Kroot
Galaxy Hunters - Masters of Evolution
The Kroot are one of the most well-known allied races of the T’au Empire, but they are not just auxiliaries. They are an independent, ancient, and highly adaptable species, known for their extraordinary ability to shape their own evolution by eating the flesh of their enemies.
Their homeworld of Pech is a planet of jungles, beasts, and rocky plains, where Kroot society is built around hunting, clans, and warrior traditions. The Kroot do not rely on heavy machinery or armor, their strengths being adaptation, speed, and ambush.
From a gaming perspective:
- Game Style: Mobile, ambush-based infantry army
- Strengths: Cheap and mobile units, good map control, ability to appear in enemy weak spots
- Challenges: Weak armor and limited heavy firepower
- Suitable for the player: Anyone who wants a tactical, natural, and ambush-focused army
The Kroot often serve as frontline scouts and harassers for the T'au army, but they can also form their own themed army, focusing on fast hunter units.
Features on the table:
- Kroot Carnivores: classic infantry that dominates terrain and ambushes
- Krootox Riders: Heavy warriors fighting on the backs of massive beasts
- Kroot Hounds: lightning-fast hunting beasts
- Kroot Shapers: clan leaders who guide evolution and hunting
Kroot units often benefit from terrain and movement, making them very good at surveying the field and tying down the enemy.
Lore & feeling
The Kroot are one of the most interesting xenos races in Warhammer 40k because their culture is based on the control of evolution.
They are careful about which enemies they eat because:
- the DNA eaten changes their future generations
- eating the wrong enemy can lead to mutations
For this reason, the Kroot are both hunters and biologists, understanding evolution better than many Imperial scientists.
Painting and collecting:
The Kroot models are visually very different from most 40k armies:
- natural, primitive aesthetics
- leather, bones, teeth and trophies
- lots of organic colors: green, brown, gray
They are perfect for a painter who wants to make a wilder and more natural army compared to the neat armor of the Empire.
