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Swarm Launcher (AV) Guide

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Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 389	Posted - 2013.06.01 00:25:00 - [1] - Quote Swarm Launcher specialists are a rare breed. The Swarm Launcher is the only weapon that canGÇÖt target Infantry, and if you canGÇÖt defend yourself against Infantry you are not going to last very long on the battlefield. Particularly when you are shooting flares in the air to mark your location. So very few people put points into Swarm Launchers because what is the use of an Anti Vehicle (AV) weapon if you canGÇÖt survive on the battlefield long enough to use it? The answer to this dilemma is the Submachine Gun (SMG). While most people know the SMG as a sidearm capable of finishing off a half dead opponent when your primary weapon runs out of ammo, there are some who have discovered that with SMG Operations 5 this little gun will rival an Assault Rifle in all but range. With proper skills you can be a fully functional Assault, Logi, or Scout while using SMG as your primary weapon. Because a Swarm Launcher fit depends so strongly on SMG as its primary anti infantry weapon, I will include a mini SMG guild as part of this Swarm Launcher guide. (A Scrambler Pistol can be substituted for the SMG if you know how to use it.) Skills: Swarm Launcher Operation: 5 (Mandatary) Swarm Launcher Proficiency: 2 or 3 (Strongly Advised) Submachine Gun Operation: 5 (Mandatary) Submachine Gun Proficiency: 2 or 3 (Strongly Advised) Submachine Gun Sharp Shooter: (Recommended) Level Fitting skills (Engineering & Electronics etc) until you can fit a Proto Swarm Launcher. For your Swarm Launcher, Go Proto or Go Home: Fit a Proto Swarm Launcher as soon as possible. I donGÇÖt care if the rest of your fit is Basic, your Swarm Launcher needs to be Proto. The reason is that each level of Swarm Launcher shoots an additional missile, and each missile does 330 base damage. Militia/Basic Swarm Launcher: 4 x 330 = 1320 Advanced Swarm Launcher: 5 x 330 = 1650 Proto Swarm Launcher: 6 x 330 = 1980 With points into Proficiency and Damage Mods that can go well over 2000 damage per missile swarm. I actually like the way this is balanced. You can get a free Militia Swarm Launcher with the Anti Vehicle Starter fit. It is good enough for killing Militia LAVGÇÖs or turrets, but is weak against fitted tanks, as a free AV weapon should be. While the Proto Swarm Launcher which is skill point intensive is considerably stronger, and with enough cover, time, and ammo can take out any vehicle currently in the game. Suits: If you are running an Assault suit, fit it as you would a frontline Assault suit, and equip a Nano Hive. The Minmatar Assault suit bonus adds 4 bullets to your SMG clip per level, so I give a slight preference to the Minmatar assault suit for its bonus and its speed. If you are running a Scout suit, fit it as you would normally fit a Scout suit, and equip a Nano Hive. A Scout suitGÇÖs speed for getting into and changing positions is a big plus. Its ability to hide from active scanners is very helpful as well, especially when tank hunting. With the Minmatar Scout, substituting Nova Knives for the SMG might be workable. If you run a Logi suit, then you are suicidal. I mean really! You better be good at Melee! The exception is the Amarr Proto Logi suit which has a sidearm slot. If you run a Heavy suit, you better be able to drive a LAV because you are not going to catch those tanks on foot! Also, why arenGÇÖt you using a Forge Gun? Equipment: A Nano Hive is mandatory. A Proto Swarm Launcher has a total capacity of 5 rounds, and holds 4 rounds in the clip, so that is only 1 round for reload. You will burn through those 5 rounds very quickly. SMG Guide: The strengths of the SMG is that it is light and has good tracking. Unlike larger weapons, you can use the SMG almost instantly when you come out of a sprint, or when you switch weapons. In close quarter combat (CQC) you should be hip firing while strafing and dancing around to avoid incoming fire. When hip firing the SMG has the tracking speed to allow you to keep on target more easily than with an Assault Riffle, even with all this moving around. DonGÇÖt Aim down the sights (ADS) in CQC unless you are taking your target by surprise. ADS reduces your tracking speed. If you can successfully take advantage of an HMG HeavyGÇÖs slow tracking speed to dodge their fire, you can take an HMG Heavy down 1v1 with a SMG. The SMG has less rang that an Assault Riffle, but you should be effective out to about 30m, particularly if you level SMG Sharp Shooter to reduce spread. Aim down the sights (ADS) when your target is more than 10m out, or is stationary (such as an Uplink, or a guy hacking). Use cover to get close to your opponent, or to force your opponent to come to you. The SMG does more damage to armour than shields, so starting an engagement with a Flux grenade can give you an advantage. As mentioned above, maxing out SMG Operation is important to making the SMG effective. Also, the Minmatar Assault suit bonus adds 4 bullets to your clip per level. Due to itGÇÖs tracking speed, the SMG also works very well with Scout suits.
