What changed for Tyranids in 11th edition

11th edition handed the Tyranids a mixed pass rather than a clean win. Several of the flying monsters got notably cheaper, a small handful of characters and monsters crept up, and no new units joined the swarm. If you played the Great Devourer in 10th, your collection does everything it did before — but the shape of a competitive list has shifted with the prices.

Summary

• 19 units repriced, 0 new, 14 unchanged
• Biggest drop: Harpy (-30)
• Biggest rise: Neurotyrant (+25)
• Detachment Points: 2 / 3 / 4 at Incursion / Strike Force / Onslaught

Detachments

The biggest structural change is Detachment Points. Detachments are no longer free: each one now costs points out of your army total, and that cost scales with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, 4 at Onslaught. That's a genuine budgeting decision layered on top of your unit picks, and it's the main new habit to learn coming from 10th. For the Tyranids two new detachments arrive — Ambush Predators and Talons of the Norn Queen — alongside the returning 10th-edition detachments, with none removed, so the other fresh army-building decision is the Detachment Points overhead itself.

New in 11th: Ambush Predators, Talons of the Norn Queen. None removed.

Points changes

Eighteen units were repriced — six up, eleven down — with no new datasheets. The story is at the top of the sky: the flying monsters took the deepest cuts, with the Harpy and Hive Crone both down 30, the Norn Assimilator down 25 and the Tyrannofex down 20. The Toxicrene also came down 15. Against that, a few pieces crept up: the Maleceptor, Neurotyrant and Tyranid Prime with Lash Whip each rose 10, and Hormagaunts and Pyrovores nudged up 5. Some units are priced per squad size, so check the tier you actually field.

Biggest increases

Are Neurotyrant still worth it?

Up 10 points, to 115. That bump lands harder on a support character than the raw number suggests, because its value has always been in what it enables around it rather than what it does alone. In a synapse-focused list it still earns its keep; as a loose one-off, it's an easier cut now.

Are Maleceptor still worth it?

Up 10 points, to 180. It remains one of the army's premier psychic monsters — a tough centrepiece you buy because you want it doing its job, not because the maths forced your hand. If it anchored your 10th-edition lists, the extra 10 won't move it off the table; if it was a marginal inclusion, this is the nudge to reconsider.

Are Tyranid Prime with Lash Whip still worth it?

Up 10 points, to 75. It's a force-multiplier for your Warriors rather than a standalone threat, so the increase only makes sense if you're already committed to a Warrior core. Run it to buff the brood you're fielding anyway; if you weren't leaning on Warriors, the extra 10 is easy to skip.

Frequently asked questions

Did the Tyranids get better in 11th edition?

Partly. The flying monsters got meaningfully cheaper, so sky-heavy lists can field more for the same points than they could at the end of 10th, but a few staple characters and monsters went the other way. On balance it's a sideways-to-positive move — the best swarms came out flexible, though it's less of a clean upgrade than some factions saw.

What got cheaper for Tyranids in 11th edition?

The monsters, mostly. The Harpy and Hive Crone each dropped 30, the Norn Assimilator came down 25, the Tyrannofex fell 20 and the Toxicrene lost 15. If your collection leans on big beasts, an 11th-edition list is cheaper to assemble than it was before.

How do Detachment Points work for Tyranids in 11th edition?

Detachment Points are a new 11th-edition layer: your chosen detachment now costs points out of your army total, scaling with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, and 4 at Onslaught. Every Tyranid detachment pays the same rate, so it's a flat overhead you budget for before you start picking broods.

Did the flying monsters really get cheaper in 11th edition?

Yes, and they're the standout winners. The Harpy and Hive Crone both came down 30 points each — the two biggest cuts in the faction — which makes a fast, hard-hitting flyer wing far more affordable than it was in 10th. The bulkier Tyrannofex also dropped 20, so the monster-heavy approach is where the savings pile up.

Is now a good time to start a Tyranids army?

It's a fair moment. The range is stable, the monsters that headline most collections are cheaper, and the swarm's mix of chaff and centrepieces is forgiving to learn on. If you've been eyeing the Great Devourer, the 11th-edition prices make a monster-led starter force easier to build toward — see the Starting a Tyranids Army guide for a buying order.