The Worst Character in Mass Effect 3 Has Finally Been FIXED

[@MrHulthen]

Black Noir vibes anyone? 😂

[@Warlock_Lelouch]

I get like evil Snake Eyes to be honest

[@Jesup1204]

I don't mind the fact the Kai Leng is silent, I don't like everything else about the mod. Since he does kill Thane, I wouldn't mind making his armor look a little more unique. Also Kai Leng plays a significant role in Mass Effect Retribution and the book fleshes out his character. In fact, Anderson and Henry Lawson mention the events of Mass Effect Retribution in ME3 so the book is canon to the trilogy. (Choices made in the games don't effect the events of the books.)

[@Warlock_Lelouch]

@@Jesup1204 I think the problem is that you have to read a comic that was released a year after the game to know anything about Kai Leng. I shouldn’t have to read any extra material to know something about an important character for him to have any depth. Plus the main problem that people have with Kai Leng is just how much of an edge lord he is. The ninja thing, how cocky he is, plus with how he seems to have some personal vendetta against Shepherd just makes him come off as he’s trying way to hard to get daddy Illusive Man’s approval. It’s just annoying. I see what your saying though. Maybe giving the the a more unique armor wouldn’t be so bad as it would help make the thing more personal while keeping a professional vibe with the character.

[@JakubWielkiMistrz]

@@DogukanAyan87_ Bro, we have same profile pic 🤜

[@hapdf]

​@@Warlock_Lelouch I think that instead of a new antagonist, he should have been replaced by an indoctrinated Miranda or Jacob. It would have carried more drama to the confrontation, especially if your Shepard had an affair with him or her. I'm somehow surprised that none of the cerberus normandy ss2 crew remain loyal to the organisation after mass effect 2. Another option would be to have him replaced Jacob in Mass Effect 2 (and erase Jacob from the game) so that he is an already established character in the third game. with a previous history with Shepard.

[@agentbrown5542]

If you can remove a character's dialogue entirely and have that actually improve the character then you've fucked up somewhere. Imagine entirely removing any other character's dialogue in any of the games and having it improve the character and overall story? Just shows how poorly written he was.

[@pokegod99]

Jacob we all know expect his loyalty mission no one likes him.

[@QuantumAscension1]

It would be interesting if you could write a character around that in some way, like they were deaf and had to communicate with test and hand gestures. I remember there being a SPARTAN-III character (Lucy, I think) in one of the Halo books that was mute due to PTSD and she was pretty cool.

[@brendankelly2653]

@@QuantumAscension1 that is pretty cool. A lot of people don't understand is that John 117 isn't even the greatest Spartan. There are a lot of Spartans that are super awesome.

[@Mysticgamer]

@@brendankelly2653 He was just the luckiest one.

[@brendankelly2653]

@@Mysticgamer I'm still figuring out how most of the Spartans now get back peddled by Brutes. While Spartan Cal (RIP) was the only one who stopped a giant hammer blow with one arm. 😁, Everyone else gets rag dolled like little kids 😁

[@existentialselkath1264]

Sadly very little can be done about his stupidity projector he uses on all the main characters. Shepherd and Thane still loose 100iq points when he's around

[@gagrin1565]

It's rare to see something improved so much still be such absolute trash. It's kind of impressive. Turns out cool cyber ninjas aren't cool when they should have died three times over in their introduction. This is exactly like the endings for me - it doesn't matter how much you add or cut, the problem is fundamental and it cannot be fixed.

[@prointernetuser]

in the words of Al Pacino in The Irishman: "You rush a gun; you run away from a knife" Thane seems to misunderstand this to be " You rush with a gun, and they run away with the knife"

[@enrique6335]

At 2:06 Shepard has a clear line of sight to the target's back and DOESN't pull the trigger. Like, WTF?

[@flashn00b]

Probably much more excusable for Thane because he's in the final stages of Kepral's Syndrome. The fact that he was able to fight Leng as proficiently as he did is still worth mentioning since in his words, "he let a terminally ill drell stop him from reaching his target."

[@dark7element]

@@enrique6335 They should've had Shepard shoot him. Even if Leng keeps going and manages to limp away, it would at least preserve the apperance of Shep's competence

[@grunt1688]

A quiet Kai Leng is WAY more intimidating it shows the inhumanity of Cerberus that their best assassin is this quiet killing machine. Also it reminds me of Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe.

[@SnakeMCGaming]

So you like it cuz it's a copy of a different character and not original at all. Got it

[@tylerbaldwin3269]

@@SnakeMCGaming Its cause Snake Eyes is a fucking boss

[@spectralassassin6030]

@@SnakeMCGaming Considering Leng sucks as a character? Yeah.

[@Navajonkee]

@@SnakeMCGaming Not everything has to be original. They just have to work.

[@SnakeMCGaming]

@@Navajonkee I don’t see how this DIDNT work. He’s a villain. You aren’t exactly supposed to like the villains

[@SilverHyozanryu]

It's pretty incredible how well his scenes still work even without dialogue. Like if I hadn't played the game before I probably wouldn't question it at all. I also like that this version is sort of an inverse of Shepard, having no voice or face, two of the things most important about Shep. It's as if in this au the Illusive man realized trying to create his own Shep or convince him to join cerberus was a fruitless effort so instead just went in the exact opposite direction.

[@kazekage6903]

Awesome theory that could’ve been an added plot point for the citadel DLC story arc

[@ragingfred]

Makes you wonder if he was meant to be silent this whole time until someone decided he needs cringe dialogue and a cringe face.

[@christophergroenewald5847]

I think just shutting him up makes him 100x better, because he's actually a cool character until he opens his mouth

[@kylozen3938]

Yeah, my first impression of him was that "o this guy may be a challenge." Then he made the mistake of speaking which instantly turned him into a mall ninja with best buy plot armor.

