Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi dakka,

I have recently assembled a large tyranid army, but I'm struggling to think how I can deal with high AV tanks. I'm expecting to come up against a number of Land Raiders, both of my brothers now have 3, and I would not be surprised to encounter them en masse.

I'm thinking carnifex with wrecker claws can take the tank out, but catching it will be a challenge and the issue with that is whatever the land raider was carrying is going to be wherever it wanted to be.

I know I can screen my valuable stuff and synapse creatures, but taking the tank out if it parks on an objective or something will be a challenge.

Thanks for the help!

Could always Dakka-rant it in the butt.

In terms of land raiders though... or anything AV 13 or 14 all around or that you can't flank, Warp Lance is tasty, if not completely reliable.

I don't know Tyranid very well, could you use a Mawloc?

Electroshock grubs and Warp Blast. Obviously if a fex can get close enough, go with that.

I would recommend flyrant with electro shock grubs as it's a lot more reliable than shooting at it with str 8-10 weapons or getting into melee.

 TrenchCoatCreep wrote:
I would recommend flyrant with electro shock grubs as it's a lot more reliable than shooting at it with str 8-10 weapons or getting into melee.

I second this

In addition to other suggestions, Tervigon with Crushing Claws also works nicely.

Barbed Hierodule too if you're not opposed to the massive bugs.

Thanks for the help guys! I do like my zoanthopes, but warp blast has too many opportunities to fail to be that reliable!

 TrenchCoatCreep wrote:
I would recommend flyrant with electro shock grubs as it's a lot more reliable than shooting at it with str 8-10 weapons or getting into melee.

Do you take these instead of a weapon or is it an addition to the tl devourers?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Frozocrone wrote:
In addition to other suggestions, Tervigon with Crushing Claws also works nicely.

Barbed Hierodule too if you're not opposed to the massive bugs.

I do want a tervigon soon actually! Would love a barbed hierodule, but just not got the money for it!

Tervigons nice for fun games. Flyrants are pretty awesome.

And the E-Grubs are in addition to the Devourers. It can only fire 2 Devourers or 1 Devourer and E-Grubs a turn though.

The main application of E-Grubs are that they are Template Haywire, so against Walkers, score D3 Haywire hits in Overwatch.

Yeah, e-grubs on anything that can take them.

What about Hive Guard? Can't they take a haywire gun of some sort? (clutching at straws a bit here!)

I used to be very concerned about high AV tanks like LRs, but honestly in most situations you can safely ignore them. The case you mentioned where opponents have 3 or so is probably the exception to the rule. But outside of that 3+ flyrsnts will be fine for dealing with them.

Benlisted wrote:
I used to be very concerned about high AV tanks like LRs, but honestly in most situations you can safely ignore them. The case you mentioned where opponents have 3 or so is probably the exception to the rule. But outside of that 3+ flyrsnts will be fine for dealing with them.

I would happily ignore them but letting three run roughshod over my army would be a bit too much! I only have two flyrants at the moment, and I think my third will be a melee one, but I'll give it the grubs to discourage charges from walkers/strip hull points. What melee weapons would you recommend for a melee flyrant? Is the whip and sword worth it?

NG77 wrote:

Benlisted wrote:
I used to be very concerned about high AV tanks like LRs, but honestly in most situations you can safely ignore them. The case you mentioned where opponents have 3 or so is probably the exception to the rule. But outside of that 3+ flyrsnts will be fine for dealing with them.

I would happily ignore them but letting three run roughshod over my army would be a bit too much! I only have two flyrants at the moment, and I think my third will be a melee one, but I'll give it the grubs to discourage charges from walkers/strip hull points. What melee weapons would you recommend for a melee flyrant? Is the whip and sword worth it?

Yes, lash whip and bonesword is mandatory for a choppy tyrant in my opinion. +3 init and 6s to wound are instant death. Combine with adrenal glands and preferred enemy. It's worth giving her wings too as this allows your tyrant to move as jump infantry (and jink) so it can close the gap quicker even if your aren't swopping with it.

Honestly you can just block them of with tyranocytes. They are cheap, a pain to shot to death and even a land raider won't try to tank shock one.

Generally you can ignore them, just worry about the contents.

