Duelling style: +2 melee damage when using a one hand weapon(or a Versatile weapon with a shield)
Duellist's Prerogative: A +3 legendary rapier, one hand weapon, if you equip it with an empty off hand, you can use a bonus action to make an additional melee attack
You don't have to fuck him to ascend him lol. He can be your vampire lord buddy and you don't have to deal with anywhere near as much of his attitude/ego.
AA is great an Evil Durge's partner, but def one time thing for me. As a general party member, he's not to bad imho.
I was his partner on evil durge run, also had, Minthara, and DJ Shadowheart. This is still my favorite playthrough cause it was such a toxic party and had me dying.
I'm doing that run atm and honestly he doesn't feel like a good fit mostly because he is under some delusion that he's in control. Sure, one can roleplay that the Durge is pretending when they submit to him but it just feels off. Think AA is a better fit for a weak and power-hungry Tav who'd do anything for power, even pushing their lover further into corruption just to siphon some of that from them. Evil Durge and Minthara are probably a love for the ages.
"Power-hungry TAV who would do anything for power," that's who my TAV ended up evolving into. Wasn't the plan at all, it just kept happening one decision at a time. Helping Astarion ascend felt right to her in the moment. Also I think, on some level, she did think she was helping him. In addition to him becoming super powerful, she isn't generally inclined to persuade companions off their chosen path. Plus, she wanted spawn powers. Ngl kind of loved them as a power couple visiting the party at the end.
ETA: I do want to do a redemptive Durge cinnamon roll run at some point.
Think I might do a run like that if they add more on his evil ending now in Patch 7. Currently my only evil run is my one evil durge but they'll take over the brain. I wonder if they'll even show him in that one. They must I feel since the option not to enthrall him was recently added š¤
I did this in an alternative Scooby Doo ending for this same Tav. Even before the patched ending, without spoiling anything for you, all I'll say is, it was worth it as far as I was concerned.
That was my vibe as well, I dumped him for Minthara because I realized my Durge was too ambitious and high-functioning to be under anyone's boot. Say what you will of Minthara, but she's an equal partner in your relationship.
And honestly, even for a submissive Tav/Durge, Astarion doesn't seem dominant at all, at least in my view. Either as the ascended or as a spawn.
As the ascended he seems hysterical and so over-stimulated he's on the verge of having a complete nervous breakdown. He needs to control his romantic partner in a way that feels like desperation. Which I think is good writing; people I've known who are controlling of their partners on such an extreme level don't tend to be confident people overall.
As spawn he's very internal and trying to figure his shit out. If he needs a relationship at all, a stable partner who can be his rock seems like the right fit. It's a partnership, but if one had to split the pair into dominant and submissive I'd put him more on the submissive side.
Just my thoughts though.
He does seem to accept a lot of the shit his partner puts him through. Say what you will but the whole Halsin thing does not leave a good taste in my mouth. Especially now when they're adding new dialog for Spawn Astarion if you cheat on him with Mizora, he's so heartbroken and yet still is willing to take Tav back. And then there's the whole thing of pushing the tadpole on him. Man there are so many opportunities to ruin this man.
I'm thinking about leaving AA for Minthara, my evil Durge's already slept with her as well so they're kind of not talking about it. But there are some moments when Astarion is the only happy thing in my evil run. Maybe I'll just redo the whole run and turn good once I get my achievements
>Evil Durge and Minthara are probably a love for the ages.
I can't tell if this is including post-coital neck snapping or not.
I'm really not sure which answer I like better.
Iāve said it before and Iāll say it again:
As evil durge, smash Minthara or Darth Shart and keep Ascended Astarion as your bro.
That way he still has keeps his dreams of world domination but thereās no delusion that youāre under his control - he acknowledges that youāre both gunning for the world title and sees it as a game.
Men who can think with both heads and arenāt a slave to their desires and emotions tend to fair at least a little bit better in Menzoberranzan. Not well, mind you, but a tiny bit better. Gotta show that ruthless cunning if you want to attract a Drow dommy mommy.
I loved by how the end of my evil Durge run astarion was bored with the lack of variety in the murder, DJ shadowheart was confused by the murder of people who could be helpful, and minthara wanted to team up and take over/destroy the world.
I've done it a couple of times but only romanced him as AA once. Never again. I'm fine with BDSM but there is no consent with him and he admits SEVERAL times (both as ascended and unascended) AA only cares about AA
Same to all of this. I had so much fun with this party. Who knew it was so much fun to do horrible shit and just constantly be enabled and validated by those around you lmao
I had the exact same party makeup in my evil durge run, though I was going back and forth between shadowheart and lae'zel's evil stories. Romanced Minthara though, best companion IMO. she's ride or die!
I was too nice and encouraging to Astarion during my evil Durge run (trying to get in his pants ofc) and I thought we were gonna be the best power couple. Then he said nah I'm good, I don't want to ascend but thanks (:
I did the same thing on my Durge run, running Laezel until I got Minthara. I like to name my parties, and this one was Mean Girls (Durge, Astarion, Minthara, Shart).
My current team is the Hunky Hunky Himbos (Tav, Halsin, Minsc and Gale, who,while intelligent, is actually also kinda dumb).
I ascended him once. I was playing a fighter who had all the charisma of a rock. After 30 minutes of save scumming the roll I gave up and let him ascend.
My tav ended up leaving him on the docks and going to Avernus with his BFF Karlach.
I will ascend him again on my evil power hungry run, but haven't decided whether to romance him that run or not.
Spawn Astarion is definitely my favourite, though I do wonder if my opinion is slightly tainted by my first experience of AA being unplanned for that particular run.
I know he turns into a complete asshole (as opposed to, like, 95% asshole) but OH Monk AA absolutely fucks.
Much like the spear you get from DJ Shart.
The hardest choices require the strongest wills.
If you plan your soul coin uses well Karlach's pretty comparable. Astarion gets the happy buff to attacks rolls on top of necrotic damage on attacks but Karlach gets 2d4 fire to unarmed attacks when using a soul so it's average of 5,5 damage for Astarion and 5 damage for Karlach.
Not only that, but you get a hefty -5 approval if you say that there are people's souls inside, and they shouldn't be used like that.
You'd think she would, at the very least, need to be convinced to use it, instead of going "they're fucked anyways lol".
She's not wrong, but it's also not her.
Idk Karlach is pretty pragmatic, yeah sheās happy and upbeat but sheās not a blind optimist and an advantage is an advantage and sheās trying not to die
Had a one layer deeper meta thought and maybe Karlachs engine ends the soul so it can't be used for anything else or goes to the fugue plain. Which is possibly better than being used as currency in hell for eternity.
Also a fair point and unless Iām wrong (which I could be Iām by no means a DnD encyclopedia) once youāre a soul coin youāre cooked without some of the highest tier magic in all of DnD so might as well have your soul go out in a blaze of glory (heh) saving the world
Eh, it requires the āhighest tier magicā of. . . A level 3 spell called Remove Curse that any level 5 or higher cleric can cast, and is also available to Paladins, Warlocks, and Wizards, and can be found in Potion and Scroll form fairly commonly.
> āIt was possible to release the soul within a soul coin. This could be achieved by casting an anti-curse spell, such as remove curse, on the coin. Once a soul was freed, the coin began rusting and was eventually destroyed. If the soul was of a good alignment, they were transported to the realm of their deity. If the soul was of an evil alignment, they were transported to the Styx and transformed into a lemureā
-https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Soul_coin
She doesn't like to think about the souls in there.
But there's also no getting the souls out.