[@alphalee7148]

if only he had something interesting to say

[@angelesmendoza4922]

i remember this was my first reaction to him, one of the few characters i dislike on the trilogy

[@kevinmccalister4602]

My first reaction was, Huh, would you look at that. I wonder if he uses a sword because he has shadow broker type of armor so melee is now super- (He speaks and raises and lowers his shield as a conscious choice instead of an automatic action) I am going to enjoy killing this pathetic excuse for a villain. 😊

[@cobretti9332]

No, he's a terrible anime character that doesn't belong anywhere near this franchise

[@hail2theprince93]

It's actually shocking just how big a difference simply not talking makes to his character. He actually has an air of mystery and dare I say some intimidation factor when you don't know what he's thinking or what exactly he's gonna do next. Removing his vocal arrogance also means you're less likely to judge his character quite so harshly for his failures against Shepard, he comes across as a silent professional that, while skilled in their own right, simply isn't as good as Shepard. As opposed to the cocky, trash-talking douche canoe that's constantly talking a big game with empty threats and "badass" one-liners while consistently and hilariously failing to live up to his own hype EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

[@MartmeisterPaladinHaven]

I like how they kept the roars and grunts in at the final battle. It helps to show how he seems to be losing his composure and unflappability, becoming sloppier and making himself vulnerable.

[@zephyr_350]

yeah, it actually works really well here

[@ladyphoenixgrey3923]

I always felt it was such a waste of a voice actor on such a trash character. Baker could’ve been served so much better elsewhere in the story.

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

I wish I could have stayed and enjoyed the crab rangoon and played Far Cry 4 as his heir rather than as his enemy.

[@MonoKrohm_2020]

Lol you’re telling me Troy Baker voiced that piece of shit

[@LoganWH8]

Skipping the Thessia fight improves the encounter immeasurably. The boss fight only establishes that Kai Leng isn’t a threat in a drawn out firefight. By skipping the fight and going directly into the cutscene, instead of him suddenly becoming competent, he’s competent from the start, he actually acts like a ninja. He knows he won’t win a shootout, so he closes the distance and takes down both squadmates in close quarters, and instead of acting like he can beat Shepard one on one, throws up his shield and summons the actual big guns. He’s not here to fight you, he’s here to retrieve the VI.

[@noctoi]

Exactly. His only real talent in a fire fight is being an inexplicably proficient bullet sponge. He shouldn't BE hanging around playing sword ninja in a fire fight!

[@rpmfla]

The whole idea of Thane pulling a gun and RUNNING AT THE ENEMY WHO IS WIELDING SWORD is just the stupidest! Why would a person with a gun run into melee range like that? Just absurd. Worst moment in the game.

[@michelphilippe193]

I hate the fact that he holds the gun to Kai’s head in the beginning. Thane was introduced killing a few people in seconds.

[@HunterX05]

Tbf Thane confirmed the Kepler Sydrome does cause brain damage at the later stages(he himself was pretty much at the final stage)

[@fangsabre]

It's because a biotically/cybernetically enhanced individual can block a bullet, but good luck blocking one when it's point blank to your ribs. Basically: *Dodge This*

[@thatrandomguy5490]

So just sit there and shoot the guy that can use a force field and sword to block bullets from range, makes sense also

[@damianmesa9507]

@@thatrandomguy5490 better than blindly running at the guy, shepherd and Liara could've moved up as well or thane maybe would've been able to back up and regroup with them or something since Kang was gonna charge at thane. Either way he should've lost that battle, instead he ended up escaping and thane died due to poor writing.

[@crazyandorian]

you know how they coulda improved Leng? Made him a series of clones? So you can actually beat him and kill him, but he keeps reappearing because TIM cloned him and kept sending the clones at you, with the one at the final Cerberus base being the original, who mocks you for only being able to kill his inferior clones.

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

I would still have preferred it if I could have rescued the two Asari scientists off Thessia.

[@imverygerby]

Or he could have been a shepherd clone

[@egeorgiades93]

@@imverygerby Better yet a Reverse Gender Shepard (if you pick male then the clone is Fem Shepard and if you are Fem Shepard then it’s Male Shepard). A Clone gone wrong but after Shepard left Cerberus TIM decides to use the Clone Shepard since it would be a waste to leave a valuable asset under ice due to a gender error. The Clones motive: to prove they weren’t a mistake and can be & surpass Shepard. Encounter could influence Clone Shepard positively or negatively. If you are evil (Renegade), they feel entitled and justified to kill and surpass you and if good then you have a moment to turn them to your cause however TIM activates a Kill Switch Implant in the clones head Suicide Squad style resulting in Shepard having another reason to take down TIM.

[@imverygerby]

@@egeorgiades93 no thanks

[@antonioarreola3097]

@@egeorgiades93 Or the Shepherd clone (same gender as your character) "dies" off screen, and in the citadel dlc that is the clone trying to steal your identity.

[@Marksman3434]

Man, this is such a vast improvement over OG Leng. He comes off as annoying with the way he was written originally. I feel making him the silent masked ultimate assassin makes him so much more intimidating as a villain

[@valemontgomery9401]

He also feels more unique, because most antagonists and villains in mass effect do have a voice and a face. Even the Reapers talk to you. The fact that this Kai Leng doesn’t talk or have a face makes him really stand out

[@Grzesuav94]

Well, the only true problam Leng had, is that dialog and character did not mix. Removing/changing one is enough to make an improvement. In re-writing, there would be two options for him: 1. Leave the douchebag part, but make him entirely reliant on his bullshit plotshield, basically making him immune to ranged attacks. This would make his sword make sense with his attitude and even better, the last fight would be Shepard stunning him when overloading his shield when exploding a generator near him or something. Then, Omni-Jab(tm) would be even sweeter, since this is the only way his bullshit shield can be bypassed. 2. Make him an absolute menace, which this mod gets very close to by simply shutting him up.

[@spectralassassin6030]

I did a playthrough with this mod recently and dang does it do a good job of making him feel like an actual threat. It's now a permanent part of my load order.

[@emackenzie]

Would relying on a sword when you're immune to ranged attacks make sense? Wouldn't you _want_ to fight at a distance?