Tyranids do struggle a bit with land raiders. More than most armies at least.

Barbed hierodules are king at this role. They fill a land raider sized long-ranged anti-tank hole in the tyranids arsenal. No vehicle wants to deal with 12 S10 shots.
However a barbed 'dule is the only unit likely to kill a land raider by itself. Anything else will take multiple units/turns to whittle it down (short of an incredibly lucky warp lance).


Hive Crones are decent, when they aren't tied up shooting down fliers. Their haywire shots can ping off a hull-point or two.

A flyrant with e-shock grubs can remove a hullpoint per turn.

If you roll warp-lance on a flyrant then you may as well take a shot with it. Maybe you will get lucky! But it's a horribly unreliable power.
I'm not personally a fan of zoanthropes, but if you pour a large amount of warp charges into a unit of them to guarantee the power working, they might just do it.

Hive guard can indeed take shock cannons. However they're basically paying 5 points more to become worse against anything that is not a land raider.
Even then, like anything else here, they won't get the job done by themselves.

A tyrannofex with a rupture cannon is a trap. Over 200 points for 2 BS3 S10 shots is awful. The tyrannofex isn't terrible, but it doesn't work in this role. It's not a tank killer.

Heavy venom cannons... the only platform I'd bother taking them on is a Harpy. In which case you'd be better off spending 20 points more for a hive crone.

That about covers it. Without a barbed hierodule, it takes a combination of these things, and probably multiple turns to take out a land raider.
Sure there are close combat options, but if you're in range to use them, then the land raider has already delivered its squad of THSS termies into your lines.

@gloomfang - Why would a land raider not tank shock a tyrannocyte?

Arson Fire wrote:
Tyranids do struggle a bit with land raiders. More than most armies at least.

Barbed hierodules are king at this role. They fill a land raider sized long-ranged anti-tank hole in the tyranids arsenal. No vehicle wants to deal with 12 S10 shots.
However a barbed 'dule is the only unit likely to kill a land raider by itself. Anything else will take multiple units/turns to whittle it down (short of an incredibly lucky warp lance).


Hive Crones are decent, when they aren't tied up shooting down fliers. Their haywire shots can ping off a hull-point or two.

A flyrant with e-shock grubs can remove a hullpoint per turn.

If you roll warp-lance on a flyrant then you may as well take a shot with it. Maybe you will get lucky! But it's a horribly unreliable power.
I'm not personally a fan of zoanthropes, but if you pour a large amount of warp charges into a unit of them to guarantee the power working, they might just do it.

Hive guard can indeed take shock cannons. However they're basically paying 5 points more to become worse against anything that is not a land raider.
Even then, like anything else here, they won't get the job done by themselves.

A tyrannofex with a rupture cannon is a trap. Over 200 points for 2 BS3 S10 shots is awful. The tyrannofex isn't terrible, but it doesn't work in this role. It's not a tank killer.

Heavy venom cannons... the only platform I'd bother taking them on is a Harpy. In which case you'd be better off spending 20 points more for a hive crone.

That about covers it. Without a barbed hierodule, it takes a combination of these things, and probably multiple turns to take out a land raider.
Sure there are close combat options, but if you're in range to use them, then the land raider has already delivered its squad of THSS termies into your lines.

Thanks for that excellent summary, looks like I'll just whittle it down with haywire attacks or just try and ignore them/avoid the contents!

If I somehow get the money I'll be getting a barbed hierodule for sure, but that won't be for a long long time haha!



Automatically Appended Next Post:

whirlwindstruggle wrote:


Yes, lash whip and bonesword is mandatory for a choppy tyrant in my opinion. +3 init and 6s to wound are instant death. Combine with adrenal glands and preferred enemy. It's worth giving her wings too as this allows your tyrant to move as jump infantry (and jink) so it can close the gap quicker even if your aren't swopping with it.

Yeah I completely agree about the wings, need to make sure that I can actually get to combat! Would it still be striking at I1 in combat if it charged through terrain? Can it take the grenades equivalent biomorph? Should it?

Tank shocking a tyranacyte is dangerous for any vehicle so most people don't. It is a S5 MC so it can Smash. S10 AP2 is nothing to play around with.