeding & spawns

Region ping limits

  • We've introduced region-based ping limits to improve network reliability and ensure a fairer experience for everyone. Note: These initial values will be quite lenient as we hone in on appropriate values.
  • Official Servers will now enforce different maximum ping limits depending on their region.
  • High Ping Kicks: Players who consistently exceed a server's ping limit over a sustained period will be automatically kicked (this helps protect against temporary spikes)
  • Server-side lag spikes are also excluded from ping measurements to prevent unfair kicks.
  • Temporary Rejoin Restriction: Players kicked for high ping will be unable to rejoin the same server until the next map transition.
  • Server Browser Improvements: Added maximum ping tags and filters to the server browser, making it easier to find servers with suitable connections.
  • Community Server admins will be able to configure their own ping limits, allowing for cross regional play (or more stringent rules) if desired.

Server seeding

  • Players who join and populate empty servers earn rewards and a vendor discount once the match begins.
  • Pre-match entertainment now available before the match starts.
  • Guns lying around with targets, football and a hidden radio in each spawn.

Bakurani spawns

  • New spawns and routes on Bakurani.
  • All three team spawns have been moved and rebuilt, each with purpose-built routes to the zone, which should provide a more balanced match across each team.

Squad intent

  • Squad leaders can now set a team visible squad intent from a pre-defined list of entries, which every player can see on their squad list before choosing to join a squad.
  • Squad invites and other timed prompts now queue.

Rebuy last loadout

  • Old placeholder rebuy UI has been removed
  • When clicking on the 'Rebuy Last Loadout' button, your equipment vendor UI will be populated visually with your last loadout, which you can then add to or remove items from before purchase.

// Opens later in Season 2

Wager vendor

  • A new Wager vendor lets you bet your own cash on your own performance.
  • Set your own stakes, bet on yourself. Win big or lose it all.
  • A live wager tracker sits above the minimap showing your stake and progress.
  • The wager vendor is not a permanent addition and is intended to come and go throughout a season. The Wager Vendor is not available at Season 2 launch.
Wager vendor stall, open
Open
Wager vendor stall, shuttered
Closed

// 8 skins · 4 camo families

Gold Market camos

Little Bird in Black & Gold
Black & Gold · Little Bird
Evo-3 Ultra in Chocolate Chip camo
Chocolate Chip · Evo-3 Ultra
TCX-SPR in Chocolate Chip camo
Chocolate Chip · TCX-SPR

// Playstyle

If you play Lonestar

Blue pays better this season. Nobody knows yet if it wins more.

What changes

  • Lonestar gets a cash and XP win bonus and teamplay multipliers, for Season 2 only.
  • All faction spawns on Bakurani are moved and rebuilt, each with its own route to the zone.
  • Any team 40+ points behind second place gets 20% off at the vendor.
  • A Lonestar-only music tape: “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”.

Still the same, or still broken

  • Bulkhead says the uniform visibility complaints are being “watched and addressed”, but the notes list no uniform change.
  • Players predict competitive squads will chase the bonus to Blue. Reddit

// Playstyle

If you hate team-killers and switchers

Real tools at last, with gaps.

What changes

  • When a teammate kills you, you vote Forgive or Punish; repeat offenders get kicked and then banned for escalating periods.
  • Once a team leads by 10+ points, switchers wait 15 minutes, can’t see the map and can’t use the spawn vehicle until they reach the zone.
  • Selling from a supply crate to an enemy (say, after they switch) pays nothing.

Still the same, or still broken

  • Respawning without voting counts as a forgive.
  • Voice toxicity has no new tools. Unfixed