How Good Are the New Tyranid Flyers?

There was a time when, every time a new Codex was released, I first looking up the new Flyers that almost inevitably came with each new Warhammer 40K release. For the most part (Dark Angels, Tau Empire, etc….), they were rather lackluster entries in their respective Codex.

Is the same true for the new Tyranids Harpy and Hive Crone?

I actually think there might possibly be some gems hidden there in the new Codex with the Harpy and, even more so, the new Hive Crone.

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#1 – Flying Monstrous Creatures

Let’s start with the obvious. First of all, the Harpy and Hive Crone aren’t really Flyers, they are Flying Monstrous Creatures, which, all things considered, is probably a good thing.

• They don’t have to start the game in Reserves.

• They can shoot in any direction, making a mockery of the laborious efforts to get firing arcs of even the most nimble, even vector-dancing, non-Heldrake Flyers out there.

• They come with lots of wounds, making it hard to take them out with a single shot. Admittedly, both the Harpy and the Hive Crone are only Toughness 5. However, once they are Swooping, T5 and plenty of wounds is more than most Flyers can do to keep flying. There simply aren’t a lot of Str. 10 and/or Instant Death Skyfire-weapons around.

• If they are truly in trouble, Flying Monstrous Creatures can also take a Dive to help staying alive.

Of course, a Flying Monstrous Creature can be grounded (or caught “off-guard” while Gliding). Nothing’s perfect. Still, with some care, these beasts should be able to keep to the skies as good, if not better than most other Flyers (especially the latter 6th Edition ones).

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#2 – The Harpy

The Harpy is the classic choice of Tyranid flyers, though the model is just as new.

• It costs fewer points than the Hive Crone, though there are many upgrades for a Harpy for a price, including Biomorphs (why can’t Eldar Flyers take Vehicle Equipment?).

• As primary weapons go, the Harpy starts with a TL Stranglethron Cannon (a S6 Large Blast with Pinning), which can be upgraded to a TL Heavy Venom Cannon (a S9 Small Blast without Pinning). As both are blast weapons, the Harpy will not be hunting any other Flyers, though a S9-shot can be very handy in hunting down the odd vehicle.

• A fun secondary weapon of the Harpy are its Spore Mine Cysts, which allow it to drop Spore Mines in the Movement Phase. The Spore Mines either explode on a target or drift across the battlefield, which is great fun, even if it’s all only Str. 4.

• Thirdly, the Harpy can be upgraded with Cluster Spines or Stinger Salvo, which might be worth it simply to make sure it is always firing two weapons a turn (when it cannot use the Spore Mines). Neither is a terribly impressive weapon by itself.

• Finally, the Harpy has Scything Talons and, curiously, a Sonic Screech, that will sap your opponents initiative when the Harpy charges into combat. An interesting ability, though there are more potent things in a Tyranid army to charge with.

Overall, the Harpy has a “swiss-army-knife” feel to it with a weapon for pretty much any occasion, other than (!) taking on enemy Flyers.

The Harpy’s main advantage over other Flyers, I believe, is the ability to start on the table and, hopefully deliver blast templates to your enemy on turn 1, which in turn might buy a Tyranid army time to get across the board.

The downside is the lack of Anti-Aircraft potential, though it seems that is the reason the Hive Mind bred the Hive Crone.

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#3 – The Hive Crone

The Hive Crone is more expensive than the Harpy, and boosts more exotic weaponry. It will not rival the Heldrake in pure “Terror from the Skies”-potential, though I believe it could prove a popular entry for Tyranid armies aiming to contest the skies.

• The Hive Crone’s primary weapons is the Drool Cannon, a Template-weapon. As a Flyer with a 360° template weapon, the comparison to the Heldrake is inevitable, and in that comparison the Hive Crone falls short. No torrent, no AP3, etc.. . Still, for a Tyranid beast with, like all of them, poor Ballistic Skill, it’s a useful weapon.

• Rather than the Drool Cannon, it is probably the secondary weapon, the Tentaclids, that will decide the utility of the Hive Crone. These are one-shot “missiles” with a re-roll to hit (BS 3) with the Haywire special rule.

• Like the Harpy, the Hive Crone can be upgraded with Cluster Spines or Stinger Salvo, though unlike the Harpy, it could (should?) simply focus on getting those Vector Strikes (below) and Tentaclids off.

• Last but not least, the Hive Crone has a Str. 8 Vector Strike… yes Ma’am!… and Scything Talons.

I am oddly intrigued by the model. The Tentaclics (Str. 5) might not seem like much, but combined with the insane Str. 8 Vector Strike (which does D3+1 hits, in case you forgot) and the ability to shoot 360°, it makes a potent combination.

Run the Hive Crone an enemy vehicle, even a flyer, and savage it with its Vector Strike. If it survives, add another near-guaranteed Glancing Hit with a Tentaclid. Would it work reliably? I think it might. It’s a mean combination either way.

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#4 – Thoughts?

I admit, Flyers don’t make an army. If anything, Tau and Eldar proved that with superb armies despite their underwhelming Flyers.

That said, the new Tyranid Flyers strike me as an interesting addition to the Warhammer 40K skies, more so than other recent releases, if partly because Flying Monstrous Creatures have more forgiving rules than regular Flyers in some respects.

The Harpy has a great deal of versatility, though it might simply have too much going on to make it all work. For its points, it might be worth it though. The Hive Crone feels, Drool Cannon aside, more focused on killing Vehicles and Flyers and might be good at it too.

What about you?

• Would you consider fielding a Harpy, a Hive Crone or both in a Tyranid army? Multiples even?
• Would you worry if they deploy across the table from your army?
• How would you go about using (or killing) the new flying Tyranid-monstrosities?

Let me know what you think and leave a comment!

Z.