[@emackenzie]

I mean I agree with the rest of your comment, I'm just getting tripped up on that part loll

[@Mlurd1]

@@emackenzie Lol little late but oh well. I think the idea is that if you are invulnerable at long range, your enemies are forced to close the distance to hurt you and a sword is much better close quarter weapon than gun. Also he still has his hand shooty thing so technically sword isn't his main weapon, it's just for people good enough to come close to him.

[@SWyrick366]

I would've only had Leng only say two words in the entirety of his run, and that's on thessia, "You're attention." After that, everything else can be cut.

[@GameBang666]

Even then, the silence works just fine as shown. He's an assassin, the loyal super soldier that TIM wanted Shep to be, Shep tries talking to him and his response is what it should be "... {Talk to my Boss}"

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

I would have preferred it if I could rescue The two scientists instead.

[@Uriseph]

I do think it's entirely appropriate for him to talk with TiM though; when he's in the shuttle escaping the Citadel.

[@devildavin]

I would have kept the "Understood" after the transmission ends. He has nothing to say to shepard that why he does not talk but he does acknowlege TIM and would respond to his boss.

[@spencerbowden2979]

You know a character is bad when you can remove all his dialogue and it literally doesn’t leave anything out of context.

[@anthonyworstell3768]

The “Silent Antagonist” is an angle I’ve haven’t seen before. Plus, his modded outfit gives off a mystery of who he is. I kinda wished the writers decided to do this when they created his character.

[@opticalraven1935]

The silent antagonist is hard to do right and it's terrifying when a bad guy doesn't give you lengrhy exposition on why he hates you.

[@alexhussinger3550]

Ironically given the Citadel DLC, replacing him with a Shepard Clone would make a ton of sense. But this time with the "Control Chip" in his/her brain, silently carrying out the Illusive Man's orders without question or complaint.

[@axelnilsson5124]

There’s several silent antagonists in horror movies with the most iconic ones being Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers

[@Santi-ei3qf]

Its unbelievable how removing all his dialog actually makes him better without affecting the scenes

[@juzoli]

This character looks like it was either written by kids, or written FOR kids… It is annoyingly stereotypical with his unnecessary ninja moves… And most annoyingly, his fights are entirely plot driven. He has 10 second invulnerabilities because he can’t be beaten at that point of the story, then he is easy to fight against. What is the most annoying is what’s happening when I’m Vanguard with Charge, and with Lash as bonus skill. With these, I literally wipe the floor with Kai Leng, he doesn’t have a chance to even shoot at me. The game still treats everything the same way. I drag him across the floor face down, and suddenly he is badass again in cutscene…

[@GameBang666]

I one time soft locked my game by draining his shields too fast (thanks Ascended Garrus) and proceeding to use a biotic power on him (forget which), he ragdolled on the ground and refused to get back up, his shields stopped regenerating and his health wouldn't go down so i was stuck there staring at a big puddle of useless on the ground while i contemplated why I couldn't just vamoose with the Prothean Pokeball and end the war. Funnily enough if Kai Leng wasn't present or was beaten without plot bullshit, the war would have ended basically a day or so after the fall of Thessia.

[@battyrae1398]

My infiltrator chaingunning explosions with flare sympathises.

[@andrewmeredith15]

Dude the moment when shepherd ask him what do you want after killing the scientists and he says nothing is actually very unnerving, it's kinda like having a mass effect version of Jason Voorhees.

[@Siansonea]

I was thinking "the only way to fix Kai Leng is to remove him entirely", and, well, they did the next best thing. I like that they replaced one of his appearances with a Phantom, I always wanted to see one of them up close. And Kai Lang is just a glorified Phantom himself, so it stands to reason.

[@717UT]

I too thought that scene was a stroke of genius. Works incredibly well.

[@adamb89]

It is absolutely amazing how effective the simple act of Leng shutting up makes him seem calculating, in control, and adds tension to the scene. The blame for that falls squarely on the writers. Best case scenario would've been if Leng had been referenced in the original Mass Effect as a silent warrior who you never even catch a glimpse of. Then in ME2, Leng is this silent guardian acting a temporary squadmate helping your escape at the beginning. But his stats are just off the charts, and he ends up doing most of the fighting for you since you're still weak. Just to make you appreciate how deadly he is. Then in ME3 he's now an antagonist with a deadly reputation whom you've personally seen in action. And then keep the boss fights in, because now you're invested in them. No matter how cheap they seem, this guy now has a very well deserved reputation for why he might actually be better than Shepard. Edit: It reminds me of Megaman X2, where you have the option of chasing the X-Hunters to acquire Zero's parts, and rebuild him. And if you fail to do so, they resurrect Zero themselves and you have an extra boss fight against him. After seeing how he handled himself in the original Megaman X, every player was curious how X would stand up against Zero. And now that we could finally find out, it made that extra boss fight something to look forward to, and so much more satisfying than playing the game the "right" way and rebuilding Zero yourself.

[@generallyuseless5821]

That's genius. Hits all the marks and I'd actually want to see more of Kai leng if that was the story.

[@717UT]

You sir, just fixed his character!

[@markotarma]

I seriously loved how his arc ended. So satisfying. Thane was a good friend.

[@VeryClassyDemon]

Y'know, I was reluctant to install this mod cause as annoying and infuriating Kai Leng is, that annoying and infuriating writing made it feel so good to stab him in the gut, but seeing your video about, seems like it'd a good addition to my collection It's a shame the mod that replaces with him Ashley or Kaidan depending on who was left on Virmire most likely won't get ported over to Legendary Edition, that's a really cool concept that incorporates this "Shut Up Leng" mod with the "Phantom Introduction Mod" also featured here

[@TheMiddlingGamer]

Yeah, too bad it's a lore-breaking idea that makes no sense.