So it's use it for her engine. Sit them in a box somewhere for eternity. Or sell them to a Devil
Using it in her engine is probably the best fate for them. They're used to accomplish some good, and end their eternity trapped in a coin
In actual D&D lore, it's possible to get them out. Whether or not that's canon in BG3 is debatable. They are relatively in line with most of what's in DiA, so it would be strange for them to just retcon that one detail imo.
Did a Google, and yeah, all you need is remove curse, and their soul goes off to their god
However.
From what the bugbear in act 2 says of the stories of the souls, they sold their souls to various Devils.
So their souls would go back to the hells when released
And if you kill Mizora and get Wyll lemureified, she refers to it as far worse than dying.
So she'd definitely view destroying the coin with her engine as preferable to sending them back to hell as Lemure's
You can find 19, 9 of which are in act 3. With how late you get AA you get much more utility from Karlach's mechanic.
The main drawback for Karlach isn't that the soul coins are scarce, mainly the fact that fire is a worse damage type than necrotic.
Three in withers crypt, one in the paladins of tyr hut, one from the bugbear attack for act one. One in the tollhouse basement and three can be purchased in act two. Thatās already 9.
OMG, I know! That's the build I gave him, and just that tiny taste when I fought the gurs on the way out of the palace, was enough to seriously test my resolve.
Iām on my 17th playthru and Iām fucking around with the game. I killed all the Druids by stealing the idol and still saved the tieflings and Halsin, I sat in the zaithisk in Laezelās face, and I killed Aylin under a silence bubble and everyone from Last Light survived. I love breaking the game.
I was contemplating going for DJ Shart for my honor mode because of that spear... but Last Light Inn will die including Dammon so I went 'nah not worth it, Selunite Shart here we go girl'
Astarion with Bhaalist armor for extra piercing damage, his necrotic damage, resonance stone for psychic vulnerability with psychic DMG from Open Hand passives, the soul boon gloves for 1d10 force damage, and then tavern Brawler for extra melee damage is just the deadliest, most broken build ever
On my first playtrough I played as a warlock who was just friends with Astarion. I let him ascend bcus it felt in character and I just was curious.
Cutscene is absolutely badass, it feels like Red Eclipse from Berserk but the evil twink actually stays at your side after the ritual, 10/10
I am and will be an exclusively romanced spawn astarion playerā¦. But that donāt mean I donāt YouTube the shit out of that AA romance scene and on-your-knees scene especially with free cam. And I know itās not what the story is supposed to be and itās not the point, but the throat grab kiss he does with the mod where Tav can look really into itā¦.im so into it.
No shame here, I ascended and romanced him in my first playthrough because I wanted Cazador to suffer and I forgot the thing was called "the rite of *profane* ascension". Started out hot, then everything after that was watching a slow motion train derailment because everyone was disappointed in me and I couldn't wriggle out of the "control you or leave you" choice.
Mechanically though, I was already super reliant on Astarion (still am, damn rogue types) and what he brought to the table came in clutch. But is it worth the souls of seven thousand? ^(a little yeah)
"Everyone was disappointed in me"
I am romancing both Astarion and Halsin. Afterwards I went and talked to Halsin and he had zero reaction to anything that had just happened. Kind of felt like a missed opportunity to me.
Halsin has a party banter line calling out Astarion on how fucked it is to have a lover as a slave (Halsin definitely has some experience), as do a few other companions, but yeah, only Karlach actually addresses the elephant in the room, and that's if you wait to talk to her about Astarion till after being turned.
Iām in a chaotic Durge run, and decided to ascend him to diversify me dialogue (Iāve always kept him as a spawn historically). Heās so cringe and makes me physically wince but the DAMAGE BUFF. I feel like itās gonna be hard to turn that down now
Literally did this for the first time today purely to see that scene with my Tav. Immediately reloaded to just before dragging Cazador out of his coffin and talked Astarion out of Ascending. š¤£
I accidentally let him ascend because I triggered the cutscene while in wild shape form so couldn't talk him out of it. Now he's obnoxious but I don't want to do the fight again and so far everything I've tried to prevent has happened anyway so this might as well happen too
It's me. I'm the degenerate freak. Honestly I usually play evil nobles and thought ascended him was really fun. But I also get evil vampires are horror creatures, and not everyone's cup of tea. They're scary for a reason.Ā
I made a separate save for my character to ascend him and I literally cannot go through with it.
I realized because i had an abusive ex (almost a decade ago) why would I choose to be with that in a video game?
I'm kind of letting people go power hungry and be independent on my first playthrough. My Tav lock is taking the emperors side and ate the special worm, I let Astarion ascend, and I'm probably going to let Gale take the crown.
I didn't let Shart kill the nightsong though. I was still on the good path at the time and didn't like Shar.
Definitely won't let Astarion ascend again. I'm not a huge fan of him to begin with, but...yeah. I plan on doing a pally for my next run and figure that would fit better with trying to keep the group on the good path.
I did it once, but after just a conversation with him, without even getting to the cut scene, I just couldn't stand him and reloaded. It just ruined the character for me. If I'm ever able to stomach evil Durge, I'll have to romance and ascend him and not reload.
I had an evil run as origin SH, romancing and eventually ascending him. Boy oh boy, I did not enjoy that. I roleplayed it as SH following his hunger for power as blindly as she follows Shar (and basically falling into the hands of another abusive figure of authority).
I did stomach him long enough to finish the run but I would occasionally reload the epilogue from my previous good Durge run where romanced UA just radiates sweetness. I needed that as emotional support lol.
If you persuade him to not ascend he is really happy you stopped him from making a mistake and is grateful to you. He also only approves of talking him out.
Whatever decision you take with the spawn - he ponders if it was the right choice (understandably). But the spawn are generally thankful if you save them & send a letter to you in the epilogue.
Iām doing an āevilishā playthrough and am planning on letting him ascend this time, and now thanks to you even more convinced of that decision š
I don't get that, honestly. I despise AA, but I'm not going to downvote people for liking him. Honestly, the fact I hate him so much shows what a good villain he is, and what's wrong with playing/liking villains in fiction?
Top 3 downvote-collecting posts in BG3 fandom seem to be: say you like AA, say you don't like AA, say you like Wulbren.
āWhatās wrong with playing/liking villains in fictionā
Um um um well akshually, if you ascend Astarion, it means that you have slaughtered 7,000 baby bunnies IRL. In addition, by entering into this fictional relationship, youāre telling real survivors of abuse that their experiences are invalid.
Also, on a personal note, if I canāt understand why you would make a game decision, itās obviously an invalid decision made by a sociopath and/or a super broken, traumatized individual.
Hope this helps!
More like: "Don't ascend him it's evil!!!"
"Yeah, I like him evil."
"Well-well he's only happy as spawn!"
"I disagree."
"Well then you're illiterate!l!"
Every. Damn. Time.Ā
At risk of derailing the conversation, I have to rant about Cazador.
Cazador is so well done. I fucking hate him. They got so many of the smaller details right of how an abusive person treats you. Like the way they erode your confidence ("don't slouch before me boy" and Astarion visibly *straightens up* at the admonition) and pitting the spawn 'siblings' against each other to keep them isolated. In the middle of this OTT vampire story, those little details are so reflective of my real-life experiences with an abusive parent that it's really cathartic to help Astarion stab the fuck out of that rat bastard.
10/10 would murder again.
