| “ | The Glyphid Swarmer is the smallest known variant of Glyphid, barely out of the larval stage and not yet to the point where they develop any significant armor plating. They're small enough to mostly be taken out with a single good stomp or a well-placed bullet, but don't let that fool you - their teeth and claws remain very razor-sharp, and are fully capable of puncturing both skin and heavy-duty cloth. Also, they jump. Management recommends protective headgear and goggles when dealing with swarmers. |
| — Miner's Manual Description |
The Glyphid Swarmer (colloquially known as the "Hoxxes IV Ankle Biter") is a hostile creature found on Hoxxes IV. It is a small, underdeveloped Glyphid with peach skin, lacking any bodily chitin unlike the majority of its matured brethren. Its Glacial Strata variant differs by being light blue in color while the Radioactive Exclusion Zone variant is light green. Glyphid Swarmers created by the Glyphid Dreadnought's Swarm Bladder are dark red in color.
Glyphid Swarmers are smaller, faster versions of the common Glyphid Grunt and often swarm the dwarves in large groups, serving as a distraction or overwhelming them with sheer numbers. They are one of the most agile of all Glyphids, and will often leap around, towards, or run around their prey to startle them and attack from all directions. Swarmers are also found lurking in Glyphid tunnels, and will awaken to attack any dwarf who approaches the nest.
This creature has a Glacial Strata variant which is less vulnerable to cold but more vulnerable to heat, and a Radioactive Exclusion Zone variant which is immune to radiation and produces a small cloud of radiation upon death.
Swarmers can appear in a number of ways besides the usual roving packs and swarms. They spawn from Glyphid tunnels, which are composed of an unknown purple material, from clusters of Glyphid eggs found in the Dense Biozone and the Fungus Bogs, and from pheromone-filled egg sacs hurled by the Glyphid Dreadnought. There is also a rare type of swarm that heavily spawns Swarmers. These swarms are always prefaced by an alert from Mission Control.
The Glyphid Spawns produced by a Glyphid Brood Nexus are very similar to Swarmers, but they're even smaller and less resilient.
Combat
The Glyphid Swarmer's combat behavior is identical to the Glyphid Spawn. However, the Swarmer has slightly more health. Nonetheless, an easy way to kill it is by simply using a pickaxe, so as to conserve ammo for larger threats.
Health and Armor
| Effective
Health Scaling |
Hazard Level | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Mission | DD | EDD | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | ||||
| Player Count |  to 
|
8.4 | 12 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | ||
Attacks
| Direct Melee Attack | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Amount | Hazard Level | ||||||||||||
| Normal Mission | DD | EDD | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | ||||
| Player Count |
|
1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 4 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 3 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 6 | ||
|
1 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 6 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 6 | 6.4 | |||
|
1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 | |||
|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6.8 | 3 | 3.6 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 | |||
| Details | |||||||||||||
| Damage Type | Melee | ||||||||||||
| Max. Range | 2.3 m | ||||||||||||
| Max. Angle | 180° | ||||||||||||
| Direct Melee Attack | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Amount | Hazard Level | ||||||||||||
| Normal Mission | DD | EDD | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | ||||
| Player Count |
|
1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 4 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 3 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 6 | ||
|
|
1 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 6 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 6 | 6.4 | |||
|
|
1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 | |||
|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6.8 | 3 | 3.6 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 | |||
| Details | |||||||||||||
| Damage Type | Melee | ||||||||||||
| Max. Range | 2.3 m | ||||||||||||
| Max. Angle | 35° | ||||||||||||
Gallery
Radioactive Exclusion Zone appearance.
Glacial Strata appearance.
Eggs Glyphid Swarmers can spawn from when destroyed found in the Dense Biozone.
Trivia
- Although its Miner's Manual description states that the Glyphid Swarmer is the smallest known variant, this title actually attributes to the Glyphid Spawn, which is partially smaller than the former.
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