Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I have ever been so fond of masses of Kroot shooting triple tap with an ethereal they're bubble wrapping. How would this go as part of a larger more competitive list?

Thank you

I field one squad of Kroot. They can do alright IMHO ... until your opponent decides to actually shoot at them. With how many shots things can seem to put out now, they rarely last beyond a turn or two once targeted. I still love the little beaky cannibals.

I think they're better at outflanking, personally. I mean, if you're going to use them as a gun line, just bring fire warriors.

That being said, I've never really been that afraid of kroot, even when they outflank.

I am not crazy into 40k, but when I have looked at Tau competitive lists, I don't believe ever seeing these guys recently.

They do look really cool though.

They're the cheapest wounds in the codex, and are therefore mostly used to bubble wrap.

They can also infiltrate and outflank (with a reroll if you take a hound), so when taken in a CAD they can be used to grab objectives. Infiltrate also helps to create speed bumps.

Their sniper rifles look good on paper, but in a game where they could actually kill stuff, they would be wiped out really quickly.
An ethereal in a squad sounds like a very easy VP to get for your opponent, as T3 with basically no save dies in seconds.
In a competitive list, you will usually only see them as the troop tax needed to bring FW units.

But they look cool, and if you field them, no one will complain that you're bringing yet another OP tau unit.
12 kroots + 1 hound is usually a good setup (13 bodies means the opponent has to kill 4 guys before forcing a morale check).

Kroot's only real use is a cheap bubble wrap for the thing you don't want charged/shot in the first turn. Now I'm not a real expert in Tau, besides being shot to pieces repeatedly by them in most of the games I play against them anyway. I've only seen kroot in fluffy games since they're exceedingly easy to ignore. No real threat with them as MEQ's can easily chew through them in both shooting and close combat.

Wow. Thanks for the responses

I see an imperial guardsman stateliness with bonus in CC, wielding bolters equivalents at super cheaper costs w/ masses optional.

Firewarriors seem not worth =\
I've read hundreds of pages about them being the best basic troop in 40k, but yet how you speak of Kroot dying I've seen firewarriors perform similarly (with definitely better range and S)...

Anyone tried going like a hundred of these Kroot in a list?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Is it ever worthy to field more than tax for firewarriors?

Firewarriors are indeed a good troop compared to most armies. But in the current 40k meta, almost all troops are pretty weak (except for eldar scatterbikes of course, and some stuff like harlequin troupes). Troops only become good when they have nice formation bonuses, like free transports or increased RP.

And the Tau codex has many much better options. Dropping some firewarriors to get more suits is always better.

That being said, you don't always want to min max your army. If you want to use FW, for whatever reason, but make a good use of them, I see a few different approaches:
- min squads to maximise the number of DS8 turrets (usually the SMS, sometimes when sitting on an objective out of LOS)
- max squad with a fireblade, behind a tidewall shieldline. It's pretty expensive for what it brings, but they're a fun factor, and it's literally a tau gunline
- breachers in a devilfish to hunt down MEQ. But the FAQ nerfs that option quite a lot (since the breachers would have to snapfire if the devilfish jinks)

Note: I play only in more casual non-tournament settings.

I frequently run 2 squads of 10 kroot with snipers, and have always been satisfied with their performance.

Kroot are significantly easier to kill than firewarriors and significantly worse at shooting than firewarriors. You don't bring them for these reasons, you bring them because of their high amount of flexibility in deployment. They can infiltrate to hold midfield objectives right away. They're an incredibly cheap unit that can hold backfield objectives so your more expensive units can engage the enemy. They can outflank to contest your opponent's objectives. I've deployed them along my board edge to deny enemy out flankers. They're great to use as mobile 5+ cover saves and assault blockers for the rest of your army. I've deployed them at maximum cohesion to deny chunks of my board to drop pods (since they simply couldn't fit with my kroot everywhere). Kroot are just so darn useful. Every now and again they kill things, and that's cool but significantly more than I expect from them. I expect them to hold an objective for a turn or two (in maelstrom) and then die horribly. It's not particularly glamorous, but it wins games.

Another great reason to run them is your opponents always like it. People like shooting/assaulting models off the table. 20 models for 140 points is a bargain in this regard. Your opponent can wipe them and feel good about it. At the same time you don't really care, they've probably already achieved their tactical purpose.

They're an awesome, highly flexible throw away unit. I highly recommend fielding a squad or two of you play with objectives. Fielding 100 of them as the basis of an army probably not the best idea though.

