I’ve had my gun go down in the middle of a game. Sometimes, the mags aren’t loading or the battery is dead. On occasion, a bigger issue, like the gearbox breaking, has stopped my primary weapon in the heat of the game.
Even though I can switch to a secondary weapon, I still lose a lot of my fighting capability. Nearly any good airsofter with a running primary weapon will be able to outgun me.
I’ve seen many airsofters deal with a gun malfunctions in different ways. Some deal with it better than others. On rare occasions, you can do repairs on the field, but that can still take a good amount of work and you might lose important pieces on the ground. Most walk off the field and attempt to repair their weaponry in hopes of getting back into the action the next round.
Although walking back to staging is an option, I don’t believe that walking off the field is the best option every time your primary weapon is down. Your team can still benefit from your abilities even if you aren’t as effective without your main weapon. In this post, I’ll give you some reasons to stay in the game and how to continue being effective without the big guns.
Be Observant
If your gun is out of action, you can still provide intel on enemy locations and other useful information to your team. Shout out information to your team as you receive it. Pass on commander’s orders to other players. Do a recon mission into enemy territory.
If you trust the other airsofters and will be able to locate your gear easily later, you can leave your malfunctioning weapon and other unnecessary gear behind to allow you more freedom to explore behind enemy lines. Remember, if you don’t look like a threat, most players will let you pass, allowing you to glean more intel!
Be a Pack Mule
If your primary gun is down, you obviously don’t need the mags for it. You can pass these on to other players to keep them in the game. You can also transport more equipment to the front lines to support your team.
Try becoming the team runner. Run to get new gear or direct players to where they are most needed. By becoming the team pack mule, you can make everyone on the field more effective.
Go for the Objective
Even though you know your gun is down, the enemy doesn’t. This allows you to bluff the enemy into thinking you are still a threat. By pushing up to an objective, or otherwise becoming a problem for the other team, you can force the enemy to react to you. This will slow them down and allow the rest of your team to make gains elsewhere.
Another thing you can try is going for knife kills. Work up the field with stealth (Remember the “I’m not a threat” tip). As long as you’re still playing honorably and safely, you can do almost anything that seems like it might work. You have nothing to lose!
The main point to remember is that you don’t want be a liability on the field. You want to become an asset! Stay in the game and stay effective. That gun will still need to be fixed later, but the game is happening now. Make it a win!
