The Krath war droid represents an archaic droid model. The Rseikharhl Droid Group utilized the Krath war droid's chassis as a foundation when they engineered the ED-V8-series envoy droid. Its designation is shared with the Krath, an ancient society hailing from the Deep Core region. The design of the IG-series 100 MagnaGuard, manufactured by Holowan Laboratories for General Grievous, the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies, drew inspiration from the Krath war droid.
The initial canon reference to the Krath war droid occurred within Nexus of Power, a 2016 sourcebook created by Fantasy Flight Games for the Star Wars: Force and Destiny roleplaying game. The droid's origins lie within the Star Wars Legends timeline, making its debut in the third issue of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith, penned by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson, and released on December 13, 1994.