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Those who are looking for more character development and growth would be better off saving Ashley, especially if Shepard is romancing her. Kaiden may be the stronger choice, but Ashley isn't without her merits. Related: Mass Effect Anatomy: Biotics Are the Ultimate Power - and the Ultimate Body Horror Did Shepard only save him because of the bond they were developing? That possibility weighs heavily on him, and there are no right answers when asked "Why me?" On the other hand, conversations with Kaidan are much more prevalent on the Normandy in ME3 than it is with Ashley unless Shepard is romancing her. One of the downsides to saving him over Ashley is that he will question Shepard's choice all throughout the third game - especially if Shepard was romancing him.
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Having a soldier who knows what to do and how to do it without much direction makes him an essential asset against the Reapers, but it's not all sunshine and roses with Kaidan. He's also got technical and biotic abilities that make him more versatile on and off the battlefield. He's physically stronger, which means he can take a much harder beating in battle. When taking their abilities into consideration, Kaidan tends to be the more experienced soldier. Knowing where the Mass Effect trilogy goes after the first game, it's important to consider which of the two will be more useful as far as squadmates go in the final battle against the Reapers in ME3.
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Interestingly, the reasons for choosing one squadmate over the other, romance intentions aside, tend to be very different.
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There aren't a lot of romance options in ME1 to begin with, so it wasn't like Shepard could just move on and finish out the game with another lover. A lot of players have been prompted to choose whichever squadmate they were trying to launch a romance with, knowing if their potential love interest died that's it for the relationship.
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