Updated 29 October 2026 for WARDOGS Season 2 (Update 0.2.0) and the Season 3 wipe on Thursday 12 November 2026. Prices are from BULKHEAD's Season 02 Patch Notes (Steam, 14 October 2026).
Quick answer: Every dollar of Cash has two possible uses before the wipe: spend it on fun now, or keep it so it becomes Gold Bars for cosmetics. At the Season 3 wipe on 12 November 2026, BULKHEAD's rule is that your Cash and XP reset, leftover Cash is auto-converted into Gold Bars, and only Gold Bars and cosmetics carry over. Unlock fees are the worst of both: they are not Cash any more, so nothing first-party says they convert into anything. Pick your goal, then stop paying unlock fees for gear you only want to try. The Gold Market itself costs $150,000 to unlock at WARDOG level 35 this season, and the Cash-to-Gold rate floats daily and has never been published.
The Season 2 wipe taught the community an expensive lesson: plenty of players spent Season 1's last weeks unlocking gear they used twice, then watched it vanish on 15 October. Season 2 is shorter (28 days instead of 35), the gear is pricier, and one of the hottest r/WarDogs threads this week asks why unlocks don't count toward end-of-season Gold Bars. This is the Season 3 version of the pre-wipe plan: what resets, what survives, what to buy, and what to save.
WARDOGS - Cash
Get up to 5,000,000 Cash farmed for you
When is the next WARDOGS wipe?
Thursday 12 November 2026, when Season 3 starts. A BULKHEAD developer replied on Steam on 23 October, verbatim: "Season 3 has been brought forward to November 12th to give everyone a proper fresh start. It also brings Limited Mode servers, with no power weapons and no vehicles." PCGamesN (25 October) reports the same Thursday 12 November target and a fresh economy reset.
No start time has been published. Season 2 went live on 15 October after an 08:00 to 09:30 UTC maintenance window, so plan as if your last full day is Wednesday 11 November. That gives you 14 days from today. The timeline and why BULKHEAD pulled the season forward are in our WARDOGS Season 3 release date guide.
What resets at the Season 3 wipe, and what do you keep?
BULKHEAD's standing reset rule comes from its Early Access and Beyond devlog (7 April 2026):
"At the end of a season, your cash and XP progression will reset with your cash auto converted into gold bars… Your gold bars and cosmetics from a season will stay permanently on your account across seasons."
Players reported it running that way at the Season 2 wipe on 15 October. BULKHEAD has not published separate Season 3 wipe notes yet, so plan on the same split:
| What you have now | At the 12 November wipe |
|---|---|
| Banked Cash | Resets. Leftover Cash auto-converts to Gold Bars |
| Track levels (WARDOG, Assault, Medic, Support, Recon, Driver, Pilot) | Reset to the start |
| One-time unlock fees you paid this season | Gone with the levels. No refund or conversion published |
| Gold Bars | Kept, permanently |
| Gold Market cosmetics and camos | Kept, permanently |
The third row is the one that catches people out, and BULKHEAD's own Steam reply admits the policy is still open: "On level locked gear and how wipes treat people who can't play every day, we don't have a fuller answer to share yet." Until that answer exists, treat every unlock fee you pay before 12 November as spent for at most 14 days of use, not as stored value.
Do unlocks convert into Gold Bars at the wipe?
No, based on everything BULKHEAD has published. The reset rule converts Cash. An unlock fee is Cash you already handed to the vendor, so it is not on your balance when the wipe runs. That is the complaint in this week's r/WarDogs thread "Unlocks should be counting towards end of season gold bars" (64 upvotes, 36 comments at the time of writing). The poster explains why they stopped unlocking:
"I care about gold bars, it is my end game. I don't want to unlock stuff that is going to get wiped... I haven't unlocked the big battery for example or T3 armor because what's the point. The season is shorter and I'm not making that money back."
One player in the thread unlocked the Evo-3 Ultra, disliked it, and wished part of the fee had gone to Gold; another who bought it too admitted it was on them for not testing it in the firing range first. That is the practical lesson. The Season 02 Patch Notes do mention a Firing Range with target dummies, but BULKHEAD has not published whether gear you have not unlocked can be tried there, so check it in-game before you pay a six-figure fee.
Should you spend or save your Cash before Season 3?
Spending and converting compete for the same dollar, so start from what you actually want:
- You want cosmetics and already own the Gold Market unlock. Save the surplus and convert it yourself on a good-rate day before 11 November. Gold Bars and owned cosmetics are what survive.
- You want cosmetics but have not unlocked the Gold Market. Do the maths. The unlock costs $150,000 at WARDOG 35. If your surplus is not well above that, the fee eats much of what you would convert, and the wipe converts leftover Cash anyway. Whether that automatic conversion needs the unlock has not been published.
