This amazing art for the Tyranid Codex – Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition
Hormagaunts are a terrifying sight on the battlefields of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are part of the Tyranid species, a bioengineered swarm designed for relentless close-combat assaults. These creatures are the embodiment of the Tyranid’s core strategy: overwhelming numbers and devastating speed.
Hormagaunts are fast, agile, and have a single-minded focus—ripping apart anything in their path with their scythe-like claws. Their bodies are wiry, hunched over in a predatory stance, built for speed and savage ferocity. Unlike other Tyranid units that might rely on ranged attacks or psychic abilities, Hormagaunts are all about close-quarters slaughter. Their primary weapons, the large scything talons, make them lethal in melee combat. When a swarm of Hormagaunts charges across the battlefield, they move like a tidal wave, bounding forward on powerful hind legs, driven by the Tyranid Hive Mind to kill.
They possess a notable ability called Bounding Leap, which allows them to cover great distances at an alarming speed, easily closing the gap between them and their prey. This makes them one of the more dangerous units to face in a Tyranid horde, as they can outmaneuver enemies and tear into vulnerable lines of infantry before countermeasures can be deployed.
Hormagaunts also exhibit an insatiable hunger, driven by the Hive Mind’s command to consume biomass. After they kill, they often continue in an endless cycle of feeding and attacking, which makes them not only a threat in battle but also a danger to entire planetary ecosystems once unleashed.
In the broader lore, Hormagaunts represent the Tyranid principle of adaptation. Each one is bred specifically for efficiency in ground combat, relying on sheer numbers and their ability to swarm and overwhelm defenders. They are typically deployed in conjunction with other Tyranid species, but their role is always to form the vanguard of an assault, softening up enemy forces for larger, deadlier creatures to follow.
Facing a swarm of Hormagaunts is like being caught in a storm of blades and teeth—there’s no escape, no mercy, just the inevitability of the swarm’s hunger.