Attack of the Tyranids [Tyranid tactics]

A Tyranid army has several major advantages in Epic 40,000, and you'll have to make the most of them if ultimate victory is to be yours…

1. First and foremost the Tyranids are fast, allowing you get to the enemy quickly Their manoeuvrability is also aided by Mycetic swarms [Spores] which can land anywhere on the table. Have a look at the Drop pods [page 15, Battles Book] to see how Mycetic Spores work.
2. Tyranid armies can be very large. You get lots of Tyranids for your points, so you can swamp the enemy with lots of monsters.
3. The Tyranids have some of the largest assault factors [Assault values] in the game. Creatures like Genestealers, Carnifexes and Hive Tyrants are exceptionally good in close assaults.
4. The Hive Mind is implacable. Casualties and enemy fire do not affect the Tyranids' advance in the same way as other forces.

…all the above make fighting [against] Tyranids a frightening experience for any army. Even before you start, your opponent will be scared and on the defensive.

The basic Tyranid tactic is not subtle. Attack, attack, attack, don't hesitate just go, go, go. Pile towards the enemy and defy his guns to stop you. The longer you hesitate the more damage you will take. This plan is not for the faint-hearted, casualties are likely to be high, but when those Genestealers and Carnifexes do make it into close combat the enemy is all but doomed.

Enemy annihilation plan 1

You're gonna get your… plan 2

More armies to eat plan 3

Swarmin' and spawnin'

Consume all

I've covered Assault Spawn, Bio-artillery and Mycetic Spores, but there is more to the Tyranid invasion than this. Here are some other suggestions for using the Tyranid army lists. Total galactic domination here we come…

Bio-titans

For me, Bio-titans are best used as war engine killers. War engines can be very hard for the Tyranids to destroy because of their massive Assault values and refusal to break. The best answer to them is to take your own Bio-titans equipped with ripper tentacles and razor claws, and scuttle towards the enemy war engine as fast as possible. Once in close combat the enemy war engine is in big trouble.

Armoured assault swarm

Assault spawn carrying lots of Hive Tyrants, Carnifexes, Genestealers and Tyranid Warriors storming into battle at very high speed (25cm a turn actually). This is a good way to include lots of Zoanthropes as well and because they are being transported their low speed will not slow down the entire swarm. The swarm could also include some Exocrines for anti-tank support, or Dactylis, but they will slow down the advance.

Dominatrix

Your army's supreme commander is the Dominatrix. The Dominatrix is one mean mother. It is a war engine which means it cannot be broken, can move, fire all its weapons and move again in the assault phase. You can only take one Dominatrix per 2,000 points in your army, but it does have an added advantage over other supreme commanders because it gives you a re-roll in close combats or firefights even if it is only in support of the assault. Most supreme commanders have to actually be involved to give you the re-roll. It is a subtle difference but one which could be vital in a close-fought assault. Your Dominatrix is best off supporting your assault swarms.

Flight swarms

A good flight swarm might be 1 Harridan and 10 Gargoyles just to use as interceptors. Most flyers will drive off the Harridan and a few Gargoyles in a dogfight, leaving 6 or 7 Gargoyle units to attack back. This should be enough to blunt any enemy ground attack. lf the enemy has no flyers then the Harridan is free to make its ground attacks, but otherwise just use them to cancel out your enemy's airpower, leaving your ground swarms free to get on with the real task of eating the enemy. Yum, yum.