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 solkan wrote:

* Eldar - Weird people, but haven't broken anything yet. But getting side-eye for that whole 'web way' thing.

Eldar had such a huge orgy they literally created the new god of depravity. If I was their landlord, I certainly wouldn't want to be inspecting their place with a UV light...

 Darian Aarush wrote:

Animus wrote:

 Psionara wrote:
Tyranids.

They are able to replace themselves at an absorbent rate, recycling and reusing bio-matter from themselves or others to make more. Chaos, while powerful at the moment, what with the Fall of Cadia and the second Warp Rift/Cicatrix Maledictum cutting off half of the Imperium, aren't able to recruit new forces at the rate that Tyranids are. What we are seeing are the "fingers" of the Tyranid force. That being said, the hand comes next and then the rest of the body. In other words, we are only seeing a taste of what is to come.

Chaos has an endless supply of daemons.

But those daemons only exist while there are sentient beings in the materium feeding them psychically in the immaterium.

Chaos is multiversal, so it has an untouchable reservior of power to draw from. Areas that are totally devoid of life can be cracked open again.

Tyranids will destroy your body, Chaos will destroy your body and damn your soul.

Chaos feeds on emotion, so Chaos cannot be defeated while a living human (or eldar or whatever) still exists. Now, seeing as Astartes know no fear, it's possible that humans could undergo some treatment to remove emotion entirely, but at that point, succumbing to Chaos might actually be the better option. So while tyranids have better numbers and you can never seem to kill all of them, there's still a better chance (for humans, at least) of defeating tyranids without losing what makes them human.

Or you could become necrons and end up feeding neither nids or chaos. In fact necrons would probably destroy both but that's still bad.

As far as bigger threats go for now i'd say the nids. The nids have the shadow in the warp thing and that can be pretty terrifying if it prevents warp travel and stops warp rifts or similar.

Am I weird for thinking the orks, nids and necrons have a much better chance at stopping chaos than eldar, tau or humans ever would? Of course the "good" guy factions are generally weaker than bad guy factions (except the imperium probably) but as long as any of the "good" guy factions exist things like chaos will generally exist.

 solkan wrote:
The biggest threat to *the galaxy* is Chaos, as demonstrated by the fact that its followers have already put a big chip in part of it. I mean, really, all of you entities existing in the galaxy, you're not getting your security deposit back unless you fix that.

* Chaos - Already broke part of the galaxy. Going to get in trouble with landlord.
* Necrons - Trying to kick everyone else out of the galaxy. Landlord probably approves, as long as nothing else gets broken.
* Eldar - Weird people, but haven't broken anything yet. But getting side-eye for that whole 'web way' thing.
* Imperium - Landlord needs to talk to the tenants, to find out if this Chaos is their friend or whatever.
* Tyranids - Haven't been returning phone calls or answering questions about the new lease, but their check cleared.
* Orks - Mostly harmless
* Tau - Who?

This post made me happy such nice humor

I think the biggest threat is combination of chaos weakening the Imperium's forces and eventually the tyranids or necrons will over take the galaxy.

I wonder if there's the conceivable possibility of bioweapon that might wipe out the Tyranids? A synthetic virus that targets the core Tyranid genome, perhaps? I know it's in a constant state of flux and they absorb the genetic material of everything they devour, but there are specifically Tyranid traits and genes which can be targeted, surely?

 Darian Aarush wrote:
I wonder if there's the conceivable possibility of bioweapon that might wipe out the Tyranids? A synthetic virus that targets the core Tyranid genome, perhaps? I know it's in a constant state of flux and they absorb the genetic material of everything they devour, but there are specifically Tyranid traits and genes which can be targeted, surely?

Doesn't seem to be. Narratively it'd be too easy of a way out for the Tyranids' enemies.

Even when they did successfully use something like a toxin or virus, such as against the Norn Queen above Tarsis Ultra, the agent was specifically mentioned as only being effective against that particular fleet and only once.

