Force analysis: Kaptin Zuggluk’s Krusha Mob
Kaptin Zuggluk’s Krusha Mob – Goff Gargant Bigmob
@johnpaints
'Do yer feel it, Wortlob? Do yer feel da energy?' Neither of the sweating orks broke stride from shovelling fuel into the coal-uranium breeder, but Wortlob peered sideways at his comrade. He'd always thought Krakkit was halfway to being a madboy, and stuff like that only helped convince him.
'Nah,' he mumbled, hoping that would be the end of it, but Krakkit's eyes were bright and wild.
'It's all around us, see?' In the cramped space, he waved his shovel about vaguely to illustrate his point, knocking a passing grot onto his backside.
'Oi!' yelled the Nob overseer, hearing the grot's indignant squeal. 'No slackin'! Get on wiv it!' Shrugging, Krakkit turned back to the open furnace, the handle of his shovel pitching the unfortunate runt in with a despairing wail.
As they turned back to shovelling, Wortlob hoped that would be the end of it, but Krakkit kept stealing glances at him, and mumbling about 'vibes'. Eventually, as the overseer moved on, Wortlob straightened and took a moment to mop his brow and stretch. Humouring his mate, he looked about.
'Well, I mean Ol' Deffspewa's shakin' a bit, but I figgered dat woz just...'
'Nah, not that, yer thicko,' interrupted Krakkit. 'Open yer eyes! Yer can feel Gork coming to inhabit 'is body.' Krakkit gestured vaguely with his free hand. 'Er... Can't ya?' He peered at Wortlob, who bristled a bit, but then...
...he felt it too.
Krakkit grinned knowingly. 'Issa proppa Waaagh now, Wortlob.' He said quietly, almost reverently. Nodding for emphasis, he went on: 'Boss Ghazghkull is sumfin' speshul. He's gonna burn dis world – and then annuva, an' anuvva... It's gonna be glorious.'
***
[Tactical assessment]
Being a true and entire accountingge of the known dis-position and dis-placement of the Gargantte war-engynnes of the benighted and becursed invaders hite 'Goffe' during the first phases of the invasion of our fair and wellbeloved world, Armageddon (941.M41–943.M41).
– Record compiled by Arch-Scrivener Secundus Johannes Walmeslius XVII, seconded to the Armageddon Steel Legion 1st Army from the Adeptus Administratum.
Imperial stratego-ikon
- Offensive capabilities: Superlative
- Defensive capabilities: Appreciable
- Mobility: Limited
- Threat level designation: Primary
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| @johnpaints |
[Theatre] – Armageddon Secundus
[Disposition] – Initially deployed at the foot of the Palidus Mountains, the Krusha Mob was instrumental in breaking through the Palidus line at Styx Primary.
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| Initial deployment – note that Ghazghkull himself was poised to take advantage of the breakthrough in the line created by Zugglukk. |
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| Goff infantry overrun Defence Forces at the Palidus Line @helleslager |
Within three weeks, the Goff Gargants were tracked to the Ash Waste Deserts to the immediate west of Infernus, where the Iron Skulls and Fighting First were tasked with holding them. As the bulk of the Bigmob prepared for an extended siege against Infernus, a substantial portion of the Gargants broke south, requisitioned by Ghazghkull himself, and were involved in the destruction of the megafactory complex on the western bank of the Stygies.
On Von Strab's orders the Imperial forces made a fateful sally, crossing the river to advancing into the Infernus Wash, a desolate region that bordered the Ash Waste Desert. Zuggluk immediately ordered a full advance, eager to meet the Imperial Titans in battle rather than continuing a long – and tedious – siege..
The resulting conflict was one of the most striking of the entire war, and saw the orks score a decisive, if bloody, victory over the Imperial defenders. The strength of the Legio Metalica was badly affected, with more than a score of their Primary Engines lost.
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| The Warlord Bellicosus Novitas suffered terrible damage during the Battle of the Infernus Wash, but was subsequently salvaged. It fought again before the end of the war. @assessor_of_maat |
To the disgust of Zuggluk, Hive Infernus then surrendered without a fight – as was later learned, this was the result of xenos fifth columnists – and he was nearly forced into defending himself from a mutiny as his angry subordinates demanded that they 'krump da burg'. Zuggluk himself was in favour of demonstrating the power at his disposal, and it was only by the direct command of Ghazghkull that damage to the Hive was limited to 'accidental' rampaging that lasted a few short hours.