- You want to win fights for the next two weeks. Spend on per-life deploys and gear you already have unlocked. You give up the Gold those dollars would have become, and you get two weeks of tanks and helicopters for it.
- You are not sure. Set a Gold target, spend above it on deploys, and stop paying new unlock fees. That is the lowest-regret plan.
One Gold Market warning from Season 2's launch week: on 15 and 16 October, several players on the Steam forums and r/WarDogs reported the exchange showing "currently closed" even after paying the $150,000 unlock. BULKHEAD has not explained it publicly. Search for fresh reports before you pay, then test the exchange right after unlocking and keep proof of payment in case you need Team17 support. For how the rate behaves, see our WARDOGS Gold price after the Season 2 wipe and the conversion walkthrough in how to convert Cash to Gold Bars before a wipe.
What should you buy before the WARDOGS wipe?
WARDOGS charges twice: a one-time unlock fee that makes an item available, and a per-life deploy price every time you buy it from the vendor. Before a wipe, those two costs deserve opposite treatment. Season 2 prices from the Season 02 Patch Notes ("not listed" means the notes don't give that figure):
| Item | Track gate | One-time unlock | Per-life / deploy |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-72B3 tank | Driver 20 | $250,000 | $16,000 |
| Flakpanzer Gepard (anti-air) | Driver 25 | $300,000 | $14,000 |
| SPH-2 artillery | Driver 31 | $350,000 | not listed |
| L2A6 tank | not listed | not listed | $22,000 |
| Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns] | Pilot 8 | $125,000 | $12,000 |
| Havoc | not listed | $650,000 | $28,000 |
| Evo-3 Ultra LMG | Support 30 | $200,000 | $7,250 |
| TCX-SPR rifle | Assault 20 | $100,000 | $3,200 |
| M14 marksman rifle | Recon 25 | $100,000 | $7,400 |
| Level 4 armor + helmet | not listed | not listed | $5,000 + $4,500 |
| Gold Market | WARDOG 35 | $150,000 | n/a |
With 14 days left, this is the order that makes sense once you have set aside any Gold target:
1. Deploy what you already own. A tank or helicopter you unlocked earlier this season has no fee left to pay. A $16,000 T-72B3 run or a $12,000 Little Bird sortie turns Cash straight into play. The only cost is the Gold that Cash could have become. Unsure whether tanks earn their keep? See our T-72 Season 2 value guide.
2. Buy the per-life upgrades you normally skip, if they are already unlocked. Level 4 armor and helmet run $9,500 a life. Binoculars went from $75 to $180 this season. Small luxuries, but every one still comes out of your Gold budget.
3. Pay a new unlock fee only if you will use it a lot before 12 November. A $100,000 TCX-SPR unlock is reasonable if Assault is your main role and you will run it every night. A $650,000 Havoc unlock for a handful of flights is not. You also need the track level, and every level resets.
4. Decide on Gold on purpose. Either convert a planned surplus yourself, or accept that the wipe converts what is left. Never assume a rate from a screenshot: BULKHEAD has never published the ratio and it moves daily.
WARDOGS - Career Leveling
Get your WARDOG career pushed to 150
Is there a Gold Market item to grab before Season 2 ends?
Possibly one. The Season 02 Patch Notes added eight new Gold Market weapon and vehicle skins across four camo families, and label one of them, verbatim, "Black & Gold - Little Bird. Season 2 Exclusive Gold Market Camo." The same notes say "The Black & Gold AK Camo has been removed from the Gold Market." So there is precedent for a Black & Gold Gold Market camo leaving at a season change. BULKHEAD has not said the Little Bird skin leaves on 12 November, but "Season 2 Exclusive" is the plainest hint it has given. If that is the cosmetic you want, Season 2 is the safe window.
Everything else in the Gold Market is permanent once bought. The basics are in WARDOGS Gold Bars and the Gold Market explained, and BULKHEAD's own description of Gold Bars as "the endgame currency used to obtain cosmetic unlocks" is in its Top Questions post.
How much Cash can you still make before 12 November?
There is no official per-hour figure, so ignore anyone who quotes one. What BULKHEAD has published are the Season 2 action rewards, and they favour teamplay over kills:
- Capturing a hostile drill tower: $1,500 (up from $750).
- Kills with an assault-archetype weapon: $2,000.
- Hacking an enemy FOB: $2,500 to the hacker, plus a new $1,000 to each teammate in the radius.
- Destroying an enemy FOB: a bonus of up to $7,500, based on the supplies it held.
- Logistics delivery streaks: +$250 per pallet in a row (up to 10), +$100 per crate (up to 10), +$25 per player delivered (up to 25).
