The Swarmer is the mainstay fighter of the Kadeshi fleet, which guards the Great Nebula.
Background[]
These fighters may have been small, but in truth were a fearsome foe for any vessel that dared to cross their path. They were responsible for the destruction of dozens of cargo vessels that passed through the nebula before the nebula was cut off from the galactic shipping lanes. Swarmers were named for their tendency to attack in large numbers like a flock of flies. A dozen Swarmers could reside within one group and two or three of these groups could easily rip any ship apart with their merciless firepower combined with their rapid speed as these encircle their targets.
The only major weakness of the Swarmer is an extremely high fuel consumption in combat maneuvers, which after a minute or so forces the Swarmers to dock with their Fuel Pods. If they do not reach the pods or if the pods are destroyed, the Swarmers will float in space without hope of recovery.
The Kadeshi Ambassador greets the Kushan in the Gardens of Kadesh.
The Swarmer held the distinction of being the first Kadeshi vessel to come face to face with the Kushan during that race's attempt to pass through the nebula while journeying to Hiigara. The Kushan Ambassador met with the Kadeshi Ambassador, whose personal Swarmer craft was dwarfed by the size of the Ambassador's heavy corvette. When the Kushan declined to join the Kadeshi and instead opted to retreat from the Garden of Kadesh, the Kadeshi refused and attacked the Kushan, assaulting them with hundreds of Swarmers, who preyed mercilessly on the Kushan fleet. However, they were met with stiff resistance at the hands of Kushan Defenders and the new Drone Frigate, to which they were especially vulnerable due to their maximized anti-fighter coverage. The Kushan were eventually able to defeat the Kadeshi entirely, but not before suffering great loss at the hands of the Kadeshi's Swarmer forces.
The Advanced Swarmer builds on the Swarmer design by boosting its armor, weapons and engine. As such it could deal twice the firepower on a larger fuel supply, but were deployed in limited numbers and reserved for intensified engagements.
Gameplay[]
- The destruction of the Fuel Pods is the fastest means by which to put entire waves of Swarmers out of commission, as they will drift helplessly in space if they do not receive the necessary refueling.
- Although Remastered removed fuel, and with it, one of the main weaknesses of Strikecraft, the game compensates by making the immense speed of both Swarmer variants dependent on their refueling. Without their Fuel Pods, their speed and maneuverability will be reduced to a quarter of their normal capabilities.
- In Homeworld Classic, player can easily salvage Swarmers that are out of fuel. Because of the high fuel consumption during combat maneuvers (firing and maneuvering at the same time), they perform poorly in the anti-strike craft role. Their relatively high firepower make them more useful in an anti-frigate role. They can also be used in wall formation like Defenders where their fuel issue is not so critical. They are excellent in scout roles because of their high speed (1.5 times faster than Scouts), which allows for very little chance of successful interception.