This is the first part of a several part series that I have planned for Tyranid Tactics. At some point I might decide to combine them all into one tactica, however, it would be a huge and ponderous article, especially since this tactica is already lengthy enough.
The intent of this article is to provide newer players with some references on how to build a good Hive Tyrant depending on what they wish their Tyrant to do for them in their army.
Please be constructive with your criticism and If I've made glaring mistakes, then I only ask that you politely inform of them and I will amend this article with all due haste.
This tactica will deal with the complicated problem of engineering a Hive Tyrant for either of its best two roles; Close Combat or Ranged Firepower. I will go over the roles of these specific creatures and detail in some length which Biomorphs are fitting and which biomorphs are wastes of points.
Keep in mind, while reading this tactica, that I consider “well rounded� Hive Tyrants to be quite ineffective. A Tyranid army does not have enough points to play around with to make a Hive Tyrant exceptional in two different areas, therefore, it will only be of average ability in both roles if you attempt to divide it’s time between shooting and close combat.
Part 1 – Close Combat Tyrant
The close combat hive Tyrant seeks to close quickly with their foe and get there with enough health left to deal massive damage to whatever unit it assaults. Primarily, a close combat Hive Tyrant should seek out enemy troop formations, preferably elite units with either equal or less initiative than itself. This will be easily done, even against armies with high Initiative values if the correct biomorphs are chosen.
While a close combat Hive Tyrant is also good at assaulting tanks, his high initiative and high amounts of attacks will prove more efficient against troops than against armor. Only consider assaulting armor if that armor is causing massive damage to your troops and cannot be taken out by any other method.
Preferred Close Combat Biomorphs – As far as weapon biomorphs go, the choices are easy. You can either take the Bone Sword and Lash Whip, Rending Claws or Scything Talons. If I don’t mention a Biomorph in this section, then it is because I consider it a waste of points on a Close Combat Hive Tyrant.
The Bone Sword and Lash Whip are easily summed up in one word: Terrible. This should be a last resort for a Hive Tyrant as it provides little bonus to the Tyrant itself. This weapon is expensive, and brings little direct close combat ability to the table.
If you plan on using this Biomorph, then it is my suggestion that you take a Winged Hive Tyrant in order to keep up with your faster Gaunts and the rest of the creatures in your army that could benefit from this power.
Rending Claws on a Hive Tyrant are currently a point of debate among Tyranid players. Some say that the added benefit of the Rending ability against armor makes it worth losing an extra close combat attack. Others, such as myself, contend that a Hive Tyrant should focus his abilities against Elite “infantry� units and not against armor. It is my opinion, then, that Rending Claws are overall a waste of a Hive Tyrants potential in close combat when compared to the added benefit of Scything Talons.
NOTE: I will reassess my opinion of this particular Weapon Biomorph after GW releases the Tyranid FAQ as there is quite a bit of debate over how Rending Claws and Monstrous Creatures work at this point.
Scything Talons are by far the best choice for a close combat Tyrant, and in my opinion, they should be purchased in pairs. This will give your Hive Tyrant a potential of 6 Monstrous Creature attacks on the charge, plus an extra attack if Bioplasma is chosen. These six attacks can be utterly devastating to an opponent, if the correct biomorphs are chosen.
Preferred Non-Weapon Biomorphs - The Hive Tyrant comes with a wide range non-weapon biomorphs and many of these are geared towards close combat:
Acid Maw – The ability to reroll in 40k is one of the best features of the game and it should be taken whenever economical. Weighing in at a mere ten points, this biomorph is worth its weight in gold. I take it whenever I build a close combat oriented Hive Tyrant. The downside is that you lose the Bioplasma ability, however, this is hardly a downside, since it only hits half of the time and doesn’t benefit from the Monstrous Creature ability. I choose Acid Maw over Bioplasma every time.
Adrenal Glands – The Initiative improving adrenal gland is a must have for a close combat Hive Tyrant. It will ensure that you go before all but the fastest troops on the table, including Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines with furious charge, which will allow that incredible Monstrous Creature ability to drop a number of your foes before they have the chance to strike back.
Secondly, a higher initiative means that you will have a better chance of catching and slaughtering any foe that fails his Ld test and runs. Some troops with low Initiative values, such as Necrons, will almost never be able to outrun you and will allow you to eliminate large chunks of enemy opposition in one fell charge.
The Weapon Skill improving Adrenal Gland, although cheaper, is much less useful. The Hive Tyrant already comes with a high Weapon Skill which will match most HQ choices in the game and far surpass most Troop, or Elite Troop choices in the game. Since enemy Troops and especially their Elite Troops are what the Hive Tyrant is best at dealing with, it is rather pointless to upgrade his Weapon Skill any higher. The worst he will ever have to roll to hit against anything in the game will be a 4+ and most of the time it will be a 3+.