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 389	Posted - 2013.06.01 00:26:00 - [2] - Quote Reserved
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 389	Posted - 2013.06.01 00:26:00 - [3] - Quote Reserved
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 389	Posted - 2013.06.01 00:26:00 - [4] - Quote Reserved
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 389	Posted - 2013.06.01 00:26:00 - [5] - Quote Reserved
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 447	Posted - 2013.06.11 12:29:00 - [6] - Quote BARDAS wrote: Oh wow, this is exactly what I been looking for. Great read. Why SMG instead of Flaylock though? Never used SMGs so not sure how viable they are for my anti-infantry needs. Been playing with the Flaylock though on an alt and got a dual wield setup for when there are no vehicles around to play with. I did not include the Flaylock because I have no experience with it. I use the SMG as my primary weapon. I know people who do the same with Nova Knives, and I know that the Scrambler Pistol can be a very effective weapon if you can consistently get head shots. I know the Flaylock Pistol is a very good weapon, but I have not yet heard a lot of reports on its use as a primary weapon. Since I did not have a chance to test or confirm its viability, I did not mention it in the guide. If you have used an SMG with level one skill you were probably not very impressed with it. The spread is so great that even when you aim correctly, a lot of bullets miss your target completely. Therefor its paper DPS does not translate into reality and it feels weak. However, if you use the same SMG with SMG Optimization at 5 to reduce the spread and you aim well, most of your bullets will hit the target, and in CQC you will do as much or more damage than an Assault Rifle, especially against armour. When you have SMG fully skilled, an Assault RifleGÇÖs only advantage over an SMG is range.
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 700	Posted - 2013.07.22 18:09:00 - [7] - Quote Soldiersaint wrote: wow! this thread just proves how much i suck at this game Then the joy of discovery should keep the game interesting for you for a long time to come. Sucking is temporary condition which can be greatly shortened through research and training. Also, donGÇÖt let the HAV pilotGÇÖs QQ get under your skin (reference to posts in another thread). You have to understand that there are some serious problems, particularly for Armour HAVGÇÖs right now that need to be addressed, and some of HAV pilots are blaming AV weapons rather than recognizing the root of their problems. When a HAV driver says that Swarm Launchers are Easy Mode, keep in mind that true Easy Mode would be driving a HAV in a would with ineffective AV. The skill of both a user of Swarm Launchers and a HAV operator is in their ability to stay alive. In both cases, hitting the target is the easy part. Hitting the target without being taken out yourself is the chalange.
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 764	Posted - 2013.08.02 13:40:00 - [8] - Quote LudiKure ninda wrote: I hope you kill yourself with your swarm launcher I am fairly certain that I have already done that. I was not quite out from behind cover when I fired and two Swarms exploded against the wall 1m from me.
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 840	Posted - 2013.08.23 21:04:00 - [9] - Quote Quil Evrything wrote: Seems like this thread needs an update: militia swarms now have 6 missiles instead of 4 I think? I am talking about the number of missiles that come out of the end of your launcher every time you let go of the trigger, not the number of missile packs that you have in the weapon or on your person when you spawn.
Fox Gaden DUST University Ivy League 840	Posted - 2013.08.23 21:33:00 - [10] - Quote I just checked. The info in game on the basic Swarm Launcher still says 4 missiles. Or are you talking about after 1.4? I have not looked at the patch notes yet.

