Vanguard Drone Ship
Vanguard Drone Ships are Destroyer-class long-range scouts of the Tyranid Hive Fleets. They range far ahead of the main fleets, seeking out worlds suitable for consumption and then seeding them with infiltration organisms like Genestealers and Lictors. Vanguard Drones are rarely in contact with their home fleet, returning only to relay scouting information and replenish their cargo.
Breed[edit | edit source]
Ram-Boat[edit | edit source]
Strangler[edit | edit source]
The more close-ranged boarding-action version of the Vanguard Drone Ships. It is good for catching enemy vessels off-guard due to its relatively faster speed for a bio-ship, although it is best not to ram it lest you want it to explode.
Like the other acid flinging Vanguard, the Strangler Vanguard is a variant of the Strangler Escort Drone that adds the Marking ability. As a bonus, the Strangler Vanguard does so without losing any effectiveness from the Drone version, granted the only thing either is equipped with is the special tentacles weaponry.
It is armed with 1 Feeder Tentacles and Hook Tentacles.
- Length: 2km; approx
- Mass: 3.8 megatonnes; approx
- Crew: Thousands of organisms
- Acceleration: 2.8 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
Ordnance-Boat[edit | edit source]
Corrosive[edit | edit source]
The more ordnance-heavy of the Vanguards.
The Corrosive Vanguard drops half the offensive firepower of the Caustic Escort Drone, while also increasing the cost of the ship by 5 points, to bring the Marking ability that allows Tyranid ships to make use of target priorities. Without ships providing the Marking ability, Tyranids will just fire at the closest target, even when a Synaptic creature is on the board.
With most factions, not being able to focus fire at range might be a serious drawback, and while it can be a hindrance at times for the Tyranids, it certainly isn't nearly as much of a problem for them as it is for other races. This is namely due to their heavy use of special abilities, assault actions, rams and other close-range attacks. In essence, it's very easy to circumvent this drawback simply through making good and specific use of the Tyranids play style.
It is armed with 1 Light Pyro-Acid Battery.
- Length: 2.2km; approx
- Mass: 3.5 megatonnes; approx
- Crew: Thousands of organisms
- Acceleration: 2.8 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2[edit | edit source]
Vanguard Drone Ships have less variety than all the other Tyranid Escorts like the Escort Drone or the Kraken. Instead, Vanguard Drone Ships are noted for its speed and agility (For Tyranid standards that is), able to scout ahead and detect ships from a distance. Unfortunately, due to the lack of variety, all Vanguard Drone Ships are good only for close-range assaults, even by the standards of the Nids and they lack the anti-armor punch of Bio-Plasma that other Nids of their class could have.
| Vessels of the Tyranids | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spaceships | ||
| Battleships | Hive Ship (Ancient One) | |
| Cruisers | Void Prowler - Cruiser (Razorfiend Dark Prowler - Void Fiend) - Devourer | |
| Escorts | Escort (Escort Drone - Vanguard Drone Ship Kraken) | |
| Logistics | Narvhal | |
| Landships | ||
| Bio-titans | Viciator - Dominatrix Hierophant - Hydraphant | |
| Airships | ||
| Flying Fortress | Harridan | |