Bioplasma – As I stated earlier, if given the choice of Bioplasma or Acid Maw, then Acid Maw wins the contest hands down. Since you do have to choose between the two, then don’t even worry about this pathetic extra attack.
Extended Carapace – Yet again, we see an example of an exclusive biomorph. If you choose to have a better armor save, then you disqualify yourself for a chance to move at twice normal speed. For a close combat oriented Hive Tyrant, I strongly believe that choosing Extended Carapace instead of the Winged Biomorph is a large mistake.
A close combat Tyrant needs to close with its opponents as quickly as possible, and the list of biomorphs only allows one chance at this: Wings. A Hive Tyrant has no access to Scuttlers, Leaping, Infiltrate, Fleet of Claw or any other speed enhancing biomorph except for Wings.
Still worried about having a low armor save? Make sure to equip your Tyrant with the Warp Field Psychic power. This should be all the armor save you need to survive crossing the field.
Flesh Hooks – On the old version of the Winged Hive Tyrant, this was a complete waste of points, since they could not enter into difficult terrain. However, the new Tyranid codex does not have the same restrictions; therefore, this is an essential Biomorph for any Close Combat Tyrant.
Remember that Initiative is paramount to winning combat against most foes, and you will completely lose the benefit of your initiative without this Biomorph. While this Biomorphs doesn’t give you the full benefit of your initiative when attacking into cover, it will save your Tyrant from being cut down before he can get any attacks at all.
Implant Attack – While the concept of doing two wounds for every wound is appealing, it is only really useful in one circumstance; fighting multiple wound models. Just the plain fact that the game has very few multiple wound models that are not HQ choices should account for the fact that this Biomorph is a waste of points. Not to mention it costs a colossal amount of points for what it can provide. I say save these points and direct them elsewhere, such as towards a set of Wings.
Symbiote Rippers – The biggest advantage to this Biomorph is that it is very cheap for a Hive Tyrant. It might not add a very large advantage in combat, but when your opponent needs to make a Ld test, then this will help push the odds into your favor just a little.
Toxic Miasma – This is a very cheap and very decent upgrade for a Hive Tyrant. It automatically forces your opponent to fight at a slightly lower WS skill, and this can really help in the right circumstances. Against enemies with an already low WS such as Firewarriors and Imperial Guardsmen they will have to roll exceptionally well to even hit your Hive Tyrant. Overall, I give this upgrade two thumbs up; Cheap and Useful.
Toxin Sacs – This Biomorph gets a very high rating for effectiveness with a close combat oriented Tyrant. It bumps it’s ST up just high enough to be able to cause Instant Death with anything that has TO 3 or less, and will make your Tyrant easily capable of wounding things with a high TO, such as Bikes or Death Guard Chaos Space Marines.
This Biomorph should nearly always appear on a close combat Hive Tyrant, unless you already know the nature of your enemies forces and judge them to be weak.
Winged – If engaging in close combat is the purpose of your Hive Tyrant, then this is the single most important upgrade for you to take. The ability to quickly close with your opponent is paramount to success with such a creature, and an extra 6� of movement that can ignore intervening terrain is a huge boost. For a close combat monster, don’t leave home without it.
Part 2 – Ranged Tyrant
The Ranged Hive Tyrant is a very interesting creature indeed. There are several different tactics that you can use with this Tyrant that can be effective. The two that I plan to cover here is the Ponderous Ranged Tyrant and the Swift Ranged Tyrant. The Ponderous Tyrant will spend most of it’s time slogging about the battlefield and therefore requires additional protection and Ranged weaponry with at least a 24� range.
The Swift Ranged Tyrant also focuses mainly on shooting; however, it utilizes the speed of the Winged Biomorph in order to get its devastating weaponry in the right place at the right time. This Tyrant is not limited in the same manner as the Ponderous Tyrant when considering weapon ranges. It is, however, recommended that you use weapons that have greater than 12� worth of range.
Another tip with a Ranged Hive Tyrant is to go all out. If you really want to shoot with this creature, then don’t hold back. Making a Tyrant with a Venom Cannon and a set of Scything Talons is one of the biggest failings of new players. This type of Hive Tyrant is kind of good at shooting and kind of good at close combat, but not excessively good at either. What you should aim for with a Hive Tyrant is to be excessively good at one thing so that you keep its point’s costs low and its returns high.
Preferred Ranged Biomorphs – The main difference that we see between a Ranged Hive Tyrant and its close combat counterpart is where its points are spent. A ranged Hive Tyrant will be spending an incredible amount of points on Weapons and therefore should keep non-weapon Biomorphs to a minimum. If I don’t mention a Biomorph in this section, then it is because I don’t consider it to be a wise choice for a Ranged Hive Tyrant.