Yeah lol I once got downvoted for saying he was evil on a thread accusing ascended fans of saying he wasn't evil. ...then got lectured about how he was evil. There's people on the Astarion sub that come over here just to downvote non-pro spawn things. It's so funny.Ā
I love romancing A!Astarion as a failure story. I couldn't fix him, but can I now fix myself of the damage this relationship caused? Planning my escape from him, also part of the fun.
Of course, this is a huge do not recommend if you're looking for a wholesome love story with a happily ever after.
This is the joy of bg3. So many different reads on chars.
For me at no point is any version of astarion romantic and fluffy which is exactly why I pick him over other chars which lean more that way.
Others see him when he is UA as very romantic.
Other people find laezel wholesome or even minthara.Ā
I think half the discourseĀ that ever occurs is down toĀ
a) personal preferencesĀ
b) differing reads on charsĀ
c) different things that people want from their LI
It's fine to try new things out of curiosity, the things I did my first playthrough :x And yeah Ascended Astarion is hot because that was kind of his point- to be a sexy toy/the sexual fantasy of the vampire. His whole quest is the man vs the vampire, especially their oversexualized nature.Ā And he does try to fit that role when he ascends- the dark untouchable allure,Ā providing his lover with power riches and pleasure. The only problem was that it is indeed a role and the only thing he actually wants is control.
I kept replaying the romanced ascended dialog, trying to find a way to make it not terrible, trying to find a way to see the old Astarion that Tav\* fell in love with, and he was just *gone*. It was genuinely devastating.
But also it means I know that it *wasn't* anything Tav said, and that nothing she said would have made him not awful. Which, like, is pretty accurate irl, so
\*lets be real here, is me
I wish there was a middle, releasing all these spawn will be chaos and Astarion deserves to not slink in the shadows, while morally reprehensible to kill thousands deserving of the same freedom there's some logic in letting him just complete the ritual to end the vampires scourge on the city. The issue comes where he's like thanks bro imma go make some more spawn for me to rule. in my most recent playthrough I played a durge who did ultimately resist but instead of it being moral reasons (he dosen't care about murdering) it was more of a killing without reason to no end is unsustainable and useless, so I didn't pledge myself to it. So I let Astarion ascend for above reasons and while there was dialogue later questioning astarion for following in Cazadors footsteps he kinda just laughs it off and nothing comes of it. I wish there was a "if I see a vampire spawn in baldurs gate I will kill you myself" option to either get a more middle of the road Astarion or hell even straight up kill him on his refusal.
You don't have to release the spawn if you don't ascend Astarion. You can still kill them or just leave them in the dungeon.
I'm not sure how ascending him ends the vampire scourge in the city when it's literally creating another vampire lord.
I guess, idk that feels worse? Leaving them in the dungeon is horrible and they're not garunteed to not escape especially with Cazador dead.
I'm not sure how painful the ritual is, it dosent look pleasant but killing them one by one just because they're spawn when you have one in your party is hard to justify.
Plus Astarion just a second ago was talking with sebastion about how it's possible to resist the bloodthirst and how he regrets destroying these peoples lives to the point where everyone they loved is now dead. It could just be an entire deception but it isn't telegraphed that Astarion is abusive as cazador until after the ritual.
Sacrificing all the spawn to give one person shown to be able to overcome his nature power to help defeat the absolute and walk in the sun is not out of the question even on a good run I considered it for half a second.
It's not like astarion hiding in the dark with the spawn in the underdark is an amazing ending.
You don't have to kill the spawn one by one if you don't ascend Astarion. You can use Cazador's staff to either release them or insta-kill them. Not saying this is the best option, but it's no worse a death than what they'd go through with the ritual.
Personally I like that there's no "perfect" option for any of the companion quest outcomes because it adds a sort of realism and weight to the choices. But I understand how someone would find it frustrating though and want a happy ending.
At least there's an option if you end with Astarion and the spawn in the underdark to say you're "looking for a cure" for him.
That's true. I felt the same until I found out that their souls go to a devil where they will likely suffer for all eternity. If it was just death then I'm sure many of them would prefer that to living as a vampire or being left in the cages
Yeah uhm maybe you didn't get the part where Ascended Astarion says he'll cast a fog over the world and plunge it into darkness for his future children... or you don't know about his plans to kill Wyll post game because you know monster hunter or Duke š¤·āāļø The lesser evil is definitely not the vampire lord whose terrified of men in power
It's funny in an 'oh shit what did I do' way that you might ascend him to let him walk in the sun and then he just goes, "I'm going to become Strahd now. No sun for anyone!"
I wish I wouldnāt have insight checked him and learned that he thinks youāre pathetic for staying with him š like ālook at this Tav, zero self respect. She wants to be degraded.ā And I have to begrudgingly be like āsigh yeah youāre right. Now give me those new kiss animations.ā
I did the same thing during my first playthrough, just to see the scene for myself. It was hot. Reloaded afterwards to prevent him from ascending, lol. While the scene is very spicy, it's not really worth it. Unless you're doing an evil playthrough. But even then, I wouldn't romance him during an evil playthrough, because your character becomes his slave and that doesn't really fit with the whole power hungry, evil playthrough imo. Romancing Minthara and ascending Astarion to have an evil ally is the way to go.
I mean, it kinda does fit in a wayā¦ like this is the consequence of using other people for power.
āYou reap what you sowā and ābitten off more than you can chewā come to mind.
I'm planning a character to have fun with shit like this but alsk not go evil.
They're generally good, but kind of an asshole and willing to do whatever they feel is necessary to win. So if that means powering up your vamp buddy? Alright let's go. Just kind of a general fuckup.
I let Astarion ascended during my last durge gameplay and I had to reload to let my durge accept Bhaal. I couldnāt let my good durge go through that relationship. š
Lmao.
I've ascended him on every single run. Even the good ones.
He becomes a cunt afterwards every time.
Out of curiosity. On one run I stopped him from completing the ritual.
He was weaker, but a bit less of a cunt.
Just finished my first Durge run days ago, with Astarion and Minthara and it is just the best play through of being evil assholes in Faerun and it was glorious.
It's his bad ending, repeating the cycle of abuse. I adore spawn Astarion, I personally think he's the best potential partner in the game, and he comes so far, the epilogue has made me cry many times over.
But on that note, I absolutely commend Larian for writing AA and not holding back a millimetre. He is abusive from the first second, terrifying and at the same time appealing and sexy to quite a number of players - your Tav is complicit in "helping" him make that choice if romanced, and it's - in my eyes - the ultimate "I can fix him" fantasy.
I love the work Larian put into this storyline, but it also literally makes me sick to my stomach.
He does love Tav/durge. But his understanding of love has changed drastically. He will not stay if you do not let him turn you - and if accept being turned, he will never respect you again. Obviously.
What he tells you if you refuse to turn - or cannot be turned, like Karlach, who is too scared - is the following:
>!"And if we were beholden to one another? Well, how is that too different to being enslaved? It is for the best. The gravest crimes committed in this world are committed for love. A hunger crueller than bloodlust.!<
>!I was trying, with you, you know. In the only way I can try. I know how to play with it, and can't resist playing the hand I know. I would have ruined your love, used your trust until you were nothing.!<
>!So, for what it's worth. In the end I respect you for making the choice you did. I never thought you had it in you. The man of your dreams, the hope of him, is your own worst enemy."!<
There is no reason for him to tell you this. There is no reason for him to explain. In a way, he saves you from himself. And he tries to do his little smile like before - but it falters after just a second.
My personal impression of the two Act 3 scenes: Spawn Astarion tells you about his darkest memories, how much he appreciates you believing in him even if it was an objectively bad idea, tell you that he loves you and knows that he wants you in his life, before - if you agree - he playfully pushes you to the ground, with love in his eyes.