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| Bigmobs demonstrate the tendency of like-gathering-like in ork Kultur. Elements of this Engine Maniple, under the leadership of an infamous Big Boss named 'Red Skull', were attested by Inquisitor Horst as being involved in an assault on a world near Golgotha before appearing as part of the Krusha Mob. This pict-capture was taken from the walls of Infernus prior to the Hive's surrender. @bigbossredskullz |
By the end of the fourth month of the war, the Gargants were encamped in the Infernus Wash region as Ghazghkull secured Infernus. By this point, news of Hades' resistance was filtering through, and the Grand Warlord gathered his lieutenants to his side. The Warlord was decided. He would personally oversee the destruction of Hades – for it was a challenge to his authority that could not be allowed to stand. He therefore tasked Zuggluk to advance eastwards, acting as his proxy to keep the Goff advance rolling.
***
“O Imperator, the Xenos are come into thine inheritance”
–Lament for the fall of Hive Infernus
[Notes]
The Krusha Mob was by some margin the largest, most effective, and most notorious Gargant formation during the Armageddon War. This is not to underplay the threat that forces like the Red Skull Tramplas posed, but rather to highlight the sheer volume and confluence of power that the Goff Gargant Bigmob represented. |
| A pair of Gargants trails through the abandoned settlement of Tiresias Occidental, a dormitory hab-settlement for the Mega-factory in the shadows of Infernus Hive. @johnpaints |
At its peak, Zuggluk boasted of commanding close to one hundred Battle Titan-displacement War Engines, and approximately two hundred lesser Engines. Even taking into account the greenskin propensity for exaggeration (and poor counting) this coalition of Goff Ork Kaptins was unprecedented in the segmentum. They were to gain a reputation for an extreme propensity to violence and destruction, even by Orkoid standards.
Led by Kaptin Zuggluk from his vast Mega-gargant Big Krusha, the Krusha Mob favoured full frontal assaults on heavily fortified Imperial positions above all else. Zuggluk's uncompromising combat philosophy, eagerly adopted by those other Kaptins that flocked to join him, was the complete and total defeat of the enemy through levelling conquered towns, blasting facilities and equipment, and ruining defence structures entirely. The Krusha Mob typically engaged Imperial forces at close range in accordance with their commander Kaptin Zuggluk’s strict Goff creed.
This fortress-breaking explains Zuggluk’s immense popularity amongst the Goff tribe on Armageddon, perhaps second only to Ghazghkull himself. Krusha Mob gargants were commonly accompanied by waves of smaller Goff walkers such as dreadnoughts, stompas, and tinbotz in imitation of the lumbering gargants. Vast bands of howling Goff boyz also accompanied the Mob, awaiting the opportunity to storm the breach the gargants had opened. Krusha Mob Kaptins have been reported as showing an almost fatherly affection for these mobs, considering close breach assaults to be the best opportunity for the most pure Goff (and therefore Orkish) fightin’ of all.
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| Dreadmob attached to Zuggluk's Krushas @bigbossredskullz |
Kaptin Zuggluk’s fury at the wholesale Imperial rout and retreat during the first stages of the war on Armageddon Secundus also led to innovations such as 'Da Gaze of Gork', with Mekaniaks engineering colossal traktor cannons into the heads of gargants to allow them to halt and disrupt Imperial fallback manoeuvres; to the delight of their accompanying hordes who fell on the stricken tanks like starving crows.
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| 'Proppa krumpin', done close-up – dat's da Goff way!' @horridperson |
This appetite for extreme destruction created significant friction within Waa-Ghazghkull – the few Deathskull and Blood Axe ork warbands that were dotted through the forces of Armageddon Secundus (rather than with the bulk of their tribes in Armageddon Prime) were frequently driven into conflict with the mob following victorious assaults. The Krusha Mob would often rather simply blow the Imperial remnants to shreds or crush them under foot and track than allow the lootas to move in, since the Krusha Mob considered the use of looted vehicles and other equipment to be 'un-Orkish'. The threat posed by the sheer number and martial strength of the hulking gargants gave little meaningful chance for opposition.
