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What is the best way to start a "horde" nid army
I thought that picking up the codex and battleforce would be a good start, then later pick up a tyrant and more guants
Is this a good approach to gathering nids?
(my friend wants to start a nid army and I'm trying to help him get off the ground)

I guess it depends on how you want to play them really.... If your looking for a swarm army them pick up alot more gaunts and genestealers and try and swarm them that way. If your looking for a power house I hear that the Nuke Choir is fairly effective. While I am not sure about the make up of it, what I do understand is that it is a Hive Tyrant, 3 Carnifexes (I may be wrong in the number as I have not seen a full list) and zoanthorpes (I think its 3, It might be two though). But you cant go wrong with more gaunts and stealers to build a good swarm army. The idea is to just overwhelm them before they can shoot you to pieces.

s2

Hey, I started Nids not too long ago. The best start up would be 2 battleforces, a hive tyrant, and the codex. The only semi-useless unit in the BF are hormagaunts, but you have to buy them with gaunt boxes anyways.

Im going for a fun swarm list with variety, and am giving most of the gaunts spinefists. This is the cheapest unit the nids have. If youre going to play an all gaunt list at high point games though, give them fleshborers, as now youre using them for killing instead of dying. Other units I would look at are zoanthropes (for my CC army they are necessary for synapse), lictors, and tyrant guards if youre not going to have a winged tyrant. Also look into a broodlord.

Genestealers should have scuttlers and feeder tendrils, gaunts should have either Spinefists or Fleshborers, Warriors should be equiped for shooting (As CC warriors are way overcosted). If you want to go swarm, fex's should be either Dakka (2x Devourer, Enhanced senses), or Strangler (Scything talon s, Barbed Strangler), or if you want a distraction give one 2x scy tal and WS and run it at your foes as fast as you can.

For Hormagaunts, give them either Fleshboerers or spinefists (Whatever you have left over). Hope this helps!

Night Lords wrote:The only semi-useless unit in the BF are hormagaunts, but you have to buy them with gaunt boxes anyways.

However you can easily glue the gaunt guns onto them and call them gaunts. I've done this with 24 of my gaunts and no one either a.) notices or b.) cares. It's the same model just in a different pose.

But yeah, a pair of battle forces, a tyrant, and another box of gaunts is a fair start.

If you're friend wants to play horde you definately need 2 battle forces. 3 warriors are a joke and if they die you have no synapse. 6 warriors are slightly hardier and will suffice until you can get your hands on a tyrant (with guard). The boxed set is a great deal in my opinion and it comes with the greatest plastics 'nid model in production...the carnifex!

If you don't like the hormies you can always give them whatever weapons are leftover from the gaunts and make them gaunts too (I have left mine as is since I'm hoping the next codex will fix them).

I think even 1 battle force should be uok...2 are great though..and then some gaunts to build them up and maybe a hive tyrant

Gandair wrote:

Night Lords wrote:The only semi-useless unit in the BF are hormagaunts, but you have to buy them with gaunt boxes anyways.

However you can easily glue the gaunt guns onto them and call them gaunts. I've done this with 24 of my gaunts and no one either a.) notices or b.) cares. It's the same model just in a different pose.

But yeah, a pair of battle forces, a tyrant, and another box of gaunts is a fair start.

I figure its better to make the hormagaunts, as it gives you some options to play with, and Im sure when the new codex comes out theyre going to make them a viable option. Id rather not be forced to buy more gaunt boxes just for hormies after .

I agree with Night Lords, especially if you want to play Apocalypse eventually, the Endless Swarm formation is very useful.

I also agree with getting a Hive Tyrant and more Gaunts and Genestealers.

Thanks for all the replies, but pardon my ignorance about nids, but what is wrong with hormies, I know next to nothing about nids only that hormies are close combat troops

They just cost too much for what they do. Theyre 2-3x more than regular gaunts, and you can get genestealers for only a little more