Recon
Recon is the team’s eyes. Their main weapon isn’t the rifle — it’s the binoculars: a spotted enemy shows up on the map for the whole team, and Recon gets paid every time a spotted target dies. A good Recon player earns money without even pulling the trigger.
In short
Section titled “In short”- Your main weapon is $180 binoculars, not a rifle: in Season 1 spotting an infantryman paid $100, a vehicle up to $1,500, a kill on your mark up to $1,600. In Season 2 spotting pays about 30% less and scales with the value of the target.
- Spotting was the top earner in our Season 1 measurements: ≈ $77,000 an hour, $123,130 in one match. After 0.2.0 it pays less, but it is still almost risk-free.
- Sit at the edge of the zone with a view of the approaches; from level 8 take the rangefinder ($25,000 unlock, $1,450 each).
How to play Recon
Section titled “How to play Recon”- Take a position inside the zone — on its edge: high ground, a rooftop or a slope overlooking the approaches. Score depends on how many players you have in the zone, so every body counts, including yours. Stay in the zone, just not in the middle of the firefight.
- Spot everything you see: infantry, vehicles, helicopters. Marked targets show up on the map for your whole team.
- Shoot priority targets: enemy snipers, spotters, machine gunners, the spawn APC radar.
- Relocate after a few shots. A Recon who stays put too long becomes the other team’s Recon’s target.
- Work with your squad. Call out where enemies are coming from and direct the mortar — Recon is the perfect spotter.
Spotting and cash
Section titled “Spotting and cash”Spotting is Recon’s main income and the most underrated way to make money in the game.
How to spot
Section titled “How to spot”- Equip a spotting tool (binoculars, monocular or rangefinder).
- Raise it — RMB.
- Put it on the target and hold until the red rectangle around it fills completely. Stop short and there’s no mark and no money.
- Check the map (M): the target should appear on it.
You can spot infantry, ground vehicles and helicopters.
Payouts
Section titled “Payouts”Spotting pays twice: straight away for the mark, and again when the spotted target dies.
For the mark. The amount depends on what you spotted and not on the zone.
| Target | Spot (Season 1) | Mark refresh (Season 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Soldier | $100 | $50, then $25 |
| Kodiak / Humvee | $125 / $150 | $62 / $75 |
| MH-6 helicopter | $250 | $125 |
| Ural truck | $500 | $250 |
| L2A6 tank, Gepard, Havoc helicopter | $750 | $375 |
| Enemy spawn APC | $1,000 | $500 |
| SPH-2 artillery | $1,500 | $750 |
| Enemy FOB | $500 | $250 |
When a spotted target dies. For a soldier you’re paid by where the target was:
| Where the target was | Payout (Season 1) |
|---|---|
| Outside the zone | $400 |
| Control Zone | $800 |
| Hot Zone | $1,600 |
If the third faction finishes the target instead of your team, Season 1 paid half; since 0.2.0 it pays a quarter. Vehicles paid more in Season 1: Ural $1,000, Humvee $600, L2A6 tank $5,000, spawn APC $4,000 — also with the zone multiplier.
Season 1 amounts come from the reward tables extracted from the game files (published by wardogs.zone). Bold means it matched our own screenshots from the spotting match.
- Spot vehicles and helicopters first: in Season 1 a Ural was worth 5× a soldier, a spawn APC 10×. Since 0.2.0 spotting pays by target value, so armed and expensive vehicles are worth even more than basic ones.
- Spotting the same target again pays half, and stops dropping after two repeats (Season 1). Still refresh marks: your team sees the target, and you get paid when it dies.
- The spot itself ignores the zone; the kill on a spotted target doesn’t. Spot enemies in the Hot Zone: in Season 1 every kill on your mark there was worth $1,600.
- Buildables pay by build progress since 0.2.0: an unfinished one pays less than a finished one.
- Spotting and spotted kills also give Recon XP, regardless of whether you’re in the zone.
Spotting gear
Section titled “Spotting gear”| Item | Price | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binoculars | $180 | start | basic spotting, no range readout |
| Monocular | $350 | 2 | light, no range readout |
| Rangefinder | $1,450 | 8 | shows the distance to the target, $25,000 unlock |
| IR Rangefinder | $3,200 | 32 | shows distance, advanced rangefinder. Back on sale since Season 2 and runs on a battery: about 80 s of use, drains faster if you toggle it on and off quickly |
Season 2 raised every optic’s price: binoculars were $75, the monocular $150, the rangefinder $400, the IR rangefinder $1,200.
The rangefinder is the first big upgrade. It gives you exact distance, so you can set your rifle’s zeroing correctly (Page Up / Page Down) and give the mortar an exact range. Switch to it as soon as you start engaging past ~300 m.
Sniper rifles
Section titled “Sniper rifles”Powerful manually-cycled rifles: slow rate of fire, but huge damage and the best range.
| Rifle | Calibre | Price | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scout Rifle TD | 5.56×45 | $1,200 | start | Single-shot break-action, weak, but takes a good scope. Since Season 2 a headshot kills a target with no helmet in one shot, with a level 1 helmet in two. The starter pick |
| Mosin Nagant | 7.62×54 | $4,500 | 10 | Bolt-action. Great headshot damage, reliable headshots past 270 m (Season 1). Since Season 2 it only takes the PU 3.5x scope: level 10, $12,500, $780 |
| SV98 | 7.62×54 | $5,200 | 18 | Bolt-action, magazine-fed |
| MK22 | .308 Win | $6,400 | 30 | Bolt-action, magazine-fed |
| AMR 50 | .50 Cal | $14,800 | 35 | Heavy calibre. Highest damage, but heavy (12.5 kg), slow and much more expensive since Season 2 |
In 0.2.0 base damage dropped 25% for .308, 20% for 7.62x54R and 16% for .50. In exchange sniper rifles got higher hit-location multipliers, so they stay the weapon for one big shot. More in the Season 2 breakdown.
