Tyranid Warriors (Latin: Tyranicus gladius) are a type of Tyranid bio-construct which feature in Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Description[]
Towering over a human at over nine feet tall, Tyranid Warriors are fast, powerful, multi-limbed insectoid horrors which form the core of the Tyranids’ planetary assault troops. Standing upright on their hind limbs, they possess four upper “arms” which can be equipped with biomorphic weaponry as varied as organic guns firing carnivorous beetles or great gouts of toxic vomit for ranged engagement, to slashing claws or poisonous whips for close-in work. Nomatter the configuration, their tough, armoured shell makes Warriors an extremely difficult proposition in battle.
Despite their versatility in combat, one of the most important functions the Warriors perform is in the direction of the lesser organisms of the Hive Mind: they act as synapse creatures, relaying the psychic signals sent out by the greater Hive Mind to others and ensuring that Tyranid broods act with a cohesion and purpose reminiscent of a single organism, rather than a number of individual animals.
Winged Warriors[]
Although Tyranid Warriors can be spawned with an incredible variety of wargear and advantageous mutations, a variety of particular note is the Winged Warrior. In all other respects identical to a regular Warrior, these versions sport a pair of enormous leathery pinions which allow them to cover great distances in a very short space of time. Used as either shock troops landed where the enemy least expect them, or to support more far-ranging vanguard organisms which would otherwise be out of contact with the Hive Mind’s guiding intelligence, Winged Warriors are nevertheless a relatively rare sight.