Changes

Genestealers are effectively the heralds of Tyranid invasions, because the psychic power of the Patriarch shines like a beacon in the [[Warp]] and is perceived by the [[Hive Fleet]]s of the Tyranids. As the cult's power grows over the world, the beacon becomes stronger, signaling to the Tyranids the location of a biologically rich world. By the time the Hive Fleets arrive, the world may already be completely in the hands of the Genestealer Cult, or torn apart by civil war between the cult and the remaining free society, or at least weakened and rife with traitors.{{Fn|4}} Acting in concert with the [[Hive Mind]], a Genestealer Cult will fanatically fight for the Tyranids once it has arrived over their world.{{Fn|11b}}

However, a Hive Fleet's arrival usually seals the destiny of a cult. Either their host society destroys them and their Xenos allies or the Tyranid invasion succeeds, resulting in all surviving cult members being absorbed like the rest of the planet.{{Fn|4}} After the opposition is defeated, the [[Genestealer Patriarch]] and its Brood of Purestrain Genestealers will massacre its own without hesitation. The cult's biomass is harvested and consumed by the Tyranid Hive Fleet.{{Fn|11b}} Genestealer Cults differ greatly in their reaction to this fate. Some cultists are aware of their ultimate destiny long before the Hive Fleet's arrival and welcome the idea to be absorbed into a greater whole;{{Fn|27}}{{Fn|28b}} many will weep in joy or sing praises even as they are torn apart by their former allies.{{Fn|26}}{{Fn|28b}} However, other cults or even individual cultists are surprised and horrified when the truth is revealed to them, sometimes embracing their human nature just before their demise.{{Fn|11f}}{{Fn|26}} In rare cases, cultists may even rebel against the Tyranids after understanding what is happening to them.{{Fn|26}}

*{{Endn|31}}: [[White Dwarf 500]], pg. 69 - ''The Invasion of Samarkis''

*{{Endn|32}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/05/30/what-happened-to-bheta-decima-in-the-latest-season-of-kill-team/ Warhammer Community: What Happened to Bheta-Decima in the Latest Season of Kill Team? (Posted on 30/05/2024)] (Last accessed on 30/05/2024)

{{GenestealerCult}}