First Look: Warhammer 40K Kroot Hunting Pack

In the world of Warhammer 40K, the T'au army is often considered, well... not very Warhammer 40K. Instead of grim-dark, gothic, nuln-oil drenched minis, the T'au present sleek, futuristic, almost Apple Computers-esque blue-skinned alien forces. And aside from their aesthetic differences, and their whole pursuit of the "Greater Good" (flawed as it may be), the main way they set themselves apart from other factions is in their willingness to join forces with other Xenos species. Case in point: their collaboration with the carnivorous Kroot.

The Kroot have always been a fun off-shoot of the T'au army -- a great way to sneak in a bit of melee damage in a very ranged-heavy army -- but now that's being pushed even further with the release of a brand new army box, the Kroot Hunting Pack. Games Workshop sent us a complimentary copy to check out, so read on for our initial thoughts in our Kroot Hunting Pack First Look preview!

Kroot Hunting Pack - What's Included?

What's included in the Kroot Hunting Pack army set? Designed with sleek packaging, this new set contains a nice assortment of Kroot warriors to augment your T'au army. Here's the full download of what's contained within, straight from the back of the box:

• Codex: T'au Empire
• Datasheet Cards: T'au Empire
• Assembly Guide
• 1x Kroot War Shaper
• 1x Kroot Flesh Shaper
• 1x Krootox Rider
• 3x Krootox Rampagers
• 20x Kroot Carnivores

That's honestly... quite a lot of Kroot! It's so fun to open up a box and see it all be so Kroot focused, when I've previously treated Kroot as such an auxiliary option (diehard Krooties don't come for me).

Also, I'm trying something new here - along with details of the models, I'll be including pictures of the sprues for each of these units. These are all new casts, so thought it might be fun to check out. Let me know if you like to see sprue photos in the comments, and I'll include more.

Now let's dive into each of the five different unit types included in this box, taking a quick peek at their core stats and highlighting any special abilities worth mentioning.

Kroot War Shaper

The Kroot War Shaper can stir its companions into action, and this leader (which can be attached to Kroot Carnivores or Kroot Farstalkers units) has the following core stats:

• Move: 7"
• Toughness: 3
• Save: 6+
• Wounds: 3
• Leadership: 7+
• Objective Control: 1

Along with a pretty nasty little weapon in the Dart-bow and tri-blade and Shaper's Hook, this unit is all about keeping your Kroot army engaged and firing on all cylinders. Along with the War Leader ability (which let's it take a Stratagem for free), they also have the Root of Honour ability, which reads:

Once per battle, at the start of any phase, you can select one friendly Kroot unit that is Battle-shocked and within 12" of this model. That unit is no longer Battle-shocked.

Now that, in 10th edition, Battle-shocked doesn't just mean losing units, but truly and dynamically impacts the battlefield, getting to just un-Battle-shock a unit could be very useful. A bit situational, I still think this could be worth slotting into a Kroot-heavy army.

Kroot War Shaper Sprue

Easy as a breeze to assemble, the sprue for the Kroot War Shaper was straightforward, with two different options for poses.

Kroot Flesh Shaper

The Kroot Flesh Shaper is, according to the lore, in charge of helping monitor how the species develops based on the enemies they eat. Wow! That's... a lot. Like the Kroot War Shaper, his model can be attached to Kroot Carnivors or Kroot Farstalkers. Here's the stats:

• Move: 7"
• Toughness: 3
• Save: 6+
• Wounds: 3
• Leadership: 7+
• Objective Control: 1

Along with giving the unit its attached to Sustained Hits 1 on their melee weapons, it also has the incredible Rites of Feasting ability (what a name), which reads:

While this model is leading a unit, models in that unit have the Feel No Pain 6+ ability. If that unit destroys one of more enemy units in the Fight phase, until the end of the battle, models in that unit have the Feel No Pain 5+ ability instead.

This ability should absolutely not be slept on, as the Feel No Pain rule states (as a reminder if you've forgotten like I did): "For each wound a model with the Feel No Pain ability would lose, the controlling player rolls one D6: if the result is greater than or equal to the number listed at the end of that ability, that wound is not lost." So image rolling in with a group of Kroot Carnivores (who we'll get to in a moment) and having them shrug off wounds -- could be nasty, right?