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| At the behest of Tribeboss Finds-Bullets-He-Has-Not-Lost, a substantial portion of the Deathskulls Warbands in Waa-Ghazghkull had remained in orbit for naval warfare. Not all, however. Drawn by the prospect of loot, many tens of thousand of Deathskulls accompanied warbands like the Krusha Mob. This seemingly-successful Mek has found and 'improved' an abandoned Seventh Army Mark III Leman Russ. @giokahnni |
The Krusha Mob’s ways of war led to a predilection towards larger Gargants over smaller, faster Engines. This, along with their tendency to systematically destroy any Imperial buildings they encountered meant that as well as being the largest gargant force on Armageddon, they were also the slowest – and by quite some margin.
The Krusha Mob was the last gargant formation to cross the River Styx en masse. The Mob was far too large to cross at a single point, and forded the river at many points, often using the sheer bulk of their machines to simply wade across in some places. In others, vast, crude bridges were constructed: at the settlement of Nova Perdita, Big Krusha itself notoriously bulldozed the entirety of the recently reconsecrated Cathedral of the Emperor’s Grace into the rushing torrents of the Styx in the foothills of the Pallidus mountains to force a crossing.
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[Commanders]
Kaptin ZugglukKaptin Zuggluk was a notorious and uncompromising Ork Kaptin who aimed to exemplify the Goff clan’s ideals regarding warfare. According to limited spy and trade contacts with the Blood Axe clan on Armageddon, Zuggluk saw it as his duty to ensure that the Orks on Armageddon could get a 'propa scrap' by smashing 'cowurdly' fortifications and defence lines, and allowing Goffs to pour in through the breaches.
Furthermore, his strict creed and dedication to the Orkoid god Gork ('Brutal, but Kunnin’') caused friction with other clans as his gargants squashed and blew up 'gud scrap' left behind by retreating and defeated Imperial forces. Such was his devotion to Gork that every gargant in the Krusha Mob is reputed to have born the visage of Gork upon its head, although the distinction may not be readily apparent to Imperial scholars. Unlike many high-ranking orks who vied for ultimate supremacy over the Waaagh, Zuggluk seems to have been content in his role as an enabler of Goff Orkishness while seeking out the biggest fight possible – the Legio Metalica. His victory over Princeps Mannheim did nothing to curb his overweening ambition, nor blunt his devotion to Gork.
Despite being the largest and most powerful of the ork clans on Armageddon, the Goff tribe produces relatively low numbers of the orkish engineers known as 'Mekaniaks'. Goffs often show a regrettable propensity to either beat those Meks they did have to a pulp to 'inspire' their efforts, or simply to steal their work.
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Boss Mek Wurrdazz
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| Darcy Bono Creations |
While still on Urk, Zuggluk had found success by inverting this paradigm through internecine warfare with the wealthy Bad Moonz clan, using his armoured might to steal their teef en masse. These funds were used to encourage the innovations of mekboyz from other clans and give those Goffs attempting to interfere with the meks a 'proppa kikkin’ to show ‘em hooz boss'.
The Goff Ork Mekaniak Wurrdazz – met during the journey through the warp on Wurldkilla – was the missing piece and key innovator behind Zuggluk’s armoured might. He personally oversaw the design and construction of many of the largest war machines within the Krusha Mob, as well as revitalising existing engines with his innovative 'Kustom jobs'.
The Goff Ork Mekaniak Wurrdazz – met during the journey through the warp on Wurldkilla – was the missing piece and key innovator behind Zuggluk’s armoured might. He personally oversaw the design and construction of many of the largest war machines within the Krusha Mob, as well as revitalising existing engines with his innovative 'Kustom jobs'.
Unlike many lesser mekboyz, Wurrdazz was an accomplished Kaptin in his own right, frequently commanding not just his own gargant Gitlobba but also an attendant Big Mob. As with all Orks, success bred success, and soon both Meks and aspiring Kaptins flocked to the Krusha Mob based on the twin reputations of Zuggluk and Wurrdazz. Growth of the Mob was further fueled by the astonishing array of resources available on the colossal Wurldkilla space hulk conglomerate. The resulting combination of Orkish ingenuity with Goff aggression created a near-uniquely powerful gargant force within the wider Waa-Ghazghkull.
