How to Unlock the L2A6 Tank Fast in WARDOGS
The L2A6 Tank is one of the most requested unlock in WARDOGS, those requests normally happen after you find yourself being blasted away by one of them. The route to it is is quite expensive and time consuming. You do not need to be good at gunfights, you need to be good at feeding your team.
This guide covers the method that worked fastest in beta, plus two other routes that hold up if flying is not for you. Everything below is based on hands-on play in a pre-release build as of 22 August 2026, not on published patch notes, so treat the specifics as subject to change before Early Access opens on 10 September 2026.
What the Tank actually costs
The Tank sits behind two gates rather than one. You need level 35 and $500,000 in banked cash.
That pairing is what makes the route you pick matter. A playstyle that earns XP but bleeds cash on gear will stall at the second gate no matter how high your level climbs.
There is no single levelling path in WARDOGS
BULKHEAD has stated that they want there to be multiple ways to progress and unlock paths in WARDOGS. Support actions pay out alongside combat, so three very different playstyles all converge on the same unlock.
What they do not share is speed. I personally found the helicopter route is the fastest and if you pair that up with HZ combat you will be getting your first Tank in no time.
Route comparison at a glance
| Route | What you do | Income source | Gear spend | Risk | Speed to Tank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopter dropoffs | Ferry full loads of players into the zone | Your drops plus your passengers’ kills | Minimal, one vehicle | Low, you stay out of the fight | Fastest |
| Spotting | Mark enemies from a vantage point with optics | Every marked enemy your team eliminates | Minimal, optics only | Low, but position dependent | Moderate |
| Hot Zone combat | Fight, heal, and revive inside the Hot Zone | Eliminations, revives, and objective time | High, re-bought on every death | High, you can die often | Fast but highest ceiling |
Spawn light and bank the difference
This is the hidden advantage of the helicopter and spotting routes, and it is worth as much as the XP. Neither role expects you to win a gunfight, so you can spawn with almost nothing.
Consider skipping the body armour, the bags, and the gun upgrades. Those are the three purchases that quietly drain the $500,000 you are trying to reach.
A player in the Hot Zone has to re-buy gear every time they die. A pilot buys a helicopter and keeps flying it, so the gap between the two routes widens with every match rather than staying flat. The helicopter route does get more dangerous as the enemy players start to get AA capabilities.
Route 1: become an Uber driver on day one
This is the method that got me there quickest. Buy a transport helicopter, park it at spawn, wait for a full cabin, and run the same loop over and over.
The payout structure is what makes it work. You get XP and cash for every player who lands safely in the zone, and you keep earning XP and cash every time one of those players kills an enemy inside it.
I ran this on the first night of the beta and finished it at level 39 with $450,000 banked. That cleared the level 35 gate comfortably and left me $50,000 short on cash after a single session.
What a drop actually pays
The numbers are small enough per player that the volume is easy to underestimate. Each tactical deployment pays $195 and 50 XP, and if that player is still alive around fifteen seconds after the drop you get another $500.
| Payout | Amount | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Tactical deployment | $195 and 50 XP | Each player you deliver into the zone |
| Survival bonus | $500 | That player lives roughly 15 seconds after the drop |
| Best case per player | $695 and 50 XP | Both, plus a share of their kills afterwards |
If you get to the point and you find there are no players who need a lift, its worth then filling up your Helicopter with supplies and dropping them into a friendly fob. It gives around $2000 per drop and great XP too. There are alternative drop routes such as taking the truck with Crates in the back and filling up friendly fobs but again, the helicopter route is much faster.
Route 2: spotting from a vantage point
If you would rather not fly, spotting is the quietest way to earn. Get to high ground, use binoculars or a rangefinder, and mark every enemy you can see. You are rewarded when a marked enemy gets eliminated, regardless of who pulls the trigger. That makes a good ridgeline overlooking a contested Control Zone worth more than a rifle in it.
The limitation is dependency. Spotting only really pays well when your team converts, so a passive team caps your income no matter how well you are calling targets. Pick your position with the Bakurani interactive map before the match rather than hunting for a ridge mid-fight. Towers and elevated settlements sit where the sightlines are.
I’ve added some images below which shows the value for spotting players.
Route 3: live in the Hot Zone
The third option is the obvious one, which is to stay inside the Hot Zone and eliminate as many players as you can. Hot Zone pays double, so the ceiling here is genuinely high.
The problem is variance. You lose progress every time you die and respawn, and the Hot Zone is where the whole lobby is concentrated. What rescues this route is that eliminations are not the only thing paying. Healing, reviving, and general squad support all feed score and XP, and they keep earning during the stretches where you are not fragging.
Take this route only if you are already winning your gunfights consistently. A cheap, reliable loadout can help you get started, which our best cheap weapons guide covers in detail.
What to buy while you grind
Do not spend the cash you are earning on the way. You need $500,000 banked, so every dollar that goes into a rifle upgrade is a dollar that delays the unlock.
A transport helicopter plus a free rifle is enough for the pilot route, since you are not fighting. Check current vehicle costs in the WARDOGS vehicle database before committing, and use the comparison tool to check transport options side by side.
If any of this is new, start with our WARDOGS beginners guide and then come back. Everything else lives on the WARDOGS hub.
Please note, this guide is work in progress as we figure out new and innovative ways to get more points in WARDOGS and how the game works!
Frequently asked questions
What level do you need for the Tank in WARDOGS
Level 35, alongside $500,000 in banked cash. Both gates were confirmed in the beta build on 22 August 2026 and neither is documented in official patch notes yet.
What is the fastest way to unlock the Tank in WARDOGS
Flying transport helicopters and dropping full squads into the zone. You earn on every safe landing and again on every kill your passengers get, which is the only route where other players earn for you.
How much does a helicopter drop pay in WARDOGS
Each tactical deployment pays $195 and 50 XP, with a further $500 if that player survives around fifteen seconds after landing. Both figures come from the beta build on 22 August 2026 and are subject to balance changes.
Do I need kills to unlock the Tank
No. Support actions such as transporting allies, spotting, healing, and reviving all pay out, and a pilot who never fires a shot can out-earn a strong fragger.
Can you unlock the Tank in one session
Close to it. One night of helicopter drops in the beta produced level 39 and $450,000, which cleared the level requirement outright and left the cash gate roughly one more session away.
Is spotting worth it if my team is bad
Not really, since spotting only pays when a marked enemy is actually eliminated. Switch to piloting if your lobby is not converting your calls.
Does progress carry between matches
Cash persists from match to match, which is confirmed in official WARDOGS material. Whether vehicle unlock progress behaves the same way is not yet documented, so treat this as TBC until BULKHEAD publishes progression details.
Will these routes still work at Early Access launch
Unknown. Payout rates are balance levers, and everything here reflects a pre-release build rather than the shipped 10 September 2026 version.
