Major Kaidan Alenko is a human Biotic and an officer in the Systems Alliance. He served as staff lieutenant under Commander Shepard on the SSV
Normandy
during the Battle of the Citadel and now heads the Special Operations Biotics Division at the Alliance Warfare Center.
An Alliance tribunal recently called on Alenko to testify about his experience with the Reapers.
Alenko suffers from severe headaches because of the early-model L2 Biotic implants that he was given as a child. The L2 implants have since been discontinued due to the risk of crippling neurological damage.
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TACTICAL ROLE
Kaidan is a versatile weapon with strengths in Biotic and Tech fields. While he’s not equipped for dealing a lot of weapon damage like other squadmates, he does do a lot of power damage.
His combination of the powers Barrier, Reave, and Overload still make him a great asset to have in battle when facing strong enemies.
Rather than deal lots of damage, Kaidan can weaken enemies by siphoning their health and overloading synthetics with power surges, and he can incapacitate them by lifting them off the ground.
Even Cryo Blast, one of his best powers, can be used more to slow down and freeze enemies than destroy them. Once frozen or chilled, however, enemies are more susceptible to taking damage or shattering altogether.
Since Kaidan can only carry an assault rifle or pistol, consider using him on missions where a good mid- to long-range weapon is handy. Kaidan can also help tank when necessary.
He may not be as effective as James in the tank role, but if Kaidan’s Barrier power is upgraded properly at Ranks 4 and 6, then he can sustain damage better than his squadmates.
His passive power, Alliance Officer, will also help increase his durability, allowing him to take even more damage while tanking.
POWERS
OVERLOAD
Overload electronics with this power surge, stunning your enemy. Effective against shields, barriers, and synthetics. Not as effective against organics.
Ranks 1 through 3 Analysis
By far one of the most useful powers against synthetics, Overload can temporarily fry electrical equipment like turrets and singe synthetic foes.
At Ranks 1 through 3, you gain a standard recharge speed and damage increase, so you could stop upgrading at Rank 3 if you don’t plan on making
Overload an integral part of Kaidan’s attack arsenal.
However, during missions where you encounter geth or other synthetic opponents, Kaidan can still prove to be very useful.
Rank 4 Analysis
If you do make Overload a more integral part of Kaidan’s attack arsenal, then consider upgrading to Rank 4a. This will increase the amount of targets he can affect by one.
So instead of overloading only one enemy at a time, he can stun multiple enemies with each Overload blast. Rank 4b is a standard damage increase. Select this if you want Kaidan to focus more dealing damage to individual enemies.
Rank 5 Analysis
At Rank 5, you gain the option to stun organic foes and synthetics. For players who want a good all-purpose tank, select Rank 5a.
The Neural Shock ability will expand Kaidan’s role across a number of missions since he’ll no longer be effective against synthetic targets alone.
Rank 5b increases Overload’s recharge speed, allowing him to use the skill more frequently in battle. The trade-off between Ranks 5a and 5b is simple: If you want to use Kaidan against more varied types of enemies, select 5a.
If you want to use Kaidan more frequently in battle to stun enemies en masse, select Rank 5b.
Rank 6 Analysis
Like Rank 4a, Rank 6a will increase how many targets Kaidan can reach with an Overload blast by one and will increase the damage it inflicts by 15 percent.
The choice is simple: If you selected Rank 4a, make the same selection here and Kaidan can stun small groups of enemies with one Overload blast.
Not only will he incapacitate more enemies at once, but also you’ll expend less power to do it. At Rank 6b, you can increase the damage dealt to barriers and shields, making Kaidan extremely effective against all shielded foes.
CRYO BLAST
Flash-freeze and shatter unprotected enemies. Slow down the rest. Weaken armor. Frozen targets won’t regenerate health.
Ranks 1 through 3 Analysis
By upgrading Cryo Blast up to Rank 3, you can increase the duration of freeze effects to nearly 6 seconds while decreasing the recharge speed for the power to 6.4 seconds.
That means that if you use Cryo Blast heavily, Kaidan can fire a blast nearly every 6 seconds and freeze enemies for about the same time.
So if you time things properly, you can theoretically keep a target frozen indefinitely until the rest of the squad can finish them off.
This skill also works as a “source” power for cryo explosions. Once affected by Cryo Blast, targets can then be detonated using a detonator power like Concussive Shot, Shockwave, or Overload.
Rank 4 Analysis
The main benefit of Cryo Blast is that you can slow enemies and potentially freeze them in place, removing them from the equation on the battlefield.
At Rank 4 you must choose whether to slow singular enemies for longer periods of time (great against larger, more powerful enemies) or to slow multiple enemies for less time.
