Season 1 in WARDOGS started with the early access release on 10 September 2026 and, according to the head of BULKHEAD, it should last roughly a month. As of 15 September 2026, neither the exact end date nor the reset date has been announced. What is certain is what the reset does: it wipes money and levels and automatically converts whatever money is left into gold bars, which stay on your account. This article covers what exactly gets reset, how gold bars work, how to decide whether to spend your money before the season ends or hold on to it, and what changes between seasons.
How long Season 1 lasts
The length of the first season was confirmed by BULKHEAD CEO Joe Brammer. According to his statement, Season 1 is a month long, but the length of later seasons is not fixed: Season 2, 3 or 4 can last as long as the studio decides.
As of 15 September 2026, the developers have not announced a specific day for the end of the season or the reset. So keep an eye on the official announcements on the game’s Steam page, where BULKHEAD posts changelogs and patches.
What gets reset at the end of the season
| What | What happens at the end of the season |
|---|---|
| Money (cash) | Gets reset. Whatever balance is left is automatically converted into gold bars. |
| Levels and XP | Get reset. |
| Gold Bars | Stay on your account permanently. |
| XP curve and item order | Every season has its own, so the next season will set them differently. |
| Weapon and vehicle lineup | New seasons are meant to bring new weapons and vehicles and rotate some of the existing ones out. |
The reset covers both money and progression. Because levels are reset and Season 2 will bring a different unlock order, expect to build your progress in the trees from scratch next season. How the trees and unlocks work is explained in the article on roles and progression.
Gold bars: what to do with them
Gold Bars are the currency that survives the reset. Here is what applies to them:
- They are created automatically. At the end of the season, whatever money is left on your account is converted into them.
- The rate changes every day. How many bars you get for your money depends on the rate on the day of the conversion.
- They are meant for cosmetics. The developers are building a metagame that includes the Black Market, a shop where cosmetics will be bought with bars, and the Vault.
- You cannot buy them with real money. BULKHEAD promised it will never sell in-game money or gold bars, both have to be earned by playing.
The studio made further promises along the same lines: during early access the game sells nothing apart from the Supporter Edition, it has no battle pass, and camos will never be directly purchasable with real money.
Spend it or keep it? How to decide before the season ends
Several things follow from the reset rules:
- Money is not forfeited. Whatever is left at the end is converted into gold bars. So saving is not wasted.
- Every dollar spent is a dollar that will not be converted. An expensive last-minute unlock means fewer bars.
- An unlock makes sense when you have time to use it. Levels are reset and the item order will be different in Season 2, so a big purchase just before the reset will only serve you briefly in the current season.
- You cannot estimate the value of the bars in advance. The rate changes daily, so there is no way to calculate exactly how many bars you will get for your balance.
The sensible approach is therefore to keep playing towards the end of the season so that every life ends in the black. Any extra money will show up in your bars and you do not have to spend it just because the season is coming to an end. How to earn without losing money on gear is covered in the article on money in WARDOGS.
What to watch out for before the season ends
An approaching reset is tempting if you want to catch up on money and XP fast. But the rules from patch 0.11 (14 September 2026) are harsh:
- Abusing a cash exploit means a temporary ban and your money and XP wiped. That means losing the balance that would otherwise be converted into bars at the end of the season.
- XP farm servers: anyone who spends more than a few minutes on one gets a permanent ban. The developers track which servers you connect to.
- Spreading guides to exploits without reporting them leads to a permanent ban.
What exactly counts as an exploit under the rules and how to appeal a ban is in the article on problems and bans.
What changes between seasons
BULKHEAD said two important things about seasons. The Season 1 changelog states that every season will have a different XP curve and a different item order. And Joe Brammer added that the studio will change the progression order every season, add new weapons and vehicles and at the same time rotate some of the existing ones out.
How big such changes can be is already shown by Season 1 itself, which rebalanced the XP curve, prices and unlock levels at launch:
| Season 1 change | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| XP needed for level 20 in a tree | 111,500 | 250,000 |
| XP needed for level 50 in a tree | 838,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Artillery Tank (Career) | level 55, $400,000 unlock | level 90, $500,000 unlock |
| Heavy Tank | Career, level 35 | Driver, level 35 |
| FOB at the vendor | $2,500 | $7,500 |
| Large Hammer at the vendor | $1,600 | $2,400 |
For Season 1 the developers expect the median player to be around level 20 after 20 to 25 hours of play. Anyone who wants the most expensive items (the developers talk about the top 5 % of players) will have to grind. The numbers are due to change again with later seasons, so always check what date the level and price tables in guides are accurate for. Alongside the Black Market and the Vault, the planned early access additions also include a system of player skills and challenges (Player Skills & Challenge System).
FAQ
According to the developers, the season should last roughly a month from the 10 September 2026 release. As of 15 September 2026, the exact end and reset date has not been announced.
Money and levels including XP. Whatever money is left is automatically converted into gold bars, which you keep.
As money, yes, but it is not forfeited. At the end of the season it is converted into gold bars at a rate that changes every day.
They stay on your account permanently and are meant for buying cosmetics on the Black Market. You cannot buy them with real money.
That is not set. According to the head of the studio, Season 2, 3 and the rest can be any length the developers decide on.
Yes. Every season is meant to have a different XP curve and a different item order, and some weapons and vehicles will be rotated out.