A specific team has become so unpopular among Wardogs players that other teams are being avoided outright, and the feeling is widespread enough to be called a verdict. It’s a serious matter, not a joke that everyone is in on, according to the subreddit. The team in question is ‘They are literally the dumbest people on the planet.’.
A player and his companion found themselves stuck on the team selection screen, facing a full Manticore (Green) and Valkyra (Red) while Lonestar (Blue) remained empty. The pair chanted “anything but blue,” repeatedly clicking the left button over the other two teams, and the match failed to start until somebody eventually gave up and quit.
Since the game’s closed betas, the Blue team hate has been real, and it has kept growing. The launch of Wardogs made that reputation even stronger. Players understand which side this article targets, and they understand why.
The Team Select Stalemate
Everyone grasps the stakes, which is why no one moves. With teams shuffled anew for each match and every player starting with identical resources, Blue ends up getting the short end of the deal. The community has ranked the factions by strength, and Blue lands at the lowest tier.
A highly upvoted post on the Wardogs subreddit displays a team select screen featuring a thinly populated Blue roster, accompanied by the caption “The battle before the battle.”. A separate post takes a different approach, assigning nicknames to each faction based on how difficult they are to play, calling Green “Easy”, Red “Normal”, and Blue “NIGHTMARE MODE”.
The developers themselves admit the bad reputation now. Today, Bulkhead co-founder Howard Phillpott posted on X in reaction to a Lonestar victory screen, writing “Lonestar actually did it.”
Why Blue Gets Avoided
The majority of the community regards the Blue hate as a joke, with both the developers enjoying themselves and the players joining in on the fun. However, there is a faction that firmly believes the team has been arranged for failure.
One aggrieved Redditor cited counterproductive behavior on his Lonestar teams, including “using the respawn vehicle to just drive circles in the FOB, not realizing no one can spawn because they keep moving it.”, and “They literally are the dumbest people on the planet,” wrote about it.
Reddit user PogoMarimo’s account supports the name for the game mode. In his description, a whole match got held up because players kept putting off their turn with Lonestar.
“The server would boot up, the first 40 or so players would sort into teams, and then the match start would come to a complete halt as people refused to pick Blue,” he recounted. “These would be 80+ pop servers and they would go 10 minutes without launching because not enough people were willing to pick Blue to get the match to the starting population needed.”
“I, of course, was one of those refusing to choose blue, because I had already done Blue duty twice that day and saw awful things happen. I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
The Matches That Back Up The Reputation
The match itself is where the Blue team’s troubles become apparent. A single player said two of his three games ended in clear stomps, with Red and Green holding steady FOBs and drill towers over the hot zone.
“It took 45 minutes for our Blue base to construct a complete wall,” he said.
The night’s final match took place on Red, and the difference was striking: within 15 minutes, builders working together quickly erected a fortified base complete with walls, trenches, lookout towers, and a maze of paths meant to block attackers from reaching the core. Green had a comparable setup on the other side of the map, while Blue was just sort of… there.
The Theories Behind Blue’s Bad Rap
Several explanations exist for why Blue seems to be singled out for worse treatment. A common one holds that Lonestar suffers from inherent disadvantages. The blue pants and patches worn by all members reportedly make them stand out more in wooded settings.
“I think there’s some truth to this, especially the blue jeans of it all,” said the player. But none of the factions camouflage particularly well out in the open, which is an intentional bit of design. So perhaps Lonestar has it worse than the others.
One theory ties the conflict to where the three armies sit on the map. Lonestar starts in the bottom corner, with Manticore and Valkyra positioned in the West and East instead. That arrangement puts the Blue faction between the other two, facing threats from both directions at once.
“I think this could have some merit—it is notable that the headquarters aren’t lined up a perfect 120 degrees around the circumference of the zone,” the player said. “But it’s hard to say for sure if this actually translates to a Blue team sandwich with any consistency.”
The developers are almost certainly going to address this talking point at some point, since it’s arising frequently enough. Bulkhead will likely step in with evidence that either backs it up or knocks it down.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Theory
There is a darker possibility, though. The Blue team’s infamy might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Folks have one bad night with Lonestar and decide to believe the reputation, or hear it’s the team to avoid, or notice everyone else actively avoiding it. Then you end up with a Blue team full of less experienced players.
It’s a fascinating problem, unique to Wardogs’ three-team format. The player wonders if he should try to buck the trend and go Blue. At least he knows there’s always a free seat.
The Map Theory And The Data To Come
One field where data might resolve the dispute is map layout theory. Everyone is watching to hear what Bulkhead has to say on the matter.
The developers are being watched. It remains unknown whether they intend to tackle it further. One field where data might settle the debate is the map layout theory, and the community waits to hear what Bulkhead has to say.
The Cost Of Avoiding Blue
The reluctance has a price. Matches are put off because there aren’t enough people ready to pick Blue to reach the required number for the match to start. The entire server waits while a small group of players choose to stay in queue instead of joining the despised side.
When a single person plays, the price falls on them alone. Last evening marked the first occasion where a player deliberately kept away from Blue, putting off the moment they could start playing by several minutes. Sometimes the trouble runs deeper: whole matches get put off because people take their time with Lonestar.
A shared breakdown in coordination causes the deadlock. Every person wants to keep away from Blue, yet none wish to be the one choosing it. The outcome is a locked screen and a line of people left waiting in frustration.
The Verdict On Blue
This hatred for the Blue team persists in a game where players are thrown into random groups and given equal starting materials. It has carried over from the early days of testing right through to the game’s release, and it does not seem to be going away.
There are many reasons given for why people dislike being placed on Blue, and they cover a wide range of ideas. Some point to practical problems, while others focus on where Blue sits on the map. Still others see it as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Within the community, there is no agreement on whether this concern is serious or not. Some take it as a joke, while others fear actually being put on Blue.
Blue’s reputation as being worse may be too powerful for the data to ever fully overcome it, though the numbers will eventually settle the question one way or another.
The current guidance is straightforward: should you choose to participate, join any group except Blue.
Key Facts Box
- Game: Wardogs
- Teams: Manticore (Green), Valkyra (Red), Lonestar (Blue)
- Reputation: Blue is considered the worst team
- Top-upvoted subreddit post: “The battle before the battle”
- Dev response: Howard Phillpott, Bulkhead co-founder, posted “Lonestar actually did it” on X
- Match delay: Up to 10 minutes on 80+ pop servers
- Anecdotal match length: Blue base took 45 minutes to build a complete wall; Red built a fortified base within 15 minutes
Wardogs has a culture where people hate the Blue team. Players have made their feelings known, and picking sides on the team select screen still turns into a fight for whoever gets to take Blue.
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