Make your selection here based on whether you want Kaidan to focus more on crowd control or damage output.
Rank 5 Analysis
At Rank 5, you can augment damage inflicted to enemies affected by Cryo Blast with Rank 5b.
Once the enemy is frozen or chilled, the cryo effects make enemies that are frozen or chilled take 10 percent more damage from all sources; this is useful on bigger enemies as a debuff.
If crowd control is your goal, select Rank 5a. This slows down enemy movement by an additional 20 percent, making foes move 35 percent slower overall.
When combined with Rank 4a, the decrease in movement speed makes for an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield. Not only will foes move slower, but also they’ll do so for nearly seven seconds.
Rank 6 Analysis
Players who want to focus on using more powers over weapons should select Rank 6a. This will increase the recharge speed for Cryo Blast and allow Kaidan to use it far more frequently on the battlefield.
This is best when using Kaidan as a crowd-control specialist. However, if you want to make Kaidan an explosive specialist, select Rank 6b to increase the target’s vulnerability.
When used in conjunction with Overload, Kaidan can obliterate enemies on the battlefield with ease.
BARRIER (UNIQUE)
Reinforce armor with this Biotic field. Detonate the field to lift and dangle nearby targets. Reduce all forms of damage taken. Slow power use.
Ranks 1 through 3 Analysis
Barrier is a unique power that serves as a temporary defensive measure with an offensive kick. When activated, it increases shields and reduces all damage taken, be it melee, weapons, or powers.
Once detonated, however, it releases a blast effect that inflicts a decent amount of damage on nearby enemies and lifts them into the air. Overall, this is an extremely valuable power in Kaidan’s arsenal.
Not only can it increase his shields and damage enemies, but it also makes enemies vulnerable to weapons fire from the rest of the squad as they dangle in midair.
Rank 4 Analysis
Your first option when upgrading Barrier is to either lean toward damage output (Rank 4a) or defense (Rank 4b). This will determine whether Kaidan will help tank during missions or be another offensive weapon on your crew.
Rank 5 Analysis
Another choice between offense or defense, Rank 5 can either grant Kaidan the ability to regenerate his shield 15 percent quicker (allowing him to tank and stay in fights longer) or increase the damage and force while Barrier is active.
The best course of action here is to keep your Rank 4 selection in mind.
Rank 6 Analysis
The final rank upgrade will determine whether Kaidan leans more toward Biotic combat (6a) or tanking (6b). If Kaidan is focusing on Biotic combat, then select Rank 6a.
The reduction in power speed penalty means that Barrier won’t deplete as quickly when used.
However, if you’ve chosen Rank 4b, then also select Rank 6b to further increase Barrier Strength and reduce damage. At this level, Kaidan can tank with the best of them.
REAVE (UNIQUE)
Drain a target’s health and disrupt their resistances, receiving increased damage protection while this power is in effect. Effective against barriers and armor.
Ranks 1 through 3 Analysis
This vampiric power allows Kaidan to deplete a target’s health while increasing his own damage resistance. Better still, it is effective against barriers (shields) and armor.
Like Barrier, this multifaceted skill can either make Kaidan a better tank or increase his ability to inflict damage.
By upgrading it to Rank 3, you can decrease the recharge speed for this power to less than 13 seconds while increasing the duration of its effect to nearly 6 seconds.
If you stop upgrading the power at Rank 3, Kaidan can use the skill to weaken single enemies and increase his tanking ability.
Rank 4 Analysis
At Rank 4, you must decide whether Kaidan will affect multiple enemies in a three-meter radius (4b), weakening multiple targets at once, or if you want his Reave power duration to last 40 percent longer (4a).
Make your selection here based on what you plan to choose for Rank 6. If power duration is your goal, then select Rank 4a.
This will benefit Kaidan greatly if you eventually select Rank 6b. However, if you’d like to impact more enemies each time Kaidan uses Reave, select Rank 4b.
Rank 5 Analysis
Once again, you’re given a choice between gearing Kaidan to be a tank (Rank 5a) or a damage dealer by increasing the recharge speed of his Reave ability (Rank 5b).
If you’ve already started making Kaidan a tank, there’s no point in selecting Rank 5b.
The increased power duration of Rank 5a means he’ll stay stronger longer and make him more capable of sustaining one-on-one combat against a tough enemy or one-on-many combat if the need ever arises.
Rank 6 Analysis
Your final choice when upgrading Rank 6 is a bit more difficult. Both options increase the effectiveness of Kaidan’s damage resistance, but in different ways.