Fox Gaden Expert Intervention Caldari State 846	Posted - 2013.08.24 16:39:00 - [11] - Quote ThatGÇÖs ok Qull. Maybe you where experiencing a glitch. Stranger things have happened.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 873	Posted - 2013.09.05 23:38:00 - [12] - Quote For a while you could cancel by switching weapons, then switching weapons caused it to shoot. I will have to test to see if this was fixed. I will have to update it for 1.4 soon, so I will try to test those things before I do.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 1463	Posted - 2013.10.30 17:48:00 - [13] - Quote Humble Seeker wrote: Is these any chance that this guide could be updated for the upcoming swarm launcher nerf? No Swarm Launcher nerf was mentioned in the 1.6 Patch Notes. I will not be making any changes based on 1.7 changes until the 1.7 patch notes are released, or specific and confirmed information is otherwise available. Even then, I may hold off until I have tested the results of changes. In the past I have made updates based on patch notes and then discovered that the effect of the changes panned out differently than expected. Immortal Guides, supporting knowledge dissemination in New Eden since August 31, 2013.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 1478	Posted - 2013.11.01 14:24:00 - [14] - Quote Good Point. The Militia Swarm Launcher is under powered, but it sort of has to be since it is free. The Advanced Swarm Launcher is fairly balanced. It is only the Proto Swarm Launcher which is over powered. As far as the nerf to damage, keep in mind that the effective health of LAVGÇÖs, DropShips, and Tanks is being changed at the same time. Immortal Guides, supporting knowledge dissemination in New Eden since August 31, 2013.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 1754	Posted - 2013.12.05 16:55:00 - [15] - Quote I updated the guide with 1.7 stats from the Patch notes. Testing will have to be done post 1.7 to determine if the tactics sections need to be updated.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 1859	Posted - 2013.12.16 15:18:00 - [16] - Quote I have updated Swarm Launcher tactics. I explain how to deal with cool-downs. I also have removed any references I could find to soloing tanks. It may still be a little optimistic considering the current state of swarm launchers, but I donGÇÖt want to rewrite it for the current situation and then have to rewrite it again when Swarm Launchers get a buff. The tactics are solid, it is just that they would work a whole lot better if the Swarm Launcher was not so under powered. Edit: I would like to see the following changes: Swarm missile damage should be buffed from 220 to 250 per missile (down from 330 in 1.6). Swarm Launcher lock range should be buffed from 175m to 200m (down from 400m in 1.6). I think that this would still leave the Swarm Launcher underpowered, but it is better to take a small step and then reevaluate, than to take too big a step and end up back were we were in 1.6.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 1883	Posted - 2013.12.17 12:59:00 - [17] - Quote My analysis of the Swarm Launcher in 1.7: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=1618156#post1618156 Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else, there is the Learning Coalition.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 2426	Posted - 2014.02.06 19:55:00 - [18] - Quote This had reached page 8 and was well on its way to being locked for inactivity, which in itself is a commentary on the importance of Swarm Launchers in 1.7. Being an optimist I am going to assume that I will need to update this guide with some new numbers in 1.8, so here is a bump to keep it from getting locked. It is just a hassle having to put in a petition to unlock a guide so I can update it. Fox Gaden: DUST Wall of Fame, 2014
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 2925	Posted - 2014.04.13 11:07:00 - [19] - Quote Mojo XXXIII wrote: Great guide, very helpful! I am working on updating it. I will probably post the updates sometime this coming week. Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 2928	Posted - 2014.04.14 16:38:00 - [20] - Quote I have completely rewritten this guide to adapt to the changes which came with patches 1.7 and 1.8, as well as later hot fixes. Swarm Launcher tactics have gone through a substantial evolution, which has resulted in the guide being quite a bit longer than it was initially. Even after juggling things around I am still approaching the character limit on all three posts. Thankfully I reserved a post, as I will need to use it if I add anything more. Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.

Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 4015	Posted - 2014.08.07 18:01:00 - [21] - Quote Updated for Hotfix Charlie. Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 4015	Posted - 2014.08.07 18:46:00 - [22] - Quote 1.8.b Proto Swarm: 220 x 6 = 1320 damage 1 Damage mod: 220 x 6 = 1320 + 5% = 1386 2 Damage mod: 220 x 6 = 1320 + 9.35% = 1443.42 3 Damage mod: 220 x 6 = 1320 + 12.2% = 1481.04 1.8.c Proto Swarm: 312 x 4 = 1248 1 Damage mod: 312 x 4 = 1248 + 7% = 1335.36 2 Damage mod: 312 x 4 = 1248 + 13.09% = 1411.36 3 Damage mod: 312 x 4 = 1248 + 17.08% = 1461.16 Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.

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