I usually take one squad with sniper rounds and camp them in ruins, preferably on an objective. Their durability is a bit better with that nice 4+ cover save. Out in the open, they will die like dogs very quickly. Don't leave them out in the open. Ever.

I would love to try out the Allied Advance Cadre in a casual game sometime just for fun. Seems like an interesting and fluffy way to run Kroot and Vespids, two of the most looked-down-on units in the Tau codex. I'll need to come up with at least two more boxes of Kroot, plus some Vespids, first!

I love kroot, I still laugh looking at that photo of the white scars player losing turn one because he couldn't bring any of his toys on from reserve

I am grateful for the responses. Definitely, awesome!

Wait and see.

Kroot Codex and new models should be coming out Soon TM.

I like the "idea" of Aun'Va with a half dozen units each with 20 Kroot and 10 hounds, all rerolling LD10 morale checks and tripletap.

Thinking on how they can get within 18" of the enemy through infiltration, then move 6" and double tap EVERYTHING that dared shift forwards!

Lol if it became viable in a new Release, I'd definitely be willing to cough up the cash for that many models.

I ran ageinst some Kroot with a wraightknight, and they realy chewed it down. They harm it on 4+ and have alota shots. so im thinking they are good taking down all those nasty high T units. And if the enmy uses time to shoot them, they have served their purpose. Since they are cheap. Using a 250 pt group of marines a whole round of shooting taking down 70pt of kroots.

heavybtakingowa wrote:
I ran ageinst some Kroot with a wraightknight, and they realy chewed it down. They harm it on 4+ and have alota shots. so im thinking they are good taking down all those nasty high T units. And if the enmy uses time to shoot them, they have served their purpose. Since they are cheap. Using a 250 pt group of marines a whole round of shooting taking down 70pt of kroots.

Wraithknights are wounded on a 6 by Sniper weapons because they're GMC's.

Definitely awesome to hear!
I like that they have the Sniper rule... ap2 is great, if even only a couple from a squad

MekLeN wrote:
I have ever been so fond of masses of Kroot shooting triple tap with an ethereal they're bubble wrapping. How would this go as part of a larger more competitive list?

Thank you

I outflank them from the enemy board edge. The angle of fire generally allows them to wreck vehicles while their location is less than ideal because to come mash fists with them, you have to go entirely backwards and away from the shooty Tau in front of you. So they can do some work. Make judicious use of cover when using them.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

heavybtakingowa wrote:
I ran ageinst some Kroot with a wraightknight, and they realy chewed it down. They harm it on 4+ and have alota shots. so im thinking they are good taking down all those nasty high T units. And if the enmy uses time to shoot them, they have served their purpose. Since they are cheap. Using a 250 pt group of marines a whole round of shooting taking down 70pt of kroots.

Gargantuans are only poisoned on a 6+

Yes, I remember outflanking from an edge, side and rear armour isn't hard to wreck

especially when you bring Kroot Riders and use Pathfinders to make it just rear armor.. =)

When considering the two units, Fire Warriors & Kroot, I think Kroot have some aspects I favor more.

Gunline FW's range, 36" in 7th, is amazing.
Moving on foot, en masse, yeah... absolutely.

Kroot w/ Hounds... stupid cheap for many many dudes.

The hounds are actually pretty good in general. Trouble is they come with a Kroot Mercenary tax. Lol. I did a big 12 hound, 10 Kroot, 3 Krootox unit and it paid dividends so many times. It's really a lot of models to peel out of cover, and they can at least do SOME damage in melee against decent troops, even though their lack of real armor kind of leaves them taking it in the face from even the most basic troopers. Still, they provide an element that Tau Empire forces can make use of.

I really love the hounds. when you DO win a combat, running the enemy down isn't so difficult with Init 5 hounds around.

Their mobility is really the best thing about the kroot. Outflanking and infiltrating are great tools no matter the unit. they have a decent gun, better than normal IG soldiers get, and they even have an AP in close combat which is pretty good too. But getting them where its annoying for the enemy to have to back track away from the REAL gunline is kinda their jam. they play a positional dominance game. I really should cobble together the list I used to use wit hthem. it won a lot of tournaments for me, and not so much because of what the Kroot did to the enemy but what it forced the enemy to do about the Kroot.

Bingo! I too have found just models alone, regardless their stats, have true effect on games.

I think in this perspective, Kroot might do some good work.

Like that Pirhanna formation, don't spend too much into it, but as another thing put in a list oh yeah!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I'd really like to see that list =)

They arent great but id definitely bring them just love the look of the Kroot