WARDOGS Run and Gun Guide: Best SMG Loadout for Aggressive Close Quarters

Run and gun is an aggressive close-quarters playstyle. Light armour, a fast-firing SMG and plenty of smoke. You flank, you clear buildings, and you hit the enemy from angles they aren’t watching.

It’s also one of the cheapest ways to play. SMGs cost far less than top-end rifles, so dying doesn’t hurt your bank balance as much.

Run and gun in one line: Pick close-range fights, attack from the side, use smoke to move, and get out before the third faction arrives.

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Run and Gun at a Glance

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The Run and Gun Loadout (Season 2)

SMGs sit on the Medic track, so unlock levels below are Medic levels unless stated. Prices are approximate vendor prices per life.

Which SMG Should You Use?

• PP-19 Bizon – free in Season 2, with a 53-round magazine. Ideal while you level the Medic track.
• MP5 – easy to control and the most accurate at range. A great all-rounder that unlocks early.
• AMP-9 – very fast-firing and light. Brilliant inside buildings.
• Super-45 – the highest close-range damage in the game, firing around 1,200 rounds per minute. It falls off sharply past about 50 m, so it’s strictly a CQB weapon.
• Alternative: shotgun – an M500 pump-action is devastating in tight rooms if you level Support instead.

Light Means Fast

• Stay in Level 1 or Level 2 armour. Heavy armour defeats the point of this playstyle.
• Carry just enough magazines and loose ammo for a few fights.
• A Medium Tac Vest gives you extra quick slots for grenades and medical kit.

Bonus: Because SMGs level the Medic track, carry a few bandages and a resuscitator. You can pick teammates up between fights and earn more Medic XP.

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How to Play Run and Gun

1. Choose Your Ground

Your SMG wins fights up close and loses them at range. Fight where you have the advantage:

• Buildings and compounds
• Trenches and F.O.B interiors
• Towers and the buildings around them
• The Hot Zone when it’s inside an urban area

Avoid open fields and long roads. A rifleman or sniper will beat you every time out there.

2. Flank, Don’t Charge

The best run and gun players are rarely seen until it’s too late.

• Get wide. Swing around the side of the fight instead of joining it head-on.
• Stay unseen. Use hedges, walls and dead ground to move.
• Hit the side or rear of an enemy position while they’re busy with your main team.
• Leave before the third faction arrives. Once the shooting starts, everyone nearby knows where you are.

3. Move Smart

• Sprint between cover, but slow down before corners and doorways.
• Slice the pie – clear a corner a bit at a time instead of running round it.
• Never sprint into a room blind. Throw a frag or Molotov first.
• Listen for footsteps and gunfire. Sound tells you where enemies are before you see them.

4. Use Smoke Constantly

Smoke is your best friend.

• Cross streets and open gaps under smoke.
• Smoke a doorway before you push into it.
• Break line of sight if a sniper or machine gun starts on you.
• Cover a teammate’s revive.

5. Clear Buildings Fast

• Breach locked doors with the Halligan Bar.
• Grenade first, then enter.
• Clear room by room. Don’t skip rooms and leave enemies behind you.
• Check the stairs and upper floors. Enemies love to hold them.

6. Reload and Reset

• Reload after every fight, even if your magazine isn’t empty.
• Refill magazines from loose ammo while you’re in cover.
• Bandage up before your next push.

7. Work With a Partner

Run and gun works best in pairs.

• One player pushes while the other covers.
• If your partner goes down, trade the kill straight away.
• Call your movement: Pushing the back door. Clear left. Reloading.

8. Play the Objective

Flanking is only useful if it helps your team win the area.

• Clear enemies out of the Hot Zone and stay in it.
• Hit enemies trying to capture Towers from behind.
• Disrupt enemy players defending a F.O.B so your team can hack it.

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Common Run and Gun Mistakes

• Fighting at range. Your SMG can’t compete past about 50 m.
• Charging straight down the middle. Flank instead.
• Wearing heavy armour. You’ll be slow and easy to track.
• Staying too long. Hit, then move before the third faction collapses on you.
• Forgetting smoke. Crossing open ground without it is how you lose your loadout.
• Not reloading between fights. Running dry mid-room is fatal.

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Pre-Deployment Checklist

• SMG and 2–3 magazines plus loose ammo
• Light armour and a light helmet
• Three smoke, a frag and a Molotov if you have one
• Bandages (plus a resuscitator to help teammates)
• Halligan Bar for doors
• A partner and a flank route in mind

Remember: Run and gun isn’t about sprinting into every fight. It’s about choosing the fights you win, then disappearing before anyone can answer.

Unlock levels and prices are for Season 2 (Update 0.2.0). WARDOGS is in Early Access, so check the in-game vendor for the latest values.