I feel like I'm getting a higher kill rate than with the standard lock-ons, probably mostly because I get three shots at striking the final blow. It's more fun to use than the standard launcher, since you can "flick" the rockets around nearby obstacles, and the slow ones will pop up into the air before they start tracking, so they seem to do better against ground vehicles than standard rockets. It was nice to have during the harasser craze spurred by the new ES AV weapons, but that's already starting to die down. Since you can't dumbfire the rockets, you don't want to be using it around infantry. All in all, you should get the standard AA launcher (Hawk for NC) first, but it's a nice toy if you have spare certs or are looking for a zero-nanite infantry-based AV option.
I don't know how good it is but it sure is fun to watch those 3 rockets slowly track targets all over the place. I can see where it gets the name it really is like watching a swarm of bees chasing some stolen honey. Best part is most pilots know what mode they are in and know they can out run them so they keep flying away usually taking them out of the fight. By that time they are gone and you are already tracking another target.
Slow mode (you're right, it's the one bullet icon) is generally best for moving ground vehicles, because the fast ones will tend to miss and hit the ground. Aircraft can outrun the slow missiles, though, so you probably want to use fast missiles on them.
I'm not sure what to make of this launcher. It does its job, but I wonder if it's actually any better than, say, Annihilator. What Swarm certainly has covered is ammo capacity, I've yet to ever run out of ammo with this thing. Fire mode switching is neat, makes the process a bit more fun and involved than usual lock ons, albeit not by much. Despite having lots of rockets and quick reload, it still feels like it doesn't do much damage. Basically, it feels like a nerfed original Striker - something that was good only at medium-long range and only when used in droves.
The Swarm actually has a higher damage output than the other lock on weapons pr clip, but higher chance of missing. The slow fire mode MUST be used vs vehicles to even hit, but vehicles are slower anyway and could be used on loitering ESF. The fast mode is decent towards escaping and damaged ESF... Overall, you will FIRST hit better with an Annihilator (missile fly to where the ESF will be in the future) or the NC Hawk or similar VS/TR (missile follows the ESF and catches up to it by being faster), but in a zerg fight the Swarm, with both fire mods, seems like a good finisher. Mainly because the fast mode tracks longer than the other lock ons.So, if you just barley made it out of the combat area against an Annihilator, you will then die to a Swarm fast mode because the missile tracks longer. Bottom line is, in my view, the Swarm has its spot, but its situational.
i dont like it - the range is too short, and the lockon time is too long - it feels like the Striker 1.0's 5 year old son (if the Striker 1.0 was a 45 year old war veteren) Sure its got the same characteristics, but not even viable
Good?Yes.The best?No. The best RL in the game, is the decimator, IMO, because it has the higher damage when you can hit things. Btw, the swarm is usefull is these situations: AA:Lots of air, or just one can be scaried away with lock-ons, the swarm(if aimed and fired at the right time and direction) will allways hit the enemy, because of their kind of flight.(THis in slow mode(I never used the fast mode)) AT:Tanks with good maneuverability like the Swagrider, or lightnings with full certifications in racer chassis can be hard to hit with common RLs, so the swarm can do the job too. The way to get kills with the swarm are these(at least happened with me until now): Supporting Anti air(Maxes n' ****), helping blowing that sundy that is almost out of sight that everyone is shooting, solo ESF/Libs(with low certs on defense) or in large tank battles. It's more likely for you to be surprised with the kill, then the enemy who just got blow up. Hope I could help.
