Warhounds Classes Overview: Build a Balanced Squad

Warhounds has five officially named classes: Assault, Specialist, Sniper, Machine Gunner, and Grenadier. For your next mission, choose operatives by the equipment and abilities they can actually use, then cover the objective’s needs: firing lines, movement, information, and protection.

To choose a hired Rookie’s class, open BARRACKS → PERSONNEL → SKILLS, select a class and read the permanent-choice confirmation. Major Update 1.0.2 added the feature; our October captures verify the menu flow for two Rookies. They do not establish veteran retraining or a class reset.

Starting class example	What the capture confirms	What still needs combat testing
Grenadier	Sadness became a level-one Grenadier. Bomber describes one additional frag grenade.	The actual grenade allowance and later skill combinations.
Sniper	Bosun became a level-one Sniper, with Aim 79 → 89. Squad Sight and High Ground Advantage descriptions were captured.	Shared-sight shooting, the displayed height bonus in combat and a complete build.

Use these examples to understand the selection screen and initial descriptions. They are not a ranking of all five classes.

Find named operatives in the veterans overview. For hiring steps, displayed requirements or prices, and recovery decisions, see recruitment, medical care, and downtime.

The five classes

The Steam store and official website confirm Assault, Specialist, Sniper, Machine Gunner, and Grenadier. They also describe customizable weapons, gear, abilities, and tools including drones, combat scanners, smoke, and optical camouflage.

Use the class emblems to recognize an operative in the roster, then read that operative’s actual equipment and abilities before assigning a battlefield job. The installed English localization calls Assault “Assault Trooper”; in that file, Operator maps to Specialist and Support maps to Machine Gunner.

• 
  Assault Trooper
• 
  Specialist
• 
  Sniper
• 
  Machine Gunner
• 
  Grenadier

These emblems are original game UI art from the installed Steam build 25629384, extracted on October 7, 2026. They identify classes; they do not show skill unlocks or equipment restrictions.

The sources listed below do not provide a complete class skill tree or a table of class-specific equipment restrictions. Use the operative’s equipment and ability descriptions for those details. A class name alone does not establish that an operative can equip a particular weapon, use a particular gadget, or unlock a skill at a certain level.

How to choose a Rookie class in Barracks

Open BARRACKS, select the hired Rookie, and open SKILLS. Our October 25 session found SELECT CLASS for Sadness / Zoe Newman after hiring and her return from Iron Tower. Hiring had left her labeled Rookie; choosing a class was a separate step.

These examples were recorded on October 25–29, 2026, in BUILD 1.0.22(3313). Character values belong to those campaign states. Click a screenshot to see the full image.

1. Open BARRACKS → PERSONNEL and select the Rookie.
2. Open SKILLS. The picker offered Assault Trooper, Grenadier, Machine Gunner, Specialist, and Sniper.
3. Select the intended class. We chose Grenadier.
4. Read the confirmation before pressing YES: the selected class cannot be changed. Treat the choice as permanent.
5. Inspect the resulting skill page. Ours displayed GRENADIER, level 1, and 40/100 XP.

Grenadier result and Bomber description

Bomber says the Grenadier has one additional frag grenade. That is a skill description, not a tested combat grenade count. The visible DISCARD SKILLS control does not establish that class choice can be reset.

The immediate October 25 result screenshot still says Rookie in its header and 200/month in the side panel. Our later recorded session saved a refreshed INFO profile: Sadness is labeled Grenadier, level 1, Seasoned, with 300/month salary and 6% critical chance. Her class result showed 40/100 XP. These are this operative’s observed values, rather than a salary or critical-chance table for every Grenadier.

This verifies a post-hire route for this Rookie. It does not establish the earliest unlock, a required XP threshold, a separate class-choice fee, or veteran retraining. Iron Tower preceded this capture; that sequence alone does not prove it is a prerequisite. Major Update 1.0.2 separately confirms the released Rookie feature.

For actual hiring costs, see the tested recruitment sequence.

A second example: choosing Sniper for Bosun

After First Strike, we opened hired Rookie Bosun / Jerzy Dvorak in BARRACKS → SKILLS. The same five-class picker appeared. Selecting Sniper opened the warning that the chosen class cannot be changed; we accepted it. The resulting Skills panel showed Sniper level 1 and 50/100 XP. His displayed Aim changed from 79 before selection to 89 afterward. This is one operative’s before-and-after example, not proof that every class choice grants ten Aim or that 50 XP is required to choose a class.

