Where to begin!?

[Sanguineus]

Just demo'd 40k and have an inkling I want to begin a Tyranid army so I signed up on this forum. I looked around but couldn't find like a New Player guide or anything on what models/units to purchase first and why.

Is there something like this on this forum somewhere? If there is please direct me to it with a link.

Otherwise could the great Hive Minds out there please give me their opinions on where to start in building my Hive Fleet Sanguineus!

Thanks!

[Tempests Wrath]

A new player guide seems like a good idea just for general advice and the like..

In any case you will probably get a variety of answers based on the person or people you ask for "what you should get"

The first thing you should get is a copy of the rules, and the codex. (Not necessarily physical copies... but physical copies are a VERY good idea if you ever intend to actually play)

The main suggestions for a starter core model group I have noticed seem to be:
Tyranid Battleforce+Hive Tyrant
Tyranid Battleforce+Warrior Squad (convert 1 warrior into a tyranid prime, can be done in any way you want as long as you can tell the difference)
Tyranid Battleforce+Tyranid Battleforce (see above about prime conversion, and yes this is two battleforces)

After that its generally accepted a good idea to invest in some Hive Guard.

After that id personally recommend a hive tyrant if you dont have one yet. And then get whatever you want to try and use or have tried (via proxy) and found worked for you


What I -personally- did. Was I bought everything separately. Over a couple months i bought, built and painted: 2 Warrior squads, a genestealer squad, 2 zoanthropes, and 2 boxes of termagaunts.

I then started growing up my army from there. I also stopped using Zoanthropes pretty quick when I found how not terribly useful they were in small games.

[Gravekeeper]

1.Get Termagaunts!
Why?: They're your troops and moving cover and chep meat shield for all more valuable units. And also gives you...

2. Tervigons!
Why: They're your HQ in low point games and troops in higher point games.
Huge monsters with lots of wound, can hold objectives, spawn gaunts, gives synaps, supports with psycic powers.

3. Fill out with what ever other units you want or you're lacking.
Maybe some Ymgarl Genestealer to get some sneaky killing assults.

I hope that helps. Ask anything and you'll get some answears.
Welcome to the Hive, Sanguineus.

[guns]

I wouldn't recommend a Battleforce to a new player at this point in 6th edition. The Warriors and the Genestealers take some skill and determination to use properly, and might be frustrating to a new player who has no choice but to use them to bulk out his fledgling armylists.

I think the progression I would advise would be something like:

Priority #1 -- Tervigon: it can be used as your HQ choice as you're starting out, and as you expand your army you can begin to use it as a great Troops choice

Priority #2 -- lots of Termagants: gets you some bodies on the table, can actually be fairly killy with Devourers, and allow your Tervigon to use its special rule

Priority #3 -- 2x Hive Guard: reliable anti-tank that can be used at any points level, and a relatively easy introduction to assembling Finecast (this is only my assumption, since all my Guard are metal)

Priority #4 -- Gargoyles: more bodies to swamp your enemy, and some speed to play around with

Priority #5 -- Trygon: another big, reliable monster, who can be made fairly expensive to bulk out your burgeoning rookie armylists

Priority #6 -- Hive Tyrant: replaces your Tervigon in the HQ role, pairs nicely with the Devgaunts + Hive Guard or the Gargoyles, depending on how you config him

[Davor]

This is what I say to all newbies who don't say this.

What kind of player are you? Are you a shooty or assaulty player? Are you a horde or MC type player? Maybe a mixutre of all of them? Some people can have great ideas but if you are say, not a shooty player, then having a shooty force will be no good for you, or at least Not Fun.

So before we really can say, what kind of player are you?

For me, I say, as was said, get the rule book first. 6th edition of 40K, just in case you are new and didn't know. Then get the codex if you are set on collecting Tyranids. Funny how a few people haven't bothered with the codex. After you get the codex, don't forget to check the Errata/FAQ since 6th edition has changed some stuff. A new FAQ should be coming out around the end of August if rumours are to believed.

I say get the Battleforce box set to start of. 2 if you can afford it, or get one now, buy a few other minis and then get another battleforce box set later. Basically you are getting the Warriors for free if you were to buy, Hormagaunts, Termagaunts, and Genestealers together. Lot of people are saying for Genestealers, they got the big nerf bat and is harder to play in 6th now. Not as good as they use to be, so maybe stealers may not be a choice for you, but I can't see why you can't use them as "counts as" Hormagaunts, or use them as Ymgarls.

Also, paint 10 gaunts, then move onto a Warrior or treat yourself to another bigger mini. Paint 10 more gaunts and then treat yourself to a Hive Tyrant or Trygon or Tervrigon. (man that is a lot of Nids starting with T ) I didn't do this and I have lots of grey or black gaunts LOL.