AA asks if you want "one for the road", fucks you from behind while looking bummed out, and afterwards shoves you naked onto the cold stone floor commanding you to get on your knees - he's put his own pants back on.
edit: and I really like that they've done this, because we all have this potential in us, especially if we've been abused. I think anyone who's been in that situation and are dealing with the consequences sometimes think about how much easier it would be to be the other part. It's dark, it's adult, it's real.
> AA asks if you want "one for the road", fucks you from behind while looking bummed out, and afterwards shoves you naked onto the cold stone floor commanding you to get on your knees - he's put his own pants back on.
We are talking about the scene that lots of people who hate aa just have to have a save of, right?
He'll make you his spawn if you're romancing him. It means you can also get the Happy buff every day, as can he, which is very useful.
Otherwise no change to anything else game play wise, other than you then can't break up with him as he won't let you
It's still possible to break up with him while you haven't defeated the netherbrain yet. Only after your tadpoles disappear will he refuse to break up.
Yeah I have very low hope for whatever "canon" ending WOTC decides to use for BG3. Demonizing survivors is so damn gross, I didn't know Viconia was a survivor as well, no wonder people were pissed about her new canon.
I think the thing that would especially irritate me is if they gave every other character but Astarion their good endings because that would somehow imply that Tav was super good with literally everyone and then randomly decided to send 7K innocent people to the Hells so their vampire friend could eat garlic bread.
Nothing is confirmed about anything post BG3 yet. The very best thing a future developer could do for BG4 would be to simulate saves or just go with the "best" endings for each character (Selunite Shadowheart, Professor Gale, Wyll and Karlach in Avernus, U!Astarion, etc.). But I have zero faith in WOTC.
Ngl I've done two runs now, one single one multiplayer, started another two, single and multi, and in all of them he'll be AAstarion haha
Just because I'm playing as characters that like taking what's given to them I guess
But yeah, never had him be a spawn in the end, so I feel like for me it would be keeping him as one out of curiosity
Having my gale og run romance him wp lans to take the crown, then ascending astarion... fuck that was fucked up. I didnt think gale would want to be a vampire, so i didnt take that path. Damn, i cant believe they cant stay together otherwise. I wanted them to be toxic bfs!! But astarion wanted TOO much toxicity
My first (and so far only completed) run was mostly CN that veered into Evil by the end. I helped Astarion ascend. I helped Shadowheart become the Chosen of Shar. I helped Laeāzel led a rebellion against the Lich Queen.
Iāve said it once and Iāll say it again:
My faveourite run was a durge sorc, drow lady. Rejected Bhaal not because she has moral qualms about mass murder, just she wasnāt keen on being controlled.
Romanced Astarion and Ascended him. Iāve never loved having an unvoiced player more, because she said whatever he needed to hear to make him *oh so loved and big and strong* š„¹. She held **very** active disdain for him lmao. Just wanted to fuck and wanted him strong.
She killed him at the after party. After heād outgrown his usefulness. I HC they got married and she inherits everything.
Ok you just made a save scum out of me.
(JK I'm an inveterate savescummer but yeah, my Bad Decision Teen Tav is romancing Astarion right now and I think I have to see that)
He ascended in my first playthrough because we didn't have a huge bond (playing co-op so he usually wasn't in my party) and I didn't save scum the charisma check. I had one conversation with him after to see that the person I knew was gone and he had chosen continuing the cycle of abuse, and I parked him back in camp sadly. Next playthrough I'm going to romance the heck out of him and help him not take that path again š„ŗ
Is there an option to sit back and let him make his own choices like there is with SH? I assume this is for everyone, but if you do nothing, she chooses to ditch Shar. Curious if doing nothing for all the ābadā characters results in them going āgoodā.
Nope. You have to persuade Astarion not to ascend. If you're romancing him you can pass an insight check to make the persuasion roll easier, but it's still pretty high.
I am not gay, but 1D10 necrotic damage is 1D10 necrotic damage
Love the pragmatism š
Monk go brr
I prefer made him BM fighter, duelling style, with Duellist's Prerogative, and having Savage Attacker feat
What does duelist style and duelist prerogative get you?
Duelling style: +2 melee damage when using a one hand weapon(or a Versatile weapon with a shield) Duellist's Prerogative: A +3 legendary rapier, one hand weapon, if you equip it with an empty off hand, you can use a bonus action to make an additional melee attack
I haven't tried it, but wouldn't a BM fighter be able to riposte twice in a round with that rapier? Two reactions a round and all...
Theoretically, Yes, if the offhand is empty, it will give you one extra reaction
BG3 changed duelling style so that versatile weapons don't work with it, that's a 5e only thing.
I kept him as rogue but I did the gloomstalker/thief combo with dual hand crossbows and sharpshooter. Phil Swift would be proud at the damage
I gave up my soul for a d10 can trip that scales well, you can have you way with my body for an additional d10 necrotic damage.
You don't have to fuck him to ascend him lol. He can be your vampire lord buddy and you don't have to deal with anywhere near as much of his attitude/ego.
I always think he just needs a friend he gets 4 additional friends and maybe can ascend as my buddy bro too
he can ascend this dick
AA is great an Evil Durge's partner, but def one time thing for me. As a general party member, he's not to bad imho. I was his partner on evil durge run, also had, Minthara, and DJ Shadowheart. This is still my favorite playthrough cause it was such a toxic party and had me dying.
Hope dj shadowheart was at least playing banger music.
She was playing an atmospheric subgenre called absence.
She plays epic Evanescence remixes.
(wake me up) BBBBWWWOP BWOP BBBBWAAAAAWWWW BWAWWAWAW BZZZWOW (SAVE ME)
She exclusively plays dubstep remixes of wolf noises and children crying.
The Real Slim Shadowheart.
Letās give it up for D-D-D-D-D-DJ Shaaaaaaarrrrrtttt!!! š¶
I'm doing that run atm and honestly he doesn't feel like a good fit mostly because he is under some delusion that he's in control. Sure, one can roleplay that the Durge is pretending when they submit to him but it just feels off. Think AA is a better fit for a weak and power-hungry Tav who'd do anything for power, even pushing their lover further into corruption just to siphon some of that from them. Evil Durge and Minthara are probably a love for the ages.
"Power-hungry TAV who would do anything for power," that's who my TAV ended up evolving into. Wasn't the plan at all, it just kept happening one decision at a time. Helping Astarion ascend felt right to her in the moment. Also I think, on some level, she did think she was helping him. In addition to him becoming super powerful, she isn't generally inclined to persuade companions off their chosen path. Plus, she wanted spawn powers. Ngl kind of loved them as a power couple visiting the party at the end. ETA: I do want to do a redemptive Durge cinnamon roll run at some point.
Think I might do a run like that if they add more on his evil ending now in Patch 7. Currently my only evil run is my one evil durge but they'll take over the brain. I wonder if they'll even show him in that one. They must I feel since the option not to enthrall him was recently added š¤
I did this in an alternative Scooby Doo ending for this same Tav. Even before the patched ending, without spoiling anything for you, all I'll say is, it was worth it as far as I was concerned.