[@VeryClassyDemon]

@@TheMiddlingGamer I mean, the Happy Ending Mod(s) are lore-breaking ideas and could be potentially be argued into making no sense when you consider they make it so the Geth and EDI aren't affected by the Destroy ending, but you don't see me complaining about them

[@DarkLordDiablos]

Switching him out and replacing him with Kaiden or Ashley would have made way more sense considering that Cerberus brought Shepard back to life so doing the same to the Virmire would have been the ultimate twist. Granted it could have easily been compared to MSG's Gray Fox angle from Solid but when has that even stopped anyone considering it's the the same story in Winter Soldier and I don't remember anyone complaining. Also the fact that you can face Jack as a Phantom if you don't do the Grissom Academy mission before Priority Citadel, having the final reveal in TIM's office would been awesome as like this mod they could have remained silent with everyone wondering about it due to the Cyber Ninja displaying specific traits related to the survivor like the view from a Sniper Scope for Ashley done just before dropping down.

[@TheMiddlingGamer]

@@DarkLordDiablos No, it would have been silly beyond disbelief.

[@DarkLordDiablos]

@@TheMiddlingGamer well you are I'm guessing in the minority on that but you are welcome to your opinion.

[@jesuscarrillo7952]

Yo the skipped fight on Thessia just puts in perspective how poorly handled Kai Leng was as a villain. It makes WAY more sense for the cutscene to continue to play out in that moment

[@ZrodyApo]

I don't have problems with him talking or seeing his face, it's more about the scripted and forced encounter you get with him where you automatically lose, even if win from a gameplay perspective, during the Thessia fight (he just goes and recharge his shields while the aircraft fires at you) Even a QTE type of gameplay feels more rewarding than fighting Kai Leng 😂

[@MrHulthen]

Hehe exactly

[@therainbowconnection6813]

Winning in game and losing in cutscenes is one of the worst gaming tropes in existence. Alternatively, I feel like not letting you fight him until the end and only have the cutscenes would vastly improve things as well. Also a game built around choices and consequences guilt tripping you for losing in the cutscene. It's enraging. If the rage was towards Kai Leng it would have been a good thing, it means the game is well written. But my rage was towards the idiot who wrote that.

[@GayLPer]

The only thing I like about the Thessia encounter is that Shepard insult Kai Leng for basically relying on a gunship to recharge his shields, as if Shepard was directly calling out the BS. But yeah.

[@gilgeaschwithkerk2344]

The fun is, that this makes way more sense. He should be what Shepard would be without everyone. A emotionless sword

[@AhmadWahelsa]

I heard in the comics that this supossedly space ninja broke into Anderson's apartment just to steal a bread and pee in a flower pot

[@MrHulthen]

You heard right lmao

[@AhmadWahelsa]

@@MrHulthen Bruh moment 🗿

[@legateelizabeth]

He pours himself a bowl of cereal as well. Gods Leng is the worst.

[@bat32391]

Now thats a reference I haven't heard in many years.

[@ThePigeon5734]

honestly just the small detail of replacing Kai Leng taking down the skycar with a Phantom is incredible, since it feels less like "this wanker again..." followed by a massive "fuck you" and more like you've just been caught up in the chaos of the attack at random.

[@kratkartan1486]

Honestly, if Kai Leng only spoke on occasion that'd have been fine. "Now it's interesting" once threatened with a 3 on 1 fight, would have gone a long way if it was the only thing he actually says to you that entire encounter. It shows that he's extreamly dangerous, and likes a challenge.

[@rayclay3249]

While he is annoying and a try-hard, I'd argue that his death is all the more satisfying because of his annoyance. Everybody wants to see an asshole getting their comeuppance and seeing Kai Leng finally gets stabbed by Shepard is quite satisfying. Though if there's things about Kai Leng needed fixing, it'll be Priority: Thessia and Thane being stabbed scene. The scene where Thane got stabbed was so oddly done, Kai Leng didn't do anything impressive, all he did was raised his sword and Thane jumped into said sword and the slow motion made it all the more ridiculous and stupid since you got time to process the fact that Thane just JUMP into his death. Shepard's "defeat" on Priority: Thessia was also BS and turns Kai Leng from simply an annoying adversary into "This guy has a thick plot armor" kind of adversary.

[@spectralassassin6030]

Eh. Finally being able to stab him originally was kinda hollow for me. I just hated every second he was on screen.

[@rayclay3249]

@@spectralassassin6030 So even the pay off of being able to stab the SOB does nothing for you ? I'd have thought that the more hateable he is, the more satisfying it'll be when he's stabbed

[@terra_the_nightingale135]

I didn’t even know Kai Leng was hated for writing purposes, i thought he was hated for ya know… being what’s meant to be a hateable character you want to kill. I LOVED stabbing him in the end and Shepard telling him “that was for Thane you son of a bitch”

[@rayclay3249]

@@terra_the_nightingale135 Kai Leng was hated for writing purposes since he can at times feel like he has plot armor such as when he kills Thane and another instance in Thessia. Kai Leng was hated and it's by design due to the fact that he's your rival and his victory on Thessia was supposed to feel like a massive blow to Shepard but in execution, his victories doesn't feel earned and it is rather contrived. Though, yeah, his death was very satisfying in a "finally squashing an annoying cockroach that has slipped away too many times" way Basically, he's the antithesis of Micah Bell from RDR2, a character who was hated because he was written so well as a rival

[@GayLPer]

Thane jumping onto his sword would've been more impressive if Shepard had used it as a way to shoot Kai Leng through Thane (make it a Renegade Interrupt at that). Kind of like how Pride finally got dealt a major injury in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Then it could've justified why Kai Leng needed to retreat at that moment, since he just got shot, and since Thane's body was interfering with the kinetic barrier, it went right through it and hit him. Then we could've had the Phantom on top of the car instead of Leng, making it a proper introduction for the enemy type.

[@SebastianMeusel]

Every time I see Leng standing up on that air car approaching the bridges I think to myself: “Pull up, you idiot! Pull up and all your problems will be solved.“

[@wolder16]

' That was for Thane you SOB! ' yep, even after hearing 1232154324324th time, this line still gives me goosebumps :)

[@londonfog6654]

ME3 has become the best in the trilogy for some reason 🤔 his silence in Thessia was badass

[@larstruelsen2483]

The mod looks great and I have to agree to agree with you. The silence brings a different dynamic to the scenes and for the better. Btw. I'm pretty sure Leng's "grunt" is recycled in multiplayer as the sound of the Turian Sentinel/Soldier heavy melee.

