Rainbow Six Siege Kaid: Y4S1.3 update - what he can do and how to use him

Another update has happened that balances Kaid's weapons in Rainbow Six Siege. Representing the north African nation of Morocco, Kaid is the defensive operative introduced during the final DLC of Year 3, Season 4. With an interesting assortment of weapons, as well as a couple of electrified claws, he is a force to be reckoned with. Our guide will detail how best to use it, as well as explain some of his counters.

With effective use of our Rainbow Six Siege guide, you can get the most out of using Kaid - the second operator that can augment metal items with a rather shocking surprise.

Kaid operator guide

This guide will go over the stat changes to Kaid's weapons, as well as all the other skills and gadgets that he has to offer veteran players and new ones alike.

Kaid's stats

Armour: 3
Speed: 1

Kaid's Weapon Loadouts

Kaid's two primary weapons are the AUG A3 sub-machine gun and the TCSG12 Shotgun. The shotgun has slug rounds that turn walls into glass if shot at close range, because the impact it has. It also packs a bit of a punch to enemies. The TCSG12 can also equip an ACOG, which is a rare thing for a shotgun, and it has a lot more rounds in the chamber compared to other slug shotgun users. The downside is that it takes more rounds than a buck shot variant of the shotgun to open hatches.

The AUG A3 is a very accurate sub-machine gun too, especially when you have a muzzle brake attached. A recent change makes the Aim Down Sights (ADS) speed faster by 33% for the AUG A3, bringing it more in line with the other SMGs rather than Assault Rifles.

In addition, the Y4S1.3 update alters the balance between the two further by reducing the TCSG12's total number of shells per round from 61 to 51, while the damage of the AUG A3 is buffed up to 33. While the TCSG12 is still my personal shotgun of choice, the AUG A3 is now a viable alternative thanks to the recent upgrades.

As one of the two Moroccan operatives in the game, Kaid uses the .44 Mag Semi-Auto which comes with an ACOG-like scope and packs a big punch. This has seen a balance change recently that reduced its overall attack power and increased its recoil, bringing it in line with the rest of the pistols.

Kaid's Gadgets

With access to Barbed Wire and Impact Grenades, it's a simple choice that Barbed Wire is the optimal choice thanks to its synergy with his electrical claws. Impact Grenades should only be taken if other people are playing operators with Barbed Wire.

Kaid's Skill

Kaid has the Rtila Electroclaw, which is a throwable device that latches onto walls and emits an electrical pulse that affects a short range. When it fully charges, it can electrify reinforced walls and hatches, barbed wire, and even deployable shields. This is remarkably similar to what Bandit can do, but there's arguably a little more versatility.

It has a decent range and the fact it can be deployed anywhere counters Maverick's blowtorch because that player can't exactly predict where the device is electrocuting the reinforced walls. This also makes Twitch player's lives harder because they may not be able to get a good line of sight to destroy it.

One very interesting technique that you can do is to have a team of Kaid and Frost work together to place a trap, then electrify either a reinforced hatch or some barbed wire from below while a Frost trap is placed above Kaid's device. The electricity won't destroy the trap, instead turning an otherwise mildly inconvenient trap into one that spells almost certain death. Reinforced doors from Castle don't conduct electricity however, so don't even bother.

It can be easily destroyed if you can see it though, either by being shot at, having another gadget replace it without it being picked up, or with the use of explosives and Thatcher's EMP. IQ can also see it through her monitor, while Twitch can normally have a decent time. So there's a lot of counters available, but it can disrupt enemy drones in the early game and do a small slither of damage to any enemy wandering through barbed wire or standing too close to the electrified walls/hatches.

Should I pick Kaid?

There's pros and cons when compared to Bandit - the operator that most closely resembles Kaid. While there's a lot more versatility with Kaid's Rtila Electroclaw, Bandit's got double the deployable shock generators, so can technically place electrified traps in more locations. The caveat is that Kaid's gadget can be hidden more easily and can affect a range of metallic surfaces.

There's also the question of their speed and armour (Kaid is sluggish and noisy in comparison), and their weapon load-outs are wildly different, making those operatives more and less effective with certain maps and team compositions. Some recent changes have made certain weapons a little better, such as the AUG A3. We'll see if he becomes a little more viable as everyone becomes accustomed to the change made to the ADS speed.

Kaid is not the only shocking addition to Rainbow Six Siege. Check out our main Rainbow Six: Siege operators guide, which has links to each individual operator, as well as an overview on the more universally useful ones and which ones beginners should consider learning.