Warhammer 40K: The Tyranid Red Terror Returns!
Death strikes from below with the return of rules for the Tyranid monstrosity, the Red Terror!
The Red Terror has been striking fear into the hearts of the people of Devlan (and pretty much everyone else) for almost three decades. First introduced in the 3rd edition Codex: Tyranids, it’s been a fan favorite 40k monster, but had been ominously dormant for years. However, the monster’s return via Kill Team also sees it return to full games of Warhammer 40k with today’s newly released datasheet.
Subterranean Hunter
In all its rules incarnations, the Red Terror has been capable of surprise attacks, and its newest rules set is no different. Its new rules profile lists it at 130 points, and it has a very healthy statline with some standout points being its fast 10″ movement, Toughness of 8 and 9 wounds. All pretty solid for its points, but its secondary abilities are going to really make it shine.
Essentially an overgrown Ravener, the Red Terror burrows beneath the battlefield, emerging to feast upon its prey before vanishing once more. The combination of Subterranean Hunter, allowing you to take it off the battlefield and place it in Strategic Reserves, and Serpentine Fiend, allowing it to ignore terrain features during movement, makes a tremendously powerful combination. The Red Terror is going to easily get where you need it, devour a soft target, and then reposition as needed. Brutal.
The BURROWER keyword means that it can take part in a Subterranean Assault detachment to lend some heavy-hitting power to your hordes of Ravener. Alternatively, it could join the Deathleapers of a Vanguard Onslaught Detachment thanks to its VANGUARD INVADER keyword. It also has Deep Strike, so whatever kind of list you play, you can be sure of having a horrible giant monster to wreak havoc in the middle of your opponent’s carefully arrayed forces.
Scything Talons
The Red Terror has relatively few weapon options when compared to many other 40k units but, boy, are they gonna do some work. Its frightening complement of scything talons is there to woodchipper whole units with a staggering twelve attacks, and its WS of 2+ means they’ll be reliably landing a flurry of Strength 7, AP2, Damage 2 hits. Even a unit of gravis-armored space marines could be in danger from these gribbly blows, and less resilient units will be reduced to a fine, red mist.
Gaping Maw
Talons are all well and good, but this is what we’re all here for, isn’t it? Like any good graboid, the Red Talon’s primary attack is its Gaping Maw. Hitting on a 2+ just like its talons, the Gaping Maw has only a Strength of 5; however, it inflicts a solid D3+2 damage.
On stats alone, this attack is nothing to write home about, but the important note is that the Gaping Maw is used in conjunction with the Red Terror’s Swallow Whole ability. Whenever it targets an INFANTRY, MOUNTED, or BEAST unit, every successful unmodified wound is a Critical Wound. Secondarily, each time the Red Terror destroys an INFANTRY, MOUNTED, or BEAST unit with its Gaping Maw, it immediately regains D3+2 lost wounds.
All of this adds up to a versatile and very hungry monster. The Red Terror may not be the ideal model to take out enemy dreadnoughts, vehicles, or other top-level threats, but it’s going to be a nightmare for enemy infantry. It’s Deep Strike, and Subterranean Hunter abilities are going to force your opponent to think very, very carefully about how they deploy and move around the board.
I’ve had a small Tyranid army since the release of Leviathan back in 2022, and I’m strongly considering adding the Red Terror to our biomass with Kill Team: Terror on Devlan.
Devlan’s got more problems than the mud…