[@Anemoia22]

Shepard: *You.* Completely different Cerberus ninja wearing the same armor:

[@hadijarehan2126]

I always think: why Shepard is watching Thane fight and doing nothing?! He/she interferes after Thane is hit by Leng's sword. It makes me uncomfortable.

[@fangsabre]

Because they were trying to get the councilor away, and also didn't have a clear shot as Thane was using CQC

[@hadijarehan2126]

@@fangsabre who said anything about shooting? Shepard could fight with Thane. There's no need for three fully armed soldiers to protect a damn councilor.

[@fangsabre]

@@hadijarehan2126 Shepard isn't a hand to hand specialist (at least not that we've seen outside some small moments here or there), it's possible he would get in the way more than he would help.

[@TGK2004]

They could have put up a renegade interrupt for Sheppard to shoot or do something at least

[@Blazenov]

I think the mod could be improved in Kai lengs “shut up” outfit, I think it would be cool if they modified his appearance or colors to look like an elite assassin compared to the usual ones.

[@langleymneely]

Honestly this just makes him look like another boring looking Cereberus NPC.

[@spectralassassin6030]

There's an option to keep his black armor.

[@Blazenov]

@@spectralassassin6030 that’s useful to know.

[@GayLPer]

@@langleymneely Making him look like another boring Cerberus NPC is still an improvement.

[@Thx4daheadshots]

So to be fair if this was implemented fully till the final mission were you knock off his mask. Then you kill him for not shutting up.

[@DarkLordDiablos]

I'm aware of this mod and have considered it as he is as stated the most annoying character in the series. So with that said I'm glad it skips the Thessia Boss fight since he only survives because he's meant to and not because he's tough. Same with the fight on TIM's base which if you are playing as a Vanguard doesn't last very long thanks to Biotic Charge and Nova.

[@hanneswesterberg]

What an amazing improvement! Makes me regret being a console guy. Also just realised that having no character at all beats having a shit character. Good lesson for writers!

[@SnakeMCGaming]

What makes it a "shit" character? Because he's a bad guy? Because he's a foil for you to fight? He's doing LITERALLY what he's supposed to do as a character. Not liking the BAD GUY is the whole point. So be technical and tell me how he's "Shit". Cuz you are implying it's "bad writing" but giving zero examples of how. Not to mention shitting all over the voice actor too. So tell me, besides it being your opinion that you don't like him, how is it "shit"

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

His everything-proof shield is like that little kid you used to play with in the playground who would always whip out the impregnable shield and wear the impenetrable armor and wield the weapon that cannot be stopped. 🙄

[@hanneswesterberg]

​@@SnakeMCGaming Come on, antagonists are obviously not bad per se. The issue is that Kai Leng effectively serves as a story-saboteur in ME3. His purpose is to cut us off from where the story was really meant to go. ME3's development cycle was crunch-galore, and there simply wasn't enough time to write, say, a proper conclusion to the Thessia mission. Insert Kai Leng. For the same reason, we never got to see Palaven - only its moon, as it saved a ton of resources needed for other things. If BioWare had gotten three years of development (as they did with ME2) instead of two, I'm confident Kai Leng would never have been in the game, or at least would have been a more fleshed out character. We might have gotten fighting on Palaven too. So that's why I don't like him. I suspect he was hastily thrown into the game as a result of EA's greed and unreasonable demands. He's also a lame douchebag with zero depth or nuance and the combat is annoying. Why do you think the developers gave us the most satisfying kill in the entire trilogy to end his story arc? They must have hated him too. Also I can't remember shitting all over the voice actor, but I feel for the dude because he didn't have much to work with.

[@SnakeMCGaming]

@@hanneswesterberg so your entire hatred for a character is based off your idle speculation that he was only designed to not show you parts of the game that were originally intended? That’s a pretty loose reason to despise a character. And all still just your opinion and theory, have yet to hear any technical issue that makes the writing “shit”

[@SnakeMCGaming]

@@NostalgicGamerRickOShay it’s the future, all fighters have shields, including Shepard, and it’s only impenetrable when you aren’t actually fighting him. Next

[@quintyss1290]

Kai Leng was a joy to renegade kill in the end because of his normal Mass 3 behavior. I wouldn't change a thing. But thanks for bringing us mod reviews :).

[@inquisitorpig5760]

I just wonder one thing... what happens if you don't pick the Regenade move? Does one of your squadmates shoot him? Or is it a singular instance where you can fail by not doing it?

[@y060795]

@@inquisitorpig5760 Nothing changes at all. With renegade interrupt you crush his blade and kill him. Without it he misses his attack and you kill him. Renegade interrupt is simply more satisfying.

[@jizamkizam9611]

This just reminded me about how poorly they handled that Thane fight. Everybody just standing there like idiots. Least they could have done was having the typical getting cut off or separated trope.

[@tylerbaldwin3269]

Or have it be like on Thessia, where he just washes the floor with the squad before taking down Thane

[@jp.metalhead]

That's why sticking the omni blade in his ribs is one of my favorite moments in ME3

[@Helos743]

I wish there was a mod like this to replace Jacob instead.

[@AmariFukui]

I love how Illusive man refers to them as Leng still It speaks volumes in a way I can't describe, that this person is a person but his mind is completely on the mission, not chit chat or showing off The fact they don't speak just implies to me that they're taking their work seriously, they know the threat they're facing and are thinking over their moves carefully It makes the final fight interesting too since they KNOW they probably can't handle a one on one based on previous encounters and are exerting heavily to outfight Shepard, even in death it feels like you fought a real professional who just got in a fight they were outclassed in

[@sayedistrending]

0:19 I will be honest and upfront with you here. When you titled this video "The Worst Character in Mass Effect 3 Has Finally Been FIXED," I thought this was a video about the Star Child 🤣

[@Spindlegrind]

I thought Jacob had been modded out. Seriously, get the save all achievement and forevermore Jacob is getting in the collector tunnel.