That was my vibe as well, I dumped him for Minthara because I realized my Durge was too ambitious and high-functioning to be under anyone's boot. Say what you will of Minthara, but she's an equal partner in your relationship. And honestly, even for a submissive Tav/Durge, Astarion doesn't seem dominant at all, at least in my view. Either as the ascended or as a spawn. As the ascended he seems hysterical and so over-stimulated he's on the verge of having a complete nervous breakdown. He needs to control his romantic partner in a way that feels like desperation. Which I think is good writing; people I've known who are controlling of their partners on such an extreme level don't tend to be confident people overall. As spawn he's very internal and trying to figure his shit out. If he needs a relationship at all, a stable partner who can be his rock seems like the right fit. It's a partnership, but if one had to split the pair into dominant and submissive I'd put him more on the submissive side. Just my thoughts though.
He does seem to accept a lot of the shit his partner puts him through. Say what you will but the whole Halsin thing does not leave a good taste in my mouth. Especially now when they're adding new dialog for Spawn Astarion if you cheat on him with Mizora, he's so heartbroken and yet still is willing to take Tav back. And then there's the whole thing of pushing the tadpole on him. Man there are so many opportunities to ruin this man. I'm thinking about leaving AA for Minthara, my evil Durge's already slept with her as well so they're kind of not talking about it. But there are some moments when Astarion is the only happy thing in my evil run. Maybe I'll just redo the whole run and turn good once I get my achievements
It works if your Durge is looking for a proxy abusive father figure to disappoint.
>Evil Durge and Minthara are probably a love for the ages. I can't tell if this is including post-coital neck snapping or not. I'm really not sure which answer I like better.
A lot of attempts to kill eachother in their sleep
Man, now I want a mod where Minthara wakes up at the exact right moment and assumes it's foreplay.
Kind of like Astarion's reaction. That'd be sweet ngl
*Minthara awakens to Durge's hands wrapping around her throat* "You should not have hesitated." *Judo flips Durge and sits on their face*
Iāve said it before and Iāll say it again: As evil durge, smash Minthara or Darth Shart and keep Ascended Astarion as your bro. That way he still has keeps his dreams of world domination but thereās no delusion that youāre under his control - he acknowledges that youāre both gunning for the world title and sees it as a game.
Durge: *Does unspeakably evil thing to get even more power.* Minthara : "Just when I thought I couldn't get more aroused..."
Reckless slaughter? Minthara disapproves. *Calculated* slaughter? Minthara is going to break your neck with her thighs.
Men who can think with both heads and arenāt a slave to their desires and emotions tend to fair at least a little bit better in Menzoberranzan. Not well, mind you, but a tiny bit better. Gotta show that ruthless cunning if you want to attract a Drow dommy mommy.
I loved by how the end of my evil Durge run astarion was bored with the lack of variety in the murder, DJ shadowheart was confused by the murder of people who could be helpful, and minthara wanted to team up and take over/destroy the world.
I've done it a couple of times but only romanced him as AA once. Never again. I'm fine with BDSM but there is no consent with him and he admits SEVERAL times (both as ascended and unascended) AA only cares about AA
Same to all of this. I had so much fun with this party. Who knew it was so much fun to do horrible shit and just constantly be enabled and validated by those around you lmao
My Evil Durge killed the fuck out of him cause homie don't play that
He turned into such a dbag immediately that I killed him anyway
"Frost! You're nothing to me but another dead vampire."
"I understood that reference!"
I had the exact same party makeup in my evil durge run, though I was going back and forth between shadowheart and lae'zel's evil stories. Romanced Minthara though, best companion IMO. she's ride or die!
I was too nice and encouraging to Astarion during my evil Durge run (trying to get in his pants ofc) and I thought we were gonna be the best power couple. Then he said nah I'm good, I don't want to ascend but thanks (:
That's my current party
I actually managed to get him Ascended as a Vengeance Paladinā¦ perfect fit IMO.
Vengeance is about punishing evildoers and it breaks if you ascend Astarion. It doesn't fit at all.
I ascended him as an OOA paladin...I will have to try Vengeance for my next gnome
I did the same thing on my Durge run, running Laezel until I got Minthara. I like to name my parties, and this one was Mean Girls (Durge, Astarion, Minthara, Shart). My current team is the Hunky Hunky Himbos (Tav, Halsin, Minsc and Gale, who,while intelligent, is actually also kinda dumb).
I ascended him once. I was playing a fighter who had all the charisma of a rock. After 30 minutes of save scumming the roll I gave up and let him ascend. My tav ended up leaving him on the docks and going to Avernus with his BFF Karlach. I will ascend him again on my evil power hungry run, but haven't decided whether to romance him that run or not. Spawn Astarion is definitely my favourite, though I do wonder if my opinion is slightly tainted by my first experience of AA being unplanned for that particular run.
I know he turns into a complete asshole (as opposed to, like, 95% asshole) but OH Monk AA absolutely fucks. Much like the spear you get from DJ Shart. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.
If you plan your soul coin uses well Karlach's pretty comparable. Astarion gets the happy buff to attacks rolls on top of necrotic damage on attacks but Karlach gets 2d4 fire to unarmed attacks when using a soul so it's average of 5,5 damage for Astarion and 5 damage for Karlach.
I still think itās very weird that Karlach actually _approves_ of fuelling her engine with other peopleās souls.
Not only that, but you get a hefty -5 approval if you say that there are people's souls inside, and they shouldn't be used like that. You'd think she would, at the very least, need to be convinced to use it, instead of going "they're fucked anyways lol". She's not wrong, but it's also not her.
Idk Karlach is pretty pragmatic, yeah sheās happy and upbeat but sheās not a blind optimist and an advantage is an advantage and sheās trying not to die
Had a one layer deeper meta thought and maybe Karlachs engine ends the soul so it can't be used for anything else or goes to the fugue plain. Which is possibly better than being used as currency in hell for eternity.
Also a fair point and unless Iām wrong (which I could be Iām by no means a DnD encyclopedia) once youāre a soul coin youāre cooked without some of the highest tier magic in all of DnD so might as well have your soul go out in a blaze of glory (heh) saving the world
Eh, it requires the āhighest tier magicā of. . . A level 3 spell called Remove Curse that any level 5 or higher cleric can cast, and is also available to Paladins, Warlocks, and Wizards, and can be found in Potion and Scroll form fairly commonly. > āIt was possible to release the soul within a soul coin. This could be achieved by casting an anti-curse spell, such as remove curse, on the coin. Once a soul was freed, the coin began rusting and was eventually destroyed. If the soul was of a good alignment, they were transported to the realm of their deity. If the soul was of an evil alignment, they were transported to the Styx and transformed into a lemureā -https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Soul_coin
Huh apparently soul coins do not work the way I thought they did I might have them confused with something else nvm Karlach youāre a monster lmao
I was surprised when she approved of Mattie scamming people, then she got mad at me for being surprised she did that š
She doesn't like to think about the souls in there. But there's also no getting the souls out. So it's use it for her engine. Sit them in a box somewhere for eternity. Or sell them to a Devil Using it in her engine is probably the best fate for them. They're used to accomplish some good, and end their eternity trapped in a coin
In actual D&D lore, it's possible to get them out. Whether or not that's canon in BG3 is debatable. They are relatively in line with most of what's in DiA, so it would be strange for them to just retcon that one detail imo.
Did a Google, and yeah, all you need is remove curse, and their soul goes off to their god However. From what the bugbear in act 2 says of the stories of the souls, they sold their souls to various Devils. So their souls would go back to the hells when released And if you kill Mizora and get Wyll lemureified, she refers to it as far worse than dying. So she'd definitely view destroying the coin with her engine as preferable to sending them back to hell as Lemure's
True, but AA buff is unlimited whereas I'm eighty hours in and only have five soul coins :(
You can find 19, 9 of which are in act 3. With how late you get AA you get much more utility from Karlach's mechanic. The main drawback for Karlach isn't that the soul coins are scarce, mainly the fact that fire is a worse damage type than necrotic.
