WARDOGS Weapon Tier List: Beta 1 TTK Rankings

The model

How the tier list is built

This page keeps the damage and RPM inputs from a 25-weapon Beta 1 sample. Twenty weapons have both values; five lack a core input. The weapons database contains 33 catalogue entries, so an absent tier row is a coverage gap rather than proof that a weapon is weak, removed or unavailable.

For the raw TTK column, set the hypothetical target health H to 100 and calculate shots = ceil(H / damage). Then raw TTK in milliseconds = (shots - 1) × 60,000 / RPM. The first hit is counted at time zero. This excludes aiming, bullet travel, missed shots, armour, hit location, reloads and weapon handling.

For example, the retained T-21 inputs are 28 damage and 750 RPM: ceil(100 / 28) gives four shots, so three firing intervals give 240 ms. These are model inputs and arithmetic, not a measured kill or a claim that the game has 100 player health.

• Browse the wider 33-weapon catalogue →An entry can exist in the catalogue without having enough inputs for a tier.
• Choose by role and replacement cost →Use a different question when choosing what to buy.

Tier S

S — fastest across the bands

Three weapons lead the model in every range band. The FAL pairs battle-rifle damage with an unusually high rate of fire; the SVD and BMR-308 trade a little speed for reach. All three are expensive, and all three feed the Recon or Assault tracks.

Tier A

A — competitive, range-dependent

Six weapons hold their own at close and medium range and fall away at long range. This is where the assault-rifle core sits, including the free Bushmaster M17S — identical model figures to the A-91 and KH-2002 at zero cost.

Tier B

B — viable, less forgiving

Viable picks whose modelled performance drops with range or requires a longer burst. The M249 SAW is the interesting row: strongest close-range LMG figure in the set at mid price.

Tier C

C — niche on this model

Slow on shots-to-kill arithmetic — which is precisely the wrong yardstick for a bolt-action rifle bought for the one shot it does not have to repeat, and for sidearms carried in a second slot. Read the tier letter as a statement about the model, not the weapon.

No letter yet

Unranked — missing a core figure

GGX 17, M500, MP43, PKM and SKS belong to the 25-weapon sample but lack damage or RPM. They stay unranked. Separately, eight entries in the 33-weapon catalogue are outside this sample; none should be assigned a low tier just because this table lacks its row.

Model assumptions

What the range bands assume

Close, Medium and Long are relative comparison scenarios, not measured metre ranges or decoded damage-falloff curves. Each reuses the listed archetype hit-rate assumption. The existing band values and tier groups remain historical model outputs, not measurements from the current game.

The band calculation uses (shots / assumed hit rate - 1) × 60,000 / RPM. The ratio substitutes an assumed average number of shots for the perfect-hit sequence, which is why it can be much slower than the raw TTK column. Historical rounded outputs are retained; the precision of a printed millisecond is not a claim about gameplay accuracy.

A change in the assumed hit rate can matter more than a small RPM difference. Compare weapons under the same task and check recoil, target range, armour and hit location in the current build before treating a band winner as a practical winner.

Cost meets the model

What a rank actually costs

In WARDOGS every purchase competes for the same wallet, so a ranking that cannot see price is not finished. Put the tier rank beside the price tag and ask one question: could you have paid less and done better? A weapon is on the frontier when nothing cheaper in the table outranks it — five of the twelve priced and ranked weapons survive that test.

The free Bushmaster M17S has the same retained raw damage/RPM inputs as A-91 and KH-2002, while only Bushmaster has an explicit $0 price. Attachment access is unresolved across the old records: a part-family listing is not proof of usable slots. Recheck the live configuration before comparing a bare recruit rifle with a paid attachment build.

The economy

Why cost can overrule the ranking

Use your actual balance and the full replacement kit when comparing a tier letter with its cost. Weapon, ammunition, protection, tools and transport compete for the same cash. A model rank cannot tell you how many failed attempts your current wallet can support.

For a worked comparison, assume a $10,000 balance and use the retained Beta 1 rifle prices only: two T-21 purchases cost $1,200, two M4 purchases cost $5,600, and two FAL purchases cost $13,000. The first two totals leave $8,800 or $4,400 before all other kit costs; the FAL pair exceeds that example balance. This is budget arithmetic, not an Early Access income forecast.

Honest limits

What the model does not know

• Armour, helmets and durability — every figure is against an unarmoured target
• Hit-location multipliers, which is why bolt-actions and sidearms read so poorly here
• Penetration and ammunition types
• Range falloff, drag and bullet travel
• Recoil, spread and handling
• Attachments and build parts — the free rifle’s practical attachment access remains unresolved
• Magazine capacity and reload
• Real player pick rate and actual cost efficiency at scale

1. Check that both compared weapons use the same build, target, distance, hit location and armour condition.
2. Separate raw damage/RPM arithmetic from any chosen hit-rate assumption; do not compare a perfect-hit number with an accuracy-adjusted band.
3. Confirm the current price and unlock before using cost as a tie-breaker.
4. If a patch changes an input, hold the old row as historical until that specific input is verified; do not fill a missing value from a tier letter.