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We know that, for energy and warp-based entities, souls are a nutritious food source. The C'Tan had a feast of the Necrontyr souls, and that anything that dies by, or near, a daemon gets their soul munched.

However, what about the Tyranids? Do those who die at Tyranid hands (or, in this case, Claws and teeth) get their souls absorbed into the hive mind? How does that all work?

Far as we know the Hive Mind is totally alien. It appears to be a creature that exists in some form within the Warp as well as in the physical world.


However far as we know it doesn't devour souls, it has no interest in them. In fact its presence causes a huge "Shadow in the Warp" effect which basically drives all else in warp from that region. It drives those sensitive to the warp insane; disrupts warp travel and more.


The Hive also gains no nourishment from fighting demons as when they are slain their bodies return to the warp. The Hive Fleets that fight demons have to have other hive fleets pre-digest worlds for them so that they can recover lost biomass through the war to continue.

The C’Tan, being of our dimension, didn’t feast on Souls.

Yes they took nourishment from some vital aspect, but there’s an account from a Daemon somewhere in the Lore that it and it’s kind feasted well during the fall of the Necrontyr.

As for the Shadow In The Warp, I’ve always interpreted that as psychic white noise. Ever bioconstruct is psychic. The Hive Mind is the result (and it’s not from one super dominant beast). Even in a splinter hive fleet, you’ve billions upon billions of psychic entities in constant contact. Every other psyker is therefore the merest droplet in that sea. And that’s why it proves disruptive.

As for the Shadow’s effect (affect? Never did quite remember that bit of grammar) on Daemons? Plain old turbulence, making holding their form something of an effort unto itself.