Amusing side-note: the Orkz are the only race to have developed a means to deal with the Hive Mind. Some sort of anti-Hive Mind helmet, if I remember correctly. A helmet which was promptly "requisitioned" by the Mechanicus. Still, kinda funny that the "least advanced" race was able to do this while the others just kinda... get nommed.

Out of the two?

Technically, Tyranids are the salvation of the Galaxy.

Consider if you could create vast Arks, and fill them with people in cryostasis, in the style of the Necrons of old.

Head them off into deep, deep interstellar space. Leave the rest of the Galaxy to the Nids, who'll consume it all.

 Darian Aarush wrote:
As the subject says, what do you think poses the greater threat to the galaxy: Chaos or Tyranids?

Chaos may be more malignant and more consistent in its threat, but do the all-consuming Tyranids pose the greater threat?

Also, is it perhaps easier to envisage overcoming Chaos than it is overcoming the Tyranids?

Is perhaps another faction an even bigger threat that I haven't even considered...

After Cadia's fall and the Great Rift, the Ruinous Powers are clearly the more pressing threat. But the Tyranids should not be ignored, as most of the current splinter fleets are dangerous to the Imperium right on.

Chaos. Chaos bad.

I think the answer to this question lies in just how many Tyranids are still waiting outside the galaxy. I dunno how reliable the "7 galaxies have been eaten already" lore is, but if even just one of them had the same propensity for organic life as our own (in the setting), then that spells some real bad news for the Milky Way. If most of the Tyranids are already here, then the threat is manageable, if still dire. If not... well, it could quickly become overwhelming even if the native species all banded together (including Chaos) to repel them.

Without that information, we're kinda stuck just speculating. I will say that if Chaos wins, life will still go on, but if the Nids eat everyone, that's the end. So, in terms of "if this Faction wins, what is the worst outcome", Nids easily take the V.

 flandarz wrote:
Amusing side-note: the Orkz are the only race to have developed a means to deal with the Hive Mind. Some sort of anti-Hive Mind helmet, if I remember correctly. A helmet which was promptly "requisitioned" by the Mechanicus. Still, kinda funny that the "least advanced" race was able to do this while the others just kinda... get nommed.

Yes, but to be fair the Orks are the only race that can make something work just be thinking it works...

 flandarz wrote:

I will say that if Chaos wins, life will still go on, but if the Nids eat everyone, that's the end. So, in terms of "if this Faction wins, what is the worst outcome", Nids easily take the V.

If Chaos 'wins', little on the ground changes for your average humie even in a worst case scenario; they simply spend their lives in bondage to a different 'tyrant'. Big whoop. Best case scenario, that average humie could end up ruling their own planet. Chaos is a meritocracy. The Imperium isn't.

So, for this and many, many, many other reasons, already mentioned, Tyranids are the greatest threat to the survival of humanity.

 Darian Aarush wrote:

 flandarz wrote:
Amusing side-note: the Orkz are the only race to have developed a means to deal with the Hive Mind. Some sort of anti-Hive Mind helmet, if I remember correctly. A helmet which was promptly "requisitioned" by the Mechanicus. Still, kinda funny that the "least advanced" race was able to do this while the others just kinda... get nommed.

Yes, but to be fair the Orks are the only race that can make something work just be thinking it works...

That's an interesting titbit I wasn't aware of- where's that from?

sidewinderscott wrote:

 Excommunicatus wrote:
I feel like y'all are under-estimating mice-spiders.

Mice-Spiders are the greatest threat.

Mice-Spiders are just a distraction from the real threat.

The Spider-Mice.

 Skinflint Games wrote:

That's an interesting titbit I wasn't aware of- where's that from?

7th edition Deathwatch Codex.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:
Or you could become necrons and end up feeding neither nids or chaos

Tyranids can consume hard metals, minerals, and refined ores. Necrodermis/Living metal can totally be devoured and adapted once it's broken down.

I bet Blackstone could be as well.

So.

Nids.