WARDOGS Mortar and Artillery: How to Use
Land the first shell close enough to a spotted target, then walk fire onto it. Solo guessing from the horizon wastes ammo. Here is the two-person spotter-and-gunner loop and the mistakes that get your tube hunted.
Core problem: Land the first shell close enough to a spotted target (enemy FOB, tower roof, AA, spawn vehicle, or clustered infantry), then walk fire onto it before the target moves or someone hunts your tube. Solo guessing from the horizon is what wastes ammo. Players treat this as a two-person job: gunner on the tube, spotter with eyes on the impact.
The Two Platforms
1Fire Mission Step-by-Step
- 1Spotter marks the target and confirms friendlies are clear.
Call the mark, the building or roof or vehicle, and which side your own people are on. Changing unmarked pings mid-mission is how teamkills happen.
- 2Gunner reads the map, not the horizon.
Use in-game map squares and teammate pings for distance. Repeat the range and bearing out loud so the spotter can catch a bad number before you drop a round.
- 3Set azimuth (direction) and elevation (range).
Azimuth is the compass bearing from your gun to the mark (0 = north, 90 = east). Elevation is what you dial on the tube. Do not trust a range table for the first shot. Range it.
- 4Fire one ranging round. Watch it.
You can ride the shell camera. The useful data is not "did it kill" but short, long, left, or right and roughly how far. A salvo on an uncorrected error is four shells in the same wrong dirt.
- 5Correct one axis at a time, then fire again.
Spotter language: "long 50, left 20." Walk it onto the mark, then a short controlled volley. Stop when the target leaves, friendlies enter, or the value of the fire mission is gone.
- 6Relocate or harden after a few missions.
The tube is loud. Players hunt mortar FOBs, spawn trucks, and the spotter. Stay supplied and have a fall-back pad.
Target Priority
- 1Enemy AA - so your helis can fly
- 2Enemy mortars - counter-battery
- 3Spawn vehicles - cut their reinforcements
- 4Rooftop infantry - clear a roof so your team can take a tower
Key Decisions
| Decision | Answer |
|---|---|
| Mortar vs SPH-2 | Mortar for nearby towers and FOBs. SPH-2 for longer-range mobile fire. Use the one that can actually reach the mark. |
| Stay on an old mark or stop? | Stop. Vehicles drive off, people leave, the zone moves. Firing at a dead callout just paints your position. |
| Keep firing or pack up? | If impacts start coming back at you, or a heli or infantry squad is probing the pad, move. Counter-battery is optional. Killing the spotter and cutting ammo often works better. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Firing full salvos before the first impact is observed. One ranging shell, then correct.
- Estimating range from what you see on the skyline instead of the map or ping.
- No spotter. You never know if you were short or long.
- Building the mortar FOB in line of sight of the zone with no cover or ammo stock.
- Staying on the same pad after several missions. The tube is loud. Players hunt it.
- Ignoring friendlies on the impact side of a building.