Marksman rifles
Section titled “Marksman rifles”Semi-automatic rifles: less damage than sniper rifles, but you can fire rapid precise single shots without cycling a bolt. Lower recoil makes follow-ups easier. The best pick when there are many targets and they’re moving.
| Rifle | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SKS | 5 | Semi-auto, 10-round magazine, soft recoil. A great first marksman rifle |
| SVD | 12 | Semi-auto, 10 rounds, 55 damage (Season 1), bonus torso damage. $4,800 |
| BMR-308 | 20 | Since Season 2 unlocks at level 20 instead of 30. $6,250 |
| M14 | 25 | New in Season 2, .308, 10, 20 and 30-round magazines. $7,400 |
Since 0.2.0 marksman rifles are weaker to the head and upper torso, and every DMR got a new recoil pass: they sit between assault rifles and sniper rifles.
Sniper or marksman?
Section titled “Sniper or marksman?”| Situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| Single targets at long range | sniper rifle |
| Many targets at mid range, tower assaults | marksman rifle |
| Vehicles and cover | AMR 50 |
| Low on cash | Scout Rifle TD + binoculars |
Other Recon gear
Section titled “Other Recon gear”| Item | Level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Strelix suppressor | 3 | Hides where your shots come from |
| SKS bipod | 7 | Stability when firing prone (G) |
| 3x–6x LPVO Short Dot scope | 11 | Versatile mid-range optic |
| Compound bow | 16 | Silent weapon that levels Recon. $150,000 unlock, $1,350 |
| Claymore | 23 | A mine that covers your back while you’re scoped in. $90,000 unlock |
| Ghillie suit (armour and helmet) | 26 | Camouflage, hides you from the kill cam — your victim doesn’t see where it came from |
On top of the purchase price, every item has a one-time unlock fee. For example, the Mosin Nagant unlocks at level 10 for $50,000, and the AMR 50 at level 35 for $200,000.
Example builds
Section titled “Example builds”Starter (no unlocks), ~$4,850 at Season 1 prices
Section titled “Starter (no unlocks), ~$4,850 at Season 1 prices”Season 2 moved the prices: the Scout Rifle TD is up $100, binoculars $105, the monocular $200, and the resuscitator is down $75.
- Scout Rifle TD + scope + suppressor
- Pistol
- Monocular or binoculars
- Basic armour, vest, starter backpack
- Bandages, resuscitator, spare ammo
SKS (level 7+)
Section titled “SKS (level 7+)”- SKS + muzzle brake, bipod, 6x scope
- Pistol, small hammer — to build yourself some sandbags
- Helmet, armour, vest
- Bandages, 120 rounds of 7.62
SV98 (level 19+)
Section titled “SV98 (level 19+)”- SV98 + muzzle brake, bipod, 6x–10x scope (the MOA version unlocks at level 19)
- Pistol, small hammer
- Helmet, armour, vest
- Bandages, 2 SV98 magazines, 80 rounds of 7.62×54
What the track unlocks
Section titled “What the track unlocks”Weapons unlocked by levels on this track, from the game database. The unlock fee is paid once; the purchase price every match. Details are on each weapon page.
| Level | Weapon | Type | Unlock fee | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | SKS | marksman rifle | $25,000 | $2,400 |
| 10 | Mosin Nagant | bolt-action sniper rifle | $50,000 | $4,500 |
| 12 | SVD | marksman rifle | $50,000 | $4,800 |
| 16 | Compound Bow | compound bow | $150,000 | $1,350 |
| 18 | SV98 | bolt-action sniper rifle | $100,000 | $5,200 |
| 20 | BMR-308 | marksman rifle (bullpup) | $125,000 | $6,250 |
| 25 | M14 | marksman rifle | $100,000 | $7,400 |
| 30 | MK22 | bolt-action sniper rifle | $150,000 | $6,400 |
| 35 | AMR 50 | anti-materiel rifle | $200,000 | $14,800 |
Levelling Recon
Section titled “Levelling Recon”Recon XP comes from two things: spotting and damage or kills with Recon weapons (sniper and marksman rifles, the bow).
- A spot is worth roughly 25 XP, a spotted target dying roughly 150 XP (Season 1, new values not published).
- The fastest start is binoculars: spot everything while your team fights.
- Since Season 2 level 10 takes 25,000 XP instead of 35,000, level 20 takes 111,500 instead of 250,000.
Common mistakes
Section titled “Common mistakes”- Leaving the zone. A sniper on a hill outside the zone earns their team zero points: score depends on how many players are in the zone. Stay inside, on the edge, overlooking the approaches.
- Forgetting to spot. One kill is good. Five spotted targets your team kills is much better.
- Not setting zeroing. Without Page Up / Page Down your bullets drop below the target at range.
- Shooting from one spot all match. Two or three shots, then move.
- Running the AMR 50 without cash to lose it. The most expensive rifle is the most painful loss.