WARDOGS Support Leveling: Season 2 Fastest XP
The fastest way to level Support in Season 2 is to build at a FOB with the large hammer from level 8, feed the FOB with supply deposits, and take the PKM at level 15 for a $100,000 unlock fee. Support no longer earns XP for destroying buildables, IED and C4 kills, artillery or repairs, because those moved to Assault, Driver and Pilot. The PKM now arrives 56,750 XP before the M249 and costs $49,100 less to get.
What Support lost in Season 2
Four XP sources left the track. Destroying an enemy buildable and IED or C4 kills now pay Assault XP. Artillery pays Driver XP. Repairs pay Driver or Pilot XP depending on the vehicle, instead of a flat Support amount. The Remote Detonator and C4 Charge moved to the Assault track at level 4. What remains is building, supply deposits and your own weapons, so a Support player who relied on pocket IEDs against spawn vehicles should plan on building more.
Build at a FOB, and get the large hammer first
Buy a FOB kit ($7,500), plant it on your team's side of the map, and build. The medium hammer unlocks at support level 3 and the large hammer at level 8. In Season 2 the medium hammer contributes less per swing and critical spots give a smaller bonus, while the large hammer's build rate is unchanged. That widens the gap between the two, so the large hammer is the first unlock to save for. It is also the only hammer that builds the drill and the heavy weapons.
Build costs went up across the board, so each structure takes more supplies and more swings. Supply runs from your Driver teammates matter more, and you collect Support XP when supplies are deposited into the FOB. The deposit assist is now split between everyone who helped, so a whole team no longer collects the full amount each.
| Structure | Season 1 | Season 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bremmer wall | 15 | 32 |
| Door | 22 | 80 |
| Gate | 85 | 200 |
| Air raid shelter, bunker, crow's nest | 100 | 200 |
| L81 Mortar | 150 | 600 |
| Stingray | 150 | 650 |
| Talon 9K-SAM | 1,000 | 650 |
| Vanguard CIWS | 1,500 | 1,200 |
| Hot Zone Magnet | 2,250 | 2,750 |
The new MG Nest costs 650 supplies and the Large Shelter 250. The Talon and the Vanguard CIWS are the only structures that got cheaper, but the Talon reloads in 5 seconds instead of 2 and a drill rig now needs 2,000 fuel to start and runs at most 300 seconds. Do not plan a base around several drills.
How many drill builds does each unlock take?
A fully built drill rig is the biggest single Support XP payout, because building pays per supply used plus a completion bonus. One full rig is worth roughly 3,400 Support XP, so the official XP totals for each level turn into a drill count. Treat the counts as a planning figure: a rig you share with other builders pays you less.
| Level | Unlock | Total Support XP | Full drill rigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | PKM | 54,750 | About 16 |
| 20 | M249 | 111,500 | About 33 |
| 25 | AT Mine | 206,600 | About 61 |
| 30 | Evo-3 Ultra | 318,200 | About 94 |
| 40 | SL7i-BL Suppressor | 712,500 | About 210 |
Levels 20 to 25 cost almost as many rigs as the whole climb to 20, which is where a supply runner earns their keep. Each rig needs 2,250 build supplies, so the drill route only works with a steady truck or helicopter feeding the FOB.
Support weapons
Support runs LMGs, shotguns and launchers. LMG body damage now matches assault rifles, so LMGs win through sustained fire and magazine size. The calibre cuts hit unevenly: 7.62x54mmR (PKM) lost 20% base damage, .308 (Evo-3 Ultra) lost 25%, and 5.56 (M249) lost none. Rankings are on the tier list.
