Before I begin the major thrust of this review, can I just say I'm glad they moved the Invulnerable Save to the Profile. I think as soon as we saw this formatting in the Imperial Armour sheets, we all wanted every Datasheet to use it. We're also getting unit composition on each page, though they'll probably still use the flip side for the physical Datacards due to size.
I also want to explain that I'll be judging these finalized Datasheets based on their theme and not just their power. I've already heard some whispers of things happening to the Tyrannofex. But remember that Stu said they wanted to create a game in which you looked at a model on the table and new roughly what it would do. Did -1 to Damage help define the Tyrannofex for what it was, a big bug with a big gun? I'm going to be keeping an eye on any changes for whether they feel like they're improving the theme of the unit too.
Now, let's see our new Datasheets!
Hive Tyrant - 235 pts
At 220 pts, the Hive Tyrant was good. Not standout, but still good. Now Will of the Hive Mind has been nerfed, and they increased the cost of our leader bug by 15 pts? This feels unnecessary to me. I think it's probably still good? We have good Battle Tactics, so getting one for free each turn is a good thing.
Winged Hive Tyrant - 210 pts
Okay. I was about to rail that, "people weren't taking this model at 195 pts, so why would they feel the need to nerf it?" Then I saw the Keywords. Even with the fact it has Vanguard Invader now, I still think they should have kept it at 195 and seen if people actually used it in Vanguard Assault first.
Winged Tyranid Prime - 65 pts
This may be the most improved model in the book! Winged Primes felt pretty underpowered and overcosted before, especially since you were almost always going to have SUSTAINED HITS on your models. But now it can grant SUSTAINED HITS where you wouldn't already have it. And 65 pts feels like a great price for it. Also, there's Vanguard Invader again.
Neurotyrant - 105 pts
Nothing new here. If you're going to try and play around Shadow in the Warp, you can easily take it. If not, you can easily leave it at home.
Norn Emissary - 290 pts
I don't get it. First, I feel like this is probably fine at the book price of 285. But this actually took a nerf in the Balance Dataslate too, with Unnatural Resilience becoming much less useful. It's only 5 pts, so it's probably still fine, but I just don't get it.
As far as the model itself, I feel like this works best as a midfield objective holder. I talked about this before in the preview, but that FNP is very nice. I just don't think it fits the purpose of a hunter very well. It's too big and it doesn't actually hit that hard.
Norn Assimilator - 310 pts
Again, this weird 5 pts bump before it ever hits the table.
This model feels like it hits much harder. I'm disappointed it doesn't get to fire with both of its harpoons, but at least it gets them as extra attacks in melee. So here, you're obviously trading durability for damage. I'm much happier having this go off after a target than the Emissary. I find it weird that it does Mortal Wounds when an enemy falls back, instead of forcing Desperate Escape tests like other similar rules. That would have made falling back much more frightening.
Neurolictor - 65 pts
Another new model, another 5 pts bump.
These look pretty good. At worst, they're a 65 pts Lone Operative. But if you're trying to build into Battle-shock, say because you're trying to run a Nexus, you'll want to bring these along. Otherwise, you're probably better with regular Lictors.
Broodlord - 90 pts
As was hinted at before, Broodlords are now a Vanguard Invader. While Dev Wounds have been nerfed, that doesn't matter for the Genestealers it leads. This unit also received a 10 pts buff, so very nice.
The Swarmlord - 270 pts
While the generic Hive Tyrants got nerfed and also went up 15 pts, the Swarmlord gets nerfed and goes up 20 pts. Malign Presence now only affects Battle Tactics, so some of the key Strats we used to use it on, like Overwatch, can no longer be targeted. We can still ping the Command Re-roll.
Old One Eye - 140 pts
Unchanged and unnerfed, Old One Eye is still a fun and fluffy leader for your Carnifexes.
Parasite of Mortrex - 80 pts
The Parasite gets two buffs in our new book. First, it gets Vanguard Invader, so it can take full advantage of the Vanguard Assault Detachment. Next, it got dropped 10 pts. It's still a bit expensive, and we have better units for harassing our opponents.