Tyrant Guard – Although a Tyrant Guard is not a Biomorph, it is a centerpiece for any successful Ranged Hive Tyrant. Take at least two of these in order to keep your wounds low while you move towards your opponent unleashing volley after volley of Tyranid Ranged death. The Ponderous Hive Tyrant should never leave the Hive Ship without at least two of these cannon fodder to absorb firepower for him.
Barbed Strangler – This is one of the best all around Weapon Biomorphs that a Hive Tyrant can take. It will be able to fire on targets from the beginning of the game and keep this firepower up for as long as it lives. The drawback to this weapon is that it is a ST -1 weapon, which means that you will be forced to buy Toxin Sacs just to keep the ST of the weapon high enough to hurt the myriad of power armored armies out there.
The Ponderous Tyrant will get quite a bit of use out of this weapon due to its large range and the fact that it uses a large blast template will keep your enemies spread out and worried about taking pinning checks. I suggest taking this weapon on a slower Tyrant; however, I don’t recommend Twin linking it. Instead, I recommend taking it in conjunction with a Venom Cannon.
The Swift Tyrant will also get a lot of use out of this weapon; however, the point of the Swift Tyrant is to get the shorter ranged weaponry closer to the enemy. If you take this weapon, then you are wasting the points that you spent on the wings.
Spine Fists – While this weapon is a choice, I believe it is a poor choice for a Ponderous Hive Tyrant. This is mostly due to the fact that a Ponderous Hive Tyrant is a slow moving creature and needs ranged weaponry that can reach out and touch enemies by turn one or two at the very latest.
I also do not recommend this Ranged Biomorph for a Swift Tyrant, however, it is not as poor of a choice. You still have six twin linked shots if you take two of them; however, you are putting yourself directly in charge range of enemy units. When using Spine Fists on a Hive Tyrant, I would attempt to get within charge range (Preferably as close as possible just in case they remove their closest models), shoot, and then charge.
Twin Linked Deathspitter – This weapon biomorph has a decent range, a high ST and comes with a blast template. At first, it sounds like a great option, until you consider the fact that it is assault 1. This is entirely unacceptable for a Hive Tyrant with three base attacks. Only weapons that have assault X or better should ever be chosen for a creature with this much firepower potential. Even two of these on a Hive tyrant means that you are only getting two small blast templates per turn. This investment is not worth the return.
Twin Linked Devourer – This weapon has a moderate ST, Living Ammunition, is Twin Linked and is Assault 2x. This means that if you equip your Hive Tyrant with this weapon, then it will have 6 attacks at a decent ST with rerolls for both Shooting and Wounding. Take two of them and you suddenly have 12 attacks with the same benefits.
The drawback? Its AP is not worth mentioning; literally. While it won’t punch through even the weakest armor in the game, it has an incredibly high chance of both hitting and wounding anything that it shoots at. Any unit that is faced with a high amount of wounds is likely to fail a couple, including power armored troops.
For a Swift Ranged Tyrant this is the best weapon option. In fact, I would take both weapon Biomorphs with this weapon for the high amount of shots that it gets. Always remember that with the Swift Ranged Tyrant, you still have the option of getting close enough to your enemy to fire and then charge. While most of the Tyrant’s combat ability will be eaten up with ranged Biomorphs, it is still a formidable foe up close if for no other reason than it’s a monstrous creature.
Venom Cannon – This weapon is nearly a prerequisite for a Ponderous Ranged Hive Tyrant since it has a wonderful range, high ST, good AP, and three shots. I would personally always take a Venom Cannon on a Ponderous Tyrant just because of these facts. My favorite combination of weapons on a Ponderous Tyrant, to reiterate, is to take a Venom Cannon and a Barbed Strangler.
The Swift Tyrant, however, is a different story. Again, the reason that you would purchase the Winged upgrade would be to move short ranged weaponry into position as soon as possible and this purpose is defeated when you use a weapon with such a good range.
As far as Twin Linking this weapon goes, I suggest not doing it. Take another ranged Biomorph and give yourself some extra shots rather than just increasing your chance to hit with this weapon. Your chance to hit will already be increased significantly through the wise purchase of Enhanced Senses, which I will touch on momentarily.
Preferred Non-Weapon Biomorphs – The Ranged Hive Tyrant requires very little in the way of these Biomorphs since most of them are aimed at improving close combat prowess or survivability.
Enhanced Senses – This is an absolute requirement for a Ranged Hive Tyrant. Its ability to cause harm to the enemy is predicated upon its chances of success when rolling to hit making this a primary choice. If a Ranged Biomorph is put on a Hive Tyrant, then this should also be present.
