Tactical Marines just don’t have much value when you’d rather run Scouts or Intercessors, the Terminator Captain doesn’t bring much to the table when you have other, more mobile, better-equipped, cheaper options, and the Venerable Dreadnought is only OK. You’re better off skipping this one for the Marine half of the Dark Imperium Starter. The Start Collecting box that gets our vote for “the next one to be discontinued,” there’s not a ton this particular box has to offer. If you’ve read around on the internet there’s a few builds that are popular, so you might already have an idea of where you want to go. Myrmex are cantankerous arthropods that dwell in underground hives and maintain an elaborate caste system. From the outset you’ll want to have a general concept for how you want your army to function. Kronos Shooting As the name implies, this army uses the Kronos Hive Fleet to double-down on the strong Tyranid shooting units like Hive Guard and Exocrines. Also note that the Pack box is full of great bitz which are still compatible with Primaris models, so if you do find yourself wanting a cheap HQ, some small Marines, and a pile of bitz to work with, this isn’t the worst place to look. Unless you have a very specific idea in mind, it’s good to keep a healthy mix of melee/ranged units to give yourself flexibility when it comes to missions and meeting all-comers in the field of battle. The 10 Wolf Pack models can be built as either Grey Hunters (tactical) or Blood Claws (melee), the latter of which are likely to be more valuable once Space Wolves get their next rules update. Some of them are a fantastic start to an army, and some of them almost are an army – the Chaos Space Marines box especially is something that could form the core of a 1,000pt list quite happily. GW has some Start Collecting! The most dubious unit in the set is the Burning Chariot, but depending on how you want to roll, you can use the Exalted Flamer from it separately instead. We hope you’re excited about starting a new Hive Fleet! Nidzilla has been a fun way to play Tyranids for many editions; this approach ensures you’ve got a good number of highly-lethal threats to spread across the board and is actually one of the cheaper ways to fill out an entire army. Tyranids. Built using WordPress, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), cult that draws the voracious tendrils of the Tyranid near, incredibly official Goonhammer store on RedBubble, Many fast units and ways to appear via reserves, Many monsters have poor WS/BS and few attacks, Army feels a bit “dry” compared to newer books, All of the lore-friendly special reserve/resupply stratagems require points. The Daemons of Tzeentch box got a significant points adjustment with the new Chapter Approved 2019 changes, and we may see Flamers showing up in Daemon lists more at their new costs. Synapse creatures such as the monstrous Hive Tyrant have permanent bonds to the Hive Mind and can act as a transmitter to nearby Tyranids. You get a few units, usually all useful, for a discounted price. Points: About 420; Like the new Start Collecting: Chaos Space Marines box, it’s a bit hard to evaluate this one effectively because it’s currently the only place to get Suppressors, which are an insanely good unit for Iron Hands and, to a lesser extent, Imperial Fists armies. Warriors of the Greater Good: Objective Secured, Tau edition. Unfortunately outside of seasonal and quick-selling special sets, Tyranids do not have any other bundled deals. Similarly, Ripper Swarms have no box. One things to point out is this definitely leans close-combat heavy and might make for some lop-sided trial games depending on your opponent. Instead of having these models separately, they exist piecemeal across a few other Troop unit boxes (Termagants, Warriors, and Genestealers) and were intended to accumulate over time as you bought other stuff. The Broodlord and Genestealers are a solid core to build around, and helpful whether you’re building a full Tyranids army or just adding a Kraken Detachment of Genestealers to your Forces of the Hive Mind army. Here’s a rundown of some specific builds and what you might want to consider purchasing to fill them out. Venomthropes are more generally available as standard kits, but they’re easier to target and destroy than Malanthropes. On the tabletop Tyranids offer a variety of xenos-fueled fun and run the gamut from a horde army of hundreds of small models to “Nidzilla” that only uses the largest and most dangerous of the model range. With the advent of strong Forgeworld options for 9th edition, this is where you might want to eye some of the “premium” resin model kits such as the Dimachaeron or Hierodule. What would have been really nice is if instead of replacing the old box, we got something like the Daemons of X boxes for Kabals, Covens, and Wych Cults, but alas. Some give you an HQ and some … You simply score the points … Built using WordPress, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Eye of Horras Report: Pro Tabletop The Atlanta Open, incredibly official Goonhammer store on RedBubble, Contents: 1 Commissar (HQ or Elites), 10 Cadian Shock Troops (Troops), 1 Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy Support), 1 Leman Russ Battle Tank (Heavy Support), Contents: 1 Terminator Captain (HQ), 10 Blood Angels Tactical Marines (Troops), 1 Baal Predator (Fast Attack), Contents: 1 Master of Possession (HQ), 10 Chaos Space Marines (Troops), 2 Greater Possessed (Elites), 1 Venomcrawler (Heavy Support), 2 Obliterators (Heavy Support), Contents RRP: n/a (most parts can’t be bought separately at time of writing), Contents: 1 Farseer (HQ), 5 Wraithguard/Wraithblades (Elites), 1 Wraithlord (Heavy Support), 1 War Walker (Heavy Support), Contents: 1 Herald on Blood Throne/Skullcannon (HQ or Heavy Support), 10 Bloodletters (Troops), 3 Bloodcrushers (Elites), Contents: 1 Poxbringer (HQ), 10 Plaguebearers (Troops), 3 Nurgling bases (Troops), 3 Plague Drones (Fast Attack), Contents: 1 Exalted Seeker Chariot (HQ), 10 Daemonettes (Troops), 5 Seekers (Fast Attack), Contents: 1 Burning Chariot of Tzeentch (HQ), 1 Changecaster, 10 Pink Horrors (Troops), 3 Flamers of Tzeentch (Elites), 3 Screamers of Tzeentch (Fast Attack), Contents: 1 Watch Captain Artemis (HQ), 10 Deathwatch Veterans (Troops), 1 Venerable Dreadnought (Elites), 1 Deathwatch upgrade sprue, Contents: 1 Succubus (HQ), 10 Wyches (Troops), 3 Reavers (Fast Attack), 1 Venom (Dedicated Transport), Contents: 1 Commissar (HQ), 10 Scions (Troops), 1 Taurox Prime (Dedicated Transport), Contents: 1 Necron Overlord (HQ), 12 Necron Warriors (Troops), 5 Immortals/Deathmarks (Troops or Elites), 3 Scarab bases (Fast Attack), 1 Annihilation Barge/Catacomb Command Barge (Heavy Support or HQ), Contents: 1 Painboy (Elites), 11 Ork Boyz (Troops), 5 Nobz and ammo runt (Elites), 1 Deff Dread (Heavy Support), Contents: 1 Primaris Battle Leader (HQ), 10 Intercessors (Troops), 3 Aggressors (Elites), 1 Space Wolves Primaris upgrade sprue, Contents: 1 Tech-priest Dominus (HQ), 10 Skitarii Vanguard/Rangers (Troops), 1 Onager Dunecrawler (Heavy Support), Contents: 1 Terminator Captain (HQ), 10 Tactical Marines (Troops), 1 Venerable Dreadnought (Elites), Contents: 1 Space Marine Commander (HQ), 10 Space Wolves Pack (Troops), 3 Thunderwolf Cavalry (Fast Attack), Contents: 1 Ethereal on Hover Drone (HQ), 10 Fire Warriors + DS8 Support Turret (Troops), 3 Crisis Suits (Elites), 8 Tactical Drones (Fast Attack), Contents RRP: £75+/$125+ (Ethereal not sold separately), Contents: 1 Ahriman (HQ), 10 Tzaangors (Troops), 10 Rubric Marines (Troops), 2 Tzaangor upgrade packs (to convert Tzaangors from AoS to 40k), Contents: 1 Broodlord (HQ), 8 Genestealers (Troops), 1 Trygon/Mawloc (Heavy Support), Contents: 1 Lieutenant in Phobos armour (HQ), 10 Infiltrators (Troops), 3 Suppressors (Fast Attack), 3 Eliminators (Heavy Support), Contents RRP: £85+/$145+ (Suppressors not sold separately, values used are multipart – models included are monopose). With some minor exception individual Tyranid creatures do not have meaningful personalities or thoughts, their minds are linked across the warp by a gestalt intelligence known as the Hive Mind that utilizes their bodies with brutal efficiency. There goes the neighborhood. That’s perfectly fine if you don’t plan on using them heavily, but if you want a dozen or more fast that’s going to be a pain. Fortunately the holidays are here! This website uses cookies to ensure it delivers the best web experience for you. Relics - Annunciation of the Creed: Replaces a Condemnor Boltgun. These and other materials (dice, measuring tools, glue, paints, etc.) That said, everything in this box except the Lieutenant is a solid addition to a competitive Space Marines army, and even the Lieutenant is serviceable in a pinch. Start of the first battle round, before the first turn, the unit can move up to 7", as long as it does not get within 9" of an enemy unit. Something that is tricky when collecting Tyranids: A number of units do not exist outside of larger boxes. A very respectable set which gives you pretty much what you want to get going with the faction – perfect. Warhammer 40k is a 28mm tabletop miniatures produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian future World where the Imperium of Man constantly battle the evil force of Chaos and other alien races for control over the universe. The Changecaster went up substantial in cost to account for how useful he is, but is still worth looking at. There’s only two elves, even, and one of them is piloting a War Walker. The main books you’ll be after to start your Tyranid army are the 2017 8th Edition codex (appropriately named Codex: Tyranids) and the 2019 expansion Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal. This