In addition to their roles away from the battlefield, Hive Ships are fearsome enemies in combat. Though there is a vast amount of diversity among Hive Ships, stone-like armour plating and plentiful weapon growths are common to nearly all of them. Protected by thick clouds of defensive spores and armed with Pyro-Acid batteries, Bio-plasma spines, launch bays, and even gigantic claws, Hive Ships are a force that are a match for even the mightiest Imperial and xenos Battleships.