Warhammer 40K: Kroot Hunting Pack Detachment – Calling All Kroot
Do you want to run an all Kroot Army from the T’au Empire? You can do that now thanks to the Kroot Hunting Pack Detachment.
We’ve known this is coming for a while now but GW is talking up the new Kroot Hunting Pack Army Detachment. It does provide some nice bonuses to make that army actually playable so I gotta give them that. But will the all Kroot army be as effective as mixing in some T’au? Well, that’s the question. Let’s look at the Kroot Hunting Pack a little closer to see if it’s worth the trade-offs.
I’m using a screenshot so you can see this isn’t me making things up. There’s a few key things that they are pointing out:
- Hunter’s Instincts – bonus to the “to hit” and “to wound” rolls, with some conditions
- Skirmish Fighters – invulnerable save at range
- Kroot Carnivores become Battleline
- Extra Enhancements and Stratagems like Nomadic Hunter
There’s also the Stratagem “A Trap Well Laid” that gives other Kroot units extra armour pen vs a target that’s already been attacked by a Kroot unit this turn. It’s only 1 CP so, that’s not too shabby!
Points if you yell “you’ve activated my trap card” when you use it!
There’s obvious combos and synergies for this army overall. Send in a Lone Spear with some Kroot Hounds to smack a target, then follow up with other parts of your army with the bonus armour pen. And that’s just one example GW points out.
All Kroot, All The Time?
Again, there’s a lot of things going on with the All-Kroot option in the T’au book now. And yeah, personally, I’m glad that Kroot fans now have something they can use as a viable army. I think my main issue circles back to the top: are these Detachment rules worth the trade-offs? That’s where I think I’m stumbling to see it.
I do think the new Kroot Hunting Party Detachment opens up some new options for the T’au — it’s a much more aggressive and “in your face” type of army vs the famous T’au gunlines and drones of old. And I think that’s the real trick here with the army: don’t go all in with the Kroot. Looking at this wholistically, bringing in some “T’au escorts” for the Kroot makes a lot of sense. Imagine having the benefits mentioned with the speed and mobility of the Kroot units but also backed-up with some seriously heavy firepower of something like a couple Riptide Battlesuits or a Stormsurge.
While it could be fun and new to bust out a full Kroot army I think a more effective option would be to also mix in those T’au heavy hitters. They really work together much better as they cover the weaknesses of each other. Kroot are generally fast and lightly armored so grabbing objectives is a perfect job for them. The big guns of the T’au want to sit back and unload — so let them do that. Use the Kroot to screen or press the advance under the withering firepower of the suits. I think if they work in concert this could be a really effective army overall.
There’s lots of new Kroot to experiment with this time around and I think this works the other way, too. You could run a mostly T’au force with those Kroot mercs filling in gaps for you. Don’t be afraid to try new stuff with the updated Kroot. You might find them refreshing and effective in your T’au army!
How are you planning on combining your Kroot and T’au forces into a force for the Greater Good?
