All Factions in Wardogs, Explained

Wardogs drops 100 players onto a single battlefield and splits them into three rival armies, and before anyone fires a shot, everyone has to pick a side. There are three factions to choose from in the game, namely Lonestar, Valkyra, and Manticore, and each carry their own color and backstory, which raises an obvious question for anyone gearing up for a match: does the faction make any difference in how you play? We have the answer ready for you.

Wardogs Objective and Factions Explained

Different Wardogs factions | Credit: BULKHEAD

The game, developed by BULKHEAD, sets its three-way war in Kolchia, a fictional region of war-torn Eastern Europe modeled on real locations in Georgia. What brings all three factions together is PV-1, a resource the in-game lore frames as the fuel behind decades of regional conflict. Every match narrows down the fighting toward a single objective: a randomized, roughly 2×2 kilometer Control Zone that shifts locations within a much larger map, with the first faction to rack up 100 points taking the win.

Here’s the most important part: whichever side the player joins, the goal as well as the cash-driven progression stays the same. Here is what makes the factions different.

Lonestar

Lonestar is Wardogs’ blue-marked faction, and it plays the part of a private military company rather than a nation-state. The group is pitched as a blunt, contractor-run outfit with a Texan attitude, showing loyalty only to a paycheck instead of a flag.

While the other two factions are both answerable to a government back home, Lonestar only answers to whoever’s paying them.

Valkyra

Valkyra fights under red, and its motivation is the restoration of the land. The one official line on the faction says the group pushes to return the Soviet People’s Republic to greatness, which hints at a world where the USSR never lost its superpower status. This makes it so that this faction aims to try and reclaim what slipped away, which is well matched with the colors of the group as well.

Manticore

Manticore rounded out the trio under a green banner, coming into the game as a strike force loyal to Persia and running quietly out of Tehran, built to leave no fingerprints. The lore leans harder into mystery here than with the other two factions.

Does Picking Different Faction Make a Difference in Gameplay?

Wardogs | Credit: BULKHEAD

As of now, there is no reason for anyone to pick a side for practical reasons, as there are no faction-exclusive weapons or abilities, or even stat bonuses that have been added in. Every faction gets to shop from the same armory, so Lonestar, Valkyra, and Manticore players are all drawing from the same pool of gear.

The biggest difference picking different factions makes is in the cosmetics. The game’s Supporter Edition ships with three-faction themed weapon skins, giving Lonestar a Bushmaster finish, Manticore a KH-2002 finish, and Valkyra an A-91 finish.

Which of Wardogs‘ three factions are you planning to drop in with when Early Access goes live? Let us know in the comments below!