Editing Tyranid Warrior (section)

==On the Tabletop==
It is not an easy life for a Warrior as everyone, their grandma, and their grandma's cat all know the most important rule when fighting Tyranids: take out the synapse creatures. Being the most common synapse creatures, Warriors tend to be targeted first and foremost (unless a rampaging [[Hive Tyrant]] or [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|Carnifex]] is presenting an imminent threat). Because of this most games will see Warriors bear a great deal of heavy weapons fire and be turned into creamed goo before too long.

In early editions, particularly 2nd, these things were fucking ''boss''. They could easily match Terminator durability since there was more wargear they could get, and they had much greater flexibility, too, due to how the rules were. You could very easily make a Warrior that was a close-combat death machine, ranged killer, or even a mid-level psychic powerhouse. Or all three in the same unit. In early editions, they could pack on [[Carapace|extended carapace]] or even Warp Field for a good armor save; you could make them winged or leaping; and with the huge number of attacks they had, great stat-line, and tons of upgrades, they were a literal swiss-army commander, one that was extremely popular for newcomers. One might even say they approached pornographic levels of awesome. Sadly the recent edition changes, from about 5th onwards, just turned this mainstay unit into[[Imperial Guard| swiss]] [[Tau|cheese]].
[[File:Tyranid Warriors.jpeg|300px|thumb|left|A unit of Warriors. This is not the best way to equip them.]]

Now in 8th and pre-codex 9th Edition, Warriors are once again one of the best units in the Tyranid army, with a HUGE price reduction- as cheap as 19 points per Warrior. Warriors are respectably durable with T4 and 3 wounds each, and the removal of instant death also means it's basically impossible to shoot them down in one hit (except with heavy weapons that would be better used on the plethora of [[Carnifex|8+]] [[Hive Tyrant|wound]] [[Tervigon|monsters]] Tyranids can also field). While the new equipment table is reduced from past editions, they still have everything they need to fulfill pretty much every role on the battlefield: shock trooper, heavy support (now a brood of 9 can have 3 heavy weapons) or simply utility synapse. With a Prime around (also priced down) they even get +1 to hit both in close combat and in ranged. This is a huge bonus, considering the already good WS/decent BS stats of the Warriors. 3+ to hit and 3 attacks mean pain in close combat, and even with average 4+ BS the fact that all weapons they can have have 3 shots per gun makes sure a rain of death comes to the enemy. Their ideal loadout is double [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Bonesword|boneswords]] and a [[deathspitter]] as this gives them 4 attacks at strength 4 AP-2 in CC and 3 strength 5 AP-1 shots at range, making an excellent unit that can cause hurt to the enemies of the [[Hive Mind]] wherever the warriors happen to be standing. Long story short, 8th edition Warriors are veritable beasts that represent the fluff as well as possible: they are powerful, resilient creatures that will make the enemy shiver in fear.

===10th Edition===
With the changes to 10th edition the Warriors got absolutely gutted. Losing massive swathes of upgrades to the point where it feels like a return to the days of 3rd edition, the Warriors have been split into two different units: one with ranged weapons and one with melee weapons only. They have identical stat lines: T5, W3 and a 4+ save lets them deal with most basic infantry weapons fine, and it's only the heavier stuff you need to worry about. 6" is not particularly zippy, but their OC of 2 means that any five man unit with OC1 will lose out against them. LD 7+ might not seem as much, but because of their Synapse they roll on 3d6. They're also your cheapest unit with Shadow in the Warp for when things get dire, so keep this in mind.

The unit with ranged bio-weapons clocks in at 70 points per trio, and comes with a [[Devourer (Tyranid)|Devourer]] and Bio-Wepaons standard. This can be exchanged for either a pair of [[Spinefists]] or a [[Deathspitter]]. All three weapons are useful against light infantry, and lack the AP necessary to deal with [[MEQ]]s. The same goes for their melee weapon: Bio-Weapons possess a cool A5 S5 AP-1 D1 at WS3+, so while hitting and wounding won't be a problem most of the time, they fall short against armored enemies. The biggest change to these Warriors is that for the first time the unit can use both a [[Venom Cannon]] and a [[Barbed Strangler]] at the same time, and if you run this unit double size you can even have two of each in your six man, 18 wound, 140 point squad. This betrays their true use: a Barbed Strangler is a D6+1 Blast weapon with great range and decent strength you can make a notable dent in enemy infantry blobs. The Venom Cannon is a D3 Blast weapon, which while lacking the AP and damage to take out tanks on its own can soften up or finish off such targets with a good roll. Pair this with Synapse and you realize that the Warriors are not meant to finish enemies off by themselves but instead dent and soften up enemies for your smaller critters to finish off. With their cheap cost and Synapse they are ideal for running close to your basic infantry, supporting them so that they can finish the job. The Warriors' special ability lets them Fall Back, shoot and charge in the same turn, picking at whatever unit you need them at the moment.

The melee Warriors got the shaft. They have no options whatsoever, so no [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Scything Talons|Scything Talons]] for sheer quantity, no [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Rending Claws|Rending Claws]] to deal with tough enemies, no [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Bonesword|Boneswords]], no Adrenal Glands or Toxin Sacks, no nothing. Instead getting a souped up version of the Bio-Weapons used by the ranged Warriors, now with 6 twin-linked AP-2 attacks. The AP-2 really helps against tougher targets, and while they still lack the damage output to shred [[MEQ]]s they will eat ligther infantry for breakfast. They also have a new ability that lets them either re-roll To Hit rolls of 1 or re-roll their own saving rolls of 1, depending on which you choose at the start of the fight phase. At 90 points per 3 they are 30 a pop, which can be either a blessing or redundant based on what ranged options you pick.