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Me and my brother after years of wanting to play warhammer 40k, are finally able to do it, i chose tyranids and he chose space marines. I just need some help in deciding what to get next and why... also if i should add anything to my models or get rid of...

HQ: Flyrant = Twinlink devourer (I need more HQ choices i am well aware)

Elite: 1 Lictor... I am thinking of 2 Zoanthropes and Hiveguard/Venomthrope?

Troops: 6 Genestealers, Should i get more and get broodlord with it?
50 termagaunts
40 hormagaunt
10 rippers
3 warriors. 2 with Rending claws and 1 with Venom Cannon

Fast Attack: 10 Gargoyles,,, Hive Crone or Raveners?

Heavy: 1 Dakkafex
1 Biovore

Hey there. Welcome to the hive mind I'm going to go through each section and give my suggestions.
HQ:
Flyrant = Twinlink devourer
This is a good start. Flyrants are easily the best HQ that nids have. If you want to be a nice guy, I would run it as a tyrant with LW/BS, TS, and some larvae. It's very hard to fight fliers at low points like this. Maybe help your friend out and don't run a flier yet. Note: make sure that you magnitize your tyrant so you can switch out wargear for each game. There are a ton of walkthroughs on the web to help you.

Next buys: some tyrant guard would be nice to keep your tyrant alive when you dont get wings.

Elite:
1 Lictor
Lictors aren't the best buy for elites. They are workable, and the pheromone trail can be nice for reserves, but there are better choices.

Next buys: zoanthropes for synapse and S10 psychic shots, venomthropes for shrouded bonuses, maybe hive guard for some anti-flier (I don't like hive guard, but some nid players love them)

Troops:
6 Genestealers
Genestealers aren't the best in this edition, as they can die very easily to shooting. However, they are definitely workable, especially with a brood lord. They are absolute monsters in combat with RC and TS. Try them out, maybe proxie some, and see if you like that play style. The ability to infiltrate and to not need synapse can be very helpful.
50 Termagaunts
The staple for basically every nid list. You will probably need a lot of these guys. 50 is a good starting number though. In swarm lists, I like to run between 60 and 90.
40 Hormagaunt
Weaker than terms, but great for swarm lists. Typically they are run either bare or with TS. I like to use them bare as a screening unit for my swarm. When paired with venomthropes, they can be very effective in absorbing fire while closing the gap to the enemy.
10 Rippers
Easily the weakest troops. Being swarms really hinders the effectiveness of this unit, and being ID'd with S6 is awful. There might be use for them to DS them in with spinefists to pump out a ton shots, but usually people leave them at home.
3 Warriors
The synapse backbone for nids. ID can be rough for these guys, but they can be very useful. They are troops, provide synapse, can provide decent fire with deathspitters, and are in almost every nid formation. Most people run them with deathspitters and maybe a VC or BS. You can run them as a close combat unit, but it's hard to get them into combat consistently. Great for backfield and midfield objective holding.

Next buys: Really open. You have a good foundation. You will probably want more warriors eventually. Maybe some more genestealers if you like their play style. You could really wait on getting any troops if you wanted to focus on other things.

Fast Attack:
10 Gargoyles
Usually this unit is only used for the skyblight formation. However, this can be a very effective screening unit like horms, and they can completely nutter a unit. Run a unit of 20 with TS to screen the rest of your units, then send them at the biggest threat. With their blind attack hitting on 4+, it will force your opponent to make a lot of tests to avoid becoming WS1. Once they fail, hit it with an assault unit like horms or a tyrant to crush them.

Next buys: More gargoyles would be nice to have an effective sized unit. The harpy/hive crone is a good FMC that a lot of people like. I've never played raveners, but they look like an interesting close combat unit because they are beasts. You probably want to stay away from the shrikes and the sky rippers, but the former can be used effectively in some lists.

Heavy:
1 Dakkafex
Carnifexes have really come back for the new nid book. Cheap, versatile, and S9 base, they can be both shootie and geared for combat at the same time. The most popular build is a dakkafex, but if you need to save on points a bare carnifex can still cause a lot of trouble. Usually you want to run these in broods of 2 or 3 in order to pass wounds around and keep each alive longer.
1 Biovore
A decent unit that is good at taking out infantry. Personally, I never use them. But they can definitely be very effective and are very cheap points-wise. You want to run them in groups of 3 in order to get the most out of your heavy slot, which will only cost you the same price as a bare carnifex.

Next buys: its really up to you. Heavies are easily the most versatile slot for nids. You could run any unit and have it be effective if played correctly. I would recommend getting another carnifex or 2, along with 2 biovores to fill out what you have already. But this is really the place to play around and find what you like. Personally I like to run 2-3 tyrannofexes because of the S10 shots and the only 2+ armor available to nids.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions. I'm sure pinecone will be here soon to share his spin on things too.