[@KnoxCarbon]

The Catalyst can be made more interesting and to a degree intimidating by one simple change: Have it constantly changing forms and voice based on memories from Shepard's past. It's clearly tapping into Shepard's mind Leviathan-style, it feels kinda lazy to have ot just take on the form of some random kid. Have it start out as a formless ball of light, before changing between the Child, the fallen Virmire squadmate, and Shepard himself when initially introducing itself. When the options for the Crucible start, have it shift to Anderson when discussing the Destroy option, the Illusive Man for the Control option, Saren or EDI for the Synthesis option depending on Paragon or Renegade alignment, and its true Leviathan form if Refusal is picked.

[@Finn.Caldwell]

"He has taken an vow of silence" "Why?" "He doesn't say"

[@MrEyescream]

Wow, i agree taht this mod really makes the character more menacing and actually more like a cerberus soldier. Even the part where he just taps on his head and the gunship react like he is somehow connected. Dont know what the mod makes, but the one scene bothers me, where they chase kai leng and his crew to the lift and cerberus gang just stands there, shepard forgets how to hero and does nothing.

[@spectralassassin6030]

Yeah, that was a problem with most of his scenes. He appears and all the other badasses in the room are suddenly low level grunts. Like I know at the part on Thessia that half my squad could have made him eat dirt. And I usually bring Javik on that mission. You know the 50,000 year old soldier who has extremely powerful biotics? That he somehow forgets to use in that fight. Or Garrus with a dang widow? Or Tali who could hack his shields? Or Liara who's also a very powerful biotic?

[@MrEyescream]

@@spectralassassin6030 i totaly agree. But not only that, hes moves are also "weak" so he does not comes by like an enhanced supersoldier. Even the half dead thane could deal with him in melee combat, than the permanend working out james should that with ease. Its like Shepard forgot how to use a gun when he sees kai leng. That dudes made an edgelord landing on the cab and shepard cant hit the target right in front of him? well, or like you sad every other scene. Its not that he made some hyper quick movement moves due to the enhanced lags he got becuase anderson shot him or that he shows how physicaly strong he is. Or at least an explanation why shepard cant shoot him, dont know, like he can deflect bullets with biotics or his armor is too thick. Then it would make sense why shepard cant hit him or it didnt even tried (lift scene)

[@tuliotonheiro]

We know Kai Leng is shit, but there's Jacob Taylor, you know...

[@MrHulthen]

True lol

[@EikTheBerry]

This works better thematically for Cerberus too, since ME3 shows how this pro-human org is losing its humanity. The foot soldiers are shown to have been genetically tampered with, and TIM's endgame of absolute control over organic and synthetic life, would be perfectly represented by this Kai Leng - a faceless supersoldier who obeys commands without feeling

[@Erebus04]

The fact that he just appears out of nowhere and is some sort of rival for shepard even though we never even saw him let alone heard of his before the citadel and hes some sort of edge lord just ruined it for me

[@RedScorpion92]

It ridiculous how simply removing dialogue and adding a helmet makes Leng a much more intimidating and interesting antagonist.

[@andrewr3846]

The silence makes him ominous. It's so much better

[@the_infinexos]

Thane losing to your average Cerberus Phantom makes him seem weaker than ever, which is fitting. It also makes the Phantoms seem more threatening considering one just stabbed your engine

[@miguellemir242]

It does certainly give off that vibe that the Illusive Man has forced so much Reaper tech inside him that all humanity is gone, all that is left is a highly honed killing machine. Its certainly beats the annoying "wE eVolVe or dieeE" edgelord we had in vanilla

[@amouramarie]

I like that you can literally replace KL with a random silent Cerberus uniform and *nothing is lost.*

[@truesorensen4625]

Wow, this is way better. especially on thessia, the whole scene makes him seem mysterious instead of like a bratty teenager

[@Fireball7428]

And now imagine him saying only one phrase, "Your attention." in the whole game.

[@frostburn3736]

Modders make Mass Effect "Great Again!"

[@theKarateRedbelt]

I can't believe that his lines were so bad and unnecessary that not only are his scenes improved by removing them, the scenes still makes sense.

[@vitoldwisniewski]

To be honest, this mod is more like a big fat middle finger to the voice actor Troy Baker who played Kai Leng. I mean sure he wasn't given good material to work with by Bioware but this mod is just an insult to injury.

[@ТарасМакаренко-ф3ш]

Reading this table of contents, I thought we were finally able to do something with Jacob Taylor. 😅😅😅 But fixing Kai Leng is also a good job.

[@diegolopezzz18]

Not only that but it actually gives some credit to the cereberus troops using the specialized soldiers as actual cut scene enemies that are competent and dangerous. I feel like going into the phantom fights after the car scene makes the combat sequences themselves more impactful

[@error_9677]

You know a character is bad when you have to make your main characters lose 100 iq points just for him to stand a chance lol (I do feel bad for whoever was asked to voice this train wreck of a character though)

[@PJBgamer]

The way I see it, the only thing that can make this mod better is if somehow, Kai Leng's helmet gets destroyed and his face is revealed during the final fight. IMO this would add emphasis to him not being so invincible after-all.

[@Woopsees]

You know what adds to its coolness? You can almost imagine how how his character developed. After taking so many L’s in the books and comics, he finally decides to stop taking and let his actions speak for him. Instead of projecting false bravado, his silence speaks volumes of the amount of violence he’s capable of. I love this mod

[@TheArchemman]

Oh yes, finally someone managed to shut him up. I wish there's a mod that either let's thane win and then Leng escapes. Or let's us fight along side thane, like a boss fight.

[@disgruntledtorch6474]

But does it still allow the grunt when you finally kill him at the end? Feels like we need that kind of satisfaction, of finally getting him to make a noise.

