Hive Fleet Kraken’s route is the path of the second great Tyranid invasion, which hit the galaxy’s eastern fringe in 990.M41 and sparked the Second Tyrannic War. It’s the campaign that broke Craftworld Iyanden, shattered the Scythes of the Emperor, and taught the Imperium that Behemoth wasn’t a one-off.
Where the route began
Kraken emerged roughly 250 years after Hive Fleet Behemoth was destroyed, catching an Imperium that had grown complacent. With no fresh Tyranid sightings, Administratum adepts argued Behemoth had been the whole species and questioned keeping armed forces in the galactic southeast.
Then worlds along the eastern fringe started boiling over with rebellion, riots and sabotage. The same adepts blamed local unrest, but the Inquisition noticed something odd: every dissenting adept had either come from that region or visited it. Purges followed, with tens of thousands shipped to prison colonies.
Among the first worlds consumed were Sotha, Miral, Graia and Radnar. By the time anyone understood the pattern, Kraken was already feeding.
The main thrusts
Kraken didn’t advance as a single wall. It threw out tendrils that struck several regions at once, which is why the Imperium kept mistaking one attack for the whole fleet.
One tendril hit Ichar IV, where a suspected Genestealer Cult uprising turned into a full war that pulled in the Ultramarines. Around the same time, another tendril bore down on Craftworld Iyanden. Prince Yriel’s desperate defence saved the craftworld, but at a cost so brutal that Iyanden never really recovered.
The Fall of Sotha cost the Scythes of the Emperor their homeworld. The survivors regrouped and made a last stand on Miral, and the Chapter was left gutted.
- Ichar IV: cult uprising that escalated into a full Ultramarines campaign.
- Iyanden: saved by Prince Yriel, but the craftworld was devastated.
- Sotha and Miral: the Scythes of the Emperor lost their homeworld and nearly died out.
After the defeats
Battered at Ichar IV and Iyanden, Kraken broke apart. Its remnants and splinter fleets drifted toward the galactic core, which is why you’ll find its descendants scattered across the galaxy rather than in one tidy warzone.
Kraken wasn’t the last word either. Hive Fleet Leviathan followed, bigger and worse, and Kraken’s splinters kept chewing on worlds in the meantime. The Second Tyrannic War officially started in 990.M41, with the heaviest fighting in 993.M41.
Splinter fleets and colours
Kraken’s splinter fleets each developed their own habits. Formund Ultra specialised in infesting hive worlds, Ichar Magna tore through agricultural planets, Miral Rex lurked in the shadows before striking, and Sotha Secundus ravaged shrine worlds.
On the tabletop, Kraken is easy to spot: bone-white flesh with blood-red carapace armour. Those colours have become shorthand for the fleet itself.
Key facts
- Kraken was the second major Tyranid hive fleet and triggered the Second Tyrannic War in 990.M41.
- It invaded roughly 250 years after Hive Fleet Behemoth was destroyed.
- Early losses included Sotha, Miral, Graia and Radnar.
- The Eldar know it as the Far Ranging Hunger.
- Iyanden survived only through Prince Yriel’s leadership, at terrible cost.
- After its defeats, Kraken splintered and its remnants headed for the galactic core.
FAQ
What was Hive Fleet Kraken’s route?
It came in from the galactic southeast and spread tendrils across the eastern fringe, hitting worlds like Sotha, Miral, Graia and Radnar before striking Ichar IV and Craftworld Iyanden. After those defeats, its remnants splintered and drifted toward the galactic core.
When did Hive Fleet Kraken invade?
The Second Tyrannic War began in 990.M41, about 250 years after Behemoth was destroyed, with the biggest actions around 992 and 993.M41.
What happened to Kraken after Iyanden?
It splintered into numerous smaller fleets that kept raiding across the galaxy, and it was later followed by the even larger Hive Fleet Leviathan.