Hive Tyrant: Expensive, fragile, and expensive. Lost invulnerable saves, gained psychic powers which they can't use.
Tyrant Guard: Expensive, and people will argue with you over the rules. As in, they're worded so poorly that some people argue that they have NO EFFECT on your Tyrant. Whatsoever. I'm serious.
Tervigon: New. Other players bitch about them because they seem overpowered, but they're roughly as overpowered as the 3rd edition IG codex. Spawns troops and gives other units Feel No Pain.
Prime: Tyranid Warrior IC. THAT IS IT.
Zoanthrope: Shooting got upped. Moved to Elites. Have to be taken in squads, but lost 0-1 restriction. No options.
Hive Guard: These and/or Zoanthropes are required to make a list. They sold out nationwide in just under 4 days.
Lictor: Deploy like Marbo. Horrible unlike Marbo. They got nerfed in as many ways as they got fixed. Almost useless.
Pyrovore: In the runnings for Worst Unit in the Game. I'm not kidding.
Termagant: Nerfed.
Hormagaunt: Nerfed and dropped in price. Yes, this means termas got nerfed without a price change.
Genestealer: Dropped 2 points, got Infiltrate, and lost literally every upgrade you ever gave them. Including the mandatory ones.
Ymgarl Genestealer: Elite Genestealers that deploy like 3E Lictors. Cost nearly double.
Warrior: Moved to Troops. Gained a wound. Simultaneously the best and worst CC fighters in the game.
Ripper: Nerfed.
Gargoyle: Points halved. Nerfed.
Ravener: Still the exact problems of before, except the minimum size was raised to force you to buy the new plastic kit. Oh, and they're W3 now.
Harpy: New flying MC. Has questionable use.
Shrike: Flying warriors are called this now, and they're basically gakky warriors.
Sky-slasher: Flying rippers are called this now, and nerfed like rippers.
Carnifex: Dear god.
Mawloc: A bad Trygon that people will argue with you over just like tyrant guards. As in, they argue that the Mawloc literally cannot function.
Biovores: Nerfed.
Tyrannofex: New HS gun unit. Would be useful if it didn't cost 265 points.
The Swarmlord: Hive Tyrant character with +1WS, cool close combat rules, and a 280 point price tag. Fun fact-- Mephiston in the new BA codex has better stats and equipment for fewer points.
The Parasite of Mortrex: Gargoyle character with a special ability that never works. Bad.
Deathleaper: Lictor character with amazing rules but he's still a fething lictor.
The Doom of Malan'tai: One of 3 good units in the entire codex. Unfortunately, all of them are Elites.
Old One Eye: Have you ever wanted to pay 260 points for a carnifex with two unreliable upgrades?