Kroot Flesh Shaper Sprue

Another absolutely quick and easy sprue to assemble, there are no alternative build options for the Kroot Flesh Shaper.

Krootox Rider

Kroot riding huge beast with a repeater cannon? Sign me up! The stats:

• Move: 7"
• Toughness: 6
• Save: 5+
• Wounds: 5
• Leadership: 7+
• Objective Control: 2

This Repeater cannon is definitely a brutal weapon, with a long (36") range, but what I'm drawn to with the Krootox Rider is the Kroot Packmates special ability, which reads:

Once per turn, in your opponent's Shooting phase, when a friendly Kroot Infantry unit within 6" of this unit is selected as the target of an attack, one unit from your army with this ability can use it. If it does, after that enemy unit has finished making its attacks, that unit with this ability can shoot as if it were your Shooting phase, but when resolving those attacks it can only target that enemy unit (and only if it is an eligible target).

So if you can keep your Riders close to your infantry, you're basically either acting as a huge deterrent toward your opponent's Ranged attacks, or you're just getting free shots in. And with that Repeater cannon, you can really sneak in some serious damage.

Krootox Riders Sprue

The Krootox Riders Sprue as pictured above leads to models that are a bit more complicated to assemble, but that also means that they've got that incredible, in-depth detail we expect from a good, new Games Workshop model.

Krootox Rampagers

Next up are the Krootox Rampagers, who are tough, melee-focused units meant to charge in and destroy! The Stats are:

• Move: 7"
• Toughness: 6
• Save: 5+
• Wounds: 5
• Leadership: 7+
• Objective Control: 2

This unit is big and beefy and really, really wants to Charge, as it pairs Hunting Blades which have the [Lance] ability ("On the turn that a unit Charges, any weapons with the Lance ability have +1 to wound.") with the Kroot Linebreakers special ability which reads:

Each time this unit ends a Charge move, select one enemy unit within Engagement Range of it, then roll one D6 for each model in this unit that is within Engagement Range of that enemy unit: for each 4+, that enemy unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. If one of more enemy models are destroyed as a result of these mortal wounds, that enemy unit must take a Battle-shock test.

I'm sorry... what? That's an absolutely brutal, powerful ability that lets you truly run in and destroy an enemy line. Auto-dishing out mortal wounds is so useful in 10th edition, and these Rampagers deserve a spot in almost any T'au army!

Kroot Rampagers Sprues

Like the Krootox Riders sprue, this Krootox Rampagers sprue has lots of little bits and is semi-complicated to assemble, but the look of these models is a true standout.

Kroot Carnivores

Finally, let's look at our boots on the ground (Kroots on the ground? Hahaha) infantry unit, the Kroot Carnivores. Behold, their stats:

• Move: 7"
• Toughness: 3
• Save: 6+
• Wounds: 1
• Leadership: 7+
• Objective Control: 2

Let's not lose sight of the fact that this Infantry unit has an OC of 2, that's pretty good all things considered! Along with the very handy Kroot rifle, and the ability to swap in 1x rifle for a Tanglebomb launcher, the Kroot Carnivores also have the Fieldcraft special ability, which reads:

At the end of your Command phase, if this unit is within range of an objective marker you control, that objective marker remains under your control, even if you have no models within range of it, until your opponent controls it at the start of end of any turn.

I love a unit that can just claim an objective, then just sort of wander away from it! All in all these are pretty hardy little dudes, and round out this box really nicely.

Kroot Carnivores Sprues

These models are very simple to assemble, as long as you don't mind glueing on lots of little accessories like grenades and side-holstered pistols.

Warhammer 40K Kroot Hunting Pack - Final Thoughts

I've got to say, this is a really, really fun box set to come out. I've always had a soft spot for the T'au, as they were the first official set I reviewed here at TechRaptor a few years back. Since then, I've been slowly building upon my army, and this injection of some melee muscle is just what the Ethereal ordered!

Fun to assemble, and I'm sure they'll be a blast to paint, this box set (and the included Codex) really helps expand upon the world of the T'au. Highly recommended for most (if not all) T'au players.

The copy of Kroot Hunting Pack used in this review was provided by Games Workshop.