Extended Carapace – For the Ponderous Ranged Hive Tyrant, this is an optimal choice. It will help keep your Tyrant alive for as long as possible and in conjunction with Tyrant Guards, he will definitely last several turns.
Obviously, for the Swift Tyrant, it is not an option as Winged and Extended Carapace cannot both be chosen for the same Tyrant.
Flesh Hooks - While not quite so useful for their frag grenade ability, they are still useful for their movement ability. Being cheap, and being able to also equip any Guard with them as well, allow your Shooting tyrant (and retinue) to get into any firing position they want, either for LOS or to make the unit un-chargeable
Toxin Sacs – This Biomorph is also nearly required for a Ranged Hive Tyrant. Every Weapon Biomorph that they can choose from bases its ST value off of the creature that it is mounted on, which means that to have a more effective weapon it needs to have a higher ST. I recommend always taking Toxin Sacs with a Ranged Tyrant.
Winged – This is an easy choice. If you want to use the shorter ranged biomorphs, then I suggest taking this option. If not, then I wouldn’t waste the points on it, since it is quite expensive and will not benefit a Hive Tyrant which has chosen weapons such as Venom Cannons or Barbed Stranglers.
Part 3 – Psychic Powers
Catalyst – This power is a purely support power. If you plan on building a Hive Tyrant that will arrive at the front line combat at the same time as your Gaunts and other fast combat units, then this power is worth considering. A Winged Hive Tyrant of either the Ranged or Assault nature could possibly benefit his army with this power. Also, if you only have a few points left to work with, then this is one of the three cheap powers that a Hive Tyrant can purchase and therefore increases its in game value.
The downside with this power is that it is only really useful against a handful of opponents that the Tyranids could face; Eldar (Of either variety), Slaanesh Chaos armies and some special units from a variety of armies. There are not great deals of faster opponents and therefore I don’t find this Psychic power to be useful only in certain situations.
Psychic Scream – Yet again, I feel that the Space Marines have been given a better boost than another army. The Space Marine version of this Psychic Power comes with a -2 to Ld tests for all enemies and causes them to test immediately as if they had taken shooting casualties. Forgive me if I treat the Tyranid power with a bit less respect after seeing what other armies have to work with.
I find that this power is great if it works in pairs with other creatures that also have it. If you give it to a couple of Hive Tyrants and a Zoanthrope or two, then you could cause some severe Ld penalties wherever that group of creatures goes. Unfortunately, these creatures could all be moving at different rates of speed and may need to be in different places on the board for tactical reasons. One of the best upsides to this power is that it belongs to the group of three cheap powers that you can purchase for a Hive Tyrant.
If you have a Tyrant that doesn’t require the use of Warp Field, and if you are averse to using Warp Blast, then I suggest taking this power. Otherwise, I suggest using your limited amount of Psychic Powers on something that is slightly more overall useful such as the two I just mentioned.
The Shadow in the Warp – Aside from being one of the most poorly worded upgrades I have seen in a long time, this power is also a power that is only useful in certain situations. If you know that your opponent is fielding a Psychic heavy army, such as an army with Farseer’s or a Librarian, then this power is a must have. The other upside to this power is that it is one of the three cheap powers in the Hive Tyrants list.
However, if you are building a balanced tournament army or you are making a “take all comers� army list, then I don’t suggest taking this as your first or only Psychic power. It will not help you against all armies, and truthfully against many armies it will not help you at all as there will be no Psykers at all.
Warp Blast – Now we are in the range of expensive Psychic Powers. This power gives you some very powerful and tempting firepower for your Hive Tyrant, but it comes with a hefty price tag as far as points are concerned. If your army is routinely facing armies with lots of Power Armor, then I suggest adding this Psychic Power as it gives your army an edge against power armor.
Also, if you are having difficulties taking out tanks, then this power is also highly useful as it is the only ST 10 weapon that Tyranids have which can penetrate vehicle armor. This alone could make the hefty price tag seem like a pittance in the face of a heavily armored foe.
The downside, as I have already stated, is that it is an expensive power to purchase. By not taking this power you could have several other useful Biomorphs. The other downside is that this power can have a devastating effect on your opponent, but only if it hits, and Hive Tyrants are not known for their Ballistic Skills.
Warp Field – This power is the most grossly expensive power in the Hive Tyrants list. Weighing in at a hefty 35 points, however, it provides some Hive Tyrants with a desperately needed save. The Flying Assault Tyrant and Swift Ranged Tyrant, for instance, should seriously consider taking this Psychic Power as it will drastically improve the survivability of your precious Monstrous Creature.
If, however, you plan on using a Ponderous Hive Tyrant, then I suggest leaving this power off and taking a Tyrant Guard or three instead. Although a Tyrant Guard is more expensive, it also comes with extra wounds and is overall more useful, especially if your slow moving Tyrant is assaulted.