Gargant War Engines are typically assessed as being roughly equivalent in size and class, if not battlefield effectiveness, speed, or manoeuvrability, to Imperial Knights and Titans. As with Ork vehicles, Imperial command on Armageddon ascribed five distinct classes to these large armoured units in A Guardsman's Guide to Greenskins: Steps to Victory. It seems unlikely that these definitions would carry any significant meaning to the Orks piloting the machines, and the initial definition in terms of Imperial titan classes were meaningless to most fighting units on Armageddon, who had never seen such rare and storied engines of war, and would not until later in the campaign. Nonetheless, categories were defined as follows:
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[Notable Engines]
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| Even a lone Gargant was a potent force multiplier for an ork warband – this Imperial navy aerial reconnaissance pictcapture shows the infamous Gitlobba backing up a spearhead of Uglak's Uglies in an assault on a Regiment of the overwhelmed and outmatched 7th Army at Styx Primary. @johnpaints |
- Mega-Gargant Significantly larger than a Warlord Titan in bulk, can approach, though not documented exceeding, the displacement of smaller Emperor Class titans. Multiple primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary weapon system arrays. Near-exclusively tracked with poor mobility due to vast bulk. Engage as priority; all weapon systems and stratego-assets authorised.
- Great Gargant Largest Gargant typically encountered, approximating a warlord titan in displacement and threat index. Typically bipedal but tracked variants have been reported (CF: Ugulmak’s Red Skull Tramplas). Mobility limited relative to Imperial titans. Principal threat index; Gargant presence is suspected to significantly buoy morale and capabilities of nearby orks.
- Slasher Gargant Deceptively swift Gargant type with fewer auxiliary weapon systems than Great Gargants. Approximates a Reaver-class titan in size and mass. Principal class encountered; relatively low height makes engagement at range challenging.
Below these Primary Engines were a mix of smaller war machines, many of which bordered on classification as 'true gargants'.
- Supa-stompa or Kustom Gargant Most variable gargant class by size and construction, often typified by erratic and atypical weaponry and speed of construction. Majority of examples are between a larger Imperial Knight and a warlord titan in size. Atypically, these gargants are frequently commanded by the 'Mek' sub-breed of Ork, a distinction that can be challenging to make by field observation, but leads to their common name of 'Mekboy Gargant'.
- Stompa: Almost always bipedal, in the approximate size class of an Imperial knight. Either operates alone in support of smaller forces or in mobs in support of gargants. Common element of Ork warlord entourages. Substantial crossover with larger 'Mega-dreads', primarily distinguished by number of crew.
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| Stompa-ident War Engine minoris. Note the heavy use of beam technology, which was present at every level in the Bigmob. @bigbossredskullz |
Destruction of gargant class warmachines proved extremely challenging for Imperial forces that lacked Engine-class- or naval air support, and this was especially true during the early phases of the war. Besides the heavy physical armour, Gargants were near-universally decked out with banked layers of crude but effective power fields. Unlike the more reliable void shield technology fielded by Imperial titans, these power fields are prone to flicker or even collapse and burn out entirely under heavy fire – but in general, these proved so effective that even heavy artillery struggled to successfully engage or degrade Gargant advances.
In general, vast bulk, ablative construction, and simplistic, easy to repair design of the Krusha Mob's Gargants meant that it was extremely rare to knock out an Engine of any class with a single well-placed shot. Instead, accumulated damage and multiple spreading fires – culminating in an ammunition cook-off and internal inferno – was the most common method in which these war machines were eventually brought down. Until the reforms brought by Commander Dante of the Blood Angels, the Steel Legion's standard doctrine advocated 'high rate of fire to strip the shields, followed by artillery bombardment and deployment of dedicated anti-titan weaponry such as volcano cannons.' This advice was not merely simplistic in the extreme, but also practically irrelevant, as the Army Groups had few enough superheavies as it was, and their artillery was generally far better deployed in thinning the howling hordes of boyz that followed hard on the heels of any Gargant advance.