Gargoyles - 75 pts for 10 models (7.5 pts per model)
Gargoyles also got the Vanguard Invader buff, but are otherwise unchanged. This means all my comments about running a Gargoyle heavy force for an Unending Swarm definitely still apply.
Hormagaunts - 65 pts for 10 models (6.5 pts per model)
Going down in cost, Hormaguants are still a fast and fun unit to play with. They'd also make a decent unit to play around in Unending Swarm with. Or you can put them in a Vanguard Assault to have more Advance and Charge for your opponent to deal with.
Termagants - 60 pts for 10 models (6 pts per model)
Termagants get a bunch of new bio-weapons to play with! The new special weapons we've seen are limited to one of each per 10. And you'll want to take all of them, as they're all improvements on the standard weapons.
While Unending Swarm feels built for Termagants, I think they'd be evil in the Assimilation Swarm backed by Tervigons.
Tyranid Warriors with Ranged Bio-weapons - 70 pts for 3 (~23.33 pts per model)
Tyranid Warriors have received no direct changes from this book or the Balance Dataslate. However, some of the Enhancements in the new Detachments might work well with a Warrior blob lead by a Prime. This might get some players looking at these again.
Tyranid Warriors with Melee Bio-weapons - 85 pts for 3 (~28.33 pts per model)
Melee is not in a good place right now, though changes to Towering might help there. Still, apparently GW hasn't gotten that message just yet. These have no business being more expensive than ranged Warriors.
Genestealers - 85 pts for 5 (17 pts per model)
With so many Space Marines being cheaper than this now, Genestealers are going to start looking really expensive. Still, this is a nice buff when combined with the drop in the Broodlord. They've got new toys to play with, the return of Advance and Charge being the best one.
Neurogaunts - 45 pts for 11 (~4.09 pts per model)
Our newer, cheaper guants are still a nice option to fill out a list and plug up holes in our Synapse nets. You'll want these most in the Nexus, where making sure you keep all your bugs in Synapse is the most important.
Raveners - 75 pts for 3 (~25 pts per model)
Do you have Raveners with just melee weapons? Well don't snap those arms off, as you can now field these with a 4+ Sv. Honestly, you're probably still better with the guns, but if you don't want to remodel you collection this at least gives you that option.
Otherwise, these haven't gotten any real benefit from this book. They're not Vanguard and we didn't get any kind of Jormungandr style detachment. So they're still just a potential Deep Strike unit.
Barbguants - 60 pts for 5 (12 pts per model)
Hey! They got the change to Barbguants in!
While these got hit by a pretty big nerf, they honestly needed it. These are still really good, and will make an essential part of any board control strategy.
Biovores - 75 pts per model
The new, larger kits have come with a slight boost in durability. It's a nice touch, but was never needed. The big change here is that only one of your units can Spawn Spore Mines again. This is honestly an important nerf and needed to happen. You're still going to take one or two to mess with your opponents movement and score missions. Just don't be surprised when missions are changed next year.
Pyrovores - 30 pts per model
Pyrovores also got a nice little boost in durability but with no commiserate points bump. Although slow moving, these are still really good for 30 pts. Remember that their ability may as well read, "improve the AP of your shooting by 1." But the big thing here is the introduction of the Harvester keyword. If you're running the Assimilation Swarm you're probably taking three units of these.
Carnifexes - 125 pts per model
Nope! Couldn't make that monster Datasheet fit on half a page!
Fully loaded out and lead by Old One Eye, these are a fun unit to have. Otherwise, you might find them not hitting quite as hard as you need them to.
Deathleaper - 70 pts
Deathleaper gets two buffs, going down 10 pts and also getting a slight durability boost. In addition to being a Vanguard Invader, Deathleaper still remains a potential tool for getting the most out of any Battle-shock strategy.
Exocrine - 135 pts
Another unchanged unit, the Exocrine will probably still remain a potent fire support piece for the Tyranids.
Harpy - 215 pts
Another post I had wanted to make, and might still make, is why Aircraft are struggling. The nerf to Spore Mine Cysts was necessary, but the 15 pts buff doesn't even come close to making up for it. These were bad before and are still bad now, even with Vanguard Invader.