So as I see it..

HQ:
Hive Tyrant = LW/BS TS
3 Tyrant Guard = RC/ST?

Elite:
2 Zoanthropes
3 Hiveguard
2/3 Venomthropes

Troops:
12 Genestealer w/ Broodlord
60 Terms
40 Horms
2 Warrior Broods VC/BS

Fast Atack:
20 Gargoyles
3 Ravener w/ Red Terror
(eventually a Hive Crone)

Heavy:
3 dakkafex... Should all of them be a dakkafex, or should i change onne/two of them?
2 Tyranofex... Do these come with specific weapons, or what shhould i give them?

I am also looking at Mawlocks and Trygons MAYBE Exocrine or Pyrovore?

I tend to leave the tyrant guard just bare, otherwise the unit gets too expensive. They are there to absorb fire and to ensure that your tyrant makes it into combat.

I've never tried the red terror. Let me know how that works for you

I typically equip every carnifex in the brood the same, so I would run them all as dakkafexes.

I tend to give my tyrannofexes rupture cannons, as I like the S10. But others like the torrent weapon. It's really up to your preferences.

Trygons, Mawlocks, and Exocrines are all good choices. It just depends on how you want your army to function. Trygons/Mawlocks are great for popping up in the enemies face turn 2 to cause havoc.

However, pyrovores are probably the single worse unit in the codex, even over rippers. I would highly recommend that you don't mess with them while you're still learning. The only time I've ever run pyrovores is when I was teaching another person how to play and wanted to handicap myself.

Hey OP, I know this isn't what you were asking but I'd like to recommend to paint them Hive Fleet Leviathan or Kraken colors so you can have narrative games more easily. Those two are everywhere and you could easily find stories about those two interacting with basically everyone, and that's not to mention you can take advantage of the Valedor expansion for apocalypse later on.

thankyou so much Frey I will definitely tell you how it works!

and Quarter I a would probably leviathan but i also want like a deep purple in it

beardman3000 wrote:
Me and my brother after years of wanting to play warhammer 40k, are finally able to do it, i chose tyranids and he chose space marines. I just need some help in deciding what to get next and why... also if i should add anything to my models or get rid of...

HQ: Flyrant = Twinlink devourer (I need more HQ choices i am well aware)

Elite: 1 Lictor... I am thinking of 2 Zoanthropes and Hiveguard/Venomthrope?

Troops: 6 Genestealers, Should i get more and get broodlord with it?
50 termagaunts
40 hormagaunt
10 rippers
3 warriors. 2 with Rending claws and 1 with Venom Cannon

Fast Attack: 10 Gargoyles,,, Hive Crone or Raveners?

Heavy: 1 Dakkafex
1 Biovore

Late to the party... So, I'll just make general comments...If you like Lictors, then take a long look at Mawloc(s) for Heavies. The go together like chocolat and peanut butter.

I'd just go ahead and magnitise, but I'm handy that way. When all is said and done, you'll want Wings, so if you need to glue, that's the way to go. A "Winged Dakka'rant" is the current gold standard, and 7th has done nothing to change that, I obsessively add Thorax Hive for Electro-bugs, so I have something that is good vs Vehicles.

Genestealers are almost impossible to get good value from in the current meta. If you want to use them I suggest finding a Broodlord. If you "pin" a unit, the Stealers can close without being mowed down. I still find use for Hormies, though I set aside 10 of them from the Swarm Box, and converted them into "Devilgaunts" (Termagants with Devourers) With the nurf to Monsters (Smash ) I have started to use them with Toxin sacks, for anti-MC duty...

For Warriors, I always say Strangle Cannon is the only way to go.(because "pin" results mean so much for us) But a Venom Cannon is the preferred choice for "Living Artillery" because the formation grants "Pinning" to Blasts within Synapse of the Warrior Brood.

For future purchases...1 or 2 Dakkafexen is a very good purchase. If you want to run "Living Artillery" 2 more Biovores, and a Exocrene (and possibly a second Warrior Brood) Will make for a strong list that is fairly easy to play.

For Elites, I consider Zoeys (Zoanthropes) a "must take", and a Venothrope as "Oh yeah, them too!" So no room for Hive guard. If you end up running x2 CAD, then you'll have more slots open. My "standard" build is, 1 Brood of Zoeys x2, 1 Brood of Venos x2, and if points (and Dollars) allow, another Brood of Zoey(s) (Solo, or doubled out for durability)

Lictors suffer the same fate as Hive Guard, no room. But if you do decide to take a Brood, you should look at maximizing you Deepstrikes, so you can take advantage of the "no scatter" effect Lictors have.

Gargoyles make an exelent screen for Dakka'rants, and are a key unit for Skyblight. Having one Brood, per Winged Tyrant is a good way to build a force, and will come in handy later, if you go for Skyblight.

