We have no problem with dying to AV, we expect it. We can't stand being taken out so quickly and with no recourse, oh and the fact that we get crappy rewards for putting huge amounts on the line.

Picture this: You're flying along in your 1.2 Million ISK Assault Dropship from your base over to your squad mates, in hopes of aiding them from the sky. Finally, after a long and dangerous flight of blowing up installations in fear of an enemy using one to shoot you down, you reach your squad members and start raining fire from above. You balance your ship above your squad mates and shoot down three hostile targets with the front-mounted missile turret. You're about to get a fourth kill when suddenly, an enemy trooper with a CBR7 Swarm Launcher takes out 1/4 of your shield. You get the hint, they don't want you there. You pan your ship left and right, desperately in search of the swarmer. Bang. Shields at 50%. You react by activating your Shield Booster, hopefully in time to boost your reps by the time you find him. A third volley slams into your hull but you have no idea where the swarm came, they're too faint or almost invisible to see. You make the wise decision to abandon your squad mates and gain some altitude. You evade the pestering swarm launchers fourth volley and get out of his range. Your squad starts coming into some heavy enemy fire. You've had enough time repping your shields off-grid, you want to get back into the fight. You decide to head back into the battlefield with around 75% shields. You've just returned to your squadrons position and open fire upon the troops below, but before you get that evasive scout, your armour is at 50%. You have no idea what has happened. In despair, you attempt to activate your shield repair but you know it's already too late. You try to accelerate away, only to find your ship in flames and heading for the ground. You bail while your ship explodes in a fiery ball of death, rewarding you -90 WP's for 'Python Destruction' and as you try to gauge your situation, a 9K330 forge gun round hits your position, sending you into the next dimension.

Storytime over. How can a 6,585 ISK Swarm Launcher that only takes less than a million SP pin down a 1.2 million ISK ship worth over a 3million SP that easily? Or the fast firing forge gun that does 1.5k damage (base) with a 3.5 second charge time? That's barely any time for the pilot to accelerate away and try rep their shields.

Not to mention that the infantry have the advantage of being 1) smaller targets, 2) able to use most cover to their advatange 3)
are very hard to see from most distance, including their tags only showing up from a pitiful few yards.

Give the Dropships a buff like every other vehicle did, because they're the vehicles that needed it the most, yet as matter of fact, today they got 'nerfed' as pointed out in various other threads (source: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=76984&find=unread and https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=76963&find=unread)

On the other hand, I do greatly appreciate the new handling / speed increases, but there is still more work to be done on them, including the WP's for mobile CRU spawns (which can be exploit-proof easily with certain limitations).

Wow, that's just unlucky. In a speedy ship, I am usually out of the area once I hear the blaring warning sound.

Here's your problem. You stayed STILL while the swarm launcher was firing at you. Infantry needs something to fire at us or we would be god mode. Learn that when AV starts firing at you, you bug out, ESPECIALLY Caldari Dropships.

I run Gallente, and swarms really don't bug me. You may be asking yourself, "But Mary, you are Gallente, slower and weaker to explosive." Oh ho ho oh vaunted poster, there you are dead wrong. I can easily fit an afterburner to my Gallente and sacrifice NONE of my armor tank and the speed allows me to run circles while the missiles miss. My passive and active damage resistances allow me to eat the ones that hit and my mobility grants me the ability to get out of the way.

Would I like a buff? Yes. Do I think the AV should be nerfed? No. Its a delicate balance between being god-mode in the sky and easily eaten.

To the forge gunners on this post, yes, you eat Caldari dropships easily because of their lower mobility and resistance to your shots. Armor tanked Incubi can survive many hits from the lower tier, and my top-tier build can survive 2-3 hits from an Ishikone Forge Gun. Buff me much more and we'll have forge gunner threads talking about how they need to be buffed to kill those damnable dropships.

I recommend going Gallente if you choose Dropships. The armor allows you greater survivability against the true threats against your ship: Rail Gun Tanks, Rail Gun Installations, and Forge Gunners. Swarm Launchers are dreadfully inadequate against an experienced aerial targets, even with the bonus to armor damage.

Good flying, pilots.