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As the topic says I have just started playing tyranids, and 40k for that matter. Just like any beginning player, I am incredibly bad. Im not really sure how to ask for help on strategy but im guessing you want to know what units I have available. Currently I dont have a lot (3 warriors, 14 gaunts, 8 genestealers, 8 hormogaunts) but im going to buy more to go with whatever army list people say is effective. Any advice helps, thanks in advance.

Okay, if your okay with spending money (3-4hundred)then here's what you do.

Currently there are 3 somewhat competitive builds out there

1. warrior spam- take lots of warriors and give them death spitters and toxin sacs and shoot your enemy to pieces.

2. Nidzilla- take 5-6 carnifex's and 2 tyrants give them 2 devourers and vennom cannons and barbed stanlers as you see fit and shoot the **** out of the enemy.

3. Stealer shock take mass stealers (I like 48 with 2 small squads of gaunts) and give them scuttle just to have the option of out flank and feeder tendrils. and with whatever points leftover get MC's

I personally prefer a mix of all 3. Wile most people think the list I run is terrible then we play a game and change there mind.

My personal list is a mix of yermom's 1 and 2. It's got 12 warriors, a tyrant, and 5 carnies w/88 gaunts/hormagaunts and 7 ripper swarms. Most people laugh at me when they see it but it's undefeated so far in fun and tournement games.

Alright cool, I kind of assumed I was going to have to spend alot of money to build up a winning force, thanks for the help.

Nidzilla.

Kicks ass, doesnt cost too much $

Look at Yakface's Tyranid tactica. It was written for 4th ed, but most of it still holds true now.

Is that a dakkadakka article or do I have to go look for it?

Hmm, I dont know to be honest, I am willing to bet Yak moved it to the article system though. You can ask him, it is an excellent article, extremely informative and well written.

I play a Godzilla list. It's a very strong list, but not as totally straightforward as some folks presume it is.

Unfortunately for new players, the game is only half about knowing your own army... In many ways that's the easy part, because you see it all the time. The hard part is knowing the other guy's army, so there are no surprises.

You also have to know all the rules, and how to take your advantages.

At this point, you just need the models so you can get some games in, trade them in and out, see how it all works.

Some models you can't go wrong with:

Dakkafex: Carnifex with 2x T-L Devourers, Enhanced Senses. This guy is an elite slot, he's very strong, I play 3x.

Stranglerfex: Carnifex with Barbed Strangler and Scything Talons. I don't use these, but I might set one up, they're a solid model. Also an elite. Also nice because you can make one Dakkafex and one of these with 2x Carnifex kits.

Gunfex: Carnifex with Barbed Strangler, Venom Cannon, Enhanced Senses. Might want to get Reinforced Chitin too, but as long as you model the Strangler and VC, you're good.

Dakkatyrant: Tyrant with 2x T-L Devourer, Toxin Sacs and Enhanced Senses. Some like to add Wings, other upgrades, but even the basic guy is a very, very strong model.

3x Zoanthropes: Decent shooting potential, very tough, can be Synapse.

Stealers: I'd build them with Scytals. They're solid models, and easier to deal with than Gaunts.

Some folks are using a lot of Warriors. I don't use them, but I've run the numbers and I think they can be a real solid core to a list.

I would NOT bother with: Lictors, Hormagaunts, Biovores.

if you want to expand your nid army. the assault brood box is the best way to do it.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1020044&prodId=prod1430004&rootCatGameStyle=wh40k

for 180$ you get
6 warriors
3 carnies
16 stealers
and 32 gaunts (16 of CC and 16 Shooty)

once you get that, get a hive tyrant and bits order a set of dragon wings to make it into a winged hive tyrnet...
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1300205&prodId=prod1290031&rootCatGameStyle=wh

those will give you a good feal of a nid amry, and let you pick which way you want to go form there.... with nids, its hard to go wrong... unless you TRY.

if you want to go bugzilla, the behemoth crusher box gives you 3 carnies for 90$.
if you want to play stealer spam, another box or 2 of stealers.

or, if you like me and like to mix it up a bit, get a second assault bood box
zoeys are optional... honeslty the only reason i have them is because i got them in a good trade. they are top heavy, and have a tendency to fall over on me A LOT.

