WARDOGS is paying players extra cash and XP to choose Lonestar in Season 2. The blue faction has struggled to win, and BULKHEAD says that reputation is making the imbalance worse: people don’t want to join a side they expect to lose. The developer is now trying to make blue worth playing without secretly strengthening its guns.
The change arrives on 15 October, alongside less conspicuous uniforms and new spawns on Bakurani. There’s also a 20% vendor discount when a team falls well behind, but that isn’t exclusively for blue. Here’s how the Lonestar rewards differ and what needs checking once the new season begins.
What is the Lonestar cash and XP bonus?
BULKHEAD has announced additional cash and XP bonuses for Lonestar wins, plus cash and XP multipliers for the faction. Those are separate incentives: the win-related reward is tied to success, while the studio describes multipliers as another reason to choose blue.
The precise percentages are not in the October 9 preview. It would be misleading to say that joining Lonestar immediately doubles your income or that every kill receives a guaranteed fixed bonus. The developer explicitly says the incentives are Season 2 only, so they aren’t a permanent perk of the faction.
Why is the blue faction getting extra rewards?
BULKHEAD says Lonestar’s win rate has been consistently worse than the other two factions. Players have complained about bright blue uniforms and the team’s starting positions, but the larger issue may be reputation: experienced players increasingly choose a different side, leaving the blue team with an even harder match.
The new rewards are intended to encourage players to switch back and help Lonestar compete. They’re not an announced buff to blue players’ health, armour, damage or movement speed.
Who gets the 20% vendor discount?
Any team at least 40 points behind second place receives a 20% discount at vendors. This is a separate comeback feature, not another Lonestar-only bonus. If Valkyra or Manticore is trailing badly enough, either can qualify too.
For example, if the top three scores are 95, 60 and 20, the team on 20 is exactly 40 points behind second and meets the condition. If that team climbs to 25 while second place remains on 60, the gap is only 35 and the stated threshold is no longer met.
A discount isn’t an extra cash payout. An item priced at $1,000 would cost $800 with a 20% reduction, assuming that item is covered. Check the actual vendor screen for the discounted items rather than treating the saving as XP or cash automatically deposited into your account.
Uniforms and Bakurani spawn changes
BULKHEAD is desaturating Lonestar’s blue uniforms to make them less conspicuous, and changing the spawn locations for all factions on Bakurani. That second change matters to everyone playing the map; routes that worked for one side in Season 1 may be less convenient after the patch.
Those are meaningful adjustments, but they don’t guarantee Lonestar will suddenly win most matches. The studio is testing whether better incentives and a less frustrating start can encourage stronger teams and more coordinated players to join blue.
Should you choose Lonestar for money and XP?
It’s worth considering, particularly if you already play with a squad capable of helping the faction win. However, without the published multiplier values, there is no reliable way to promise that blue will always earn more than the other factions. A team that wins consistently could still offer better results than one chasing a bonus and losing.
The normal jobs still matter: moving teammates, supplying FOBs and taking the hotzone. If you normally play a useful transport or logistics role, doing it for Lonestar may now earn extra rewards, but the final cash breakdown has to come from the actual game.
Can you manipulate matches for the bonus?
BULKHEAD has warned that community server hosts abusing faction bonuses will be punished. Arranging artificial wins or deliberately unbalanced matches is not an authorised earning method. The incentives are meant to make ordinary matches more competitive.
There’s also little reason to sabotage your team simply to trigger the 20% losing-team discount. Paying less for equipment may help a side fight back, but conceding objectives to save money undermines the very results the feature is meant to improve.
How long will Lonestar’s extra rewards last?
BULKHEAD calls the incentive a Season 2-only experiment. No exact percentage or continuation into a later season has been announced. Once the patch is live, the end-of-match breakdown and final balance notes should show how much additional cash and XP the faction actually earns.
For now, the important distinction is this: Lonestar gets special earning incentives, while any faction 40 points behind second place can receive cheaper vendor purchases. If you’re deciding which side to join when Season 2 begins, don’t mix those two systems up.
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Official source: BULKHEAD Season 02 Preview, 9 October 2026.