| Weapon | Vendor price | Unlock | RPM | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKM | $4,100 | Level 15, $100,000 | 600 | 1,000 | Was level 30 and $150,000. Price fell from $4,500. Its bipod unlocks at level 17. |
| M249 SAW | $3,200 | Level 20, $150,000 | 850 | 700 | Was level 15 and $100,000. Needs the bipod to control recoil. |
| Evo-3 Ultra | $7,250 | Level 30, $200,000 | n/a | n/a | New .308 LMG with a 50-round box. Bipod at level 33, suppressor at level 40. |
| MP43 | $400 | Unchanged | 900 | 100 | Shotgun. Cheapest option, strictly close range. |
| M500 | $1,200 | Unchanged | 120 | 70 | Pump-action shotgun. |
| RPG-7 | $1,800 | Unchanged | 100 | 300 | Launcher. Price fell from $2,000. |
| MAAWS | $2,400 | Level 18, $100,000 | 100 | 400 | Was level 20 and $125,000. |
| MGL-40 | $7,500 | $250,000 | 75 | 400 | Muzzle velocity cut by 25% and a stronger damage fall-off at the outer radius. Unlock fee rose from $200,000. |
PKM or M249 first
The XP curve is on the leveling hub. The PKM at level 15 needs 54,750 XP and the M249 at level 20 needs 111,500, a gap of 56,750 XP. The PKM costs $100,000 to unlock and $4,100 to buy, $104,100 in all. The M249 costs $150,000 and $3,200, $153,200 in all. The PKM is the earlier and cheaper gun by $49,100, and the 5.56 advantage of the M249 does not change that. Take the PKM at 15 and buy its bipod at 17 for $25,000. The M249's own bipod costs $50,000 at level 24, up from $15,000.
The support unlock ladder
| Level | Unlock | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Medium hammer | $25,000 |
| 8 | Large hammer | $75,000 |
| 13 | Improved Cylinder Choke | Was level 14 |
| 14 | 9K333 Verba | Was level 16 |
| 15 | PKM | $100,000 |
| 16 | Full Choke | Was level 19 |
| 17 | PKM Bipod | $25,000 (was level 33, $35,000) |
| 18 | MAAWS | $100,000 |
| 19 | Slotted Flash Hider | Was level 26 |
| 20 | M249 | $150,000 |
| 21 | 4x Combat Prism Scope with Reflex | Moved from Assault level 43 |
| 24 | M249 Bipod | $50,000 (was level 18, $15,000) |
| 25 | AT Mine | $75,000 |
| 26 | M249 200 RND Box | Was level 23 |
| 27 | Tread Brake | Was level 17 |
| 30 | Evo-3 Ultra and Evolys 50 RND Box | $200,000 |
| 32 | 12 Gauge Suppressor | Was level 40 |
| 33 | Evolys Bipod | $75,000 |
| 40 | SL7i-BL Suppressor (Evo-3 Ultra) | $35,000 |
Hammers and the PKM total $200,000 in fees by level 15. The Heavy Drill unlock fee doubled to $50,000, so skip it unless your team will run supplies to a drill.
Building and deployables
Support's kit runs through the hammer and the tools it lets you place. Buy the FOB kit for $7,500, then build with whichever hammer you have unlocked.
| Item | Cost | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Small Hammer | $100 | Starter build tool, available from level 0. Builds the new Wooden Step. |
| Medium Hammer | $800 | Level 3, $25,000. Contributes less per swing than in Season 1. Builds the Large Shelter. |
| Large Hammer | $2,400 | Level 8, $75,000. Unchanged build rate, the only hammer that builds the drill, heavy weapons and the MG Nest. |
| Forward Operating Base | $7,500 | Available from level 0. Plants the base your team builds and spawns from. |
| AT Mine | $650 | Level 25, $75,000. Anti-vehicle mine for choking off armored approaches. |
| Improvised Explosive Device | $300 | Available from level 0. Kills now pay Assault XP, so it no longer feeds Support. |
Level Support away from the hammer
If building bores you, your own weapons still feed the track. LMG, shotgun and launcher kills pay Support XP, and the supply deposit that follows a delivery run pays on top of the Driver XP for the run. Barbed wire no longer pays cash or XP on kills, so do not build wire for income. For fast leveling, split your life between a build cycle and a gun cycle: hammer while the base is quiet, and move to the PKM when a push arrives.
Recommended support loadout
Run the PKM from level 15 with its bipod deployed for a lane hold. Before level 15, carry a shotgun such as the MP43 ($400) and build with the medium hammer until the large hammer unlocks at level 8.
The Gunner Backpack + Sling now costs $2,400, down from $3,500.
An enemy squad that hacks your FOB gets paid $2,500 and 250 XP, and teammates in the radius each collect $1,000 and 250 XP. Destroying a full FOB pays up to $7,500 and 250 XP. Wall and cover the core before you expand outward.
Written by Kaze, who plays WARDOGS and checks the numbers in game before they go on the page. Facts change with each patch. This page was last updated 22 Oct 2026 (Early Access).