- The Hot Zone still pays double Cash and counts double toward zone control.
Spotting rewards were cut by about 30% in Season 2, so the old low-risk spotting loop is weaker. The store page sums up the design: "Every teamplay action you perform rewards cash. From reviving squadmates, transporting friendlies to the zone, or controlling the objective." Our full method list is in how to make money fast in WARDOGS.
One hard line: BULKHEAD's Update 0.1.2 notes say players caught "abusing repeatable unintended exploits" now risk permanent bans without warning, and the same notes name Real Money Trading. Earn the normal way and never follow a guide that tutorialises a glitch.
Should you grind levels before the wipe?
Only to enjoy the unlocks for two weeks. Every track level resets on 12 November. BULKHEAD has not published Season 3's XP curve or unlock order, but PCGamesN's 25 October report on the studio's podcast quotes BULKHEAD's Joe Brammer moving away from Season 1's "heavy vertical progression", where "all of the 'best stuff' was at the end of the tree." The gates you push for now may sit elsewhere next season. Check what each level gives you this season in our WARDOG level unlocks guide before you chase one.
There is a bigger reason to save your energy. On BULKHEAD's official podcast (24 October), the team said future seasons should run about three months, with a smaller update halfway through. If that plan holds, Season 3 Cash and levels will stay useful far longer than Season 2's 28 days.
Want to skip the grind before or after the wipe?
If you would rather spend your last two weeks playing than farming, our WARDOGS Cash service is hand-farmed with a fast turnaround. Know the trade-off: Cash bought now is a Season 2 asset and resets on 12 November like any other Cash, so it suits a pre-wipe tank and heli run or a planned Gold conversion. BULKHEAD has pledged it will "NEVER monetize in-game cash or gold bars, they must be earned through play", so there is no official way to buy either.
On the rules: WARDOGS is governed by everplay group plc's EULA (last updated 10 September 2026), and §14.1 lists boosting and paying for progression as prohibited conduct. We will not tell you a third-party service is officially permitted, because it is not. What we control is our own guarantee and refund policy, and if you would rather keep the controller, Rent a Pro pairs you with a specialist on your own account.
Fourteen days to the wipe and short on time? Pick the one that fits how you play:
- WARDOGS Cash: hand-farmed Cash, fast turnaround, for a pre-wipe tank and heli spree or a planned Gold conversion.
- WARDOGS Account Leveling: push your WARDOG level toward the Gold Market gate at 35 or the big Season 2 unlocks.
- WARDOGS Class Leveling: Assault, Medic, Support, Recon, Driver or Pilot levelled to the gate you want to try.
- WARDOGS Rent a Pro: squad up with a specialist and play it yourself on your own account.
- All WARDOGS services
FAQ
When is the next WARDOGS wipe? Thursday 12 November 2026, when Season 3 starts. A BULKHEAD developer confirmed the date on Steam on 23 October 2026. No start time has been published, so treat 11 November as your last full day.
Does my Cash reset at the Season 3 wipe? Yes. BULKHEAD's reset rule is that Cash and XP progression reset at the end of a season, and any Cash you still hold is automatically converted into Gold Bars. Gold Bars and cosmetics stay on your account permanently.
Do unlocks count toward Gold Bars at the end of the season? No. Only Cash converts. Unlock fees are already spent, and BULKHEAD has not published any refund or conversion for them. Players have asked for one on r/WarDogs, and the developer's Steam reply says there is no fuller answer on level-locked gear yet.
Should I spend all my Cash before the WARDOGS wipe? Only if you don't care about cosmetics. Cash you keep becomes Gold Bars at the wipe, so every deploy you buy costs you that Gold. Set a Gold target first, spend the rest on deploys and gear you already own, and skip new unlock fees you will barely use.
How much does the Gold Market cost to unlock in Season 2? $150,000, gated at WARDOG level 35, per the Season 02 Patch Notes. Some players reported the exchange showing "currently closed" in the first days of Season 2 even after paying, so look for fresh reports first and test it straight after unlocking.
What is the WARDOGS Cash to Gold Bar rate? BULKHEAD has never published it, and it changes daily in the Gold Market. Any fixed number you see online is a snapshot, not a rule. Check the live rate in-game before converting.
Covers WARDOGS Season 2 (Update 0.2.0, live since 15 October 2026) and the Season 3 wipe on 12 November 2026. Prices: BULKHEAD's Season 02 Patch Notes (14 October 2026). Season 3 date: BULKHEAD developer reply on Steam (23 October 2026) and PCGamesN (25 October 2026). Steam showed 55,626 players in-game at 10:22 UTC on 29 October 2026. Facts current as of 29 October 2026.
