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For some reason I always see people running only fleshborers on their termagants. Is there some reason people seem to think they're superior to the other 0 point options? Or is it just coincidence that I only ever see fleshborer gants? For information's sake, I did some math.

Shooting at a Space Marine
- Fleshborer: 8.3% Wound rate
- Spike Rifle: 5.6% Wound rate
- Spinefist: 8.3% Wound rate

Shooting at a Guard/Guardian/DE Warrior
- Fleshborer: 33.3% Wound rate
- Spike Rifle: 16.7% Wound rate
- Spinefist: 37.5% Wound rate

It seems to me that Spinefists are statistically the superior option, unless you prefer the range of the Spike Rifle.

What do you guys prefer to take on your termagants, and why?

devourers. 3 shots from thirty guys = dead people.
+ rule of cool.

Yeah, I'm aware that devourers would be superior to all of these options. This was more regarding the 0 point options.

I thought flesh boreres were slightly better than spine fists?

EDIT - vs Space Marines I meant.

Are you taking into account that Fleshborers ignore the armor saves of GEQs?

If you are, then my answer is essentially inertia, as Tyranid players still have unpleasant memories of when you had to pay for what to most seemed to be at most a lateral shift or at worst an outright downgrade. In addition, as Tervigons only ever produced fleshborer gants it was simply more convenient to model all your Termagants as fleshborer wielders when most competetive lists focused on cramming in as many (in 5e) Trygons, Tervigons, and Hive Guard/Zoanthropes (with maybe Genestealers for added flavor) as possible or later, cramming in as many Flyrants, Tervigons, and Zoanthropes as possible with maybe some Gargoyles, Broodlord delivery services, a Swarmstar, and Biovores for flavor.

If you'll notice, a constant here was Tervigons. Nearly every winning Tyranid list has Tervigons, and Tervigons only make Borergants.

These days though, the Spinefist is a more legitimate alternative, Tervigons have been nerfed down (by being made much less effective at support, having to roll for powers it once got automatically for no improvement to said powers and knowing fewer powers than before, and losing BRB powers) and then made heinously overcosted, and the formations mean you can get endless waves of reinforcements from other kinds of gants. Also the loss of spods is a pretty hefty slap in the face to devilgants, reducing competition in the troops section.

The re-roll to hit ends up statistically counteracting the -1 strength vs MEQ, so they're actually identical probability to wound.
Fleshborers and Spinefists are BOTH ap5.

That's some pretty good insight into old edition nids though. I can see how it would cause a sort of bias towards fleshborers like that.

Yes, to agree with the above it's that players have so many fleshborers because of Tervigon spawning that no one bothered rebuilding or buying more spinegants. Also, since there isn't a spike rifle biomorph available, most people don't bother converting any large number of termagants.

Bojazz wrote:
For some reason I always see people running only fleshborers on their termagants. Is there some reason people seem to think they're superior to the other 0 point options? Or is it just coincidence that I only ever see fleshborer gants? For information's sake, I did some math.

Shooting at a Space Marine
- Fleshborer: 8.3% Wound rate
- Spike Rifle: 5.6% Wound rate
- Spinefist: 8.3% Wound rate

Shooting at a Guard/Guardian/DE Warrior
- Fleshborer: 33.3% Wound rate
- Spike Rifle: 16.7% Wound rate
- Spinefist: 37.5% Wound rate

It seems to me that Spinefists are statistically the superior option, unless you prefer the range of the Spike Rifle.

What do you guys prefer to take on your termagants, and why?

I run all Spinegaunts....why? because I don't like the look of the base weapon, it doesn't look like a "bio-weapon" to me So I built all of mine as Spinegaunts, last version, when I had to pay an extra pt per....

 Sinful Hero wrote:
Yes, to agree with the above it's that players have so many fleshborers because of Tervigon spawning that no one bothered rebuilding or buying more spinegants. Also, since there isn't a spike rifle biomorph available, most people don't bother converting any large number of termagants.

The Spike Rifle is painfully terrible. You trade a bolt pistol or a twin-linked laspistol for an extended range laspistol that is still a worse weapon then what the almost as spammable Guardsmen, Cultists, Kroot, and Shoota Boyz are packing in pretty much every way. 18'' with a S3 AP- weapon, whop dee fething doo.

When you can legitimately say "a lasgun is a vastly superior weapon" you know something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

@ Kain.

So basically you are trading twin linking for extended range? that seems fair doesn't it?

Not saying it is good, just that it seems about right.

bodazoka wrote:
@ Kain.

So basically you are trading twin linking for extended range? that seems fair doesn't it?

Not saying it is good, just that it seems about right.

18'' range, on a model barely any cheaper than an Ork Shoota, Kroot carnivore, or a Guardsman who is fielding a superior weapon.

That is functionally worthless.

Pinecone: That's pretty solid reasoning. Half of the hobby for me is painting and modeling, so I think the look of the models plays a huge role. I also like the look of spinefists more than fleshborers.

S4 fleshborers also have the advantage of being able to glance an unsuspecting vehicle's rear, something S3 weapons can't.