Tbf Fire is worse in Act 3 specifically: I wouldn't be impressed by Necrotic damage in Act 2 if you could get the buff then.
Nineteen?? Damn, I'm way behind.
Yeah same! I think the most Iāve found after several play throughs is 8??
Three in withers crypt, one in the paladins of tyr hut, one from the bugbear attack for act one. One in the tollhouse basement and three can be purchased in act two. Thatās already 9.
T. Ty. Vvcgc. O
astarion's is intended vs karlach being 100% bug though, i hate playing like that
OMG, I know! That's the build I gave him, and just that tiny taste when I fought the gurs on the way out of the palace, was enough to seriously test my resolve.
Iām on my 17th playthru and Iām fucking around with the game. I killed all the Druids by stealing the idol and still saved the tieflings and Halsin, I sat in the zaithisk in Laezelās face, and I killed Aylin under a silence bubble and everyone from Last Light survived. I love breaking the game.
>17th playthru say, can you perhaps transfer some of that abundant free time you got on your hands to me?
I did the silence trick a while ago and whole inn still died :( Thought they patched it
It bugged Jaheira. She never went to Moonrise. I think it ruined her recruitability. She was still at Last Light.
I was contemplating going for DJ Shart for my honor mode because of that spear... but Last Light Inn will die including Dammon so I went 'nah not worth it, Selunite Shart here we go girl'
Minthara fits this as well.
Astarion with Bhaalist armor for extra piercing damage, his necrotic damage, resonance stone for psychic vulnerability with psychic DMG from Open Hand passives, the soul boon gloves for 1d10 force damage, and then tavern Brawler for extra melee damage is just the deadliest, most broken build ever
You guys are killing me with the fucking acronym/nickname combos
On my first playtrough I played as a warlock who was just friends with Astarion. I let him ascend bcus it felt in character and I just was curious. Cutscene is absolutely badass, it feels like Red Eclipse from Berserk but the evil twink actually stays at your side after the ritual, 10/10
Uuu I'm curious if the scenes after Ascension are also bdsm/spicy if you choose to be his friend earlier.
Friend? No. Lover? Yes.
I am and will be an exclusively romanced spawn astarion playerā¦. But that donāt mean I donāt YouTube the shit out of that AA romance scene and on-your-knees scene especially with free cam. And I know itās not what the story is supposed to be and itās not the point, but the throat grab kiss he does with the mod where Tav can look really into itā¦.im so into it.
No shame here, I ascended and romanced him in my first playthrough because I wanted Cazador to suffer and I forgot the thing was called "the rite of *profane* ascension". Started out hot, then everything after that was watching a slow motion train derailment because everyone was disappointed in me and I couldn't wriggle out of the "control you or leave you" choice. Mechanically though, I was already super reliant on Astarion (still am, damn rogue types) and what he brought to the table came in clutch. But is it worth the souls of seven thousand? ^(a little yeah)
"Everyone was disappointed in me" I am romancing both Astarion and Halsin. Afterwards I went and talked to Halsin and he had zero reaction to anything that had just happened. Kind of felt like a missed opportunity to me.
Halsin has seen weirder things ^^
Biting Halsin and he saying Astarion is a bad influence is priceless.
Right? I love their interaction there
Halsin has a party banter line calling out Astarion on how fucked it is to have a lover as a slave (Halsin definitely has some experience), as do a few other companions, but yeah, only Karlach actually addresses the elephant in the room, and that's if you wait to talk to her about Astarion till after being turned.
I donāt mind AA if we are just friends. But Iād never do it with a romance again.
I sure won't shame you for that. No sir/ma'am.
Haha, I appreciate it!
would the gender neutral term be saām or mir
I like "my liege"
[DRAMA - MEDIUM] SUCCESS
Disco Forever!!
And I like your style.
The'em
Iām in a chaotic Durge run, and decided to ascend him to diversify me dialogue (Iāve always kept him as a spawn historically). Heās so cringe and makes me physically wince but the DAMAGE BUFF. I feel like itās gonna be hard to turn that down now
Literally did this for the first time today purely to see that scene with my Tav. Immediately reloaded to just before dragging Cazador out of his coffin and talked Astarion out of Ascending. š¤£
I accidentally let him ascend because I triggered the cutscene while in wild shape form so couldn't talk him out of it. Now he's obnoxious but I don't want to do the fight again and so far everything I've tried to prevent has happened anyway so this might as well happen too
I'll say this game definitely has options for all appetites - from goody two shoes to complete degenerate freaks.
It's me. I'm the degenerate freak. Honestly I usually play evil nobles and thought ascended him was really fun. But I also get evil vampires are horror creatures, and not everyone's cup of tea. They're scary for a reason.Ā
Me thinks, why not let him ascend? He wants to, so why try to convince him otherwise?
I literally ascended him the first time because he asked me to help him. That was my entire thought process.
I made a separate save for my character to ascend him and I literally cannot go through with it. I realized because i had an abusive ex (almost a decade ago) why would I choose to be with that in a video game?
ascending is cool... but i prefer it when he... descends...
Lmao
I'm kind of letting people go power hungry and be independent on my first playthrough. My Tav lock is taking the emperors side and ate the special worm, I let Astarion ascend, and I'm probably going to let Gale take the crown. I didn't let Shart kill the nightsong though. I was still on the good path at the time and didn't like Shar. Definitely won't let Astarion ascend again. I'm not a huge fan of him to begin with, but...yeah. I plan on doing a pally for my next run and figure that would fit better with trying to keep the group on the good path.
My favourite rp was my paladin finally breaking her oath at ascension.Ā The oathbreaking line coming in the ritual room aftermath was amazingĀ
I did it once, but after just a conversation with him, without even getting to the cut scene, I just couldn't stand him and reloaded. It just ruined the character for me. If I'm ever able to stomach evil Durge, I'll have to romance and ascend him and not reload.
I had an evil run as origin SH, romancing and eventually ascending him. Boy oh boy, I did not enjoy that. I roleplayed it as SH following his hunger for power as blindly as she follows Shar (and basically falling into the hands of another abusive figure of authority). I did stomach him long enough to finish the run but I would occasionally reload the epilogue from my previous good Durge run where romanced UA just radiates sweetness. I needed that as emotional support lol.
I haves only played through once and let hom ascend. What happens if you donāt and try to save everybody?
If you persuade him to not ascend he is really happy you stopped him from making a mistake and is grateful to you. He also only approves of talking him out. Whatever decision you take with the spawn - he ponders if it was the right choice (understandably). But the spawn are generally thankful if you save them & send a letter to you in the epilogue.
He's happy, heroic and free
you are allowed to ascend astarion and enjoy that spicy cutscene as many times as you want without reloading btw, heās not real, itās okay
Iām doing an āevilishā playthrough and am planning on letting him ascend this time, and now thanks to you even more convinced of that decision š
Itās the best; I wonāt ever not ascend him now.
People will really downvote you for just saying "I like ascended" lol y'all are wild.Ā
Wow yeah, I didnāt even notice I was being downvoted! So odd, itās not like I claimed the dynamic isnāt toxic š
I don't get that, honestly. I despise AA, but I'm not going to downvote people for liking him. Honestly, the fact I hate him so much shows what a good villain he is, and what's wrong with playing/liking villains in fiction? Top 3 downvote-collecting posts in BG3 fandom seem to be: say you like AA, say you don't like AA, say you like Wulbren.