TL;DR What kind of player are you?

[wisdomseyes1]

Tyranid codex
+
Tyranid battle force
+
Box of tyranid warriors
+
Convert one warrior into a tyranid Prime
+
HQ
Tyranid prime
LW/bs
Deathspitter
Regen

5 tyranid warrior
Boneswords
Deathspitters

15 termagants with devourers
15 hormagaunts with TS/AG

8 y genestealers

That's about 1000 and a decent army. Probably best to start at 500 points and escalate up though.

[killme304]

Priority 1 should actually be termagants. Lots of them. Give some Fleshborers, give some Devourers. Find out which you prefer. If you want to save money, leave them armless for your first few games, playing them as either and changing it up so you get used to the rules. You can also pretend some of them are hormagaunts, sine they are the same size.

Priority 2: get a HQ unit. I don't recommend Hive Tyrants right away, as they are expensive point wise, and not so great for low point games (which you will play a lot of when you are first starting out). I'd recommend either a Warrior Prime or a Tervigon. I'd lean twards a Tervigon, as they are one of our best units in 6th at present, and later can be used as troop choices as you point totals go up.

Priority 3: get some Zoanthropes or Hive Guard. Hive Guard are easier to use and an excellent unit. Zoanthropes are good at popping AV14 tanks, which are as heavy as they come, and Hive Guard excel at anything smaller. This is a personal preference thing, so get some games in before you decide which you will get (I recommend getting both eventually).

As another tip, watch other people play larger point games after you are comfortable with the base rules. This will let you pick up on strategies that other armies employ, and give you a feel for the local metagame. If no one really plays Landraiders or other AV14 vehicles very often, pick up Hive Guards first, and Zoanthropes later.

Everything after that should be units that you like the style of. If you like more close combat related units, look into Raveners, Ymgarl Genestealers, Tyrants, Gargoyles and even hormagaunts. It must be said that Tyranids are not the norm for armies, everything we have is generally better in close combat than its equivalent in other armies. Even Termagants, a unit designed to shoot, can inflict massive damage by charging another unit with proper support.

If you like shooting more, invest more into Hive Guard, Zoanthopes, Tyrants and Carnifexen with shooty biomorphs (I highly recommend Devourers), and Termagants (again I recommend devourers).

Some general good units to pick up include Trygons, Tervigons, Tyrants, Termagants, Hive Guard, and Zoanthropes. These are units that are generally good in nearly every list, and can usually be customized to suit your play style. Most other units tend to get more specialized after that, so worry about them later after you have some games under your belt.

I will say that shooting got some great boons in the new edition, but don't neglect combat.

And most importantly, don't buy a Pyrovore. The model looks amazing, but if it isn't the worst unit in all of 40k, it really close. There are rumors that it might be getting a rules update, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

[wisdomseyes1]

I like how everyone's priority number 1 is "lots of termagants" and then "Tervigon HQ", but if someone doesn't particularly want to use a Tervigon, what then?

The Tervigon money wise is expensive because of the gant prerequisite. Termagants aren't better than any of our other troops and the only reason to take them is the Tervigon (and devourers in occasion, but still because of the Tervigon)

Also, people are assuming that the list is meant to be competitive, but competitive lists take still to handle. If we tart someone in the game, shouldn't it be a list that doesn't take any skill at all? And yes... Despite what you all think, tervigons do need skill to handle. Sitting them in the back and making 20 gants isn't really worth 160 points. Further 6" bug range is hard to learn. Psychic powers are flexible, and with 4 sets to choose from its easy to get confused there too.

The Tervigon is our best troop, but it isn't our best unit. And it's only our best troop if we have tons of one of our weakest units.

[coredump]

And you quickly see why we can't have a 'beginners guide'. Too many different opinions.

The easy part is to get the codex.

If you think you will like the painting part, get a box of something. Probably either guants or warriors to start, and to get painting. Meanwhile read the codex and see what type of models you seem to like.

Come here to ask questions and get a better feel for how you want to progress.

Start buying more models

Profit.

[killme304]

Aug 18, 2012 3:23:37 GMT wisdomseyes1 said:

I like how everyone's priority number 1 is "lots of termagants" and then "Tervigon HQ", but if someone doesn't particularly want to use a Tervigon, what then?

The Tervigon money wise is expensive because of the gant prerequisite. Termagants aren't better than any of our other troops and the only reason to take them is the Tervigon (and devourers in occasion, but still because of the Tervigon)

Also, people are assuming that the list is meant to be competitive, but competitive lists take still to handle. If we tart someone in the game, shouldn't it be a list that doesn't take any skill at all? And yes... Despite what you all think, tervigons do need skill to handle. Sitting them in the back and making 20 gants isn't really worth 160 points. Further 6" bug range is hard to learn. Psychic powers are flexible, and with 4 sets to choose from its easy to get confused there too.

