When you’re in the middle of a Battlefield 6 firefight and your rifle suddenly stops doing any damage, it feels like the game turns against you. This bug has puzzled many players, leading to posts on Reddit such as “Why does my primary stop doing damage if I play too long?” The problem stems from a mix of game-side bugs, data desync, and leftover logic from beta testing.

The origins of the bug

Players first noticed the issue in early sessions after the October 10 launch. The main complaint: after several gunfights or a few minutes of gameplay, primary weapons—assault rifles, LMGs, and even DMRs—would deal no visible damage even when hitting center mass. The bug isn’t universal; some players experience it only after respawn or after using certain vehicle weapons before switching back to infantry mode.​

Fixes to reduce hit registration issues in Battlefield 6

Action Description
Restart match or switch server Resets the session’s network synchronization and weapon bloom variables that may cause the bug.
Avoid heavy optics or hybrid sights Reduces ADS delay and desync caused by certain attachments amplifying lag spikes.
Adjust controller deadzone (8–10%) Prevents micro input lag and drift known to worsen aim and hit registration issues.
Verify game files (PC only) Ensures no corrupted shader or outdated DirectX file is causing visual or logic inconsistencies.
Switch loadouts between respawns Temporarily resets bloom and desync, restoring proper damage registration for primaries.

Why it happens

The most likely culprit is an error in the hit registration system, often combined with what DICE refers to as “dispersion or bloom miscalibration.” Battlefield’s ballistic model relies on local prediction from the client and verification from the server. When network desync happens, especially under high server load, confirmed hits may not register server-side.

Why does my primary stop doing damage if I play for more than 3-4 hours?
by u/Apprehensive_BongRip in Battlefield6

The community and future patches

As of October 17, players across Reddit continue documenting hit detection inconsistencies, with some reporting visual hit markers appearing but no actual kills counted. Developers have confirmed ongoing work to “retune dispersion and damage confirmation logic across net sessions” and may roll out a new balance patch later in October.​

DICE’s community team has stressed that this issue doesn’t stem from weapon balance but from code synchronization in online instances. They recommend turning on the in-game packet loss overlay from the settings menu to detect unstable server conditions.