Hive Crone - 200 pts
They were terrible before. Just giving them Vanguard Invader doesn't change that.
Haruspex - 125 pts
The Haruspex was already pretty good before, and it will definitely like that Harvester keyword. The Assimilation Swarm might want three of these.
Hive Guard - 110 pts for 3 (~36.67 pts per model)
Hive Guard aren't bad, but they don't do a lot of damage for their cost. As such, you almost never see them. Yet despite not being taken, and not having any relevant Keywords, and not getting anything resembling help, GW decided to hit them with one of their inscrutable nerfs.
Lictor - 60 pts
GW has apparently decided that Lictors apparently don't need their Invuln. But even with that bit of bad news, they're still great. I'm pretty sure they're our cheapest Lone Operative, and they work well with the Vanguard Keyword.
Maleceptor - 170 pts
Another Inscrutable GW Nerf TM. Oh well.
Mawloc - 145 pts
Huh! I'm pretty sure Mawlocs are assimilators. Oh well! Mawlocs are a unit GW just refuses to make work the way they should. As they stand, the Mawloc isn't bad and remains not bad.
Mucolid Spores - 50 pts per model
As I said in my discussion of the Balance Dataslate, this cost just hammers home that you are never taking these as part of your army list.
Psychophage - 125 pts per model
As soon as I saw the rules for the Assimilation Swarm, I knew that the Psychophage would be a Harvester. These will make good units to help form the backbone of the army. I still find it strange they don't have any rules for the psychic spore they emit.
Ripper Swarm - 20 pts per model
Hah! Ripper Swarms are Harvesters! And while they've gone up in cost, you can now just take them as single bases to either run missions or harass the enemy. But in the Assimilation Swarm, you can hide them around your units to keep feeding them. And if you're opponent kills one, for 1CP you get to mark that unit for death! Hilarious!
Screamer-Killer - 170 pts
The Screamer-Killer is almost certainly still overpriced. But they at least gave it a little nudge in the right direction. If they get a little cheaper, they might have play in the Synaptic Nexus.
Spore Mines - 55 pts for 3 (~18.33 pts per model)
Again, you are never just taking these; you'll always be spawning them with Biovores. Honestly, this price is so silly it has to be a meme at this point.
Sporocyst - 145 pts
Oh wow! While I'd toyed with the idea of putting this in a board control list, GW seems to have decided to nerf it into oblivion! No Mucolids for you!
Tervigon - 190 pts
The Tervigon got a small buff! Nice! I can definitely see fielding these alongside Termagants in an Assimilation Swarm.
Toxicrene - 180 pts
Ah! Poor Model Impossible to Play! Maybe someday GW will come up with a reason for us to take you. But it is not this day.
Trygon - 180 pts
Trygons are also still a bit too expensive and didn't get any love this time around. Popping them up next to a unit only to unleash a mere 6 shots with SUSTAINED HITS 1 at BS3+, S5, AP0, and Dmg1 is just not worth 180 pts.
Tyrannocyte - 105 pts
Tyrannocytes are also considered a Vanguard Invader, and so get to have some fun with the rules in that Detachment. They're honestly a pretty good means of Deep Striking a unit that couldn't otherwise do so. We might see some more play with them now.
Tyrannofex - 245 pts
Oh wow! That is one hell of a nerf! And again, I don't know what the heck this has to do with the Tyrannofex. While this does allow the Tyrannofex to survive a single attack that might have otherwise killed it, the original rule made the unit much more "resilient." I just don't know what's going on here. Players weren't taking these because they were super good at 200 pts. They were taking them because we need AP. Just a little frustrating.
Tyrant Guard - 95 pts for 3 (~31.67 pts per model)
Tyrant Guard were an almost mandatory escort for our Hive Tyrants before, and they remain that way now. Nothing really different here.
Venomthropes - 70 pts for 3 (~23.33 pts per model)
Venomthropes aren't bad, but their ability might as well read "non-Tyranid Monsters gain Stealth." And again, here's another one I'm pretty sure is an Assimilation organism. Oh well, I know for a fact the Malenthrope is, but I doubt we'll see it get the Keyword, since it's in Legends.
