(Most of the lore about Tyranid Saints in this chapter is the author's speculation.)
Tyranid Saint
Tyranid Saint
The Hive Mind, the supreme will of the Tyranids, had always pursued one goal: cutting costs and increasing efficiency.
When the Tyranids attacked a planet, their ultimate aim was to harvest all its biomass.
But producing troops to conquer that planet consumed biomass.
The more advanced the troops, the more biomass they cost. Even if those troops were recycled afterward, the process still incurred a small loss.
That was why the Tyranids did not begin an invasion by throwing every advanced bug they had onto the front line. They started with lesser bugs.
First, they produced tens of billions of Blade Bugs and Gun Bugs, supported by some Hive Node Warrior Bugs, to see if they could take the planet.
If that failed, they brought in higher-tier Hive Tyrants and Spore Cannon Bugs.
If that still was not enough, they kept escalating until they deployed Tyranid Titans.
The Tyranids' Knight Mech—or rather, Titan-class—units were called Tyranid Saints. They were the Tyranids' ultimate ground weapons.
Fresh from the egg, one of these bugs stood only about six meters tall. It moved on four limbs and looked like a long-legged centipede with its tail curled up.
A thick Chitinous Carapace covered its back. Only a fierce bombardment from heavy artillery could kill it.
Creating a Titan-class Tyranid Saint consumed a vast amount of biomass.
Make too many, and even conquering the planet would yield a smaller return.
The Hive Mind was therefore extremely cautious about deploying Tyranid Saints. It also had several tiers to choose from.
A newly hatched Tyranid Saint stood just over six meters tall, pale and tender all over. Its Chitinous Carapace had not even developed.
The Hive Mind would then