Baldur's Gate 3: How to Romance Astarion (2024)

Astarion is one of the more complicated romantic options in Baldur's Gate 3. As a vampire, there was an inevitable aspect of danger to being around him, however, his story, while it does throw the player into the sordid and macabre dealings of a vampire, is more about how Astarion chooses to respond to his past traumas rather than a single climactic fight with his progenitor. In many ways, Astarion is actually his own worst enemy and how the player acts around him will determine his future.

Astarion can best be summed up as a combination of the thoughts "I can fix him" or "I can make him worse." As a vampire spawn, Astarion is only ever on the cusp of the true power he can be offered. This centuries-long stagnation has frustrated him, and given him an unhealthy amount of ambition to acquire greater strength. Granted, it is motivated by the desire to never be helpless again, but even that motivation can become twisted with time. It is up to the players to decide how their love for Astarion will guide him.

Recruit Astarion in Act I

The Vampire in the Sun

• Astarion is won over by choices favoring the player's needs.
• He responds positively if the player accepts he is a vampire without too much fuss.
• He can later initiate an intimate moment between himself and the player.

As with any good romance, players first met Astarion when he threatened their life. Or rather, he tried to. The circumstances the two found themselves in meant that their best hope of surviving the mindflayer parasite in their heads depended on their ability to work together. Naturally, Astarion began their relationship by not only attempting to assault the player but also by lying to them, not divulging the fact that Astarion is a vampire. This was done to avoid any violence from a stranger, but considering how he initiated their meeting, it wouldn't be too unfair to assume the player had little to trust Astarion already.

Getting to know Astarion is a little difficult at first. Already predisposed to be mistrustful of others, Astarion's approval is hard to win. What draws Astarion to the player at first are sarcastic dialogue options, but Astarion also prefers choices that favor self-preservation. In his mind, the entire party is on a countdown to ceremorphosis and every second wasted is another closer to tentacles growing out of their faces. Therefore, Astarion likes it when the player prioritizes their own needs over those of the many people in need they encounter. That being said, it is not impossible for an altruistic character to slowly gain Astarion's trust and affection. Players just need to balance it out with the occasional "smart" decision from his perspective.

As time passes though, there will be evidence that Astarion is not all he claims to be. The first instance is during a cutscene where he stalks off into the middle of the night. Granted, the player character and the rest of the party did not take notice of this, but the real-life player can note how bizarre this is. Further evidence of Astarion's vampirism is presented if the player stumbles across an exsanguinated boar, a remnant of Astarion's midnight hunts. If Astarion is brought along, he will try to push the player to leave the strange sight. A passed check though will push him to reveal that a vampire did it, but not that he was said vampire.

Astarion's Darkest Truth

Confirmation of this occurs when the player awakens from their slumber to find Astarion about to bite them. How the player responds to this, as well as the realization that their traveling companion is a creature of the night is pivotal to Astarion's opinion of the player. If they respond in the positive, i.e. not immediately staking Astarion, then he will be grateful. Astarion will be pleasantly surprised though if the player allows him to drink some of his blood. Animal blood has satiated him for now, but a mortal's blood could hold him over for much longer and actually gives him a temporary buff the next morning.

Following this, the true romance with Astarion can begin. Players can learn a little more about Astarion's past under his abusive master, Cazador Szarr, in doing so realizing that Astarion's past will likely need to be confronted at some point. Beyond that terrifying implication though, there are slight flirtations passed between him and the player, but nothing truly comes of it until the party after defeating the Goblin Camp. Astarion will whine about the quality of the party, but if his approval of the player is high enough he will offer to spend the night with them. Players can accept or reject his offer, but saying yes is what opens the path to future romantic cutscenes.