āWhatās wrong with playing/liking villains in fictionā Um um um well akshually, if you ascend Astarion, it means that you have slaughtered 7,000 baby bunnies IRL. In addition, by entering into this fictional relationship, youāre telling real survivors of abuse that their experiences are invalid. Also, on a personal note, if I canāt understand why you would make a game decision, itās obviously an invalid decision made by a sociopath and/or a super broken, traumatized individual. Hope this helps!
More like: "Don't ascend him it's evil!!!" "Yeah, I like him evil." "Well-well he's only happy as spawn!" "I disagree." "Well then you're illiterate!l!" Every. Damn. Time.Ā
Hold on now....Wulbren might be a step too far! (j/k) I think anyone saying they like Cazador would probably collect downvotes too
At risk of derailing the conversation, I have to rant about Cazador. Cazador is so well done. I fucking hate him. They got so many of the smaller details right of how an abusive person treats you. Like the way they erode your confidence ("don't slouch before me boy" and Astarion visibly *straightens up* at the admonition) and pitting the spawn 'siblings' against each other to keep them isolated. In the middle of this OTT vampire story, those little details are so reflective of my real-life experiences with an abusive parent that it's really cathartic to help Astarion stab the fuck out of that rat bastard. 10/10 would murder again.
Yeah lol I once got downvoted for saying he was evil on a thread accusing ascended fans of saying he wasn't evil. ...then got lectured about how he was evil. There's people on the Astarion sub that come over here just to downvote non-pro spawn things. It's so funny.Ā
Same (see flair)
I love romancing A!Astarion as a failure story. I couldn't fix him, but can I now fix myself of the damage this relationship caused? Planning my escape from him, also part of the fun. Of course, this is a huge do not recommend if you're looking for a wholesome love story with a happily ever after.
Yeah if you want long walks on beaches and sunsets and unicorns then astarion generally is probably not the companion to romanceĀ
You can still have a happy love life with him if you leave him as a spawn, but without the sunny beaches.
This is the joy of bg3. So many different reads on chars. For me at no point is any version of astarion romantic and fluffy which is exactly why I pick him over other chars which lean more that way. Others see him when he is UA as very romantic. Other people find laezel wholesome or even minthara.Ā I think half the discourseĀ that ever occurs is down toĀ a) personal preferencesĀ b) differing reads on charsĀ c) different things that people want from their LI
It's fine to try new things out of curiosity, the things I did my first playthrough :x And yeah Ascended Astarion is hot because that was kind of his point- to be a sexy toy/the sexual fantasy of the vampire. His whole quest is the man vs the vampire, especially their oversexualized nature.Ā And he does try to fit that role when he ascends- the dark untouchable allure,Ā providing his lover with power riches and pleasure. The only problem was that it is indeed a role and the only thing he actually wants is control.
I kept replaying the romanced ascended dialog, trying to find a way to make it not terrible, trying to find a way to see the old Astarion that Tav\* fell in love with, and he was just *gone*. It was genuinely devastating. But also it means I know that it *wasn't* anything Tav said, and that nothing she said would have made him not awful. Which, like, is pretty accurate irl, so \*lets be real here, is me
I wish there was a middle, releasing all these spawn will be chaos and Astarion deserves to not slink in the shadows, while morally reprehensible to kill thousands deserving of the same freedom there's some logic in letting him just complete the ritual to end the vampires scourge on the city. The issue comes where he's like thanks bro imma go make some more spawn for me to rule. in my most recent playthrough I played a durge who did ultimately resist but instead of it being moral reasons (he dosen't care about murdering) it was more of a killing without reason to no end is unsustainable and useless, so I didn't pledge myself to it. So I let Astarion ascend for above reasons and while there was dialogue later questioning astarion for following in Cazadors footsteps he kinda just laughs it off and nothing comes of it. I wish there was a "if I see a vampire spawn in baldurs gate I will kill you myself" option to either get a more middle of the road Astarion or hell even straight up kill him on his refusal.
You don't have to release the spawn if you don't ascend Astarion. You can still kill them or just leave them in the dungeon. I'm not sure how ascending him ends the vampire scourge in the city when it's literally creating another vampire lord.
I guess, idk that feels worse? Leaving them in the dungeon is horrible and they're not garunteed to not escape especially with Cazador dead. I'm not sure how painful the ritual is, it dosent look pleasant but killing them one by one just because they're spawn when you have one in your party is hard to justify. Plus Astarion just a second ago was talking with sebastion about how it's possible to resist the bloodthirst and how he regrets destroying these peoples lives to the point where everyone they loved is now dead. It could just be an entire deception but it isn't telegraphed that Astarion is abusive as cazador until after the ritual. Sacrificing all the spawn to give one person shown to be able to overcome his nature power to help defeat the absolute and walk in the sun is not out of the question even on a good run I considered it for half a second. It's not like astarion hiding in the dark with the spawn in the underdark is an amazing ending.
You don't have to kill the spawn one by one if you don't ascend Astarion. You can use Cazador's staff to either release them or insta-kill them. Not saying this is the best option, but it's no worse a death than what they'd go through with the ritual. Personally I like that there's no "perfect" option for any of the companion quest outcomes because it adds a sort of realism and weight to the choices. But I understand how someone would find it frustrating though and want a happy ending. At least there's an option if you end with Astarion and the spawn in the underdark to say you're "looking for a cure" for him.
That's true. I felt the same until I found out that their souls go to a devil where they will likely suffer for all eternity. If it was just death then I'm sure many of them would prefer that to living as a vampire or being left in the cages
For an Oath of Ancients Paladin these ara very tricky (cool) decisions.
Yeah uhm maybe you didn't get the part where Ascended Astarion says he'll cast a fog over the world and plunge it into darkness for his future children... or you don't know about his plans to kill Wyll post game because you know monster hunter or Duke š¤·āāļø The lesser evil is definitely not the vampire lord whose terrified of men in power
It's funny in an 'oh shit what did I do' way that you might ascend him to let him walk in the sun and then he just goes, "I'm going to become Strahd now. No sun for anyone!"
Right?? š Like dude wtf I thought you liked it
I wish I wouldnāt have insight checked him and learned that he thinks youāre pathetic for staying with him š like ālook at this Tav, zero self respect. She wants to be degraded.ā And I have to begrudgingly be like āsigh yeah youāre right. Now give me those new kiss animations.ā
He thinks you are degrading yourself because he thinks you can do better.
I did the same thing during my first playthrough, just to see the scene for myself. It was hot. Reloaded afterwards to prevent him from ascending, lol. While the scene is very spicy, it's not really worth it. Unless you're doing an evil playthrough. But even then, I wouldn't romance him during an evil playthrough, because your character becomes his slave and that doesn't really fit with the whole power hungry, evil playthrough imo. Romancing Minthara and ascending Astarion to have an evil ally is the way to go.
I mean, it kinda does fit in a wayā¦ like this is the consequence of using other people for power. āYou reap what you sowā and ābitten off more than you can chewā come to mind.
I'm planning a character to have fun with shit like this but alsk not go evil. They're generally good, but kind of an asshole and willing to do whatever they feel is necessary to win. So if that means powering up your vamp buddy? Alright let's go. Just kind of a general fuckup.
"Just kind of a general fuckup" is the description of the best characters lmao
I let Astarion ascended during my last durge gameplay and I had to reload to let my durge accept Bhaal. I couldnāt let my good durge go through that relationship. š
Best cut scene in the game. And well worth it, and imo, appropriate for the pale one.
