Choose a Nerf Gun for Your Play Style

Battling for ultimate supremacy has never been more fun. For years, Nerf has been helping friends wage bloodless warfare against each other from the comfort of their own living rooms. As the designs and functions of the colorful simulated weapons have become more complex, so to have the various play styles and tactics they permit. But before you can dominate on the battlefield, you need to know which guns are most suitable for your strategies as a player. Consider factors like size, ammunition capacity, firing rate and range when arming yourself for combat.

Steps

Taking Your Preferred Play Style Into Account

1. Run-and-gun. Throw yourself fearlessly into the heat of battle. Don’t wait for your enemies to bring the fight to you—get out there and take it to them! Players who take the commando approach don’t stand still for very long, and fare better with guns that shoot quickly, reload easily and have a high ammo capacity.
   • If you plan on jumping into the thick of things, grab a gun with a quick rate of fire that can hold a lot of darts, like the N-Strike Raider CS-35.
   • Be sure to pack a secondary weapon for when your main gun runs out of ammo.
2. Play the defensive. Hang back and defend home base or keep critical pathways covered by laying down defensive fire. Defensive players tend to post up in one place and maintain a limited amount of movement within the area. For these folks, weapons that fire in powerful bursts at close range will be ideal. Try the classic Nerf Ballzooka if you want to pack a punch, or the Zombie Strike FlipFury Blaster, which gives you two fully loaded cylinders to cut down on reload time.
   • Mounted machine guns and heavy artillery with large magazines are ideal for careful, defensive players.
3. Lie in wait as a sniper. If you’re playing in a more open space, you have the option of eliminating targets from a distance as a sniper. Nerf sniper rifles fire darts from long range with greater precision than assault-style weapons and pistols. Designated snipers can be a great asset to securing victory in a Nerf war, especially when you’re playing with large teams. The Longstrike CS-6 and Mega Centurion are generally regarded as Nerf's most well-rounded sniper models, though you might also fare well with the silence and range of a bow and arrow, such as the sleek and minimal Mega Lightning Bow.
   • Patient players with good aim make the best snipers.
   • When sniping, keep yourself concealed to avoid being forced into a showdown.
4. Be versatile. Do a little bit of everything. Run, jump, take cover, strike from a safe distance or get up close and personal to do your damage. Though different Nerf weapons have different functions and characteristics, it’s more about how you play the game. If you’re just in it to have a good time, you can make almost any type of gun work for you.
   • Simpler is better for players who frequently play many different roles.
   • Nerf’s Zombie Strike line makes for good all-around weapons, with average range, decent ammo capacity and simple firing mechanisms.

Choosing a Primary Weapon Based on Individual Specifications

1. Pick a gun of appropriate size. Once you have your play style or role as part of a team figured out, equip a gun of the right size to help you accomplish your mission. Heavily-armed defensive or stationary players will be able to make use of heavier guns like the N-Strike Elite Rampage or the Strongarm Blaster, whereas player who need to be mobile and quick on their feet should opt for less bulky weapons like the Elite Retaliator or classic N-Strike Maverick.
   • Nerf guns can get quite heavy. The N-Strike Stampede ECS, for instance, weighs in at a whopping 5 pounds. This can make them hard to wield effectively if you tend to be quicker on your feet.
2. Decide how much ammo you’ll need to carry. Make sure you’ve got enough munitions to survive the round. Snipers and players who pick their shots carefully will be able to get by with weapons that hold fewer darts. The run-and-gun types, however, will want to either stockpile extra cartridges or arm themselves with a high-capacity wrecking machine like the Vortex Pyragon Blaster or the dreaded Lawbringer.
   • Load up on extra Nerf magazines (sold separately) so that you can reload mid-game in the blink of an eye.
   • Certain Nerf guns like the Lawbringer and the Hammershot are cylinder loaded, which means it’s easy to scoop darts right up off the ground if you need to quickly reload on the spot.
3. Attack from long range. Why rush in and risk a make believe suction-tipped demise when you can pick off your friends from across the backyard? Set up a sniper post and wreak havoc on your foes from far away. Long-range weapons like the Longstrike CS-6, Mega Centurion or even a Nerf bow-and-arrow can help you accomplish this feat while putting yourself at minimal risk.
   • Nerf’s long range weapons can send darts flying up to 100 feet.
   • One tradeoff of ranged weapons is that they don’t hold as many darts and often take longer to reload.
4. Wield two weapons simultaneously. You’ve got two hands—why not use two guns? Simply pick up an extra weapon and keep those trigger fingers working overtime. Try it with smaller, easier to handle sidearms like the Hammershot, Maverick or Triad EX-3. What you’ll lack in ammo capacity and precision, you’ll make up for in having two of them. After all, it works in the movies!
   • Take time to line up your shots. It can be easy to burn through ammo when you’re carelessly firing two weapons at once.