The Tervigon is our best troop, but it isn't our best unit. And it's only our best troop if we have tons of one of our weakest units.

I can give a few reasons why I said termagants.

1) They have the simplest rules in the dex. Perfect for new players.

2) They also introduce you to how swarm lists play, and are still useful in Nidzilla lists since they let you take more Tervigons in that list. So they can go into more lists.

3) Tervigons are sick. Yeah you need more Termagants to play them, but even if you never spawn, they are turning into my go to MC, almost more so than my Flyrant. Also, they are another model that plays well in swarm lists (as an HQ choice that helps you put even more on the board), as well as Nidzilla (as the only troop choice MCs we get, for critical mass of big stuff).

4) I'd take devilgaunts (Termagants with Devourers, for the new guy) over every other troop choice in the dex, even if it didn't give me Tervigons as troops. Genestealers got hit so hard I consider them nearly unplayable. Hormagaunts got smacked too, but I feel they didn't suffer as hard because they are cheaper, and didn't get too much slower overall as compared to stealers. Warriors are cool and all, but after a few games where you lose large numbers of points in a single volley, they lose all charm (I'm looking right at Longfang squads). I have never had a desire to run rippers, but they still have to be baby-sat or you lose them in droves. They require too much to do their job, which is tarpit since everything else they could do sucks.

Bullet 4 is more of my opinion than objective "Get Tyranid" stuff. Yes, you can use other troops, and they aren't necessarily bad, I've had times where each other troop choice has shined and done remarkable things to the other list. Vs Necrons, I'd think warriors stand a chance just because Crons don't have much S8+ shooting outside of Crypteks and 2 vehicles that really should be shooting something else. If you have a good target priority setup in your list, Hormagaunts will survive to combat. Taking a small unit of Genestealers + Broodlord seems viable, but I haven't tried it myself. The rest of the troops have a time and place where they shine, and others where they fall flat on their face; Termagants will do about the same in every game.

EDIT:
5) While armless, you can use them as Hormagaunt stand-ins, so they can let you try out even more models. Most players won't even blink since the models look similar.

[Sanguineus]

Thanks to everyone who has responded. It has really given me a lot to think about and get started with. My first purchase was indeed the codex and some Termagants. I think I am going to try and get those put together and painted then start looking to expand. The battleforce seems like a good start for both a good deal and several models that I will want anyway.

I really don't know how I want to play with my army yet. I prefer combat, but know that some shooting is necessary. Keep the ideas coming in!

[fragile]

There are too many different ways to play the game for anyone to suggest "how" to start. For example someone says to buy a Battleforce for warriors, yet in the next topic, they will tell you how bad warriors are(ID).

I would suggest you do a bit of research first. There are many many army lists posted. Quite a few of them have similiar themes. I do not know if you want to be competitive or just casual play but those lists can from a good core of what you want to get.

Read battle reports. You can easily see how/why some units do good and or badly. Also load up YouTube and watch some of the video battle reports.

Thirdly, look to your play style. You want combat, so look at the melee based side of the codex, things like Shrikes, Raveners might fit your play style.

Also look at your playing group. Your friends, game store, etc.. Knowing what they play will make a huge difference in how you tailor your army to fit.

[l0rdf1end]

Some really good advice in this thread.

My only additional suggestion would be to just start with the codex. Make some army lists and test your lists with your friends before shelling out for models.

This will allow you to get used to the rules, see how each unit works and to see if those units fit your play style.
I know you'll be massively eager to go out there and buy a truck load of nids but I strongly suggest using proxies or a buddies miniatures to start with until you find something you like and what works for you.

[housecawdor]

I got the codex, got the rules, but then...
I'm gonna be a crazy anarchist and say you should look at what models you like, and get those...
But, remember to make sure you can use all of those models in a game - there's nothing worse than having really awesome models that you can't use.
Then, you can branch out from those models to suit your tactical needs.
Good luck

[ravengoescaw]

I will rereat the best advice because it is most important: Get your Codex. Most important purcuse. Second Paint. Third either the battle force, or a swarm troop choice you like the looks of (hermigaunt, Termigaunt, or Genestealer), an HQ choice you like, and a warrior squad. Paint these. While starting to build your FOC. after you finish these buy a swarm unit, a heavy support, a fast attack choice or an elite choice. Rinse Repeat till you have an army painted that you like the looks of, interested in playing, and at the size of Hive you want to be at.