Nerf N Series Ward Review

Every blaster line needs a small pistol, and the Ward fills that role for N Series. With two shots, decent performance, and a $5 price tag, it’s likely to be most kids’ first experience with the new dart ecosystem. And in that role, it succeeds.

Compact Power

The Ward is a bit larger than previous pistol entries from past Nerf lines (Nitefinder, Firestrike, etc.), but it serves the same purpose. It’s a blaster with a large pull loop for priming the blaster, and a trigger for firing it – it’s as simply as they come. The grip being large enough for older hands is a bit of a bonus.

The blaster feels sturdy, but compared to many other blasters in the line (as well as older ones), the looks are a bit underwhelming. I know there’s less paint going into blasters these days, and manufacturers are electing to put indents and greebles into the shells everywhere for detail, but in many cases, it just makes for a bland blaster.

The Ward has two barrels, linked to a “smart AR” mechanism that lets you fire one after the other. The system is specifically made for the N Series darts, with the nubs on the darts depressing the valves in the system. So other darts won’t work.

Performance

The Ward gets two shots per second for rate of fire – it’s hard to get more, considering the need to reload after two shots! Of course, being a small pistol, I wouldn’t expect insanely high rates of fire, anyway.

The Ward hits slightly softer than other N Series blasters, averaging 84fps between the two barrels. There actually isn’t a lot of variance in fps between the two barrels, with the second occasionally firing faster than the first, so Hasbro must really have the mechanism tuned pretty well here.

The Insides

The Ward unscrews easily, with three of those screws holding down the backplate of the plunger tube. It’s a simple blaster, without much that needs explaining for those familiar with blaster guts.

Last Thoughts

The Ward does everything it needs to for $5. It’s not the prettiest thing out there, but it does the job. I expect to see lots of these used as easy gifts this year.