New to Nids, best Hive Tyrant load out?

[hazzamackie]

Hi guys, I haven’t played 40K in around 15 years so lots has changed but I used to do 8th edition fantasy tournaments so I would like my army to be as competitive as possible.

I was just wondering what was the best load out for the Hive tyrant as I have bought the combat patrol and want to know the best way to build it. Is it the Winged Hive Tyrant? Should he have just melee or melee and Heavy Venom Cannon? I don’t think the combat patrol let’s you build one with Heavy Venom Cannon and the relic Balethorn cannon. There are too many options and I’m stuck haha

[piersonsmuppet]

3 options prevail over most:

Flying Tyrant w/ LW & BS (using Reaper or Maw Claws relic)
Flying Tyrant w/ HVC (Shardgullet relic)
Walking Tyrant w/ LW, BS, & HVC (choice Relic)

[hazzamackie]

Apr 20, 2022 20:26:52 GMT piersonsmuppet said:

3 options prevail over most:

Flying Tyrant w/ LW & BS (using Reaper or Maw Claws relic)
Flying Tyrant w/ HVC (Shardgullet relic)
Walking Tyrant w/ LW, BS, & HVC (choice Relic)

Why those 3 in particular?

[pandaborg]

The flying tyrant is really good because it is mobile and combos well with strats (overrun, encircle the prey) to avoid retaliation and generally move easily with a 16” fly move. The relics listed are the damage relics-shardgullet is in most cases the best gun to put on a flyrant and the reaper is the best melee.

The walking tyrant with lashwhip boneswords and heavy venom cannon is also great because it is tougher than the flying hive tyrant and gets to have both weapons instead of choosing between melee and ranged. Being tougher also means you have the option to pick a relic that increases survivability like the kraken or gorgon relics if you take those fleets. In return you are slower so going all in on melee generally isn’t as worth as your opponent can screen your melee easier.

Theoretically there is also the double heavy venom cannon build that shoots a lot but everyone expects that to get FAQd.

In general good AP and damage numbers are pretty important right now so taking the high ap bonesword and heavy venom just makes sense, and the relics above are the best enhancers.

[jesses]

Hive Tyrant has a lot less options than you might be remembering. It can only take Heavy Venom Cannon and Stranglethorn for ranged wrapons now, no more Devourers or Deathspitters, and in melee you are limited to Monstrous Scything Talons or M. Bonesword & Lashwhip.

Right now there are clear mathematically superior choices in most cases. Stranglethorn and Scything Talons have a lower strength, worse AP, and lower damage than the other option. They are supposed to make up for this with more attacks but it's... not enough attacks. +2 attacks/shots just doesn't best out the raw strength against almost any targets. Basically, unless you KNOW, and I mean are 100% sure that you will be fighting only giant squads of Guardsmen or other T3 W1 Sv5+ infantry and nothing else... its just mathemarically inferior.