NS-R3 Swarm

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 * -|Ravenous=

The NS-R3 Swarm is a Common Pool rocket launcher, similar to the NS Annihilator. Like the Annihilator an active (green) lock-on is required for being able to launch 1 of the 3 rockets that each magazine supports (so: no dumbfire possible), with a delay of around 1s between each shot, which each requires one more click.

Mechanics
This means that the user will be exposed to the enemy for a longer duration than with any other lock-on rocket launcher. However, there are some advantages to this weapon.

As each shot deals 350 damage and there's 3 of them a total of 1050 damage can be the outcome in an ideal situation while other lock-on rocket launchers only deal 650-750 damage. Other than that there's no benefit in damage to this weapon when compared with the other rocket launchers.

A hidden advantage is the projectile behaviour: Instead of immediately chasing after their target the Swarm's rockets will travel some distance in the direction they've been fired, depending on fire mode, before chasing their target. This eliminates one of the biggest annoyances that other lock-on rocket launchers have to deal with: A projectile that immediately hits the terrain or anything but it's target because it tries to immediately follow a target right after launch instead of trying to gain some height / distance from the user towards the targeted direction first. Also the projectiles will avoid hitting the ground by keeping a minimum distance towards ground level unless they're close to their target.

It's also possible to use lock-on and quickly shoot in any direction (before losing lock-on!) to make the projectiles travel around corners and hit targets that are about to get away.

Noteworthy#1: Because of the projectile's behaviour it may seem like a clever idea to intentionally miss close to mid range vehicles by shooting around them to have the projectiles turn around and hit them from the back. That, however, doesn't deal the expected bonus damage as it should because the game doesn't care about the projectile but the position of the weapon's user to determine from which direction the hit came. So in the end those rear hits count as front / side hits.

Noteworthy#2: Aside from accuracy issues due to firing mode / too close or fast target there's a unique effect that can lead to inaccuracy: Firing too fast. Firing shot after shot without allowing the weapon to settle will cause projectile spawns around the user instead of where they would be expected. These off position spawned projectiles will have a harder time flying towards their target without missing it. Slow projectiles suffer little from that. Fast projectiles much due to their extended lock-on delay and little maneuverability.

The Swarm's 2 firing modes use the same projectiles with the same damage. The major differences are the time until the projectiles starts chasing their target, how well the projectiles can maneuver and the projectile travelling speed. It's a good idea to fire a magazine of slow projectiles at an air unit, followed by fast ones once it tries to get away.
 * NS R3 Swarm Fast Mode.png Fast Projectile mode: The projectiles move twice as fast as in slow projectile mode which costs them half their maneuverability, compared to that mode. They will begin chasing their target at a distance of around 130, which means they can miss anything that close or closer if the target either moves fast or the rockets have been aimed too far away from a target. Target size also matters.
 * NS R3 Swarm Slow Mode.png Slow Projectile mode: The projectiles move at half the speed as in fast projectile mode for twice the maneuverability. Note that their speed in slow projectile mode is still somewhat like that of a Harasser using it's booster. Anything as close as a distance of around 40 can still be missed if the aiming is too far off or the target moves too close and fast.

The fire mode may be changed while aiming, reloading and firing and will do so once the weapon is ready.

Ribbons and Medals
It is possible to earn both Ribbons and Medals while using the. Each ribbon is a standard reward for achieving a set amount of kills with the rocket launcher. Medals are awarded upon reaching kill milestones with the weapon.

History

 * September 4, 2015 Update
 * Added to the game.
 * August 15, 2018 Update
 * Lockon Distance from 400 to 800.
 * Lockon Lifespan from 5 to 12.
 * Dev Note: This adjustment does not change the Swarm’s initial lockon distance, but only the distance (and duration) at which launched rockets will follow their target.
 * June 9, 2021 Hotfix
 * Lock-on Rocket Launchers once again deal damage past 250m. (This change was implemented last week.)