Core problem: You ordered a BisectHosting WARDOGS dedicated server as "US East - Virginia" but it was provisioned in Dallas. Support says WARDOGS needs specific hardware, so location transfer, game swap, and import are not available. You are stuck with the box they spun up. Here is what that means for your players and what to do about it.

What Dallas vs Virginia Means for Ping

Player RegionVirginiaDallasVerdict
East Coast (NYC, Boston, DC)Low ping~20-40ms worseVirginia clearly better
Southeast (Atlanta, Miami)GoodSimilarEither works
Midwest / Texas / CentralOKEqual or betterDallas wins
West CoastHigherLowerDallas better
EU on US serverManageableHigh pingVirginia much better
Bottom line: Dallas is a fair US-wide compromise. It is a bad pick if your roster is mostly East Coast plus EU and you were counting on Virginia.

1Map Your Actual Players First

  • 1
    List where your regulars live (East / Central / West / EU).

    If 70% or more are East plus EU, Dallas is the wrong target. If they are mixed US, Dallas is often the better single box.

  • 2
    Do not optimize for your home city. Optimize for the group that will actually fill 60-100 slots.

2Before You Pay: Confirm the Real Location

  • 1
    Treat the location picker as a request, not a guarantee. One admin selected US East - Virginia and got Dallas. Bisect's reply: WARDOGS needs specific hardware; location transfer is disabled.
  • 2
    Open a support ticket before confirming. Ask: "Will this WARDOGS order actually deploy in Virginia/Ashburn, or Dallas? Can you confirm the city before billing?"
  • 3
    If they will not confirm the city in writing, assume Dallas.
  • 4
    Compare approved hosts. Community servers only go through approved partners (QONZER, BisectHosting, later xREALM). If you must have East, try QONZER or xREALM first and ask the same question.
QONZER has advertised US presence including New York-style East routing and has sold out locations at times. Bisect still had stock when players were posting. Check both before committing.

3After Deploy: Verify Immediately

  • 1
    Check the control panel location field and any IP geolocation.
  • 2
    Have 2-3 players in different regions join and report in-game ping. Do not wait a week. Transfers are off the table for this title.
  • 3
    Decide with a hard rule: Keep Dallas if your group is US-mixed or Central/West-heavy and pings look 30-50 for most people. Cancel or do not renew if your East plus EU core is sitting 60-90+ while you were sold "US East."

4If You Already Paid and Got Dallas

  • 1
    Ticket for a refund or a new order in a confirmed city. Do not expect them to move the existing WARDOGS instance.
  • 2
    Plan content around the ping you actually have. Shift to more Central/West-friendly hours, or accept EU as high-ping guests.
  • 3
    Only stay with Bisect if Texas/Central is acceptable for your community.

Key Decision Points

Common Mistakes