The Sniper tooltips describe two passives:

• Squad Sight: permits shots at targets visible to any squad member, rather than only the Sniper.
• High Ground Advantage: +10 Accuracy when the target is positioned lower.

These are captured tooltip rules; this sequence does not test a shared-sight shot or measure the height bonus in combat. We selected High Ground Advantage after inspecting it.

A later Hangar capture confirms Bosun as Sniper level 1, carrying a Stylet Sniper Rifle. Use that later role display rather than the stale Rookie header immediately after selection. Neither the visible DISCARD SKILLS button nor these two Rookie examples establishes class resets, veteran retraining, or a separate class-choice fee.

Grenade launcher option missing: what to check

A missing attack option does not by itself identify a Grenadier bug. Work through these checks before changing your squad or buying replacement equipment:

1. Read the weapon description. Look for any stated class, equipment, or ability requirement; owning a launcher does not prove that the selected operative can use it.
2. Check the selected operative’s loadout. Confirm which weapon is equipped and whether the item needs ammunition or another equipped component.
3. Read the attack or ability tooltip. Compare its displayed requirements with the operative’s remaining action points and the selected target.
4. Compare another valid target or position. This helps distinguish an unavailable action from a target or line-of-fire problem.
5. Keep the exact details if the problem persists. The operative, weapon name, tooltip, target, and installed version make a support report much more useful than “Grenadier does not work.”

These are troubleshooting checks, not a verified list of launcher restrictions. The weapons and equipment guide covers how to compare loadouts by function.

Sniper abilities and incorrect action points

The official August 31 Hotfix #6 notes list a fix for action-point calculation when combining Sniper abilities. If an older guide’s combination leaves a different number of action points in your game, check the installed version and the abilities’ displayed costs before building a turn around it.

For a continuing problem, record the ability order and the action points before and after each use. The patch note confirms a developer-listed fix; it does not publish a full ability-cost table or establish that every Sniper interaction behaves identically.

Build a squad around battlefield jobs

Use this checklist before deployment. It describes planning priorities rather than assigning unverified abilities to each class.

Battlefield job	Question to answer
Lane control	Who can watch or contest an important approach?
Flank creation	Who can reach a better angle without exposing the whole squad?
Information	Who can use an available drone or scanner to reduce uncertainty?
Protection	Who can help an exposed ally or protect the objective route?
Recovery plan	Who can still finish the objective if the first attack fails?

One operative may cover several jobs, depending on their equipment and abilities. If your only way to reach an objective depends on one soldier staying healthy, consider a second option before committing to the mission.

Redundancy does not require identical loadouts. For example, available smoke can help with movement while a scanner helps you plan the route. Check which tools your squad can carry and use, then spend on the gap that remains.

Match composition to the objective

Public achievements identify Sweep, Capture, Escort, Rescue, Joint Operation, reconnaissance, and covert activities. Use the briefing to decide which capabilities matter most:

• Sweep-style combat: plan safe movement between engagements and sustainable firing positions.
• Capture: preserve control tools and a route to the target instead of spending everything on early damage.
• Escort or rescue: protect the route and keep a fallback position between the objective and likely threats.
• Joint operations: make sure your squad can complete its own job if allied units cannot cover a gap.
• Reconnaissance: weigh information and the campaign outcome alongside enemy removal.

These are general squad-planning recommendations. The mission’s displayed rules and available deployment slots take priority over a fixed team template.

How many operatives can I deploy?

Our October Serenity Star deployment accepted four soldiers plus Swift in a separate drone slot. The following battle showed a fifth portrait for the drone. See the drone deployment captures for that tested example.

This confirms the layout for that mission, not a universal four-soldier cap. A July 15 pre-release developer reply also described different squad sizes on some missions. Check the current deployment screen before hiring for a particular squad size.

Is there a best class?

The official material does not provide a class ranking. Compare the mission, usable equipment, available abilities, and the health of your roster. A second operative who covers a missing job can be more useful to your next deployment than a highly ranked character whose equipment duplicates what you already have.

For the first campaign decisions, follow the Distant Smoke walkthrough and first base guide, then return to this checklist as recruitment and equipment options expand.