Hive Crones are very good at anti-air (for Nids ) and are required for Skyblight, Harpies are also nice, and are required for the Formation. I like to add "Spine Salvos(?) to them for a little bit of anti-air abilty.(So if you got a second Brood of Gargoyles, and a Crone, you would not be going wrong. ) Blind now requires a Wound to work. So nowadays I recommend Toxic for Gargoyles, so they can Wound easily.

beardman3000 wrote:
thankyou so much Frey I will definitely tell you how it works!

and Quarter I a would probably leviathan but i also want like a deep purple in it

That's easy. You paint their carapace black and trim it purple. Just look at GW's showcase models and see. Of course you don't need to do it that little line-by-line way that they did it, but that general method should yield a good result. Just find your own way to trim it purple without making it look like crap

pinecone77 wrote:
Late to the party... So, I'll just make general comments...If you like Lictors, then take a long look at Mawloc(s) for Heavies. The go together like chocolat and peanut butter.

Very true. I forgot to mention this, but it's a very popular tactic and will help get the most out of your lictors.

Genestealers are almost impossible to get good value from in the current meta. If you want to use them I suggest finding a Broodlord. If you "pin" a unit, the Stealers can close without being mowed down.

Pretty much necessary if you want to make it into assault (which you really do with genestealers).

For Warriors, I always say Strangle Cannon is the only way to go.(because "pin" results mean so much for us)

Personally, I disagree. I find that pinning is rarely useful because I play a lot of high LD armies. It usually winds up doing nothing for me. I prefer having that high strength blast. But to each their own.

My "standard" build is, 1 Brood of Zoeys x2, 1 Brood of Venos x2, and if points (and Dollars) allow, another Brood of Zoey(s) (Solo, or doubled out for durability)

Basically the same for me. But I run 1 brood of 2 zoeys, 2 broods of 1 venoms because it lets me spread the shrouded out more. It really depends on your list and how many points you have. I love to run swarm lists, so I need that extra spread of cover.

Pinecone and I tend to be the busiest commenters for nid lists, so I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of us. We both have a different play style, so feel free to ignore what doesn't work for you and explore the different units.
I'm approaching 10k of nids, so I've been expanding to other units like lictors and biovores in order to get some variety in my play style. You never know what you'll wind up liking.

Well I have not made any decisions yet so I just got done putting together my Hive Tyrant and Warrior brood...

I am going to get:

2 more Carnifex, 2 zoanthropes... I am deciding whether i should get Mawlocks/Raveners first.. Then Venomthrope/Hive Crone first... How good are Raveners?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Again, thankyou guys so much ^_^

beardman3000 wrote:
Well I have not made any decisions yet so I just got done putting together my Hive Tyrant and Warrior brood...

I am going to get:

2 more Carnifex, 2 zoanthropes... I am deciding whether i should get Mawlocks/Raveners first.. Then Venomthrope/Hive Crone first... How good are Raveners?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Again, thankyou guys so much ^_^

There is always room for more Carnifexen. Raveners, are a "love'em or don't" kind of unit. Some seem to get use from them, others (me...) do not. If you do, you'll need to get enough to do some real damage, maybe 6 or more. I suppose they can Deepstrike in with help from a Lictor Brood if you like.. The reason I don't like them is they need Synapse. So I'd want Shrikes before Raveners...(and Shrikes can get Flesh hooks ) Maybe you should proxy them for a game or two, before you toss down cash.

If you run Lictor Brood: x2, Zoey Brood: x2, Veno Brood: x2, toss in twin Dakkafexen, you could run one or two Mawlocs. And that could make real problems for most any enemy. That should run...290+300+280= 870 Plenty left for Troops, and a HQ, or two.

pinecone77 wrote:

beardman3000 wrote:
Well I have not made any decisions yet so I just got done putting together my Hive Tyrant and Warrior brood...

I am going to get:

2 more Carnifex, 2 zoanthropes... I am deciding whether i should get Mawlocks/Raveners first.. Then Venomthrope/Hive Crone first... How good are Raveners?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Again, thankyou guys so much ^_^

There is always room for more Carnifexen. Raveners, are a "love'em or don't" kind of unit. Some seem to get use from them, others (me...) do not. If you do, you'll need to get enough to do some real damage, maybe 6 or more. I suppose they can Deepstrike in with help from a Lictor Brood if you like.. The reason I don't like them is they need Synapse. So I'd want Shrikes before Raveners...(and Shrikes can get Flesh hooks ) Maybe you should proxy them for a game or two, before you toss down cash.

If you run Lictor Brood: x2, Zoey Brood: x2, Veno Brood: x2, toss in twin Dakkafexen, you could run one or two Mawlocs. And that could make real problems for most any enemy. That should run...290+300+280= 870 Plenty left for Troops, and a HQ, or two.

that is perfect, thank you so much