More dispiritingly still, the few burnt-out hulks that resulted from Steel Legion victories were frequently reported as being returned to operational effectiveness by big meks and enterprising wannabe Kaptins with surprising speed.
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[Insignia and appearance]
The Krusha Mob favoured an austere black and white battle livery, guided by Zuggluk’s extremist Goff creed. The Mob eschewed the use of red seen in many Goff units, and instead focussed on the most warlike Goff glyphs indicating the extreme strength and power of their colossal gargants.
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| The line between the crew of a Gargant and allied ork infantry hitching a ride was more than a little blurred. Judging by the spartan decoration and the helm and chest plate, this Trench Raida may well be a gundeck crew member – head and chest injuries in these relatively exposed areas were common, and Zuggluk felt that up-armouring the 'squishy bits' of his gargant by rivetting on additional plates was an entirely reasonable decision. @wolvesofsibbe |
Jags and check patterns favoured by the Goff clan were also in common usage in the Krusha Mob. Imperial scholars have hypothesized that the effect, intentional or otherwise, is to increase the visual prominence and hence intimidating presence of the otherwise monochrome Krusha Mob gargants.
In addition to the Orkish glyphs daubed over the hull, crude approximations of low Gothic phrases are often scrawled on the hulls. Given Zuggluk’s otherwise traditionalist Orkish worldview, the likelihood here is that the phrases are intended to intimidate humans rather than inspire the surrounding Orks.
In addition to the Orkish glyphs daubed over the hull, crude approximations of low Gothic phrases are often scrawled on the hulls. Given Zuggluk’s otherwise traditionalist Orkish worldview, the likelihood here is that the phrases are intended to intimidate humans rather than inspire the surrounding Orks.
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Big Krusha – Mega Gargant
Armament: Skullcrusha, Krusha Arm, Battlekannon batteries, Kustom Deth Ray, Kustom Supa-Lifta Droppa, Krooz Missulz, Big Lobba, Weirdboy Tower, point defence turrets. |
| Big Krusha @johnpaints |
Big Krusha was a vast Mega Gargant helmed by Kaptin Zuggluk himself, bellowing orders both to his attendant crews and the hordes of baying Goff Ork boyz surrounding the gargant on the ground below. The gargant’s colossal bulk was festooned with weaponry, ranging from the crude but highly destructive, such as its mighty Skullcrusha cannon, Krusha arm, and myriad gun decks; to some of Wurrdazz’s most arcane constructions.
The Deth Ray in particular sent shockwaves through Imperial command when vid-pict images retrieved from the front showed a beam of vivid Ur-Waa energy passing straight through the void fields of one of the 4th Army’s venerable command Leviathans, detonating the massive vehicle and wiping out seventy per cent of the Army Group's top brass in a single strike.
Even more unpredictably, a cadre of the warp-active Orkish psykers known as weirdboyz were forcibly sequestered in a tower hoisted high above the Gargant’s hull. The unfortunate weirdboyz were forced to absorb the colossal amount of Waa-energy generated by the Krusha Mob and its surrounding attendant hordes of howling boyz, resulting in unpredictable but devastating bolts of corruscating warp energy whipping into the panicked Imperial lines.
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| An example of a Weirdboy tower from another Great Gargant. Image retrieved from compromised recon unit in Infernus. @bigbossredskullz |
Gitlobba - Great Gargant
Armament: Gutbusta Bellygun, Kustom Supa Lifta-Droppa, Magnum Mega Kannon, “Gaze of Gork”, Skorcha Turret |
| Gitlobba @johnpaints |
Gitlobba was the personal gargant of Big Mek Wurrdazz and was the first recorded Great Gargant on Armageddon to use the 'Gaze of Gork', a set of powerful traktor beams mounted on the gargant’s head that were used to halt the manoeuvres of Steel Legion mechanised formations. It is suspected that this innovation was a direct response to the wholescale Imperial rout at the Pallidus defence line, with the Gaze pinning fleeing formations and allowing the Ork hordes accompanying Wurrdazz’s Bigmob to engage and destroy them. The effect on Steel Legion and PDF morale was devastating, with units forced to choose between maintaining formation or abandoning their trapped comrades to the encroaching Ork hordes. The Gitlobba was frequently accompanied in a Bigmob by the gargants Deffspewa and Trampla.
