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The latter stages of a Tyranid invasion, being the "consumption" and "assimilation" stages, is marked by enormous capillary towers and bio-ships deploying their feeding tubes. This typically marks the death of a world where the only recourse is [[exterminatus]]. However, it's also typically when bio-ships and [[hive ship]]s are most vulnerable, having likely expended a significant amount of biomass in their initial assault. Destroying or damaging the Tyranid Hive Fleet (via exterminatus or other means) while it is feeding can potentially deny the hive fleet biomass to fuel to renew its assault. Destroying the towers or feeding tubes before the biomass reaches a bioship would deny the fleet valuable biomass to assimilate. Thus leaving the hive fleet as a whole, in a weaker state.{{Fn|2c}}
This stage also provides an opportunity to destroy a synapse node creature aboard a bioship, whether by destroying the ship or via a Kill Team boarding the vessel to assassinate the link.{{Fn|2d}} This would then lead to the Tyranid bioforms being thrown into disarray, becoming little more than beasts without the Hive Mind guiding the assault.{{Fn|5}}
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'''Capillary Towers''', also called '''Feeding Towers''', are a [[Tyranid]] bioform that acts as reservoirs for biomass collection, transference, and birthing pools for Tyranids swarms during their predatory assaults on a world. These potentially monolithic bioforms erupt from a world's crust{{Fn|2a}} and form sites that are ultimately collected by a [[bioship]] in low orbit. The ship's feeding system consists of many titanic tubes{{Fn|2c}} twisted together to make up multi-pronged system of proboscises.{{Fn|1}}
==Overview==
Once the Hive Fleet's feeding has concluded, the fleshy parts of the towers will be stripped from them, leaving behind the mineral structure that had held them aloft. This structure is durable and can keep portions of the feeding towers upright even without their musculature and flesh tethers. It is evident that reabsorption of the mineral structures is problematic enough for hive fleets to leave them behind on multiple consumed worlds, leaving behind only the lacy remains of feeding towers.{{Fn|6}}
==Strategies==
The death of a world is marked by enormous Capillary towers and feeding bioships typically marks the latter stages of a Tyranid invasion. The sight of large feeding towers and bio-ships deploying their feeding tubes is typically seen in Stage 3 "Consumption" and Stage 4 "Assimilation" of a Tyranid invasion.{{Fn|2c}}
This typically marks the death of a world where the only recourse is [[exterminatus]]. However, it's also typically when bio-ships and [[hive ship]]s are most vulnerable, having likely expended a significant amount of biomass in their initial assault. Destroying or damaging the Tyranid Hive Fleet (via exterminatus or other means) while it is feeding can potentially deny the hive fleet biomass to fuel to renew its assault. Destroying the towers or feeding tubes before the biomass reaches a bioship would deny the fleet valuable biomass to assimilate. Thus leaving the hive fleet as a whole, in a weaker state.{{Fn|2c}}
This stage also provides an opportunity to destroy a synapse node creature aboard a bioship, whether by destroying the ship or via a Kill Team boarding the vessel to assassinate the link.{{Fn|2d}} This would then lead to the Tyranid bioforms being thrown into disarray, becoming little more than beasts without the Hive Mind guiding the assault.{{Fn|5}}
==Related Articles==
File:Tyranid-CapillaryTowers1.jpg|Tyranid feeding system; capillary towers and bioship tube tendrils.{{Fn|3}}
File:TyranidCapillaryTower-IcarusLascannon.jpg|Bioship feeding tube towers seen on day 4 of the [[Leviathan]] splinter fleets' invasion of [[Kadaku]].{{Fn|3}}
</gallery>
===Stages of a Tyranid Invasion===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Tyranidinvasion stage1.jpg|'''Stage 1: Invasion'''{{Fn|4}}
File:Tyranidinvasion-stage2.jpg|'''Stage 2: Predation'''{{Fn|4}}
File:Tyranidinvasion-stage3.jpg|'''Stage 3: Consumption'''{{Fn|4}}
File:Tyranidinvasion-stage4.jpg|'''Stage 4: Assimilation'''{{Fn|4}}
</gallery>
**{{Endn|2c}}: pg. 51
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2]] - Operation 07: Termination
*{{Endn|4}}: [https://web.archive.org/web/20190709123112/https://regimental-standard.com/2017/11/01/the-stage-by-stage-guide-to-tyranid-infestation/|Warhammer Community Post: The Regimental Standard: The Stage-By-Stage Guide to Tyranid Infestation] ''(archive page, saved 9 July 2019, last accessed July 14th 202413 January 2025, original link:https://www.warhammerregimental-communitystandard.com/2017/11/01/the-regimental-standard-the-stage-by-stage-guide-to-tyranid-infestation-nov-1/)''
*{{Endn|5}}: [[The Devastation of Baal (Novel)]], Chapter 26
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work(Novel)]], Chapter 5
===Uncited===