My whole army was made w/2 Assault broods and a Hive Tyrant $400 for 2500 points means you can't go wrong!

Hulksmash out of curiousity how do you use your rippers and what's your guant/hormigaunt ratio I saw that I thought that your list could be powerful if it was done properly but, i'm lost with the rippers.

You could just get lots and do what they do best... swarm!

Remember, rippers are little over three points per wound and attack, makeing them the best expendible troops you have, they just cant hold objectives.

The "Godzilla" armylist sounds like one the one I want to go with, of course I am still going to pick up any other cool units the Tyranids have to offer. Do the carnifexs have many metal parts? The last time I put any together was with a friend.

the new carnifexes are all plastic.

somecallmeJack wrote:the new carnifexes are all plastic.

SUHWHEEEEEET I don't have anything for working the metal models.

My advice is to purchase the assault brood and the carnifex Apoc formation boxset crusher brood.

Take the 6 fexes and magnetize everything.
Convert the Warriors into Tyrant Guards.
Use the genestealers as is.
Throw the gaunts in the closest trash can.

Finally figure out how you want to handle 2 Tyrants. You can either purchase 2 more plastic fex boxes (or a better deal would be another crusher brood) and convert your own Tyrants out of them. It's fairly easy to do, model them standing up, and add a few details here and there. Again magnetize every bit on these critters.

You can also get 2 metal Tyrant boxes.

This should give you the core of any Nidzilla list. The only thing you need to add are genestealers depending on how many points you play at. I can't stress enough the importance of magnetizing all the Fex options. Eventually a new Nid codex will drop in the next 2 years and you'll want to keep up to date on the biomorphs.

You can convert plastic Carnifexes into Tyrants.

Just add another carapace segment at the top and angle the torso so it's standing up straighter. Make a funky head.

Done.

All plastic Zilla, unless you're taking Zoans.

@yermom

The rippers have a few different functions. They either provide a cover save for the front line of gaunts meaning that nothing in my army is without a cover save even on a completely open table. Or they provide a screen for my hormagaunts since they can get out in front and not worry about synapse. Or if they don't have a lot of st6 weapons they push up as fast as possible to contest objectives. They weren't in the original list but i dropped some stuff on the uber fex's and used the extra points on them. They are working out so far.

Crusnik wrote: Is that a dakkadakka article or do I have to go look for it?

I believe this is the one.

Envy89 wrote:if you want to expand your nid army. the assault brood box is the best way to do it.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1020044&prodId=prod1430004&rootCatGameStyle=wh40k

for 180$ you get
6 warriors
3 carnies
16 stealers
and 32 gaunts (16 of CC and 16 Shooty)

once you get that, get a hive tyrant and bits order a set of dragon wings to make it into a winged hive tyrnet...
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1300205&prodId=prod1290031&rootCatGameStyle=wh

those will give you a good feal of a nid amry, and let you pick which way you want to go form there.... with nids, its hard to go wrong... unless you TRY.

if you want to go bugzilla, the behemoth crusher box gives you 3 carnies for 90$.
if you want to play stealer spam, another box or 2 of stealers.

or, if you like me and like to mix it up a bit, get a second assault bood box
zoeys are optional... honeslty the only reason i have them is because i got them in a good trade. they are top heavy, and have a tendency to fall over on me A LOT.

I thought the point of zoanthropes was to have them fall over and smash your opponent's unit that you hate the most.

Aim for some demon prince with a really good paint job or something.

One thing to note for the tactica article is that a Barbed Strangler is in on an elite 'fex,Thanks to 5th ed. Give it Scything Talons, no other Biomorphs and it becomes (IMHO) the best elites Carnifex (S8 pie plate, causes pinning)

In fact, I think I'll write up something on my experience with 'Fex's in 5th ed.