Where Rank 6a increases the damage done to armor and barrier by a whopping 75 percent, Rank 6b increases the damage and duration of Reave’s health-siphoning ability, thereby increasing his shields and armor as a result.
The main difference between both options is that Rank 6a protects him better while Rank 6b inflicts more damage on enemies at the cost of less defense.
ALLIANCE OFFICER (UNIQUE)
Boost weapon damage, health, and shields/barriers.
Ranks 1 through 3 Analysis
At Ranks 1 through 3, Alliance Officer increases Kaidan’s damage and durability up to 45 percent across the board.
These three upgrades alone make it possible for Kaidan to tank during missions. However, the increase in power damage also makes it possible for Kaidan to rely more on Biotic powers and less on weapon damage.
If you want Kaidan to be a Biotic specialist, then upgrade at least to Rank 3 for this passive power.
Rank 4 Analysis
Players who want Kaidan to tank should select Rank 4b. This will increase his health and shield bonus to an impressive 75 percent.
Kaidan will be able to take more damage and, in conjunction with other powers like Barrier and Reave, make him an impressive damage-absorbing squadmate.
If you want to compensate for Kaidan’s Biotic leaning, select Rank 4a. This increases his weapon damage and balances out his damage output.
Rank 5 Analysis
Both options in Rank 5 increase Kaidan’s ability to deal damage. Rank 5a augments Kaidan’s Biotic damage by 30 percent, making powers like Cryo Blast increasingly deadly.
Similarly, Rank 5b augments Kaidan’s Tech damage, making powers like Reave more deadly. Since fewer skills will benefit from a Tech damage increase, we suggest going with Rank 5a.
Rank 6 Analysis
Like Rank 5, this rank augments one target but in different ways. Rank 6 is a squad bonus.
Either increase your squad’s Tech and Biotic power damage for the squad (6a) or increase the recharge speed of the entire squad’s shields (6b).
The difference between both options is whether you want Kaidan to support your squad’s damage output or defensive capabilities.
BUILD OPTIONS
CROWD CONTROL/TANK
- Overload: 4a, 5a, 6a
- Cryo Blast: 4b, 5a, 6a
- Barrier: 4b, 6b
- Reave: 5a, 6a or 6b
- Alliance Officer: 4b
Kaidan’s unique skill set makes him a perfect candidate for crowd control or tanking. Powers like Overload and Cryo Blast can stun and slow enemies long enough for the rest of the squad to attack.
Use these skills on groups of enemies to slow their advance and halt their attacks. Similarly, skills like Barrier and Reave increase Kaidan’s defensive abilities, allowing him to sustain more damage.
When all of these powers are combined, Kaidan can lead a charge and distract enemies either by slowing them or absorbing damage, while the rest of the squad inflicts the majority of damage.
Biotic/Tech Damage
- Overload: 4b
- Cryo Blast: 4a, 5b
- Barrier: 4a, 5b
- Reave: 5b, 6b
- Alliance Officer: 4a, 5a or 5b, 6a
When upgraded properly, Kaidan can also become an extremely effective damage dealer. Select upgrades that augment power damage.
This will ensure he can use offensive powers like Cryo Blast more frequently.
Better still, he can lead with Cryo Blast, follow up with Overload, and create a massive Cryo Explosion that can destroy one foe while inflicting damage on other nearby enemies.
Alliance Officer Rank 4a will also help increase weapon damage in order to balance his damage output, while both Rank 5 options for Alliance Officer will also augment damage output.
ROMANCE
Kaidan is a romance option for female Shepard. He can be romanced by a new Shepard and by a Shepard who did not romance him in previous games.
Take time to go to the Citadel and visit him in the hospital early and often in the game in order to build up intimacy.
KEY CONVERSATIONS
On Mars, Kaidan remains distrustful of Shepard and Shepard’s relationship with Cerberus. While it’s tempting to get angry, choosing the Paragon options allows Shepard to defend himself without alienating Kaidan.
Later, Shepard has multiple chances to visit Kaidan in the hospital:
Immediately after arriving at the Citadel for the first time (Kaidan is unconscious but will learn that Shepard came to see him), after completing the mission at Palaven (Kaidan is in bed and injured), and once more before finishing the Genophage missions (Kaidan is up on his feet, preparing to be discharged).
These conversations give Shepard the chance to build up intimacy and to build up a level of trust to ensure that Kaidan won’t force Shepard to kill him in the confrontation on the Citadel.
KEY MOMENT
Kaidan offers to meet Shepard on the Citadel at the café on the Presidium Commons.
If Shepard has established high enough intimacy, Kaidan brings up the possibility of a relationship (or continuing the existing relationship).