The intent of this article is to provide newer players with some references on how to build a good Hive Tyrant depending on what they wish their Tyrant to do for them in their army.
Please be constructive with your criticism and If I've made glaring mistakes, then I only ask that you politely inform of them and I will amend this article with all due haste.
Hive Tyrant Biomorph Tactica
This tactica will deal with the complicated problem of engineering a Hive Tyrant for either of its best two roles; Close Combat or Ranged Firepower. I will go over the roles of these specific creatures and detail in some length which Biomorphs are fitting and which biomorphs are wastes of points.
Keep in mind, while reading this tactica, that I consider “well rounded� Hive Tyrants to be quite ineffective. A Tyranid army does not have enough points to play around with to make a Hive Tyrant exceptional in two different areas, therefore, it will only be of average ability in both roles if you attempt to divide it’s time between shooting and close combat.
Part 1 – Close Combat Tyrant
The close combat hive Tyrant seeks to close quickly with their foe and get there with enough health left to deal massive damage to whatever unit it assaults. Primarily, a close combat Hive Tyrant should seek out enemy troop formations, preferably elite units with either equal or less initiative than itself. This will be easily done, even against armies with high Initiative values if the correct biomorphs are chosen.
While a close combat Hive Tyrant is also good at assaulting tanks, his high initiative and high amounts of attacks will prove more efficient against troops than against armor. Only consider assaulting armor if that armor is causing massive damage to your troops and cannot be taken out by any other method.
Preferred Close Combat Biomorphs – As far as weapon biomorphs go, the choices are easy. You can either take the Bone Sword and Lash Whip, Rending Claws or Scything Talons. If I don’t mention a Biomorph in this section, then it is because I consider it a waste of points on a Close Combat Hive Tyrant.
The Bone Sword and Lash Whip are easily summed up in one word: Terrible. This should be a last resort for a Hive Tyrant as it provides little bonus to the Tyrant itself. This weapon is expensive, and brings little direct close combat ability to the table.
If you plan on using this Biomorph, then it is my suggestion that you take a Winged Hive Tyrant in order to keep up with your faster Gaunts and the rest of the creatures in your army that could benefit from this power.
Rending Claws on a Hive Tyrant are currently a point of debate among Tyranid players. Some say that the added benefit of the Rending ability against armor makes it worth losing an extra close combat attack. Others, such as myself, contend that a Hive Tyrant should focus his abilities against Elite “infantry� units and not against armor. It is my opinion, then, that Rending Claws are overall a waste of a Hive Tyrants potential in close combat when compared to the added benefit of Scything Talons.
NOTE: I will reassess my opinion of this particular Weapon Biomorph after GW releases the Tyranid FAQ as there is quite a bit of debate over how Rending Claws and Monstrous Creatures work at this point.
Scything Talons are by far the best choice for a close combat Tyrant, and in my opinion, they should be purchased in pairs. This will give your Hive Tyrant a potential of 6 Monstrous Creature attacks on the charge, plus an extra attack if Bioplasma is chosen. These six attacks can be utterly devastating to an opponent, if the correct biomorphs are chosen.
Preferred Non-Weapon Biomorphs - The Hive Tyrant comes with a wide range non-weapon biomorphs and many of these are geared towards close combat:
Acid Maw – The ability to reroll in 40k is one of the best features of the game and it should be taken whenever economical. Weighing in at a mere ten points, this biomorph is worth its weight in gold. I take it whenever I build a close combat oriented Hive Tyrant. The downside is that you lose the Bioplasma ability, however, this is hardly a downside, since it only hits half of the time and doesn’t benefit from the Monstrous Creature ability. I choose Acid Maw over Bioplasma every time.
Adrenal Glands – The Initiative improving adrenal gland is a must have for a close combat Hive Tyrant. It will ensure that you go before all but the fastest troops on the table, including Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines with furious charge, which will allow that incredible Monstrous Creature ability to drop a number of your foes before they have the chance to strike back.
Secondly, a higher initiative means that you will have a better chance of catching and slaughtering any foe that fails his Ld test and runs. Some troops with low Initiative values, such as Necrons, will almost never be able to outrun you and will allow you to eliminate large chunks of enemy opposition in one fell charge.
The Weapon Skill improving Adrenal Gland, although cheaper, is much less useful. The Hive Tyrant already comes with a high Weapon Skill which will match most HQ choices in the game and far surpass most Troop, or Elite Troop choices in the game. Since enemy Troops and especially their Elite Troops are what the Hive Tyrant is best at dealing with, it is rather pointless to upgrade his Weapon Skill any higher. The worst he will ever have to roll to hit against anything in the game will be a 4+ and most of the time it will be a 3+.
