WARDOGS Vehicle Refund: The 20-Tick Rule for Tanks and Helicopters
Bought an L2A6, Havoc, or artillery piece and got $0 back at the end screen? The refund only covers your last vendor purchase, only inside a ~20 score-tick window, and only if you are in the vehicle (or it is parked in spawn) when the match ends.
The refund is a timed bet, not a rebate. It is calculated from your last completed vendor purchase - the gap between that buy and what you earned after it, times 0.9. The window lasts about 20 score ticks (roughly 7-8 minutes). After that, or after you die, the refund is gone even if the vehicle survives.
1How the Refund Actually Works
| Rule | What it means for your tank / heli |
|---|---|
| Last purchase only | The refund recalculates from your most recent vendor buy. Earlier vehicles bought this life are already sunk. |
| Gap × 0.9 | Example: $10,000 loadout buy, $6,000 earned after it → $4,000 gap → $3,600 refund. Earn more after buying and the refund shrinks. |
| 20-tick limit | A purchase is refundable for ~20 score ticks (ticks land every ~22 seconds, so about 7-8 minutes). Past tick 20 it returns nothing. |
| Ammo never refunds | Shells, rockets, and reloads are always sunk cost. Load the minimum for the last push. |
| Death resets it | Die after buying and the refund wipes until your next vendor purchase. |
| Be in it, or in spawn | The owner must be seated in the vehicle at match end - unless the vehicle is parked inside the spawn zone. That is the only exception. |
2Before You Buy a Tank or Heli
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1
Check the scoreboard first.
If the leading faction is already high (players report buying artillery around ~90 points and getting nothing back), a heavy vehicle will only refund if the match ends inside ~20 more ticks.
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2
Buy late, not at spawn "just in case."
Early buys are the most common reason a $14k L2A6 or $18k Havoc returns $0. Hold the purchase until the last 7-8 minutes if cash preservation is the goal.
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3
Stay the owner and stay alive.
Do not hand the vehicle off and walk away if you want the refund. Do not die - a death after the buy wipes the refund until you buy again.
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4
If you must leave it, park it in spawn.
Spawn zone is the only exception to "be in the vehicle at match end." A tank left at the FOB or in the field does not count.
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5
At the whistle, be in the seat.
Being nearby, "heading back to main," or sitting in a different vehicle does not count. Players who drove artillery to the zone then started the trip home still lost the refund.
3Should You Buy Right Now?
Mistakes That Eat the Whole Purchase
- Buying the expensive chassis at minute one "to help the team." Window closes mid-match; full price is gone.
- Assuming "I survived and the vehicle survived" is enough. Survival is not enough after 20 ticks - and you must be in it, or it must be in spawn.
- Expecting ammo or earlier buys to refund. Only the last vendor purchase counts; ammo never does.
- Dying after the buy. Death resets the refund - the end screen shows nothing until your next purchase.
- Trusting the end-screen totals to explain the refund line. Those numbers are match totals and will not match the refund math.
- Waiting for an "HQ refund button" after a teammate rams your heli. It does not exist - destroyed on the pad still costs you.