Airsoft Like Its Modern Warfare 2019

 

Modern Warfare Is Here. How Can You Use It To Up Your Game?

 

With the release of the next installment in the eternally popular Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 2019, We’ve got a TON of requests to cover some of new features in the franchise and how they apply to your airsoft game. We expected a ton of interest in gear and guns when it was announced this year’s game would go back to the modern setting, but you all have truly blown the doors off!

 

Modern Warfare 2019 features a ton of hot new guns, as well as several returning classic, but more importantly it introduces some new features, and gives us a chance to highlight the success of some older Call of Duty staples to spice up your airsoft skill set.

 

 

1. Choose Your Load Out Wisely

Modern Warfare 2019 features what is likely the most robust and in depth version of “Create-a-Class” yet in a Call of Duty game, rivaled only by the likes of games like Escape From Tarkov for it’s sheer variety of options available to you on some weapons. The M4 included in Modern Warfare 2019 has options to replicate everything from a CQBR to a classic M16vn style rifle and everything in between, with a host of options for stocks, barrels, grips, scopes and other attachments. You can craft your weapon and perks to handle any style of play and situation, just like in Airsoft!

 

So how does this relate? Call of Duty forces you to make choices, and while the Airsoft Field doesn’t often enforce these same kinds of restrictions, you may want to consider self imposing some on yourself. Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain, so consider lightening your load out to make yourself more effective. Much the same way that Modern Warfare restricts you to five “attachments” per weapon for game balance, you may want to consider not bolting everything but the kitchen sink onto your rifle to stay mobile.

 

This can extend to your gear as well. Do you really need 17 magazine pouches on your vest for three different types of guns? Would you be more streamlined if you cut down some of that load, and find more effectiveness in speed versus overall ammo capacity?

 

Embrace the options you have at your disposal, but keep in mind, there can be too much of a good thing. Stay on your feet, stay mobile, and stay effective by choosing your load out wisely to match the game or scenario at hand, instead of carrying everything you own, and bolting every accessory you can find onto your airsoft gun!

 

2. Change Your Elevation

Call of Duty is known for a couple of popular strategies in its multiplayer games: Drop-shotting and Bunny-Hopping. In an effort to stay moving and get the drop on other players, it’s not uncommon to see fully geared up commandos diving to the prone position or jumping all over the map to get new and unique angles or avoid getting shot and having to respawn.

 

While diving to prone and constantly jumping are not necessarily as easy to do in the real world as it is in a video game, there is still a lesson to be learned here. Change your elevation and get off the X.

 

So many airsofters get trapped in this “take cover” mentality; that they sometimes forget the best way to not get shot is to simply not be where your enemy is shooting. This means that if your enemy is looking for you standing up, consider getting low to the ground. If you have the chance to get above your opponent, take it. Many airsofters also forget to look up!

 

It may not be exactly the same, but the motivation to bunny hop or drop-shot your opponent is! If you aren’t in the spot where your opponent expects you to be, it can be the difference between winning and losing an airsoft gun fight. Set yourself up for success, and change your elevation!

 

3. Stack Up

One of the coolest new features from the campaign mode of Modern Warfare 2019 is the breaching and clearing sequences found at multiple points in the campaign. These gritty and methodical runs through intense tight quarters where you have to make snappy split-second decisions are some of the most enjoyable and authentic portions of this year’s campaign.

 

How can you up your airsoft game from playing these sequences?

 

Pay attention to the ways the characters move as you transition from floor to floor, or room to room. Note the differences in your actions from when you stealthily creep into a room leaving the occupants unaware or when you fly in with reckless abandon to get the drop on a target before he takes out your teammates. The game actually has different reactions for the virtual bad guys on the business end of your blaster in these scenarios. It shows how important it is that you have teamwork, coverage on your angles, and a high degree of skill and confidence in your room clearing abilities to succeed.

 

The most key take-away from this sequence is the difference between fast and slow entry to a target room, and the necessity of ingress and egress angles by your teammates as you clear. Movement as a unit helps you maintain your relative safety in game as you work your way through complex buildings or areas. Sometimes, when you have the element of surprise, your best call is to move slow and silent, but once things pop off, violence of action is likely the key. Choosing to start the engagement versus being reactive to your opponent will make you the most successful in these types of situations on the airsoft field. Make sure your teammates are watching your back as you move from zone to zone, making sure you don’t have any unexpected surprises while you work your way from room to room and building to building to take out the bad guys!

 

4. Mount Up

The last tip we’re going to cover today has to do with one of the newest mechanics introduced into the Call of Duty franchise, mounting your weapon on barricades and walls.

 

This technique is used in the game much the same way you would use it with a firearm. It has a similar purpose in airsoft but with different benefits. In game, it helps you with recoil to keep your shots on target. This is very useful with some of the higher recoiling weapons in game like the FAL or the LMG’s you have at your disposal. It also makes your character model harder to hit, and you don’t have to peak out as far to make a shot, helping you avoid the dreaded respawn screen.

 

In airsoft however, it doesn’t help much with recoil, as airsoft guns don’t have much if any kick back by nature, but it does help you in other ways. This technique gives you a frame of reference to your cover or concealment, and helps you more accurately track bbs onto your target when you have to contend with wind and hop up. By bracing your rifle against a hard surface such as the corner of a building, a low wall, or a barricade in can act much like an impromptu bipod and help you steady your aim to take your next shot. It also allows you to keep your body behind cover, and out of the way of incoming rounds, which helps you avoid the dreaded walk back to respawn.

 

Much like drop-shotting and bunny hopping, the key here is the reasoning behind the technique. It helps you stay on target. So many airsofters expose their whole body and wonder why they keep getting shot. With this technique, you can stay on top of your opponents with minimal exposure and keep the other team making the “dead man’s walk” instead of yourself.

Reboot and Remaster Your Techniques

While video games are rarely a perfect analogue to playing airsoft, with the newest Modern Warfare game, you can definitely pick up a few things and add them to your tool box for your next airsoft event. We can always take in new references and new ways to change how we think about the airsoft field and how dynamic it can be. What are some of the things you’ve picked up from Modern Warfare 2019 that you’ve worked into your airsoft game? Let us know in the comments!

 

If you want to pick up some kit to try any of these out for yourself: Click Here.

Want some other tips? Try This Article.