Bioplasma – As I stated earlier, if given the choice of Bioplasma or Acid Maw, then Acid Maw wins the contest hands down. Since you do have to choose between the two, then don’t even worry about this pathetic extra attack.
Extended Carapace – Yet again, we see an example of an exclusive biomorph. If you choose to have a better armor save, then you disqualify yourself for a chance to move at twice normal speed. For a close combat oriented Hive Tyrant, I strongly believe that choosing Extended Carapace instead of the Winged Biomorph is a large mistake.
A close combat Tyrant needs to close with its opponents as quickly as possible, and the list of biomorphs only allows one chance at this: Wings. A Hive Tyrant has no access to Scuttlers, Leaping, Infiltrate, Fleet of Claw or any other speed enhancing biomorph except for Wings.
Still worried about having a low armor save? Make sure to equip your Tyrant with the Warp Field Psychic power. This should be all the armor save you need to survive crossing the field.
Flesh Hooks – On the old version of the Winged Hive Tyrant, this was a complete waste of points, since they could not enter into difficult terrain. However, the new Tyranid codex does not have the same restrictions; therefore, this is an essential Biomorph for any Close Combat Tyrant.
Remember that Initiative is paramount to winning combat against most foes, and you will completely lose the benefit of your initiative without this Biomorph. While this Biomorphs doesn’t give you the full benefit of your initiative when attacking into cover, it will save your Tyrant from being cut down before he can get any attacks at all.
Implant Attack – While the concept of doing two wounds for every wound is appealing, it is only really useful in one circumstance; fighting multiple wound models. Just the plain fact that the game has very few multiple wound models that are not HQ choices should account for the fact that this Biomorph is a waste of points. Not to mention it costs a colossal amount of points for what it can provide. I say save these points and direct them elsewhere, such as towards a set of Wings.
Symbiote Rippers – The biggest advantage to this Biomorph is that it is very cheap for a Hive Tyrant. It might not add a very large advantage in combat, but when your opponent needs to make a Ld test, then this will help push the odds into your favor just a little.
Toxic Miasma – This is a very cheap and very decent upgrade for a Hive Tyrant. It automatically forces your opponent to fight at a slightly lower WS skill, and this can really help in the right circumstances. Against enemies with an already low WS such as Firewarriors and Imperial Guardsmen they will have to roll exceptionally well to even hit your Hive Tyrant. Overall, I give this upgrade two thumbs up; Cheap and Useful.
Toxin Sacs – This Biomorph gets a very high rating for effectiveness with a close combat oriented Tyrant. It bumps it’s ST up just high enough to be able to cause Instant Death with anything that has TO 3 or less, and will make your Tyrant easily capable of wounding things with a high TO, such as Bikes or Death Guard Chaos Space Marines.
This Biomorph should nearly always appear on a close combat Hive Tyrant, unless you already know the nature of your enemies forces and judge them to be weak.
Winged – If engaging in close combat is the purpose of your Hive Tyrant, then this is the single most important upgrade for you to take. The ability to quickly close with your opponent is paramount to success with such a creature, and an extra 6� of movement that can ignore intervening terrain is a huge boost. For a close combat monster, don’t leave home without it.
Part 2 – Ranged Tyrant
The Ranged Hive Tyrant is a very interesting creature indeed. There are several different tactics that you can use with this Tyrant that can be effective. The two that I plan to cover here is the Ponderous Ranged Tyrant and the Swift Ranged Tyrant. The Ponderous Tyrant will spend most of it’s time slogging about the battlefield and therefore requires additional protection and Ranged weaponry with at least a 24� range.
The Swift Ranged Tyrant also focuses mainly on shooting; however, it utilizes the speed of the Winged Biomorph in order to get its devastating weaponry in the right place at the right time. This Tyrant is not limited in the same manner as the Ponderous Tyrant when considering weapon ranges. It is, however, recommended that you use weapons that have greater than 12� worth of range.
Another tip with a Ranged Hive Tyrant is to go all out. If you really want to shoot with this creature, then don’t hold back. Making a Tyrant with a Venom Cannon and a set of Scything Talons is one of the biggest failings of new players. This type of Hive Tyrant is kind of good at shooting and kind of good at close combat, but not excessively good at either. What you should aim for with a Hive Tyrant is to be excessively good at one thing so that you keep its point’s costs low and its returns high.
Preferred Ranged Biomorphs – The main difference that we see between a Ranged Hive Tyrant and its close combat counterpart is where its points are spent. A ranged Hive Tyrant will be spending an incredible amount of points on Weapons and therefore should keep non-weapon Biomorphs to a minimum. If I don’t mention a Biomorph in this section, then it is because I don’t consider it to be a wise choice for a Ranged Hive Tyrant.
