Nerf Rival Fate XXII-100, Vision XXII-800, and Pathfinder XXII-1200 Blasters Review

The Nerf Rivals series prioritizes accuracy over all else. They have a uniform design aesthetic, characterized by sleek forms, a matte finish, and a predominately cerulean blue palette with black, orange, and yellow accents. You can think of the Fate, Vision, and Pathfinder as the small, medium, and large options, respectively. With such grandiose names, the Rival trio has some big expectations for which they must deliver. Thankfully, they do for the most part!

Your ammo is a series of small golf-ball shaped pellets, rather than the traditional dart. The idea for all three is the same, load the chamber and/or mag, and a spring loaded feeder will advance the next pellet as you prime. Priming is done by pulling the handles of the Fate and Vision, and by pumping the hand grip on the Pathfinder. Unlike other Nerf blasters which only need you to pull back the handle, the Rival series requires you to pull, and push it back into the original position. Otherwise, the trigger gets stuck and you can’t fire. This may take some getting used to. There were a few times where multiple pellets would fire at once, which is a bug, not a feature. Each blaster has an adjustable sight that can be moved by hand or by dial. Also, all three have a safety so you can lock the trigger when not in use.

The firing test went wonderfully. All three are much more accurate than your average dart-based Nerf blaster. The ammo is round, so expect it to bounce all over the place, making it even harder to keep track of than darts, if you can believe it. Also, this must be said, but Nerf only gives you enough pellets to fill one magazine, and no extras. This is pretty standard for Nerf, but it’s still disappointing.