Today we look at the core Kroot unit, Carnivores. Click to read on, or check out the Tactics Corner for more reviews and strategies.
Overview
Kroot Carnivores have a pretty unimpressive statline overall, though it serves them well enough. 7″ movement means they are a touch faster than most units on the ground, while weapon skill 3+ means they are at least vaguely dangerous in combat, although ballistic skill 4+ is somewhat less helpful in making them threatening. Strength four similarly is pretty good, though toughness three is less so. Two attacks actually sets them up reasonably well overall for a low-end melee unit, but leadership six and a 6+ save are both quite abysmal and sadly go a long ways towards limiting the usefulness of the unit. At 6pts per model Kroot are a bit pricier than you might like, but they are the cheapest option for Tau and do bring some utility to the table.
Special Rules and Wargear
Unlike most Tau units Kroot don’t come with very many universal rules, and they don’t even benefit from Sept traits or any of that sort of thing. However, they do have a reasonable suite of abilities of their own so they aren’t completely left out in the cold; whether these are enough to justify them is another question entirely, though. The one common rule that Kroot Carnivores come with is the shared rule for all Kroot, namely Ambushing Predators, which gives them a 7″ pregame move.
Beyond this, Carnivores come with Stealthy Hunters, which gives them an extra +1 to their save when in cover; while this still isn’t great defenses, it at least lets them pretend to survive some basic bolter fire without instantly folding. They also have the unusual Kroot Pack ability, which means that if you include a squad of Carnivores in your army, you can include one unit each of Shapers, Krootox, and Kroot Hounds without using any slots- this is most relevant for the Hounds, which are a great inclusion in an army and can sometimes compete for space with other units.
Carnivores are each armed with a Kroot Rifle, which can be used in both shooting (24″ S4 AP0 Dmg1 Rapid Fire 1) as well as in melee (S+0 AP-1 Dmg1), giving them a degree of versatility and a profile that can do a reasonable job of making opponents not just completely write them off (although they certainly aren’t going to be scaring Marines anytime soon.) They also, bizarrely, have gained a new grenade since their last incarnation (to match the models, maybe?), which are just Frag Grenades but with one higher strength. You might technically maybe throw one someday because at point-blank range it is better than their rifle, but it’s such a marginal case and a marginal upgrade I wouldn’t worry much about it.
Uses
Kroot are, unfortunately, probably the worst of the three Tau troop choices- that isn’t to say that they are bad, exactly, but they generally come out looking not very impressive compared to the other two. They are, as previously mentioned, cheaper- at 3/4 the price of a Strike Team the difference is certainly not trivial, but you are giving up a lot in exchange for that price drop. They are drastically less survivable, have a far worse gun, don’t have the stratagem support, and give up all of the synergies inherent in Tau’s many buffs. The improvement to melee combat is certainly something, but given where the game is at right now there are very, very few units that you would actually want to (and be able to) charge, so we have to consider that a marginal case at best.
Rather, what Carnivores are good at is the same thing their smaller kin, Kroot Hounds, are good at- being a cheap space-filler. They take up the all-important troops slot, obviously, and with battalions becoming more and more necessary that is a significant benefit. But they also are perfectly capable of holding a backfield objective when standing behind some obscuring terrain, as indirect weapons have taken a pretty major nerf, allowing them to stay relatively safe. Their pregame move should also not be ignored, as it allows you to get into position to screen the enemy out much more effectively as well as hop onto objectives early in a way that demands a response. As Tau, you often end up on the losing end of the play/counterplay dynamic, being constantly forced to respond to the enemy’s movements and try to pry objectives out of their hands; by taking control of this back-and-forth tempo early, it is possible to work your way into some more advantageous trades later on in the game, or even to take an objective that the enemy simply doesn’t have the tools to go and push you off of without seriously detracting from their primary offensive against your lines.
This is where Kroot are at their best- not as a unit that is bringing anything specific to the table in terms of statline or abilities, but rather a classic “just there to exist” sort of unit that are seen in so many armies. While they aren’t the cheapest in the codex in that role, they are one of the cheaper ones and they fill a necessary slot while bringing slightly more board presence to the table, sometimes a useful thing. Screening is not as critical as it has been in other editions, but the ability to push back enemy reserves can still be extremely valuable and Carnivores are second to none in that role thanks to their quick movement in the critical early turns of the game.
Final Thoughts
While Kroot may feel a bit underwhelming from many perspectives, they have a specific role in the codex and they fill that role reasonably well. Moreover, with command points becoming a lot more dear, the idea of dropping 2-3 CP on a squad of Fire Warriors looks much less attractive these days, which closes the gap between the options somewhat. Kroot continue to be the “cheap and cheerful” option for the codex, which is an invaluable thing to have access to even if it isn’t always what you want the most.
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