is a general list with some midfield threats and enough infantry to cover your objectives that’s also parted out by kits to give you an idea of where some of your money could go. Tech-priest Dominuses have fallen out of favor recently, which is a shame because Ad Mech still field Vanguard and Rangers on a regular basis to fill out Battalions and the Dunecrawler is a legitimately good unit that sees lots of competitive play. You and your opponent can agree to any amount of points to play, but ideally shoot for 500pts, 1000pts, and finally 2000pts for a “complete” army. Also thanks to Goonhammer reader Ian Donovan for pointing out that, in a pinch, you can build your Thunderwolf Cavalry as Wolf Lords or Battle Leaders on Thunderwolves, giving you 3 more HQs in the box to play with (and enough Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields to go around), giving it some versatiliy. The Craftworlds box is extremely weird. Note: Every faction is going to receive a new 9th Edition codex eventually, so do be mindful that if you’re buying in with 8th Edition books you will find them obsolete within the coming year or two. Fun, somewhat strong, and (important to a lot of players) relatively inexpensive. There is a cancer eating at the Imperium. If you want to get some Scions on the table there’s basically no better way to do it than this – turn the Commissars into terrain statues or convert them into other things. For example, you could pick this up and two Termagant boxes and have a 495pt army ready to go. Anything marked with an asterisk includes estimated costs for units not available outside of the box – that means Chaos Space Marines, T’au Empire, and Vanguard Space Marines. For this reason, it also pairs very well with starting a Crusade campaign with your friends or players at a local game store. Space Wolves don’t have Troop Scouts, which makes Intercessors even more useful for them and the Primaris Battle Leader is a fine HQ to have. It’s probably worth noting that none-Wolves players can still get some usage out of this box, although the Battle Leader is fairly markedly Space Wolves so you might struggle. Be prepared: these are expensive (even by GW standards) and require you buy a third book, Imperial Armour Compendium, to field. That said, you can at least get somewhere with this – all of Succubi, Wyches, and Venoms are good units you’ll want for a budding Drukhari army, and Reavers are OK I guess. Unless you’re planning on dropping a ton of cash at once, we’d recommend you shoot for 500pts to start, play around with your style, and then start slow-growing things from there. In “Getting Started,” we look at how to get started with an army – the basics you need to know, how to start collecting models that will leave you with a serviceable army, and what the best deals are. The downside is that with only £15+/$30+ in savings, you’re losing most of that on the Crisis Suits, which you definitely won’t want a second unit of if you decide to double up on this boxed set – even if you decided to use them as cheap Tau Commanders, you don’t need more than three. Also, you gain D3 Command Points at the start of the game. While it can be powerful it’s a bit counter-intuitive since you’re probably not going to be killing much of the opposing army’s strong units while you’re playing. Suggested purchases: Hive Tyrant, Broodlord, Carnifex, Exocrine/Haruspex, Ripper Swarms, Toxicrene/Maleceptor, Dimachaeron, Barbed Hierodule, Scythed Hierodule, Tyrannofex, Venomthrope*. If you’re interested in delving further into how well Tyranids fare on the tabletop, we have a handy article just for you. So the box is a good value, but you probably won’t want to double up on it, given that you’ll need more Genestealers and not multiple Broodlords and probably not multiple Mawlocs. The name Tyranid is derived from the first planet which they were officially encountered, Tyran, which they promptly devoured. You might notice that the selection leans heavily into melee, which makes sense for slavering monster bug-lizards, but don’t rule ranged attacks out. Tyranids are a unique and fun faction within Warhammer 40,000 and we hope that we’ve made them at least a bit more approachable. If you’re thinking about a Deathwatch army, this is a great place to get that started – just remember that storm bolters and storm shields are in critically short supply. Suggested purchases: Termagant, Hormagaunt, Genestealer, Tyranid Warrior, Zoanthrope, Venomthrope*. Pick your force, develop your army, field mighty heroes and fight for victory using superior strategy, awesome abilities, and devastating weaponry. Savings-wise this is decent, but the contents are rubbish. You’ll likely need 20 Genestealers at a minimum and can field up to 60, though those points add up quickly and Genestealers tend to get shot up so there’s some balance involved.