Swarmer — deadspace

Swarmers are tiny Necromorphs that appear to be composed only of re-animated bits of flesh that attack in large numbers and attempt to latch onto their victims and overwhelm them.

They are a minor threat, but if a few get on Isaac, they will drain his health very quickly, often resulting in death within mere seconds even on lower difficulties, especially if inadequately prepared.

Overview

Dead_Space_Pregnant_+_Swarmer_Necromorph_Sounds_HD — Dead Space Pregnant + Swarmer Necromorph Sounds HD

Swarmers often reside inside Pregnants and only come out when the latter's stomach is ruptured, but are also encountered from time to time in independent swarms or, bizarrely, inside boxes, where they jump out onto unsuspecting victims.

When Swarmers have no target in sight, they stay in place and flail their bodies around. Swarmers make high-pitched screeching noises and barks when encountered. It is unknown how they do this, as they seemingly have no way to emit sounds. It is possible, however, that Swarmers create these sounds by rubbing certain "body" parts together, much like real-world grasshoppers and cicadas.

It is unknown what forms a Swarmer, though it is possible that they are composed of small bones such as from the fingers and connecting tissue or cartilage. During Dead Space 2, Swarmers are seen leaving the corpse of Sally Hennen, further suggesting this. If you look closely at some screenshots, you can see that they appear to be made out of human hands, albeit the Necromorph infection has made the fingers longer and thinner than an average hand, as well as the entire hand being noticeably smaller in proportion. They could also be made of random bits of flesh of pieces of the Corruption that got close to the Marker's signal and reanimated, the way these pieces could be made is them being torn off Necromorphs or survivors/corpses. The Pregnant's Swarmers could have been an infant's rotting corpse that has been morphed after the Pregnant has been infected.

Swarmers possible method of attack could be a concealed proboscis that is located underneath the body of an individual Swarmer. The proboscis is normally retracted within the body of the Swarmer, and extended to puncture through their victims. The proboscis can be observed when a Swarmer is stationary and not engaged. These give them a similar look to an Infector. It is possible that Swarmers are able to infect victims they kill, as yellow liquid can be see coming from them when they attack. This is possibly the same liquid that Infectors inject into corpses to turn them into Necromorphs, increasing their "Infector Feel".

One little known (yet disgusting) fact about Swarmers is that they can apparently travel via septic lines. In the sixth chapter of Dead Space, one can be observed leaping out of the toilet in the women's restroom. Also, in Dead Space: Extraction, they can be seen as the protagonist crawls through the septic pipes. This does not mean that they are formed inside human feces, but more likely that they use the septic lines to travel great distances, just as most regular Necromorphs use air vents to move around.

Strategy

Dead Space

Swarmers move in a coordinated, general direction; they will never break off from the group, which makes them easier to track down in the long run. They could be the only enemy the Plasma Cutter should not be used against unless it is the only weapon available, due to their numbers, small size, speed and ability to jump.
- In some areas with doors, Swarmers can't seem to pass through. Use this to easily take them all out to avoid damage on higher difficulties.
A shot of Stasis can slow down an entire swarm, making them easier to kill and escape from.
The best weapons for eliminating a swarm are those with splash-damage weaponry.
The Flamethrower is a great choice for clearing a swarm if you're carrying it. A quick stasis shot followed up by a steady blast can burn through their low health rapidly and requires about one tank.
The Line Gun's mine is a good initial weapon to use against a swarm until you receive more weaponry, although it has to be carefully timed in order to make sure that it hits the Swarmers.
The Pulse Rifle is a good choice due to its large magazine size and high rate of fire. It wouldn't take more than a full magazine to eliminate a single swarm due to its sufficient firepower and the tendency of Swarmers to group together. However Pulse Rifle ammo is better saved for tougher enemies.
A single, well-placed shot from the Force Gun, Line Gun, or the Contact Beam's secondary fire can wipe out an entire swarm. It's not recommended to use the Contact Beam though, given the scarcity of its ammo, and the fact that you have to get close to the Swarmers to use it.
A single Ripper blade can wipe out an entire swarm as well, provided you keep your aim steady and around the midst of the swarm. However this requires closer proximity.

Dead Space 2

A decent weapon to use in Dead Space 2 is the Javelin Gun, due to the cheap price of and the general high amount of ammo you can find. If you don't want to get near a group of Swarmers, fire a Javelin in their path and activate the Secondary Fire, which will destroy all Swarmers in a single burst easily.
Swarmers can also be found on normal and enhanced Slashers, as they crawl over its flesh, and this makes both the Slasher and the Swarmers a much more dangerous encounter. In the case of 'Hosts', use the Javelin gun - it'll kill the Swarmers and slow down the Necormorph Host as well, if not kill it outright.
On rare occasions, Swarmers will attach themselves to other Necromorphs, so they can get to their target faster. This is extremely dangerous, especially if there's more than one Necromorph around, since the Swarmers can latch onto you while their companions take out chunks of your health.
An interesting observation is that sometimes Swarmers burst from corpses-destroying the torso and leaving only the head and limbs behind as they move to attack. This can be observed in the Unitologist Church. This potentially suggests they can also form from internal organs and bone structure, or may simply use the body as a means of ambush.
As a last resort, the Alt-Fire of the Contact Beam will kill any Swarmers within range, including those already attached to the player.
On harder difficulties, throwing items with Kinesis to kill Swarmers without wasting scarce ammo is viable, but beware if there are other Necromorphs in the room.
As one would expect, Swarmers are very weak - if you want to conserve ammo and are only facing a few Swarmers, you can Stasis the group and stomp them to death.

Dead Space: Extraction

Swarmers will attack the player from time to time; the best strategy to do is shake the controller/remote up and down very rapidly. Though not causing much damage, it gives the other Necromorphs time to get closer.
If a Pregnant is attacked using the PFM-100 Hydrogen Torch Flamethrower, the Swarmers inside of it will likely die as well, making this weapon handy against them at closer range.
A very effective weapon is the Arc Welder, as it will usually kill a large group of Swarmers quickly. If you use controlled bursts and if surrounded, use the secondary mode.

Trivia

Swarmers are the smallest Necromorphs in the games, the second being the Swarm Infector in Dead Space 3.
Swarmers do not count towards Achievements/Trophies such as "My Boom Stick", "Necro Flambe" and "The Lawnmower Man". This is more than likely due to how easy they are to kill.
- However, Swarmers do count towards the "Shock therapy" Achievement/Trophy, as long as the one impaled is any other Necromorph. The Slashers with Swarmers latched on them work well.
In Dead Space 2, there is a glitch in Chapter 10 when you encounter Swarmers and some Slashers in the Tram Station. If you leave one Swarmer, then go into the previous room (let the Swarmer follow you) and use the store, after you are done the Swarmer will not be able to attack you and can only follow you. The Swarmer cannot follow you into the tram. It is unknown if this can be done with more than one Swarmer, or with other encounters, or even in the first game.
Swarmers have ragdoll physics for the first time in the franchise in the 2023 remake, their admittedly small bodies easily susceptible to Kinesis and other physics impulses. They cannot be dismembered through any means, however, nor do they display any visible damage past death.

Death Scene

Should Isaac fail to get the Swarmers off his back before his vitality gives out, he will drop to his knees, still trying to get the Swarmers off. He then finally succumbs and falls on his back as the Swarmers continue tearing into his flesh.

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