Pilot

Pilot is the Wardogs progression track for helicopters. Everyone starts with the MH-6 Little Bird transport; in Season 2 the track unlocks the AH-6M [Miniguns] at level 8, the Z20 Lakota at 10, the AH-6R [Rockets] at 20, the Z20 Lakota [Miniguns] at 25 and the Havoc attack helicopter at 35 for $650,000.

28:57 Pilot is the Wardogs progression track for helicopters: you earn its XP by flying teammates and supplies to the front and by fighting from the air, and its levels open the bigger transports and the attack helicopters, each unlocked once with cash. Every player starts with only the MH-6 Little Bird, a six-seat transport, and Pilot XP comes from passengers who jump out, more if they land alive, GamesRadar+ explains. It was the least played track at launch, with 8.70% of the XP earned on the launch weekend, Bulkhead and Team17 said. Everything below is Season 2 (update 0.2.0, Oct 15, 2026), read on Oct 26, 2026. How to fly is on Helicopter Flying Guide, and every helicopter's stats are on Helicopters.

A light helicopter with orange skids banks toward the camera, two armed soldiers seated on each side outside the cabin; snowy peaks and a tower on a far hilltop sit under a pale evening sky. — A small black helicopter carries soldiers on its outside benches over pine-covered mountains at dusk in an official Steam store screenshot of Wardogs Bulkhead and Team17

Quick facts

Track	Pilot
Starting helicopter	MH-6 (Little Bird), $6,250 a life
First attack helicopter	Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns], level 8, $125,000
Large transport	Z20 Lakota, level 10, $35,000 (2 crew, 11 passengers)
Top unlock	Havoc, level 35, $650,000
Share of launch-weekend XP	8.70%, the lowest of the six tracks
Values as of	Season 2, Oct 15, 2026

Sources: Dexerto's Pilot page, Bulkhead's Season 2 notes, Dexerto's MH-6 page, GameSpot, Bulkhead and Team17's Sep 16 press release.

How Pilot earns XP and cash

5:36 Flying a taxi pays well and safely. In the closed beta PC Gamer's pilot made over $35,000 in about 40 minutes with zero kills, ranking in the top five, and Dexerto put an early Season 1 helicopter drop-off at $450, plus $500 if the passenger survives. Pilots also earn assist cash when passengers go on to get kills, and tips, PC Gamer explains.

Season 2 lowered the base reward for a delivered player from $150 to $100 (and its XP from 50 to 25) and added streaks: $25 and 5 XP more for each player in a row, up to 25, per Bulkhead's notes, whose figures are for drops inside the Control Zone. Supply runs count too: a pallet delivered to a FOB pays $1,250 in Season 2, and the MH-6 can carry two small crates on its sides, which leaves no room for passengers, while the Lakota lifts whole pallets, Shacknews explains. Since Season 2, repairing a helicopter gives Pilot XP. Season 2's curve puts level 10 at 25,000 total XP, level 20 at 111,500 and level 35 at 525,000 (Progression and Unlocks).

Pilot unlocks in Season 2

Reaching a level makes an item available; you pay its unlock cost once, then its vendor price each life (Economy and Cash).

Level	Unlock	Unlock cost
Start	MH-6 (Little Bird)	Free
2	Small Armored Crate	$10,000
8	Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns]	$125,000
10	Z20 Lakota	$35,000
15	Large Armored Crate	$25,000
20	Little Bird AH-6R [Rockets]	$250,000
25	Z20 Lakota [Miniguns]	$85,000
30	Music tape "Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner"	$25,000
35	Havoc	$650,000

Sources: Bulkhead's Season 2 notes (Oct 14, 2026) and Dexerto's Pilot page, whose values match Season 2 wherever Bulkhead's notes give a figure. Dexerto lists more music tapes on the track; only this one has a published cost.