List of codex nerfs, reduction, and removals in comparison to 4E codex:
No unit can take assault grenades except lictors (and DL), harpies, and carnifexes.
Loss of universal Move Through Cover.
Loss of universal Eternal Warrior.
Synapse changed to Fearless instead of "pass all Ld tests."
Weapons have preset stats no longer based on holder. Not a complete nerf.
Loss of Living Ammunition.
Loss of Leaping biomorph.
Implant Attack effective only on 6's to wound.
Psychic Scream has to be cast and only affects a randomly determined radius.
No creature in the codex may simultaneously take a Thornstrangler Cannon (monstrous Barbed Strangler) and Heavy Venom Cannon.
With a single exception, no creature in the codex may twin-link any of the afformentioned guns.
Shadow in the Warp distance reduced from "unlimited" to 12 inches.
Units no longer fall toward Synapse creatures.
A third of the codex doubled in point cost.
Units can no longer increase their stats with the exception of promoting the hive tyrant's armor.
Hive Tyrant cost increased to 227% old price.
Hive Tyrant has no access to Invulnerable save.
Hive Tyrant has no access to 2+ save with wings.
Hive Tyrant lost 25% of weapons and 75% of wargear options.
Tyrant Guard cost increased to 133% old price.
Tyrant Guard lost the following: -1 I, -3 Ld, Implant Attack.
Broodlord demoted to genestealer squad sergeant.
Broodlord lost Inhuman Strength, Synapse, and all wargear options except Implant Attack.
Tyranid Warriors lost unique weapons, twin-linked guns, 90% of wargear options, and deathspitters are no longer blasts.
Tyranid Warriors cost increased to 214% old price.
Lictors lost assault on arrival, Fearless, feeder tendrils, (Improved) Stealth, and the ability to operate outside of Synapse range.
Pheromone Trail no longer works when the Lictor is not on the table and provides a +1 instead of rerolls. Yes, this means that it won't activate until it's already too late to be useful.
Lictors no longer have a cover save in the open from being invisible.
Genestealers no longer have access to Extended Carapace, Feeder Tendrils, or Flesh Hooks. I have already stated this, but it NEEDS restating.
Termagants (all weapon varieties) no longer Fleet.
Loss of Without Number.
Spinegaunts went up a point.
Termagants (fleshborers) went down a point, but lost Living Ammunition as stated previously.
Hormagaunts no longer Beasts.
Hormagaunts WS reduced to 3.
Ripper Swarms Ld reduced to 5.
Ripper Swarms subject to Instinctive Behaviour. If they fail their test, they take a number of power weapon wounds equal to the amount by which they failed.
Ripper Swarms WS reduced to 2.
Raveners Ld reduced to 6.
Gargoyles Ld reduced to 6.
Gargoyles no longer Fleet.
Gargoyles Bio-plasma attack changed to "automatically causes a saveable wound on a 6 to hit in assault." Effectively A reduced by 1.
Spore Mines T and Ld reduced to 1.
Spore Mine clusters increased in minimum deployable size (but disappear when they touch ANY friendly models).
Spore Mines can no longer be remote detonated.
Loss of Toxin and Bio-acid mines.
Zoanthropes I reduced to 3, A reduced to 1, Sv reduced to 5+/3++ (psycannons penetrate, increased vulnerability to weight of fire weapons).
Zoanthropes no longer able to choose psychic powers.
Zoanthropes no longer have access to Toxic Miasma.
Biovores no longer have Brood Telepathy.
Biovores cost increased to 115% old price.
Carnifexes price increased to 188% old price.
Carnifexes lost a total 17 out of 20 wargear options and 2 out of 8 weapon options, not including the loss of previous standard Thornstrangler Cannon + Heavy Venom Cannon configuration.
Carnifexes now subject to Instinctive Behaviour.
Carnifexes Ld reduced to 7.
Crushing Claws now +D3 attacks. Still 25 points.
Carnifexes no longer available as Elites.
Trygons WS reduced to 5, S reduced to 6, T reduced to 6, I reduced to 4, Ld reduced to 8.
Trygons lost Invulnerable save.
Trygons Subterranean Tunnels changed to Subterranean Assault. Raveners unable to use it. Counts as Deep Strike for arriving unit. Only works if a unit happens to arrive from Reserve at appropriate time, cannot specifically reserve a unit inside tunnel.