[@Makoto03]

He felt so out of place in Mass Effect 3. Like a lame Shonen Anime character got randomly inserted into a western sci-fi game. lol

[@H240909]

While I like this version better, lets be honest. If this had been the version they shipped at launch with nothing to compare it to, people would have complained, "Who's this random ninja guy who keeps showing up, and why don't we learn anything about him!? He doesn't even say anything! So cliché!"

[@ChadeGB]

This is so much better. Quite literally a silent assassin, never saying a word just doing whatever it takes it achieve his objective. This is the direction they should have gone, it could be made even better if he had a very distinct and unique outfit. Then when Shepard finally kills him, they could have had a face reveal and it turns out to be a mindless cybernetic clone of Shepard, The illusive man then tells Shep' that this was what they ultimately had planned for him...Which for me would have gone some way to explaining why he was so hard to kill and not just, doh, plot armour.

[@doomsdayng]

Oh. It's a mod. So, not actually fixed. To be honest, though, I don't dislike Kai Leng. Maybe because I read the books he's in before playing ME3, or maybe because it was refreshing to see someone my Shepherd didn't just body immediately. But I always thought he was a decent 'Dragon' for the Illusive Man.

[@KyleTaylorDesigns]

Nice mod, I honestly don't mind the Thesaia fight, and I would like Lang's new design to be a bit more unique.

[@MisterX867]

The only thing I found interesting about Kai Leng was that he released a V.I when he was at the Citadel to delete all security footage of him.

[@I_saw_that956]

People underestimate how good a silent character, especially a silent enemy, can be. Him never saying a word and not showing his face makes him far more believable as a hit man. After all if you can’t recognize a person they can be anywhere at any time. Moreover it’s more intimidating, you fight a guy who has no significant interest in you, who’s just there to drop bodies and you’re in the way. No bragging no monologue no personal vendetta just a job that needs fulfilling.

[@The1king991]

100% if this was in the game people will go crazy to find out who is this character

[@LightStreak567]

I remember before Mass Effect 3 released, BioWare was hyping fans up about how much of a dangerous badass Kai Leng would be for Shepard to face, especially with the release of the novel Mass Effect Retribution which featured Kai Leng in its story.

[@TheAwesomeDarkNinja]

1:07 I wasn't sold until that part. The lack of dialogue is kinda terrifying. Like, you can see him thinking.

[@williamkerfoot8039]

1) How is the Catalyst not the worst character?! 2) Both the child and Diana Allers (and possibly Privates Westmoreland & Campbell) are worse characters than ME3's Leng as well! 3) I feel bad for Kai Leng, I really do. He was awesome in "Retribution" and ME3 did him absolutely dirty (as did the fan-disregarded "Deception").

[@inquisitorpig5760]

I feel like ME3 kinda didn't do justice for a number of characters. I mean, Kasumi's involvement is like... one mission where she talks to you over radio and nearly gets blown up by "One Big Stupid Jellyfish", then she disappears until the comms holo during the final battle and does... things for Hackett to build the Crucible? I get it, she wasn't too interested in much further fighting, especially considering Shep's penchant for getting stuck in absurdly ridiculous situations nobody else than them and their squad could have survived(queue the geth dreadnought getting shot to pieces around you, or Kalros vs Reaper), but it feels like they really did my girl dirty. ... What? She's my favorite, and I have a thing for Japanese girls with a penchant for kleptomania.

[@williamkerfoot8039]

@@inquisitorpig5760 Not to mention how much of a whiner she was in that game! Seriously, she's so overrated! I'm shocked how many people actually liked her!

[@inquisitorpig5760]

@@williamkerfoot8039 Well, you know, opinions. I'm sure there's *someone* out there who likes Jacob... still wish they'd given a bit more spotlight to some of the ME2 characters not available as squadmates in 3(wonder how much of that was down to budget/dev time restrictions). Grunt's cameo was alright in the Rachni mission, but others were just... eh. The Citadel DLC was literally worth more for some characters than their main story/side quest appearance. But I didn't just start to like Kasumi so I could see her pop out of cloak to mess with people for a few seconds, then vanish again.

[@irishspartanstudios]

I really enjoy this, but here's an idea. What if Kai Leng's arsenal and gender was specific to reflect Shepard? He's supposed to be the rival of him or her, so make this assassin their dark mirror. The silence featured by this mod goes along with this idea great, as Shepard is a very talkative character regardless of almost anything you do as the player.

[@thesamejackalsniperthatkil117]

So shepards dark link?

[@irishspartanstudios]

@@thesamejackalsniperthatkil117 That's a way of looking at it.

[@Hellion73]

Yeah, sooo much better👍...only wish that whole scene with Thane could be redone completely🤷‍♂️

[@valemontgomery9401]

That second of silence zoomed in on his mask after Shepard asks him what he wants on Thessia gave me goosebumps.

[@hugomendoza5665]

Aw man I liked kai leng the way he was. Always felt like the exact point was for him to feel annoying and hateable. Making him 'cool' kinda defeats the purpose for me.

[@Hostile4380]

Don't know who I like less Kai Leng or Jacob

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

I really never got the hate for Kai Leng, first time I ever played Mass Effect 3 back in 2017 (that's when I was introduced to the franchise, got the trilogy on sale for like 9€) I thought he was kind of enjoyable, he was the classic "I'll appear every once in a while when you're making progress to screw you over" antagonist and I really didn't mind that. On all my playthroughs ever since, plus my Legendary playthrough, he was just.. there, I didn't have any particular feelings about him, neither like or dislike. I also think he's an enjoyable villain in the novels.

[@jameswatson5277]

Can you tell me what novels?

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

@@jameswatson5277 Sure thing pal, he's in Mass Effect: Retribution and Mass Effect: Deception, basically Mass Effect novel 3 and novel 4. The first 4 novels follow the story of David Anderson before and concurrently with the videogame Mass Effect trilogy and Kai Leng basically becomes the main antagonist after the second novel, I really recommend them if you're really into Mass Effect.

