Earlier today, my squad and I were running some chain domination games. We ran into a lot of the same squads. One in particular spammed vehicles like there was no tomorrow.

In response, we had an ADV FG and two Minmatar Commandos rocking Wiyrkomi Swarms. We wrecked tanks with ease, but the Incubus the other team called in was damn near impossible to kill. After three close calls he recalled his Incubus and whipped out a triple rep Maddy. Between the three of us we were able to continually scare him off, but we never killed him. I wish to God I had the video from the match.

The Incubus had 950 shields and 38xx armor. As soon as his armor started to get low, he would hit the afterburner and rocket straight up, outrunning all 12-24 of the swarms in the air after him. This should not be so simple and easy to do. I'm sorry, but it just shouldn't. Nerf afterburners. Buff swarm flight speed. Something...but swarms are not in a great place right now.

I can't find the thread, but one forum poster described swarms as "fire-and-forget rockets of death". Lets break that down...

You mean the rockets that can be easily outrun by a ADS with a burner?
You mean the rockets that crash into the ground if you dodge behind a low hill?
You mean the rockets that you can see coming and dodge so they smash into anything you choose to hide behind?

Fire and forget, indeed. Forget that you fired, maybe.

Swarms DO NOT need a straight damage buff. They are space-age, futuristic rockets...the USAF has rockets that travel at Mach 6 and you're telling me that the Caldari can't engineer rockets that can chase down a fat dropship traveling at a few hundred km/h? If anything, I'd like to see them get a significant flight speed buff. If you see them coming and have the reaction time to find cover, good on you. But if they're behind you and homing in for the kill, there should be nothing in the game currently that can outrun them.

Flame as you will. Running swarms is fun for me and I do not regret for an instant that I spent the SP to get them to 5 and start working on proficiency...but they desperately need a buff. Right now the only vehicle I can "fire-and-forget" my swarms with is a FULL militia fit DS/LAV/HAV with a crap-ass pilot. And maybe any variant of shield LAV because they're pretty squishy.