Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-6589306-20130228113457/@comment-1657156-20130408055236

Callummacdonald79 wrote: i also don't consider predator 2 to be 'official' lore, for aliens or predators (it's also a terrible film, in my opinion HERESY!

GRAND HERESY!!

PURGE! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!

Ah, c'mon man. PREDATOR2 was a great film! It really fit the tone of Los Angeles in the  1990s (which is to say, under siege by gang violence and guns). Plus, Danny Glover made a great protagonist. He won -- decisively -- because of incredible acumen, attitude, and just the right amount of luck thrown in.

As for Tyranids versus Xenomorphs...

The question gets poised a lot more often than you might realize among the fandoms! ;)

But, as a practical matter, the scenario that implicit in the question is something like...

"...50 Tyranid Warriors, and 50 Warrior Class Xenomorphs, in a closed-arena typical of the kind of surroundings they might battle in. So, let's assume 100 closed acres of jungle, or 100 acres of ruined cityscape, or maybe even a sprawling derelict space hulk. So...! Who'd win??"

So, the question isn't really asking which species would be the greater threat. If it were, that's when factors like the ability of the hive mind or norn queens to spawn new broods, or adapt specialized Tyranids for certain terrain, would come into play.

Having said that... posing the question in the manner that I described...

I'd have to say the Xenomorphs would win. They're extremely strong and resilent. Their standard attacks include biting; attacking with their secondary jaw which has the force of a machine-piston and the sharpness of a razor; clawing and ripping at enemies with jagged nails and talons; and their fully opposable whip-like tail which is sharp enough to impale threats, and powerful enough to lift even heavy prey.

Their secondary offensive characteristics make them even deadlier. The acid blood of course makes fighting them in close-quarters extremely hazardous, and warriors are sometimes portrayed as being able to spit acid-blood from long-range. They also have at least nominal intellects; being able to setup ambushes and stealthily stalk prey.

Tyranid warriors would be more than a match for Xenomorph warriors, though. A squad of warriors can coordinate through ad hoc hive-minds. The deathspitter bio-weapons, while drop for drop not as deadly Xenomorph acid blood, when shot in standard large clumps, can burn apart any organic materials or armor. Tyranid warriors are also larger typically than Xenomorph warriors. While Xenomorph Warriors are typically the size of a motorcycle, Tyranid Warriors are typically the size of a sedan. This increased size makes them much less agile than Xenomorphs, but makes their claw and bite attacks more powerful.

Now about them Zerg...