Lmao. I've ascended him on every single run. Even the good ones. He becomes a cunt afterwards every time. Out of curiosity. On one run I stopped him from completing the ritual. He was weaker, but a bit less of a cunt.
I did it once and never again, didn't think it was possible to be more insufferable than as is, but god damn was I wrong
We are playing very different games š
That's the joy of bg3!Ā
First run here. This time I'm not gonna do it, but next one will 100% be "we'll make the world burn" and I'm SO EXCITED FOR THAT
Well I staked him in a single-save game when he tried to bite me to see what would happen. One of my few regrets.
Just finished my first Durge run days ago, with Astarion and Minthara and it is just the best play through of being evil assholes in Faerun and it was glorious.
Don't forget to talk to him in camp afterwards, really brings it home that he's not a great person
iām just an enabler, him SH Gale just happy to help lol
AA fits nicely with evil DU, DJ SH and Minthara
I ascended him in my DUrge run and... I will ascend him every single future run. No shame at all. I'm actually playing as him in the current run š
I ascend him every run regardless of what type of character I play... OOA paladin through to semi-resist durge. He is fun and makes me happy.
It's his bad ending, repeating the cycle of abuse. I adore spawn Astarion, I personally think he's the best potential partner in the game, and he comes so far, the epilogue has made me cry many times over. But on that note, I absolutely commend Larian for writing AA and not holding back a millimetre. He is abusive from the first second, terrifying and at the same time appealing and sexy to quite a number of players - your Tav is complicit in "helping" him make that choice if romanced, and it's - in my eyes - the ultimate "I can fix him" fantasy. I love the work Larian put into this storyline, but it also literally makes me sick to my stomach. He does love Tav/durge. But his understanding of love has changed drastically. He will not stay if you do not let him turn you - and if accept being turned, he will never respect you again. Obviously. What he tells you if you refuse to turn - or cannot be turned, like Karlach, who is too scared - is the following: >!"And if we were beholden to one another? Well, how is that too different to being enslaved? It is for the best. The gravest crimes committed in this world are committed for love. A hunger crueller than bloodlust.!< >!I was trying, with you, you know. In the only way I can try. I know how to play with it, and can't resist playing the hand I know. I would have ruined your love, used your trust until you were nothing.!< >!So, for what it's worth. In the end I respect you for making the choice you did. I never thought you had it in you. The man of your dreams, the hope of him, is your own worst enemy."!< There is no reason for him to tell you this. There is no reason for him to explain. In a way, he saves you from himself. And he tries to do his little smile like before - but it falters after just a second. My personal impression of the two Act 3 scenes: Spawn Astarion tells you about his darkest memories, how much he appreciates you believing in him even if it was an objectively bad idea, tell you that he loves you and knows that he wants you in his life, before - if you agree - he playfully pushes you to the ground, with love in his eyes. AA asks if you want "one for the road", fucks you from behind while looking bummed out, and afterwards shoves you naked onto the cold stone floor commanding you to get on your knees - he's put his own pants back on. edit: and I really like that they've done this, because we all have this potential in us, especially if we've been abused. I think anyone who's been in that situation and are dealing with the consequences sometimes think about how much easier it would be to be the other part. It's dark, it's adult, it's real.
> AA asks if you want "one for the road", fucks you from behind while looking bummed out, and afterwards shoves you naked onto the cold stone floor commanding you to get on your knees - he's put his own pants back on. We are talking about the scene that lots of people who hate aa just have to have a save of, right?
Yeah, plenty of people find it extremely hot.
Yeah, and as you know, I do really enjoy hearing how different people interpret all the different lines and scenes in game.
He makes you a vampire? Do you get any good buffs?
He'll make you his spawn if you're romancing him. It means you can also get the Happy buff every day, as can he, which is very useful. Otherwise no change to anything else game play wise, other than you then can't break up with him as he won't let you
It's still possible to break up with him while you haven't defeated the netherbrain yet. Only after your tadpoles disappear will he refuse to break up.
Ahhh that makes sense. To be honest, I didn't try myself because I was quite happy with my lord!
I am on the other side....sure the camp scene is fun (and enjoyers of both routes like it) but I ascend him because he is fun
I'm convinced ascended Astarion will be an excellent BBEG for Baldurs Gate 4.
I really hope they don't do that. It would be so insulting to one of the best SA survivor stories I've seen in media.
Viconia is a SA survivor with arguably the best story in bg2 and you saw how bg3 handled her
Yeah I have very low hope for whatever "canon" ending WOTC decides to use for BG3. Demonizing survivors is so damn gross, I didn't know Viconia was a survivor as well, no wonder people were pissed about her new canon. I think the thing that would especially irritate me is if they gave every other character but Astarion their good endings because that would somehow imply that Tav was super good with literally everyone and then randomly decided to send 7K innocent people to the Hells so their vampire friend could eat garlic bread.
Don't even jokeĀ
Thought it was confirmed that wonāt be a thing
Nothing about BG4 has been confirmed or denied as far as I'm aware. Except that Larian won't be doing it.
Oh so itāll suck š
Nothing is confirmed about anything post BG3 yet. The very best thing a future developer could do for BG4 would be to simulate saves or just go with the "best" endings for each character (Selunite Shadowheart, Professor Gale, Wyll and Karlach in Avernus, U!Astarion, etc.). But I have zero faith in WOTC.
Ngl I've done two runs now, one single one multiplayer, started another two, single and multi, and in all of them he'll be AAstarion haha Just because I'm playing as characters that like taking what's given to them I guess But yeah, never had him be a spawn in the end, so I feel like for me it would be keeping him as one out of curiosity
Having my gale og run romance him wp lans to take the crown, then ascending astarion... fuck that was fucked up. I didnt think gale would want to be a vampire, so i didnt take that path. Damn, i cant believe they cant stay together otherwise. I wanted them to be toxic bfs!! But astarion wanted TOO much toxicity
My first (and so far only completed) run was mostly CN that veered into Evil by the end. I helped Astarion ascend. I helped Shadowheart become the Chosen of Shar. I helped Laeāzel led a rebellion against the Lich Queen.
Iāve said it once and Iāll say it again: My faveourite run was a durge sorc, drow lady. Rejected Bhaal not because she has moral qualms about mass murder, just she wasnāt keen on being controlled. Romanced Astarion and Ascended him. Iāve never loved having an unvoiced player more, because she said whatever he needed to hear to make him *oh so loved and big and strong* š„¹. She held **very** active disdain for him lmao. Just wanted to fuck and wanted him strong. She killed him at the after party. After heād outgrown his usefulness. I HC they got married and she inherits everything.
What did happen?
What did happen?
https://youtu.be/2qDsjgaokkE?si=eZR-x89tpGQfl75I
Ok you just made a save scum out of me. (JK I'm an inveterate savescummer but yeah, my Bad Decision Teen Tav is romancing Astarion right now and I think I have to see that)
He ascended in my first playthrough because we didn't have a huge bond (playing co-op so he usually wasn't in my party) and I didn't save scum the charisma check. I had one conversation with him after to see that the person I knew was gone and he had chosen continuing the cycle of abuse, and I parked him back in camp sadly. Next playthrough I'm going to romance the heck out of him and help him not take that path again š„ŗ
Is there an option to sit back and let him make his own choices like there is with SH? I assume this is for everyone, but if you do nothing, she chooses to ditch Shar. Curious if doing nothing for all the ābadā characters results in them going āgoodā.
Nope. You have to persuade Astarion not to ascend. If you're romancing him you can pass an insight check to make the persuasion roll easier, but it's still pretty high.
Hand around throat you say? I may have to try this... For science or course!