Killing a tank in WARDOGS is a group task, not a solo one. Community counts from testing put a heavy tank at roughly seven to nine RPG hits, two to four MAAWS hits, or five to six grenades — numbers no single infantryman carries enough ammunition to reach alone.
The weapons themselves come from the Support role. The RPG-7 unlocks at Support level 5 and is the early-game answer, and the MAAWS arrives at Support level 20 and is the one worth organising around. Everything else is a supporting act.
The anti-tank launchers and when you get them
All of the dedicated launchers sit on the Support role track, so this is not something you can reach by levelling Driver or Pilot. If you intend to be the person who answers armour, Support is the track to push.
The Verba is included here because it is frequently bought by mistake. It is an anti-air missile with lock-on, single use, and it is not a tank answer.
| Launcher | Unlock |
|---|---|
| RPG-7 | Support role level 5 — the early-game anti-armour option |
| Verba (72mm AA) | Support role level 16 — anti-air, lock-on, single use |
| MAAWS | Support role level 20 — the effective anti-armour launcher |
The Verba is an anti-air missile, not an anti-tank one. Buying it expecting to answer armour is a common and expensive mistake.
How much it actually takes
These are the figures the community converged on during testing, and they are the reason coordinated fire matters more than any individual choice of weapon. Treat them as the order of magnitude rather than exact thresholds.
| Method | Hits to kill a heavy tank |
|---|---|
| RPG-7 | Around 7 to 9 hits |
| MAAWS | Around 2 to 4 hits |
| Grenades | Around 5 to 6 |
| Stingray UCAV | One direct hit |
| Missile helicopter | Around 8 to 10 hits |
| C4 | Reported as relatively ineffective |
These counts come from player testing during the playtest period, not from published figures, and the balance pass on 9 September moved vehicle progression around. Use them to plan, not as exact numbers.
Why one player with an RPG accomplishes nothing
Seven to nine RPG hits is not a loadout, it is a supply run. A single player carrying rockets instead of anything else still cannot reach that total before being spotted, and a tank that takes three hits and reverses out of line of sight repairs the problem for its crew.
This is the structural reason tanks feel unanswerable to uncoordinated teams. The counter exists and works, but it requires several players committing their loadouts to it at the same time and firing in the same window.
The practical form this takes is two or three players on MAAWS rather than five on RPGs. Fewer hits required means a shorter window in which the tank can withdraw or kill you.
Smoke is the part people skip
A tank kills anti-tank infantry by seeing them first, so the useful contribution from players who are not carrying a launcher is to take away that sightline. Smoke grenades between the tank and your launchers change the exchange more than another rocket would.
Blocking the gunner's view buys the seconds your launchers need to land consecutive hits, which is exactly the resource the hit counts above demand. It also gives a launcher who has fired once the chance to reposition rather than being tracked.
A squad answering armour effectively is usually two launchers and someone throwing smoke, not four launchers firing from the same rooftop.
The cost argument, and why it matters to you
A fully loaded tank runs to roughly $20,000 including ammunition, and it earns while it sits on the objective. The launchers and rockets needed to kill it cost the attacking players a substantial share of that between them, and they gain nothing passively while doing it.
This asymmetry is the most common complaint about armour in the game, and it is worth understanding rather than arguing with: killing a tank is frequently a net loss in cash for the players who do it, paid for by the value of the objective they take back.
The practical conclusion is to answer armour when it is holding ground that matters, not on principle. A tank farming kills away from the Control Zone is spending its own time badly, and chasing it costs you more than ignoring it.
What gates the tank on the other side
Knowing where armour comes from tells you when to expect it. The Season 1 changelog published on 9 September 2026 moved the Heavy Tank from Career level 35 to Driver level 35, so tanks are now gated behind the ground-vehicle track rather than overall progression.
The same changelog pushed the Artillery Tank from level 55 to level 90 on the Career track, making artillery substantially rarer than armour rather than a parallel threat.
The effect is that dedicated ground-vehicle players reach tanks sooner than a generalist does. Expect armour from players who have specialised, and expect it earlier in a match than the old career gating implied.
Anti-tank questions answered
Short answers to the most common armour problems.
- How do I destroy a tank in WARDOGS? — Coordinated launcher fire. Roughly 2 to 4 MAAWS hits or 7 to 9 RPG hits, with smoke to block the gunner.
- Where do I get anti-tank launchers? — The Support role track. RPG-7 at level 5, MAAWS at level 20.
- Is the Verba an anti-tank weapon? — No. It is a single-use anti-air missile with lock-on, unlocked at Support 16.
- Can one player kill a tank? — Realistically no. No single loadout carries enough ammunition to reach the hit count.
- Does C4 work on tanks? — It is reported as relatively ineffective compared with launchers.
- What level unlocks the tank? — Driver level 35, moved there from Career level 35 in the Season 1 changelog.
- Is killing a tank worth it? — Often not in cash terms. Do it when the tank is holding ground that matters.