Tyrant Guard – Although a Tyrant Guard is not a Biomorph, it is a centerpiece for any successful Ranged Hive Tyrant. Take at least two of these in order to keep your wounds low while you move towards your opponent unleashing volley after volley of Tyranid Ranged death. The Ponderous Hive Tyrant should never leave the Hive Ship without at least two of these cannon fodder to absorb firepower for him.
Barbed Strangler – This is one of the best all around Weapon Biomorphs that a Hive Tyrant can take. It will be able to fire on targets from the beginning of the game and keep this firepower up for as long as it lives. The drawback to this weapon is that it is a ST -1 weapon, which means that you will be forced to buy Toxin Sacs just to keep the ST of the weapon high enough to hurt the myriad of power armored armies out there.
The Ponderous Tyrant will get quite a bit of use out of this weapon due to its large range and the fact that it uses a large blast template will keep your enemies spread out and worried about taking pinning checks. I suggest taking this weapon on a slower Tyrant; however, I don’t recommend Twin linking it. Instead, I recommend taking it in conjunction with a Venom Cannon.
The Swift Tyrant will also get a lot of use out of this weapon; however, the point of the Swift Tyrant is to get the shorter ranged weaponry closer to the enemy. If you take this weapon, then you are wasting the points that you spent on the wings.
Spine Fists – While this weapon is a choice, I believe it is a poor choice for a Ponderous Hive Tyrant. This is mostly due to the fact that a Ponderous Hive Tyrant is a slow moving creature and needs ranged weaponry that can reach out and touch enemies by turn one or two at the very latest.
I also do not recommend this Ranged Biomorph for a Swift Tyrant, however, it is not as poor of a choice. You still have six twin linked shots if you take two of them; however, you are putting yourself directly in charge range of enemy units. When using Spine Fists on a Hive Tyrant, I would attempt to get within charge range (Preferably as close as possible just in case they remove their closest models), shoot, and then charge.
Twin Linked Deathspitter – This weapon biomorph has a decent range, a high ST and comes with a blast template. At first, it sounds like a great option, until you consider the fact that it is assault 1. This is entirely unacceptable for a Hive Tyrant with three base attacks. Only weapons that have assault X or better should ever be chosen for a creature with this much firepower potential. Even two of these on a Hive tyrant means that you are only getting two small blast templates per turn. This investment is not worth the return.
Twin Linked Devourer – This weapon has a moderate ST, Living Ammunition, is Twin Linked and is Assault 2x. This means that if you equip your Hive Tyrant with this weapon, then it will have 6 attacks at a decent ST with rerolls for both Shooting and Wounding. Take two of them and you suddenly have 12 attacks with the same benefits.
The drawback? Its AP is not worth mentioning; literally. While it won’t punch through even the weakest armor in the game, it has an incredibly high chance of both hitting and wounding anything that it shoots at. Any unit that is faced with a high amount of wounds is likely to fail a couple, including power armored troops.
For a Swift Ranged Tyrant this is the best weapon option. In fact, I would take both weapon Biomorphs with this weapon for the high amount of shots that it gets. Always remember that with the Swift Ranged Tyrant, you still have the option of getting close enough to your enemy to fire and then charge. While most of the Tyrant’s combat ability will be eaten up with ranged Biomorphs, it is still a formidable foe up close if for no other reason than it’s a monstrous creature.
Venom Cannon – This weapon is nearly a prerequisite for a Ponderous Ranged Hive Tyrant since it has a wonderful range, high ST, good AP, and three shots. I would personally always take a Venom Cannon on a Ponderous Tyrant just because of these facts. My favorite combination of weapons on a Ponderous Tyrant, to reiterate, is to take a Venom Cannon and a Barbed Strangler.
The Swift Tyrant, however, is a different story. Again, the reason that you would purchase the Winged upgrade would be to move short ranged weaponry into position as soon as possible and this purpose is defeated when you use a weapon with such a good range.
As far as Twin Linking this weapon goes, I suggest not doing it. Take another ranged Biomorph and give yourself some extra shots rather than just increasing your chance to hit with this weapon. Your chance to hit will already be increased significantly through the wise purchase of Enhanced Senses, which I will touch on momentarily.
Preferred Non-Weapon Biomorphs – The Ranged Hive Tyrant requires very little in the way of these Biomorphs since most of them are aimed at improving close combat prowess or survivability.
Enhanced Senses – This is an absolute requirement for a Ranged Hive Tyrant. Its ability to cause harm to the enemy is predicated upon its chances of success when rolling to hit making this a primary choice. If a Ranged Biomorph is put on a Hive Tyrant, then this should also be present.
Extended Carapace – For the Ponderous Ranged Hive Tyrant, this is an optimal choice. It will help keep your Tyrant alive for as long as possible and in conjunction with Tyrant Guards, he will definitely last several turns.
