[Tau] Under-rated Units: Kroot

Hi all, Angryman here again, this week its turn of the Kroot to be put under the spotlight.

The Kroot have a lot of stats that makes a lot of Tau players never pick them. They have no save, their low leadership and low toughness BUT they have a lot of rules that you give you pause for thought when you next work out a Tau list.

1. They can be taken in large units
2. They can infiltrate (providing they have no krootox riders)
3. They benefit from +1 cover save in wooded areas
4. They always move 6" through cover
5. Rapid fire weapons

The kroot are better in combat than their Fire warrior counterparts. Their Kroot rifle means they count as having an additional close combat weapon and the ability to take kroot hounds in the same squad enhances this further.

The hounds have higher initiative and more basic attacks, they cost less in points that a Kroot warrior and you can take up to 12 of them in the same squad.

There is an option of a Kroot Shaper

This guy is the veteran sergeant of the Kroot warriors, he comes with a saving throw (albeit a 6+) but gives the squad a higher leadership and has triple the attacks of a normal Kroot warrior. He can also take either a Tau pulse rifle or carbine.

Next is the heavy assault weapon of the Kroot, the Krootox

These guys mount a long range, S7, rapid firing weapon which is perfect for high toughness infantry or light to medium vehicles. They are quite good in close combat too. With S6, W3, A3 they are a really handy addition to the Kroot squad.

Taking all these extras to your basic Kroot warrior squad will cost points that you may think will be better spent elsewhere, but with these additions you are giving your Tau army a close combat ability that can hold objectives, is really difficult to move from cover and with the amount of models in the unit it will survive enemy fire and close combats.

That's it, I hope you think twice about ignoring this useful unit and take it to amaze and dumbfound the opponents of the greater good.

Please feel free to comment.