Right so I have a question regarding the flood. You see a few days back I talked to DT regarding what would happen if the Tyranids and the Flood were to fight. I suggested that the 'Nids would adapt to the infect and become immune, and DT said that the Flood would adapt so they continue infecting them.
So my question is this: have the Flood ever demonstrated any sort of adaptive ability in their canon?
No really. To make an example I will use the Nids' adaptive abilites for comparison. You see the Nids are extremely adaptable, and frequently genetically engineer traits and characteristics from the unfortunates they devour into their own species in order to improve their combat effectiveness; as a result, they are constantly evolving and becoming more dangerous.
Oh, well then I don't think the flood do that. All they do is use their parasitic forms to take over the corpses (or living bodies) of whomever they choose and use them as a vessel. The flood themselves never really "evolve", just use others as their vessels.
Right. So basicly if the Nids evolved themself to, say, be biologically poisonous to Flood spores the Flood would be screwed?
And no, I'm not trying to start an arguement I'm just trying to picture how the battle between the two would turn out if we had they fight in the CC.
Well, the way I see it, when a parasitic Flood takes over a body, it gets whatever strengths and weaknesses that body had. So basically, the Flood that took over one of the Nids would gain the Nids resistance to the poison before it had any negative effects on the Flood that took it over. BUT that resistance is exclusive to the flood that took the Nid over, so it wouldn't like spread to the other Floods.
The way I see it; The Nids could easily kill the Flood since they're not exactly the most resilient bunch, but the Nids would be screwed if they were outnumbered by Flood, as it only takes one or two of the parasites burrowing into your body to be taken over.
Hmm, well I should point out the change to Nids doesn't happen to all of them at once, because Nids aren't born until they are unleashed on a planet. So basicly I can see the Flood infecting the first ground force yeah, but then once the new adapted ones come out, I'm not sure at that point.
Also, I know the Flood can be numerous but one of the largest Nid Hive Fleets is bigger then a galactic arm. I can't see them outnumbering the the Nids.
Just another quick question: So I looked up info saying that the Flood takes control of beings with some level of sentience. So what would happen if a Tyranid gets infected, the Hive Mind figures that out and disconnects the infected Tyranid from the HM reducing it to animal intelligence and instinct?
It's cool. Even my knownledge on them is limited.
Though, I am doing research on the Nids and Flood respectively. So far all info points to a massive curp stomp battle to the Flood by the Nids. :\
*barges in*
That thing about the sentience is crap. Anything with enough biomass can be taken over, no matter what it is. That would include organic ships too.
Also, if a host has traits that would benefit Flood as a whole, the Flood would take that host to the Gravemind. Anything that's integrated into the Gravemind is integrated into the airborne spores, and therefore into the entire species through a fungal-like spreading.
Oh hi DT. So if the Flood need to take it to the Gravemind that gives the Nord Queen enough time to order all Tyranids to adapt to the infection, minus the infected Nids.
It does, but the moment a single already-infect Nid got to the Gravemind, they'd have some of the adaptive abilities too.
There's also the fact that the Gravemind can fight and move around itself too, and it's roots... well, nobody know how big they really are, but they were implied to be all throughout a Halo, putting their total length at bigger than Earth.
Given the ever evolving biology of the Nids it would likely be that they'd keep on adapting to the Flood's adaption until the Flood is gone. And the Nids have plenty of reseves to make this happen.
They wouldn't need to. They'd just keep taking in more and more of the infected Tyranids as they went along, and analyse their biology, which happens in moments. Then they'd know how any adaptation would work, and counter it that way.
The only feasible way the Nids would win is if they kept using one-time-only breeds of Nids, which were never re-used. Which is also not really possible.
Okay, you have a point. But DT, can you give me actual proof that the Flood can adapt? I just have your word on this.
Also from research they infect beings with sentient intelligence, can you explain that please?
I shouldn't need to prove myself. Besides, my point was that they integrate the biology of any and all organic life infected by them. If Nids can adapt, they infect one, boom, they can adapt too now.
Also, the infect anything with enough mass to be infected, it's just that sentient ones with high intelligence are more useful.
Hmm, okay. Though if this fight ever happens in the CC, it won't be for a long time and when it does happen there will most likely be worse things then these two running about.
Ah, shame the average Nid has animal intellect without the Hive Mind.
That's very much true. Dimensional Beasts, for one.
That's also true, but animal instinct is still useful when directed by Gravemind anyway. Their sheer numbers would still make them attractive.
Other than the fact that they're essentually walking corpses, being partially rotten? Combat forms are fairly fragile to melee attacks, though more to blunt force trauma than blades attacks. They're also very easy to kill with fire.
It's a big weakness, as is blunt-force trauma. So for example, if you were to simply use thermobaric explosives all over wherever they were, you'd have anihilated them.
Okay, so for argument's sake what if you dumped a ton of lava on them, would that kill any/all Flood spores that could possibly be releashed from their bodies?
Not the spores, since they're ejected fairly high, but it'd kill the forms, yes. The spores are the most dangerous part. Best way to deal with them is just by glassing the entire surrounding area. Superheat it.
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