Von Ryan's Leapers - 75 pts for 3 (25 pts per model)
Okay, why do the Leapers keep their Invuln but the Lictor loses it? I'm beginning to think someone forgot to move the Invuln save when copying the Datasheet. Oh well! Hopefully it'll get fixed in the errata. This is a model I'm betting will see a lot of play in the Vanguard Invasion, though they may get shown up by Genestealers.
Zoanthropes - 110 pts for 3 (~36.67 pts per model)
Another edition, another ruleset for Zoanthropes makes them auto-include, and another nerf that just means we get less points for our army. Oh well.
Some Thoughts
Honestly so many of these changes are just baffling. The only ones I understand are the changes to Spawning and the reduction in the base number of Rippers in a swarm (though I still wish we could take 6 of them). Again, I'm pretty sure the Lictor change was a mistake, whether they own up to it and fix it will be a different story.
I'm also a little bit disappointed in the uneven nature of the new keywords. Vanguard Invader got given to anything that flies or sneaks. But Harvester only got given to a few units, completely missing over other organisms that should have qualified for it.
I honestly wasn't expecting many changes besides the new models. As I said before, this probably went to the printer some point in June, July at the latest. While it's clear they got some changes in when they realized the problem with Barbgaunts and Biovores (again), its also obvious they were pretty happy with most of the Datasheets as they are.
I'm actually hoping things stay that way. The more in line with the Indexes the Codexes are, the less creep there will be and less this will feel like the start of 3rd or 8th.
CRUSADE RULES
If you've managed to get through the rest of this review, you're probably expecting my comments on the Crusade Rules to be similar for the Lore section. However, I'm nowhere near as disappointed here. First of all, while there is still a ton of copy/paste, someone did at least go through and convert the rules to 10th Edition. Second, although having some additional rules would have been nice, keeping the same Crusade rules from edition to edition helps maintain continuity. If you were in the middle of an ongoing Crusade campaign, or were still developing a Crusade army when the edition changed, this will help you convert your force. So this is one case where being faithful, even if lazily so, actually helps out.
That being said, that doesn't mean I don't have any criticism for this section. In addition to not converting everything from the original book, there's nothing new either. The whole Crusade section revolves around your army taking part in the devouring of worlds. They could have taken the new Detachments in the book, and woven them into these rules. There could have been a requisition available at each stage of the invasion that lets you change your Detachment to match. It's such a simple and obvious thing, and it's just one of the many things that could have been added. This section reeks of laziness.
So while I am not disappointed, and even glad, that the Crusade section is just a direct, if incomplete, conversion of the original rules, I am still frustrated with the lack of effort on display.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After three massive sections covering this book, I can finally get to a conclusion.
The 10th Edition Tyranid Codex is an argument for purely digital rulesets.
If someone from GW came up to me and told me that 10th Edition was never intended to have Codexes and they threw this book together at the last minute I would believe them. This book just feels so disgustingly lazy and unnecessary. It offers a single thing of value: the Detachments. That's it.
Want the lore? Find a copy of the 9th Edition book and a copy of the Leviathan Core Rules. You miss out on some old lore you can find online. Want Crusade rules? Most players probably could have come up with similar conversions from 9th Edition. Wanna just play 40K? Other than the nerf to Spore Mine generators and the crushing nerf to Sporocysts, nearly all the changes are small enough to keep playing with the Index Datasheets. The only thing you're missing are the new sheets, which of course aren't packaged with the models anymore. If you need those, and want to get them through official means, get the Datacards instead. If you are a casual or narrative player or hobbyist, you can legitimately skip this book. Competitive players are a little more SOL, though I think most tournaments would be fine with the Datacards if you're running the Invasion Fleet.
And again, we're paying more money for this!
I'm reminded of something Bellular News keeps saying about Overwatch 2. As a game, as a set of rules, this is great! Warhammer 40,000 and Codex Tyranids are in pretty good shape, especially post Balance Dataslate. I hope GW is able to keep improving the game the way they are.
But as a product, as something competing for our limited money, this is garbage.
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