The Large Hammer is the top build tool in Wardogs. It is the only hammer that can place and repair every buildable in the game, and it swings faster than the Small or Medium versions, which matters when your FOB is halfway finished and a squad is already pushing toward it. Getting one is not a shopping trip, though. It sits behind the Support progression track, and you cannot buy it at all until your Support role level is high enough.
Quick answer: Reach Support Level 8, pay the one-time $75,000 unlock, then buy the Large Hammer for $2,400 from any Equipment Vendor under Items > Building. It takes your Specialist slot and needs Build Supplies in your inventory to do anything.
Large Hammer stats, price, and unlock requirement
The hammer is classed as a Build Tool and fills a Specialist equipment slot, which is the same slot you would otherwise give to a Defibrillator or a drill. It is a per-life purchase, so the $2,400 comes out of your round budget every time you buy it, separate from the one-time cash unlock.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | Build Tool, Specialist item |
| Vendor tab | Items > Building |
| Price per life | $2,400 |
| Unlock | Support Level 8, $75,000 |
| Weight | 3.18 kg |
| Inventory size | 4×2 (8 slots) |
| Durability | 3,000 |
| Ammunition | Build Supplies |
| XP earned | Support |
Note: if the vendor shows you $1,600 instead of $2,400, you are still inside the new-recruit discount that halves vendor prices and expires at level 9. The lower figure is temporary, so plan your loadout budget around the full price.
How to reach Support Level 8 to unlock the Large Hammer
Support XP has nothing to do with kills, which is good news if you are already playing the builder role. Every construction swing, vehicle repair, and logistics run feeds the same track. The fastest routine is to buy a Forward Operating Base, set it up somewhere your team will actually use, and keep it stocked.
Three activities carry the bulk of the progress: repairing damaged vehicles with a wrench, hauling supplies and fuel as a logistics player, and placing and finishing FOB structures. A Small Hammer costs $100 and a Medium Hammer $800, so you can grind the whole Support track on cheap tools before you ever touch the Large Hammer’s unlock cost.
Buying the Large Hammer from the Equipment Vendor
Using the Large Hammer to build and repair structures
Equip the hammer, press right mouse button to open the build menu, and pick a structure. Each entry lists the Build Supplies it consumes. Move the preview until the placement reads as valid, drop it, then close the menu and start hitting the frame.
Random swings are slow. Yellow X marks appear on the unfinished structure, and striking those spots adds far more progress than hitting the body of the piece. On the heaviest builds this is the difference between finishing and getting overrun. CIWS and Talon in particular only make meaningful progress when you hit the marks.
Snapping lets wall sections connect and stack cleanly. If a piece refuses to sit at the angle you want, turn snapping off and place it manually. Check your own keybind rather than assuming the default, since builders commonly rebind it.
The same tool repairs anything you have built, so a Large Hammer holder can patch damaged HESCO and walls mid-fight instead of replacing them. Every swing that completes or repairs a structure also feeds Support XP.
What the Large Hammer can build that other hammers cannot
A Small Hammer only covers the basics, and a Medium Hammer adds large and basic buildables. The Large Hammer is the only tier with access to the full catalogue, including the Drill Rig that pulls a Hotzone to your position. Most of what it unlocks needs a Forward Operating Base nearby and draws from the supplies stored inside it.
| Structure | Supplies | FOB needed |
|---|---|---|
| Barbed Wire / Recon Tent | 5 | No |
| Sandbags | 10 | No |
| Hedgehog | 14 | No |
| HESCO Block (Small) | 10 | Yes |
| Bremer Wall | 10 | Yes |
| Door | 14 | Yes |
| HESCO Wall | 46 | Yes |
| Gate | 52 | Yes |
| Bunker / Recon Tower | 61 | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | 61 | Yes |
| Mortar / Stingray | 91 | Yes |
| Refuel / Repair Station | 121 | Yes |
| Talon | 601 | Yes |
| CIWS | 901 | Yes |
| Drill Rig | 1,351 | Yes |
A Forward Operating Base kit runs $7,500 on its own, and the FOB does not restock itself. Somebody has to keep hauling Build, Ammo, Fuel, and Mechanical Supplies to it, which is why one dedicated builder plus a logistics player beats four people all carrying hammers.
Hammer comparison: Small, Medium, and Large
| Hammer | Price | Weight | Builds | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | $100 | 0.32 kg | Basic only | Slow |
| Medium | $800 | 1.23 kg | Large and basic | Moderate |
| Large | $2,400 | 3.18 kg | All | Fast |
The Medium Hammer covers walls, doors, and gates for a quarter of the price, and it is the sensible pick if you only help with construction occasionally. Reach for the Large Hammer when you are the one committing to a fort for the whole life, or when the plan involves a Drill Rig, CIWS, or Talon.
Why the Large Hammer will not build something
- You have no Build Supplies. The hammer itself does nothing without them, and heavier structures drain a stockpile fast.
- You are outside an FOB’s construction area. Only Recon Tents, Hedgehogs, Barbed Wire, and Sandbags can go up without one.
- The placement preview is blocked by terrain or another object. Reposition the piece, or switch snapping off if the angle is the problem.
- The FOB’s own supply stores are empty. Larger structures pull from what is deposited inside it, not just what is in your pack.
One last thing worth remembering before you spend the $2,400: a FOB is a construction and logistics hub, not a respawn point. Build it where supply vehicles can reach it and where it is out of easy mortar sightlines, then use the Large Hammer’s speed to finish the perimeter before the first attack arrives rather than after.