Season 2 helicopter changes

Season 2 made the attack helicopters later and dearer, per Bulkhead's notes:

Helicopter	Unlock	Price per life	Destroy reward
MH-6	Start	$6,250	$1,250 (was $3,125)
Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns]	Level 8, $125,000 (was level 4, $50,000)	$12,000 (was $7,000)	$6,000
Z20 Lakota	Level 10, $35,000	$7,400	$1,500 (was $3,700)
Little Bird AH-6R [Rockets]	Level 20, $250,000	$18,800 (was $12,500)	$9,400
Z20 Lakota [Miniguns]	Level 25, $85,000 (was $75,000)	$15,000 (was $8,000)	$7,500
Havoc	Level 35, $650,000 (was $500,000)	$28,000 (was $18,000)	$14,000 (was $18,000)

Sources: Bulkhead's Season 2 notes and Dexerto's helicopter pages for the unchanged prices and unlocks. The "was" figures are Season 1's.

32:46 Bulkhead moved the AH-6M to level 8 because it "was too strong for how early it unlocked." The same notes cut the damage of the miniguns on the AH-6M and Z20 Lakota along with every gun of their caliber, made shooting out through cockpit glass damage your own helicopter as incoming fire does, and gave the MGL-40 grenade launcher more sway and a reload penalty when fired from the Little Bird's bench. Bulkhead's Season 2 advice to passengers was blunt: "Make sure you trust a pilot before getting into their aircraft."

1:02:44 Ground fire got stronger against the Havoc earlier, on Oct 2, 2026, when a hotfix made the Vanguard CIWS kill it in about 6 seconds instead of 12. What has not changed as of Oct 26, 2026 is how fast a rich player replaces one: Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer told PCGamesN "you finally shoot down a Havoc, one minute later a Havoc appears," and Bulkhead has no fix yet, though Lead Game Designer Pete Harries suggested fuel could be part of it.

Pilot gear and costs

16:50 Helicopters repair and refuel automatically at HQ, paid from your cash, and you buy ammo and flares there by holding B (D-Pad Right on a controller), GamesRadar+ explains. Flares cost $750 for three bursts, per Dexerto. The Pilot Helmet ($6,400, per Dexerto) muffles vehicle audio and highlights target vehicles. Each team also gets vehicles that spawn free at the start of a match, per Bulkhead's notes.

Pilot tips

Practice in the Firing Range before carrying players, keep away from trees, and go back to HQ to repair and rearm (GamesRadar+).
GamesRadar+ finds helicopters easier to fly with a controller; on mouse and keyboard GameSpot turns on rotary vehicle mouse control, with pitch and yaw sensitivity about 80%. Full setups are on Controls and Keybinds.
Land passengers in the Control Zone: Season 2's rewards are zone values, and a streak of drops adds up (Bulkhead).
Watch for anti-air: the Talon 9K-SAM and Vanguard CIWS at enemy FOBs, the Support track's 9K333 Verba and, since Season 2, the Flakpanzer Gepard (Support, Driver).

Frequently asked questions

What does the Pilot track unlock in Wardogs? In Season 2 the Wardogs Pilot track unlocks the Small Armored Crate (level 2), Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns] (8), Z20 Lakota (10), Large Armored Crate (15), Little Bird AH-6R [Rockets] (20), Z20 Lakota [Miniguns] (25) and Havoc (35).

What level is the Havoc in Wardogs? The Wardogs Havoc attack helicopter unlocks at Pilot level 35 for $650,000 in Season 2 (it was $500,000 in Season 1), then costs $28,000 each life.

How do you unlock helicopters in Wardogs? Every Wardogs player can fly the MH-6 from the start; level the Pilot track by flying passengers and supplies, then pay each helicopter's one-time unlock cost at its level.

What level is the minigun Little Bird in Wardogs? Since Season 2 the Wardogs Little Bird AH-6M [Miniguns] unlocks at Pilot level 8 for $125,000; in Season 1 it was level 4 for $50,000.

How do you level Pilot fast in Wardogs? Fly a taxi: Wardogs pays Pilot XP for each passenger who jumps out, more if they land alive, and Season 2 adds a bonus for each delivery in a streak inside the Control Zone.