Selecting Secondary Weapons

1. Keep a sidearm as a backup. When the big guns run out of ammo, you’ll need to keep a smaller sidearm on you to stay in the game. This is when pistol-style shooters come in handy. Tuck a Sidestrike, Elite Mega Cycloneshock or Elite Jolt Blaster into your waistband and switch over once your primary weapon is spent or experiences an unfortunate but inevitable jam. It may just be the thing that pretend-saves your life!
   • Make sure you save a few darts for your sidearm. Many of the more compact Nerf guns only hold between 1-3 darts.
   • These types of guns are easier to dual-wield, provided you’ve got the means to carry them.
2. Take out enemies stealthily with a bow and arrow. Opt for a bow and arrow over a point-and-shoot device in situations where you need to be swift, silent and deadly. Nerf bows shoot long, sleek “arrow” darts impressively long distances with pinpoint accuracy. The original Nerf Bow and Arrow could fire approximately {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, while the new Rebelle Platinum model launches arrows up to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}!
   • The drawing and firing action of a bow makes significantly less noise than regular guns, which often click loudly when they shoot.
   • Bow and arrow launchers make excellent choices for snipers.
3. Protect your base at all cost with a machine gun. If all else fails, mow down the competition with one of Nerf’s patented weapons of mass destruction like the Vulcan EBF-25 or Rhino-Fire blaster. These guns feature high capacity loaders that hold up to 25 darts apiece and can even be mounted so that you can block off hallways and other strongholds with a torrent of merciless foam mayhem.
   • Nerf machine guns can shoot at a rate of about one dart per second.
   • Because of their complex designs and the amount of ammunition they require, machine gun models tend to be more expensive.
4. Consider using “bladed” weapons. Add a little variety to your games by having everybody switch to a Nerf sword or battleaxe for close quarters combat. Nerf’s new line of melee weapons are molded from a single piece of soft, sturdy foam that safely allows players to bash each other to their heart’s content. They can be strapped to the player’s back and used in addition to or in place of pistols and other sidearms. Best of all, they never run out of ammo.
   • Pair a sword with an assault weapon like the Demolisher to become unstoppable in ranged or hand-to-hand combat skirmishes.
   • Come up with your own rules for how swords and axes can be used in battle.

Tips

• Have a few Nerf wars with your friends to find out what weapons are most suitable for your play style.
• If you're playing with teams, assign a different position for each player based on their strengths and preferences.
• Establish bases at either end of your home or yard and have each team try to overtake the other.
• Special Nerf vests can be purchased that hold extra ammunition and also allow you to holster certain weapon models.
• Have fun! A spontaneous Nerf firefight is a great way to brighten up anyone's day.
• A Triad Ex-3 is always better than a Jolt Ex-1 - it still fits in every pocket, but can shoot more often.

Warnings

• A climactic Nerf fight can leave a big mess, with darts strewn all over the place. Have everyone pitch in when it comes time to clean up.
• Never aim for the eyes or other sensitive areas when playing with Nerf weapons. Nerf darts are designed to prevent injury, but you never know when you might accidentally catch a stray in the wrong place.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Manage a Nerf Team
• Win a Nerf War
• Have a Nerf War
• Be a Nerf Sniper
• Become a Nerf Officer
• Easily Modify a Nerf Longshot
• Make a Nerf Holster
• Become an Elite Nerf Soldier
• Modify a Nerf Gun
• Build a Nerf Fort

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