Gitlobba is presumed to be named after the mighty Kustom Supa Lifta-Droppa mounted on its right arm. This devastating weapon of war caused havoc in the Imperial lines, hoisting lighter Imperial tanks and other vehicles into the air in an ethereal greenish glow, and raining them and their screaming crew down upon nearby formations. Unverified reports exist of the Baneblade Super-Heavy tank Debt Repaid being flipped by the arcane device during the defence of Nova Perdita.
Atypically for a Goff gargant, the Gitlobba features no close-combat weaponry, most likely due to Big Mek Wurrdazz being too preoccupied with operating the Gaze of Gork and Supa Lifta-Droppa to care for close engagement. Underlings appear to have been tasked with blasting away with the Gutbusta and Magnum Mega-Kannon, typically defaulting to high explosive rounds for maximum impact on Imperial morale, or launching heavy skidding ball rounds at the largest structure in sight.
Gitlobba is also a classic example of the inconsistency of Imperial gargant nomenclature – to all intents and purposes this is a Mekboy Gargant based on armament and combat role, but its excessive size placed it in the Great Gargant size class.
Deffspewa – Great Gargant
Armament: Snapper, Rippa Fist, Gatling Gun, battlecannon turret, skorcha turret. |
| Deffspewa @johnpaints |
The Deffspewa provides a further example of Orkoid innovation, with the more common bellygun being replaced with an overloaded steam boiler-come-weapon referred to colloquially by Imperial Guardsmen as a Snapper. As well as allowing the gargant a frightening turn of speed over short distances to catch fleeing units, the boiler could also be discharged through the teethed maw, venting superheated fluid at close range and wreaking havoc amongst lighter units, as well as biting down on larger vehicles and walls in close assaults. The gargant was also equipped with a brutal chain-type weapon and rapid-fire gatling gun apparently designed in anticipation of engaging Imperial titans by stripping shields at range then assaulting in combat. During the early phases of the war, however, the “Rippa fist” appeared to be more commonly deployed to destroy buildings due to its limited reach.
Trampla - Slasher Gargant
Armament: Slasher Rippa Fist, Slasha Gun, Belly Cannon |
| Trampla @johnpaints |
This gargant was the first reported as destroyed on Armageddon Secundus, having charged ahead of the Krusha Mob directly into an Imperial trenchline before becoming stuck on a collapsing command bunker. This allowed emplaced PDF bombards to shell the hulk until fires burned and all weapon fire stopped, before the planetary defence force was forced to cease fire and retreat as Krusha Mob gargants and Goff hordes arrived en masse. The Trampla was reported fighting again little over 4 weeks later based on xenoglyph analysis of the hull, indicating the necessity of near-complete destruction of these war machines and prompting a change in Imperial anti-gargant doctrine on Armageddon.
Shakktrasha - Mekboy Gargant
Armament: Krusher Arm, De Luxe Kustom Kannon |
| Shakktrasha @johnpaints |
Note the highly erratic but potent 'De Luxe Kustom Kannon' and the crushing arm designed for demolishing buildings, but also used to devastating effect against vehicles. As with many of the gargants in the Krusha Mob, components appear to have been 'salvaged' from orbital docking cranes looted from Infernus.
Muddruk’s Slaggaz - Stompa Mob
Armament: Battle Kannon, Rippafist |
| Krumpkan @bigbossredskullz |
Insofar as any orkoid unit could be considered 'typical', Muddruk’s Slaggaz are an illustrative example. Their iconography closely mirrors that of the larger gargants in the Krusha Mob. Utterly fearless in both their desire to prove their mettle as Kaptins-in-waiting, and confident in their thickly armoured hulls, these heavily armoured units would keep fighting even when wider morale collapsed in the Ork hordes due to losses.
The only solution for Imperial units was their total destruction using heavy artillery or titan-grade weaponry at range before the lumbering behemoths hit their lines.
***
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| @johnpaints |
And we shall cast them down, that corrupt by their presence;
We shall break the teeth of the xenos that would swallow us whole.
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