Warhammer 40K: Three Ways To Deal With The Tyranid Invasion
The Tyranids are going to devour the Grimdark galaxy unless they are stopped. Here’s a few things that could actually work.
The Pariah Nexus might be the next hot spot and mission pack but don’t think the Tyranids aren’t still a galaxy-ending threat. The Leviathan arc is far from over and that massive tendril attacking from “below” the galactic plane is far from defeated.
But the Pariah Nexus mission pack did job some memories. Perhaps there is an answer to the Tyrand threat there. And where else could the Imperium and everyone native to the Galaxy turn to defeat the great devourer? Here’s a few theories I have been toying with.
Blackstone Is Key
I wrote this up a few years ago, but I still think Blackstone is key to defeating the Tyranids — or at least understanding how they got here. If you don’t know the connection here’s the TL;DR version:
When the Pharos was damaged during the Horus Heresy it sent out a signal. That signal essentially alerted the Tyranids to our galaxy. If this “galactic dinner bell” could call them here then perhaps there’s a way to repel them with the same psychic signal.
That’s why the Blackstone (aka Noctilith) is so important. While the Blackstone Fortress are themselves impressive weapons I do wonder if those are just small examples of what the material can be used for. In the lore it can be used to nullify or amplify psychic energy. We also know the Hive Mind has it’s own oppressive presence in the warp. In theory, it could be as simple as finding the right frequency to disrupt or repel the Tyranid fleets altogether.
Malstrain Genestealers Cults
I’ve touched on this one before as well. And we’ve gotten even more lore since confirming that yes, the Malstrain experiments on Hive Secundus do, in fact, repel Tyranids. This is HUGE for the lore. I don’t know how this information could get off world as it seems like it’s in the Noble’s interests to keep this one under wraps. However, it’s only a matter of time before the Malstrain breaks out, right? Some Spyrer is gonna get infected or some ganger is going to make it back to Hive Primus. And from there, well, you know how that goes.
One thing that has also been confirmed is that these Malstrain Genestealers aren’t as deadly as the Purestrain counterparts. They will still kill a normal person in a heartbeat, but if they ever had to fight, put your money on the Purestrains. So it’s not a weapon that can just be unleashed on a Tyranid fleet like some sort of antibody. The Imperium is going to need to figure out a way to harness the Malstrain as a defensive/psychic repellant if they stand a chance.
The Silent King Has A Plan
Szarekh ended his self-imposed exile after encountering the Tyranids within the intergalactic void. I wouldn’t be so bold as to say they scared him. But I think he saw a threat and realized running away from it wasn’t going to work. Instead he’s been pulling the strings from the shadows to awaken the Necrons and get the “younger races” to help with this looming threat. He’s also been a key player in the Pariah Nexus story arc. Again, see the Blackstone above, but he’s up to something — we just don’t know what.
Hopefully, he’s learned his lesson and isn’t going to attempt to convert all life in the galaxy into metal a la the Biotransference. However, that might just work…
Bonus: Let The Orks Deal With Them?
As much as I’d like to think this would work…we know it won’t. And before you declare a WAAAGH! on me, I’m not the one saying it — GW already did. We got to see how a never ending war between the two would go. The Octarius War proved that. Eventually the Hive Mind was able to adapt and evolve enough to win a victory. I’m not saying the Orks didn’t put up a heck of a fight — and that battle ground is still not completely settled. But the ‘Nids are feasting on all that biomass and the galaxy is about to pay for it…
The Imperium really has three options and researching Blackstone is probably going to be the one path they take.