[@jameswatson5277]

@@KOTSOSMC2002 thank you

[@SterlaMusic]

I agree

[@natebox4550]

@@KOTSOSMC2002 It's because he has insane fucking plot armor. None of the characters shoot or fight him when a cancer patient(thane) is. He has no motives, we don't know if he has a vendetta against Shepard, they do nothing with his character. His boss fights are DOGSHIT, he's easily as all hell to kill. He is made fun of by some characters, whilst others act like he is super amazing. Plus, the whole edgy sword ninja, is fucking annoying. His character IS ASS. His voice, IS ANNOYING. He is annoying, and not in a good enjoyable way, in, well an annoying way.

[@DarthDainese]

The most annoying thing? Not the fact that Shepard loses friends on Akuze but when he wakes up, ok Cerberus, I’ll help you. Or Shepard is a spectre and doesn’t answer to earth (do the renegade quest and pick the bottom answer to Hackett) but ME3 rolls around, and instead of trying to find ways of stopping the reapers, like he promised, he’s hiding from the Batarians on earth. The more I pick at this trilogy, the worse it looks

[@inquisitorpig5760]

To be fair, Shepard wasn't voluntarily hiding on Earth. Alliance High Command kinda just decided to ground them to avoid pissing off the batarians.

[@DarthDainese]

@@inquisitorpig5760 As I said, “the reapers are coming and I’m going to find some way to stop them” turns into I’m going to listen to some prick on earth, and hide there for 6 months and wait for the reapers to turn up,when I’m no longer in the Alliance, my only rank is Spectre, I answer to the council. Spin it how ever you like, but as a former military man, if I’d lost my entire unit, I’d be gunning for the bastards responsible, that’s why ME2 fails for me and is a knock on effect for 3. The funny thing is, I liked the end of 3, because I always chose to destroy the reapers and I was fine with Shepard dying, because he’d achieved his goal

[@inquisitorpig5760]

@@DarthDainese You might have something of a point here, but it could also have been that the Alliance was ordered to ground Shepard by the Council, when they turn in the Normandy. Also worth considering Shepard probably didn't want to rush head first into the next battle after committing to an extremely risky mission(to the point it was considered a suicide run) to take out the Collector base. Though six months(or however long it was again, the game doesn't decide if it wants that period to be half a year or a full year) is certainly a little too long for Shep to be sitting around doing nothing out of their own volition. I do kind of agree with letting Shepard be done with things after ME3. I'd just want to go settle down somewhere nice too, after putting my life on the line for the galaxy that many times(and getting shut down or refused by the main ruling bodies so often despite that).

[@spiderz5145]

How it should’ve been.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

I first played ME3 in the legendary edition, so I was already at a disadvantage when it came to taking Kai Leng seriously. I took one look at his design and started yelling "WHO THE HELL IS BUCKY?" and other Winter Soldier references at the screen.

[@splitsong7368]

It would be infinitely better if kai leng was just the squadmate who died on virmire.

[@segevkrespi8609]

@@splitsong7368 wouldn't make sense cuz they got nuked. And unlike Shepard they aren't as important to try and bring back to life.

[@splitsong7368]

@@segevkrespi8609 shepard endured atmospheric reentry and impact. Like hell they couldnt bring back the nuked one.

[@segevkrespi8609]

@@splitsong7368 what? Shepard's body survived the atmospheric re-entry because of his/her suit. Cerberus had a body to work with. Whoever you leave on Virmire got NUKED, Vaporized, not an atom of them left. How exactly would Cerberus bring them back?

[@marenjones6665]

Nice. I like the first fight skip, because it makes it seem like he won because he had a gunship with rockets instead of "because devs said so".

[@CallMeElwis94]

This makes Kai Leng embrace the "actions speak louder than words" ideology. And it works! Worked for Gordon Freeman and Doomguy, it works fine with him too!

[@thundergodxarbala]

The fact that they made Kai Leng into a genuinely menacing threat by removing nearly all of his voiced lines and making him a faceless assassin is a clear and decisive demonstration of the adage that Less Is More. And pretty much the only time he shows anything akin to weakness or humanity is his frustrated grunt before his final encounter. That's an effective characterization choice, kudos to the mod maker.

[@Amikas117]

Man, I regret not finding this mod earlier, and I heard that downloading content mods after ALOT is a bad idea. It’s crazy to think that silent Leng is actually unnerving.

[@davidwong6575]

This would have been a cool way of using the shepherd clone from the citadel dlc mission. I love that mission but it would make sense that Cerberus would use a mind controlled likely indoctrinated version of shepherd instead of making up Leng for no reason. And the thwarting of shepherd would feel more satisfying in the end because obviously he can anticipate what shepherds thinking and planning but not everything due to the loss of free will and adaptability

[@andreibenedictdairo7864]

Yeah but the citadel was just a really good dlc. It would be a shame to use clone Shepard in the main story line which could negatively impact the the dlc. The idea is cool, but I'm kinda glad it wasn't what they were going for.

[@davidwong6575]

@ so weird you replied to this now. I just started getting heavy back into mass effect lore 😂

[@theoatyastarties]

I love how the Mod's name is "Shut up Leng" simmilar to "Shut up Weasley" from Star Trek .

[@VanTesla]

Kai Lang is something you get when you have two opposing writers. One trying to make the guy this badass OC character who is just better than everyone... The other setting the events making him look like a clown on top of the bad action and dialogue. Mind Kai Lang was bad from start as his first appearance in books made him as cringe as he is in game... For example in said book it talks about him eating a targets cereal as showing he owns the place... Trying to make that sound cool because he does it in a way that leaves no trace of him... As he mentally gloats about said eating cereal 😅🤣.

[@mathisntmybestsubject8440]

I think this is much better, from what I’ve seen.

[@bignick2k215]

Thane basically running into Kai’s sword, always gets me laughing.

[@Voondubah]

I turned Kai Leng into a puddle of goo with the Acolyte heavy pistol.

[@TwinPeaksIndustries]

I always love that moment in my favourite fanfic where, after Leng stabs the aircar, wounding Shepards LI, she just proceeds to lead him to an unceremonious end by pulling up and smearing him across the underside of a bridge.