List of ongoing rules disputes with new codex:
Instinctive Behaviour is an illegible mess.
Units which are subject to IB act under its effects for the whole turn. Conflicts with Synapse which states that units within range are not subject to rule.
Fearless timing left out. Units can arguably enter Synapse, leave Synapse range, and will never lose Fearless.
Instinctive Behaviour - Lurk abusable like old Skaven artillery. Units have to attempt to fire at an enemy if said enemy is in line of sight OR weapon range, resulting in termagants unable to move because of an enemy visible 48" away.
Instinctive Behaviour - Lurk requires the Tyranid player to break the "no pre-measuring before announcing shooting targets" rule.
Tyranid Close Combat weapons are claimed to not be useable in concert with each other, causing situations like lictors which have to choose whether to use their talons or claws, or units holding a Lash Whip and Bonesword and being unable to use the first.
Hive Tyrant reserve bonus stacking/off-table arguments.
Tyrant Guard Shieldwall rule allows a single tyrant to join "exactly as if it were an independent character." Arguments that said tyrant counts as an IC during shooting and assault phases, resulting in tyrant guards having literally no function whatsoever.
Lictor reserve bonus stacking arguments.
Harpy Spore Mine Cysts rule arguments over whether or not it counts as shooting for the purposes of targetting in later phases.
Venomthrope Spore Cloud grants "a 5+ cover save against any shooting attacks." Emphasis added.
How exactly does one obtain cover from a Hive Guard's Impaler Cannon?
Can Hive Guards target units embarked in vehicles? (the fluff dictates that the weapons penetrate vehicles and kill those inside, and the rules allow it to target any unit within range regardless of visibility)
Do Hive Guards have to take Night Fighting tests?
Do Tank Shocked Spore Mines explode?
Spore Mines automatically move d6" in a direction at the beginning of the Movement phase. No where does it say that this replaces their movement.
Spore Mines cannot fall back, go to ground, or run. They are not Fearless, and it is unknown if they are allowed to assault.
Do the Trygon Prime's Containment Spines replace the Bio-electric Pulse or augment it?
Can the Mawloc target enemy units directly with its Terror from the Deep ability?
What happens when you Tank Shock a Mycetic Spore?
The Doom of Malan'tai's Spirit Leech is a special rule that automatically affects all enemy units within 6 inches. Does this include units embarked on vehicles? NOBODY IS SHUTTING UP ABOUT THIS.
Does Stubborn interact with Deathleaper's "It's after me!" special rule?
Can you take cover saves against wounds caused by Brood Progenitor, Spirit Leech, or Terror from the Deep?
If a Tervigon uses Onslaught, a psychic shooting attack that targets a friendly unit, how does this affect targetting for the rest of the turn?
How many casualties does a Devourer have to cause for a squad to have to their break test at a penalty? Can a single casualty be caused with a devourer, and 24 caused by deathspitters, on a squad of 100, for example?
A model "counts their Initiative value as 1 until the end of the Assault phase, regardless of their actual Initiative value" if in base contact with a Lash Whip-wielding model. Since it is not a modifier as described in the rulebook, does this affect Sweeping Advance?
Lash Whips Vs. Banshee Masks.
Does the Doom have an Invulnerable save? The Warp Field rule specifically says "Zoanthropes."
Does Deathleaper have Chameleonic Skin? The Chameleonic Skin rule specifically says "Lictors."
Can you roll regenerate dice for wounds that have already regenerated?
Are Acid Blood tests/wounds capped at the number of wounds of the Acid Blood-holding model?
Can models with wings Deep Strike?


Common issues with the codex:
Still helpless against mechanized armies.
Pyrovores are completely worthless. The pyrovore is a model with a heavy flamer and a single WS3 I1 power weapon attack. For 45 points. With low leadership. That needs Synapse to operate.
Point costs are astronomical and Tyranid armies are easily outnumbered by IG, Orks, Eldar, Tau, and even various Space Marine armies.
The army is completely turned off by Jaws of the World Wolf.
W3 warriors with no Eternal Warrior means that for each powerfist hit, you lose 3 wounds in combat resolution. A powerklaw Nob on the charge can do 12 wounds worth of damage by himself.
Over-reliance on psychic powers means that Imperial armies basically ignore Tyranid abilities by virtue of an abundance of Psychic Hoods.
Shadow in the Warp's range is too short to be useful.
Literally cannot survive against gunlines, especially IG.
Fleshborer/Spinefist troll on GW's part pissed off a lot of horde Tyranid players.
Nearly every good unit in the codex doesn't have a model (tervigon, Doom, non-Tyrant boneswords, etc).
They honestly expect you to buy 4 hive tyrants to make The Swarmlord and multiple fex/trygon kits to make the W6 MC's.
The ability to do an entirely Deep Strike army but a complete lack of Drop Pod assault or passive reserve bonuses that don't require a lonely babysitter on the battlefield.
Venom Cannons are horrible, still.

Gwar! wrote:

gameandwatch wrote:

Gwar! wrote:

Locclo wrote:

Gwar! wrote:Firstly: It doesn't have an Invulnerable Save

Since when does it not have that Invul save? Warp Field grants it a 3+ Invulnerable Save...I mean, unless you're going against GKs (Which is why my friend is just raring to fight against it, IIRC one of his guns denies it its armor and that Invul save)

Read the Warp Field rule very carefully.

You are referring to it saying "This grants a zoanthrope..." , well if you are, the DoM is a surname for what it is. Read the backstory above the unit rules, it is clearly called a zoanthrope...

Fluff is not rules.