Warhounds Recon and Hunter Drone Guide: Unlock & 1.0.2 Fixes

Quick Answer

To unlock the Recon Drone in Warhounds Patch 1.0.1, build the Workshop. The former Recon Drone contract is no longer required, and the drone becomes available immediately after Workshop construction.

The Hunter Drone is a different named drone. Patch 1.0.1 fixed its incorrect damage display, but the official note does not say that its underlying damage was buffed or nerfed.

Major Update 1.0.2 later lists fixes for incorrect drone ability displays in meta-mode, drone self-destruct VFX, and UAV filtering in the cargo hold. None of those notes publishes drone damage, range, slot use, cooldown, or upgrade values.

Recon Drone unlock before and after Patch 1.0.1

Build context	Officially documented unlock
Before Patch 1.0.1	A Recon Drone contract existed. The patch does not document its full former chain.
Patch 1.0.1 onward	Build the Workshop; the Recon Drone is available immediately.

This is one of the clearest current gameplay answers in the official patch notes. It replaces the old contract requirement without requiring a guessed mission sequence or community workaround.

The note does not publish the Workshop’s cost, construction time, prerequisites, menu path, or upgrade levels. Check those values in the current campaign before turning “build the Workshop” into a universal first-base recommendation.

Recon Drone versus Hunter Drone

The patch names the two drones in separate changes:

Drone	Patch 1.0.1 fact	Not established by the note
Recon Drone	Available immediately after building the Workshop	Damage, range, duration, charges, slot use, mission restrictions
Hunter Drone	Incorrect damage display was fixed	Actual damage value, balance change, unlock, range, cooldown

Do not apply the Hunter Drone’s damage context to the Recon Drone. The current store description confirms drones as tactical tools, but it does not define each model’s role. A recon label suggests a function; it is not proof of detection rules, vision range, or whether the drone can attack.

Major Update 1.0.2 drone and UAV fixes

The September 24 release note lists three drone/UAV-facing fixes: meta-mode drone ability displays, self-destruct visual effects, and UAV cargo-hold filtering. Record these as developer-listed fixes, not as proof that every drone screen, visual effect, or filtering edge case was independently re-tested by this wiki.

The update does not supersede Patch 1.0.1’s Workshop unlock statement for the Recon Drone, and it does not turn the Hunter Drone display fix into a balance change.

Was the Hunter Drone buffed or nerfed?

The official wording supports only a display correction. It does not say that the underlying damage calculation changed.

To determine whether the fix is display-only in every case, a controlled test should record:

1. the Patch 1.0.1 tooltip and displayed damage;
2. drone upgrade and equipment state;
3. target armor, cover, and status;
4. combat-log or result damage across repeated comparable attacks;
5. whether the displayed value matches the observed rule.

Until that evidence exists, describe the change as “incorrect damage display fixed,” not a buff, nerf, or exact damage value.

Does a drone use an operative slot?

A pre-release developer answer said drones can be added to a squad and that some missions use different squad sizes. It did not say whether every drone consumes an operative slot, uses a separate slot, or follows the same deployment rule on every mission.

Record the deployment screen before and after adding the drone, including the mission name, squad count, available slots, and any restriction message. Do not use a four-operative assumption as a universal answer.

Practical Patch 1.0.1 verification checklist

When the Workshop completes, capture the sequence without relying on memory:

• Workshop prerequisites, cost, build time, and completion state;
• where the Recon Drone appears immediately after construction;
• whether a contract, notification, purchase, or equip step still appears;
• deployment-screen slot behavior;
• eligible and ineligible mission types;
• tooltip text, charges, range, duration, and upgrade state;
• behavior after saving, loading, and restarting the game.

Patch 1.0.1 also fixed certain statuses failing to persist across save/load cycles. If drone availability or configuration does not survive a load, preserve the save and report the exact before/after state instead of editing progression data.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need the Recon Drone contract?

No. Patch 1.0.1 removed it. Build the Workshop and the Recon Drone becomes available immediately.

Is the Recon Drone the same as the Hunter Drone?

No. The patch names them separately: the Recon Drone received an unlock change, while the Hunter Drone received a damage-display fix.

Does the Recon Drone unlock as soon as Workshop construction finishes?

That is the official Patch 1.0.1 wording. The note does not document the exact screen or notification, so capture the completion state if the drone does not appear where expected.

What is the Hunter Drone’s correct damage?

The official note does not publish a number. Read the current tooltip and verify it against the current combat result before citing an exact value.

Related guides

• Weapons and equipment framework
• Base management and Workshop planning
• Mission types and reconnaissance
• Patch 1.0.1 history
• Known Issues and fix status