You’ll never see Kaigin coming.
Like Asana, Kaigin is believed to have been a subject of “Project Nidus,” an Omni initiative focused on producing warriors capable of wielding weapons created by GAIA, the A.I. who built and maintained the Reactors. The nanite infusion he received from Nidus gave him the unique ability to warp through the Reactor’s energy fields; however, it is also said to have rendered him sightless. Still, his deadly accuracy with both daggers and shuriken indicate that his lack of eyesight has not hindered him. It should be noted that his unexpected emergence as a “self-funded” Freelancer was met with heavily upgraded security in both the Reactor and at Omni-Plex. In particular, new devices were placed around the Reactor specifically to deter teleportation. While correlation does not imply causation, this “coincidence” has many citizens wondering why.
Basic Gameplay
With every successful damaging attack that Kaigin lands, he’ll leave his targets Void Marked. Any damaging he deals to Void Marked targets will consume that mark, causing more damage and reapplying the Void Mark. Kaigin’s primary attack, Twisting Blades, lets him attack in nearly every direction around him, but focuses his intent to destroy in a smaller area directly in front of him. Razor Tempest throws 3 shuriken as your long range attack and links incredibly well for a follow up of his Void Strike dash. Use Razor Tempest to Void Mark and focus more damage on a single target or mark up to 3 targets with less damage, giving you more options to take advantage of when choosing which mark to consume.
You can target Void Strike through walls, dealing damage and landing adjacent to your target, and then still input a movement command. This is great for getting behind an enemy to avoid their attack, and Void Mark them for an easy consume on the following turn if you chase them. You can also use this to get closer to buffs and move to them first! An invisible ninja is the scariest one. Throwing down your Shadowstalker smoke bomb blocks vision and lets you position sneakily for the next turn. As a free action, it can be a great follow up to Void Strike, allowing 2 turns of potential safety. Become the Spectre of Death with his ultimate. It can be targeted through walls, hits invisible targets, and if some of them dash out of the way, you’ll just focus even more damage on those that remain within its AoE! After you choose your landing place, you can also choose your movement, just like with Void Strike.
You may have a tough time getting your abilities to hit this stealthy teleporter. Always having one teammate aim at him in case he doesn’t dash, and others aiming for the predicted landing spots gives him less of a chance of being really safe. While grouping is often unsafe due to AoE, consider never running around by yourself, as he’s very sticky and good at taking down a solo target. His HP pool isn’t very big and he often has to run off to heal up if pressured, which removes his damage from the fight for a bit. If you stick on him you can force him to play sub-optimally to stay alive, so take advantage of those moments. Timing your dashes with his will help to reduce his damage output and gives you a chance at returning that murderous intent.
Abilities
- Twisting Blades
- Slash out around you, marking all targets and focusing more damage on targets directly in front of you.
- Razer Tempest
- Throw 3 long range shuriken, damaging and marking up to 3 targets, or focus them on fewer targets to deal more damage.
- Void Strike
- Slash through the void, teleport to an enemy dealing damage and marking them. Land adjacent to your target and still move after this dash!
- Shadow Stalker
- Throw down a smoke bomb that blocks vision and causes you to go invisible.
- Spectre of Death
- Use the void to teleport to an area, striking everyone within it, even if they are invisible, dealing more damage to fewer targets.
Advanced Tactics
- When playing as Kaigin:
- Remember to use you after-dash movement, and use it wisely!
- Having Void Strike available is a good way to deter enemies from firing at you. Try to save it if you are able to hit with other abilities.
- Dashes are the key to Kaigin’s survival. You can act more recklessly when you have your ultimate to teleport out of the line of fire.
- Players may assume you are going to hit void marked targets, you can use this to your advantage to force enemies to play defensively.
- Both of his dashes can travel through walls. If your teammates have enemies in vision you can deal damage from guarded positions.
- Coming up against Kaigin:
- Hide in camo — Kaigin needs vision of his target to hit them with Void Strike.
- If you think a Kaigin is going attack a target with Void strike, remember that he must appear adjacent to them. Play around that if you are able.
- Kaigin’s total health is relatively low. If you are unable to focus him, try to catch him in damaging area of effect abilities. Once his health is low he will be less likely to engage and deal damage.
- Reveal is a good counter to Kaigin. Consider taking reveal mods to counteract his invisibility and keep track of him when he runs away after using one of his dashes.
- A lot of Kaigin’s damage is in his void marks. Forcing him to retreat for a turn can give the void marks a chance to fade.