Tyranid

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, Tyranids are a swarm of aliens in many shapes and sizes. more...

Tyranids form a superorganism traveling the universe on their Hive Fleets, destroying all ecosystems in their path. They are psychically linked via their Hive mind, a collective consciousness that links all Tyranid organisms to one another. This gives them a great ability to strategize and coordinate.

Tyranids were first described in Rick Priestley's Rogue Trader, the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, with a basic form not too different from its current state. At that time they were not an emphasised race in the game, but in later editions they became a playable race in their own right, being especially popularised by the Space Hulk, Space Crusade and Ultra Marines Warhammer variants.

Tyranids in Warhammer 40,000

Tyranid Invasion

Ahead of the main mass of Tyranids are Genestealers that infest and inhabit planets good for feeding the fleet. They are strongly linked to the Hive Mind and are considered some of the most independent creatures of the Tyranid make-up, luring their fleet to the planet for consumption.

When Tyranids attack a planet, they do so with a full force of the Hive Fleet. This composes of some near thousand Hive Ships (bioships travelling across the galaxy) that empty all forces onto an unsuspecting planet. The skies darken and the ground is covered with Tyranids. When the planet is completely covered and all resistance defeated, all the planet's contents are absorbed by the Hive Ships. They gather DNA and "recycling" the original forces and materials into an even better force, leaving behind an airless, barren planetoid.

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