Kraken

The Kraken ranks among the most terrifying necromechanikal fabrications ever loosed upon the mortals of the Iron Kingdoms. Lashing out with grasping tentacles, it snatches up men and stuffs them within the grease-slicked orifices of its shell. The captured have but a moment of terror to consider their lightless environs before their bodies and life energies are extracted by a necromantic furnace that fuels the Kraken’s engines and armament. The Kraken was conceived as the perfect Cryxian engine of death—a machine that could strike from below with overwhelming force, devour its victims, refuel itself on their carcasses, and then vanish beneath the waves.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Amphibious
• Template:Kill Shot
• Template:Bone Picker
• Template:Meat Fueled
• Template:Crucible of Death

Weapons

• Harvester (x2) - 2" reach (plus Chain Strike), POW 3, P+S 19 melee weapons
  • Template:Open Fist
  • Template:Chain Weapon
  • Template:Chain Strike
• Hellblaster - 16" range, 5" AOE, POW 14 ranged attack
  • Template:Doom Driver
• Flayer - 12" range, ROF d3+1, POW 12 ranged attack

Theme Forces

• Cryx
  • Template:Black Industries
  • Template:Dark Host
  • Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast. Kraken gains Gang Fighter in this theme.
  • Template:The Ghost Fleet

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army. It gains Accumulator [Soulless] in this theme.
  • Mercenary and Convergence players can use it by either:
    • putting it under the control of Asphyxious4 in various themes,
    • putting it under the control of Mortenebra in Template:Strange Bedfellows.

Thoughts on the Kraken

The Kraken in a nutshell

The Kraken is a solid option in the Cryxian arsenal. It is rather atypical for a Cryx model, as it is durable and has an exceptionally long ranged presence, both of which contributes to its success. It also has a very high natural threat range for a Colossal due to Chain Strike. Coupled with the usual Cryx debuff tricks you can definitely surprise an opponent by hitting way above its estimated class.

Kraken or Sepulcher

Combos & Synergies

The Kraken can simply be a LOS-blocking model for the squishier warcasters (or solos). It's a huge-based model, can't be moved, and has a bunch of hitboxes. Don't overestimate its beefiness though, it is still a Cryx warjack and they don't build them to last - anything that can destroy 2 heavy warjacks can make short work of the Kraken. Also, if you're using it to block LOS, watch out for stuff that negates it like Shadow Fire.

The Kraken wants a caster who can increase its threat range, accuracy, and/or ARM.

• Asphyxious3:
  • Field Marshal: Unyielding is great on the Kraken as it adds to its already impressive survivability.
  • Mobility is also a huge boon for the Kraken, increasing its threat range to beyond most normal warjacks.

• Aiakos2: His feat will give the Kraken a very nice threat range boost, including the possibility of assaulting a target with the intention to gain greater range on its Hellblaster.

• Goreshade3:
  • The Kraken is a great target for Infernal Machine, increasing its already-good threat range and increasing its accuracy significantly against infantry ... and most casters.

• Lich Lord Terminus: The huge base blocks line of sight to Terminus and takes the heat off the big man himself, as well as giving Terminus an effective focus sink to boost its shooting.

• Lord Exhumator Scaverous: Death Ward is nice on the Kraken to increase its already impressive survivability.

• Mortenebra1:
  • A huge part of Mortenebra's strategy is getting Overrun to trigger. By the sheeer virute of having so many attacks and being so big, the Kraken nearly guarantees you get a kill.
  • Mortenebra typically runs a small army, and is easy to see with her medium base, so having a giant Colossal to hide behind is useful.
  • Spectral Steel significantly increases it's survival.
  • Mortenebra is very proficient at repairs.
  • Interface potentially gives the Kraken all 7 of Mortenebra's focus to boost its shooting attacks, which can be quite interesting.

• Skarre1:
  • The Kraken is a very nice feat target, and on feat turn, it will be nigh-unkillable, giving you a great chance to put pressure on the opponent.
  • Dark Guidance helps him a lot to handle DEF12+ targets.

• Skarre2 and Rahera1 have the Black Spot spell which can make it a tad ridiculous:
  • With shooting, each kill with the little gun can trigger an extra shot with the main gun. Hypothetically you can get 6 Hellblaster shots per activation (4 Flayer shots triggering 4 free Hellblasters, then your actual initial Hellblaster shot (5) triggering another free Hellblaster (6) ).
  • In melee, not only does each melee kill net you another attack, but so can your Kill Shot. Hypothetically you can get 11 melee attacks + 1 Hellblaster shot per activation (2 initial attacks & 3 bought attacks, that doubles to 10, and the Hellblaster triggers the 11th melee attack).

• Skarre2 has a few more things that help turn it up to 11. In fact, she is probably one of the best casters for the Kraken.
  • Death Ward is nice on the Kraken to increase its already impressive survivability.
  • It is also a great feat target, and on feat turn, it will be nigh-unkillable, giving you a great chance to put pressure on the opponent.
  • Her Field Marshal[Future Sight] helps him a lot with focus efficiency by allowing to boost to hit after rolling.

• The Witch Coven of Garlghast:
  • The Kraken is a great target for Infernal Machine, increasing its already-good threat range and increasing its accuracy significantly against infantry ... and most casters.
  • Their feat can buy the Kraken a turn of safety, because it's about the only way in the game you can "block" LOS to a huge-based model.

Putting the Kraken on one of the junior warcasters is a middling-risk middling-reward choice. The junior will essentially do nothing all game except hide at max control range trying not to get sniped, and feeding the Kraken focus.

• Aiakos1: Kraken gains +2" movement and can get Grievous Wounds, which can be useful.
• Deneghra0: Kraken can get extended control range (as long as your opponent doesn't dispel it) so Denny0 can be even more cowardly and the Kraken will probably pass a buttload of souls back to Denny0. With those souls and assuming she also brought an arc node and she's not being too cowardly she can start throwing around Curse of Shadows. It's very points-intensive and has a lot of "if this then that" in it, though.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Big target with no way to hide - and usually ends up high on the target list
• No arc node on it (though there are numerous cheap solutions for that)
• MAT6 is actually a problem against DEF13+ targets

Tricks & Tips

• Remember Doom Driver adds to the damage roll, not the POW. This difference affects your blast damage calculation.
• Chain Strike lasts only during your activation. You'll deliver free strikes only up to 2".
• Chain Strike does not stack with Power Attacks, so you still must get within 2" to Throw/Powerstrike/Sweep your opponent.
• If you've put Dark Shroud on the Kraken and you're shooting at something within 4", your Chain Strike ability will mean that target is Dark Shrouded too.
• With a 4" reach it can be tempting to get into melee asap (especially if you're using a speed buff caster) but it actually does better shooting for the first two turns of the game. It's squishy (for a colossal) and if you race it forward early "just because you can", then your opponent will kill it.

Other

Trivia

• Released in the Colossals expansion (2012)