Obviously, for the Swift Tyrant, it is not an option as Winged and Extended Carapace cannot both be chosen for the same Tyrant.
Flesh Hooks - While not quite so useful for their frag grenade ability, they are still useful for their movement ability. Being cheap, and being able to also equip any Guard with them as well, allow your Shooting tyrant (and retinue) to get into any firing position they want, either for LOS or to make the unit un-chargeable
Toxin Sacs – This Biomorph is also nearly required for a Ranged Hive Tyrant. Every Weapon Biomorph that they can choose from bases its ST value off of the creature that it is mounted on, which means that to have a more effective weapon it needs to have a higher ST. I recommend always taking Toxin Sacs with a Ranged Tyrant.
Winged – This is an easy choice. If you want to use the shorter ranged biomorphs, then I suggest taking this option. If not, then I wouldn’t waste the points on it, since it is quite expensive and will not benefit a Hive Tyrant which has chosen weapons such as Venom Cannons or Barbed Stranglers.
Part 3 – Psychic Powers
Catalyst – This power is a purely support power. If you plan on building a Hive Tyrant that will arrive at the front line combat at the same time as your Gaunts and other fast combat units, then this power is worth considering. A Winged Hive Tyrant of either the Ranged or Assault nature could possibly benefit his army with this power. Also, if you only have a few points left to work with, then this is one of the three cheap powers that a Hive Tyrant can purchase and therefore increases its in game value.
The downside with this power is that it is only really useful against a handful of opponents that the Tyranids could face; Eldar (Of either variety), Slaanesh Chaos armies and some special units from a variety of armies. There are not great deals of faster opponents and therefore I don’t find this Psychic power to be useful only in certain situations.
Psychic Scream – Yet again, I feel that the Space Marines have been given a better boost than another army. The Space Marine version of this Psychic Power comes with a -2 to Ld tests for all enemies and causes them to test immediately as if they had taken shooting casualties. Forgive me if I treat the Tyranid power with a bit less respect after seeing what other armies have to work with.
I find that this power is great if it works in pairs with other creatures that also have it. If you give it to a couple of Hive Tyrants and a Zoanthrope or two, then you could cause some severe Ld penalties wherever that group of creatures goes. Unfortunately, these creatures could all be moving at different rates of speed and may need to be in different places on the board for tactical reasons. One of the best upsides to this power is that it belongs to the group of three cheap powers that you can purchase for a Hive Tyrant.
If you have a Tyrant that doesn’t require the use of Warp Field, and if you are averse to using Warp Blast, then I suggest taking this power. Otherwise, I suggest using your limited amount of Psychic Powers on something that is slightly more overall useful such as the two I just mentioned.
The Shadow in the Warp – Aside from being one of the most poorly worded upgrades I have seen in a long time, this power is also a power that is only useful in certain situations. If you know that your opponent is fielding a Psychic heavy army, such as an army with Farseer’s or a Librarian, then this power is a must have. The other upside to this power is that it is one of the three cheap powers in the Hive Tyrants list.
However, if you are building a balanced tournament army or you are making a “take all comers� army list, then I don’t suggest taking this as your first or only Psychic power. It will not help you against all armies, and truthfully against many armies it will not help you at all as there will be no Psykers at all.
Warp Blast – Now we are in the range of expensive Psychic Powers. This power gives you some very powerful and tempting firepower for your Hive Tyrant, but it comes with a hefty price tag as far as points are concerned. If your army is routinely facing armies with lots of Power Armor, then I suggest adding this Psychic Power as it gives your army an edge against power armor.
Also, if you are having difficulties taking out tanks, then this power is also highly useful as it is the only ST 10 weapon that Tyranids have which can penetrate vehicle armor. This alone could make the hefty price tag seem like a pittance in the face of a heavily armored foe.
The downside, as I have already stated, is that it is an expensive power to purchase. By not taking this power you could have several other useful Biomorphs. The other downside is that this power can have a devastating effect on your opponent, but only if it hits, and Hive Tyrants are not known for their Ballistic Skills.
Warp Field – This power is the most grossly expensive power in the Hive Tyrants list. Weighing in at a hefty 35 points, however, it provides some Hive Tyrants with a desperately needed save. The Flying Assault Tyrant and Swift Ranged Tyrant, for instance, should seriously consider taking this Psychic Power as it will drastically improve the survivability of your precious Monstrous Creature.
If, however, you plan on using a Ponderous Hive Tyrant, then I suggest leaving this power off and taking a Tyrant Guard or three instead. Although a Tyrant Guard is more expensive, it also comes with extra wounds and is overall more useful, especially if your slow moving Tyrant is assaulted.
