Since the earliest days of their empire, the T'au have called upon alien auxiliaries to fight alongside the Fire Caste. First among their allies are the Kroot, a mercenary race of carnivorous avian hunters, and the new Codex: T'au Empire – available to pre-order this weekend – gives them a bunch of beastly upgrades.
Kroot are tall, wiry warriors with the speed of a sprinter and the power of a heavyweight boxer. They wield their distinctive double-bladed Kroot rifles with quicksilver reflexes before carving up their prey for a spot of post-battle supper.
With an extra point of Strength and Attacks, as well as increased Armour Penetration for their rifle blades, Kroot Carnivores are much more deadly in close combat. Their ability to surge forward as the battle begins is now shared across all Kroot units.
The leaders of a Kroot pack, known as Shapers, have received a long-deserved promotion to the HQ battlefield role. This means that you can now field Battle-forged armies composed entirely of Kroot units, while Shapers even get a choice of three bespoke Warlord Traits.
If you prefer to fold them into your Fire Caste command structure, like the auxiliary-friendly Dal'yth Sept, you'll find that Kroot now take up much less space in your roster. Kroot packs are comfortable organising their own hunting parties, and will bring Krootox and Kroot Hound packs along for the ride.
Despite their gory mealtime tendencies, Kroot can deploy their finely honed hunting instincts to great effect on the battlefield. That doesn't mean they're above stopping for a mid-melee snack though, especially when they catch a juicy target unawares.
Fire Warriors might not find their allies' carnivorous nature appealing, but they don’t complain after the Kroot hack up a foe getting dangerously close to their lines. Enlist your own force of mercenary meat-eaters when Codex: T'au Empire arrives for pre-order this Saturday, and join us tomorrow for the final preview from the upcoming codex.