Getting to the zone

The WARDOGS map is 256 km², and the Control Zone spawns somewhere new every match. It’s too far to walk, so your first decision every life is how to get to the fight.

Options at a glance

Option	Cost	Available	Main risk
Hitch a ride	free or a tip	whenever there’s a driver or pilot	you depend on someone else
Free vehicles	free	a few minutes into the match	they get taken fast
Your own vehicle	vehicle price	whenever you can afford and have unlocked it	losing what you bought
Parachute jump	parachute price	needs a helicopter	no parachute = certain death
Ride the APC	free	once your team has 20+ points	the APC is the enemy’s top target
Deploy into the APC	small fee	APC parked in the zone, radar intact	cooldown, APC can be destroyed

Hitch a ride

The simplest way is to jump in someone’s vehicle or helicopter. Walk up and press F.

• Drivers and pilots get paid for transport, so passengers are good for them.
• A pilot may ask for a tip — negotiate over proximity voice (K).
• If the driver dies, switch to the wheel with 9 / 0 without getting out.

Free vehicles at HQ

A few minutes into a match, free vehicles appear at your team’s HQ — according to the community, a transport helicopter and an SUV. Anyone can take them, which is a lifesaver when you’re broke.

Tip

Took a free vehicle? Don’t leave empty. Load up your squad — you get transport pay for free.

Your own vehicle

Vehicles are bought from the vehicle vendor (garage) at your faction’s HQ.

• Ground vehicles unlock through Driver progression, aircraft through Pilot progression.
• After buying, move away from the vendor pad right away so you don’t block others.
• Lock your vehicle (L) if you leave it unattended.

Which vehicle to pick — see Vehicles.

Parachute jump

A helicopter is the fastest way to the zone, but landing in the Hot Zone is dangerous. It’s safer to jump over the approach.

Don’t forget the parachute

No parachute, no jump

Parachutes are not issued automatically. If the slot is empty when you jump, there’s no prompt and no canopy — just the fall.

1. Buy a parachute from the equipment vendor: Gear → Traversal tab.
2. Put it in the Traversal slot before boarding the helicopter.
3. Parachutes are single use: every jump is a new purchase.

Parachute	Price	Steering
Basic	$100	none — holds the heading you had when it opened
Sport	$1,000 per jump	full, you choose where to land. Unlocks at level 35

How to jump

1. Exit the helicopter.
2. Press Space while the altitude indicator is above the red line.
3. Just before touchdown you can cut the canopy (C). Do it too early and you’ll fall to your death.
4. Land in cover inside the zone, towards its edge rather than dead centre — all three teams are shooting there. You only score for your team while you’re in the zone.

Ride the spawn APC

Once your team reaches 20 points, the M113 APC SV spawn vehicle appears at HQ. Someone has to drive it to the zone, and you can ride along as a passenger. Armour takes a lot more punishment than an SUV.

Deploy into the APC via the board

The key mechanic for getting back into the fight fast: you spawn right inside your team’s APC.

Leave the APC with F

After deploying you’re sitting inside the APC as a passenger. Press F to get out and join the fight.

How it works

1. At HQ, go to the Deployment Board — a case with a laptop near the vendors.
2. Open the map and select the APC.
3. Press SPAWN and wait 10 seconds (the “WAITING TO DEPLOY” screen).
4. You appear inside the APC as a passenger. Exit with F.

Requirements — all of them

• Your team has at least 20 points.
• The APC is parked inside the Control Zone. If it’s at HQ or outside the zone, the board says “Spawn vehicle is not in the control zone”.
• The APC is stationary: you can’t deploy into a moving vehicle.
• The radar on the APC’s roof is intact, and the APC hasn’t been destroyed or hacked.
• Your personal cooldown has expired (several minutes between deployments).
• You have cash for the small deployment fee.

Note

Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) are not deployment points: they handle supply, building and defence. Deployment only works through the APC.

The radar is the weak spot

The radar is the rotating antenna on the APC’s roof. Shoot it off an enemy APC and they can no longer spawn in it. You can also hack an enemy APC by walking up and using interact.

Take out the enemy APC

Spot an enemy APC in the zone? It’s a priority target:

1. At the very least, shoot off the radar. Any weapon will do: without the radar, enemies can’t deploy into the zone and have to travel from their HQ.
2. Got explosives or a rocket launcher? Destroy the whole APC. The enemy then has to get a new one at HQ and drive it all the way across the map. Until then their team is slow to get back into the fight and their logistics are stretched thin.

Tip

A destroyed enemy APC often swings a fight more than a handful of kills: you cut the whole team off from getting back into the zone quickly.

Tips for the APC driver

• Park inside the zone but in cover: mortars and artillery hunt stationary vehicles.
• Overhead cover matters — a roof or canopy protects the radar.
• Once set up, the APC deploys a smoke screen — don’t leave it without a reason.
• Tell your squad where the APC is: how fast your team gets back into the fight depends on it.

Next: Economy basics.