What follows is a passionate night spent alone in the woods. Astarion once again offers to bite the player, but this time in a far more intimate way. Saying yes will further increase his approval. The morning after, the player has the opportunity to ask Astarion about his scars. Given how much Astarion trusts the player at this point, he is a little more open about one of the more painful memories of his past servitude. After this romantic interlude, the romance with Astarion is put on hold until Act II.

Astarion Takes Matters into His Own Hands in Act II

A Literal Deal With the Devil

• Astarion makes a deal with Raphael to learn the purpose of his scars.
• He later learns the scars were part of a ritual to turn Cazador into an ascended vampire.
• Helping Astarion will make him want to have a real relationship with the player.

Upon arriving in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, Astarion's lingering questions regarding the scars on his back will finally become too much to bear. Without Cazador to control him, Astarion can finally investigate what his master was truly doing. Despite his and the player's best efforts though, they are stumped as to the meaning of the scars, only able to confirm that they are written in Infernal, the language of the Hells. This of course is dependent on an arcana check or if the player is a tiefling. That bit of knowledge only implies something far darker waits for them in the future.

Then Astarion proceeds to make a deal with the devil — literally. Upon encountering Raphael again, Astarion makes a deal with him. He and the party will kill a fiendish rival of Raphael's. In exchange, the devil will translate the scars and tell Astarion what their purpose is. The foe in question is a powerful Orthon with a small army at his back. Players can defeat him in a number of ways, through trickery or combat, but it is recommended that players follow through on the deal to earn Astarion's further approval.

Upon completing their contract, Raphael discloses that the scars are just one part of a ritual meant to transform Cazador into a being known as the Vampire Ascendant. This would remove all the weaknesses of a vampire and give him even greater power. The catch? Cazador would have to sacrifice the lives of all his spawn, Astarion included. Astarion is shocked by this knowledge, but his ambitious mind already begins contemplating how to use this to his advantage, even considering performing the ritual himself.

Getting to Know the Real Astarion

After the deal with Raphael is complete, something will have shifted in Astarion. He now looks at the player as someone deserving a true romance, not the planned seduction he had initially intended, and later admitted to. Quite simply, Astarion had done something he never thought possible: he fell in love with the player. He later speaks to them about this, wanting to give them a real relationship rather than the passionate, but ultimately manipulative fling he had set out to have.

If the player responds in the affirmative, wanting to take things further with Astarion, then it leads to a heartwarming scene. Astarion opens up about his past, about how he had seduced and manipulated so many people, not for his own gain, but Cazador's. It leaves him with feelings of disgust and self-loathing, emotions that tend to ruin any possible moment of true romance he shares with the player. Put simply, Astarion doesn't know how to be in a real relationship after centuries of faking it.

The player can then agree to work through things with him. They can share a personal moment together. Not a sexual one, but something more important. For the first time in a long time, Astarion has let his guard down and found someone who will not hurt him if allowed in. At this stage, the romance is put on pause as the party deals with the Cult of the Absolute, but Astarion's past finally comes back to haunt everyone once they arrive in Baldur's Gate.

Act III Brings a Thrilling Finale For Astarion's Story

Astarion Confronts His Abuser

• Astarion can confront and kill Cazador, then decide whether to ascend or not.
• Ascended Astarion will lose his morality, but secretly be miserable.
• An unascended Astarion will be happier and able to heal from his trauma.

Upon settling into the city, Astarion and the party are attacked by his fellow vampire spawn. Realizing that Cazador will never leave him alone, Astarion goes to confront him. Infiltrating his mansion, the player realizes that Astarion actually wants to perform the ritual to become the ascendant vampire himself. To him, it is both the ultimate revenge, to take what Cazador worked so hard for away from him and a way to ensure that Astarion would never be helpless again.

Upon delving into the dungeons beneath the mansion though, the party realizes that all the people Astarion seduced and led to Cazador had not been killed for food, but transformed into a small army of vampire spawn, all meant to be sacrificed for Cazador's ritual. The cost of becoming such a powerful being was not to kill Astarion's sibling spawn, but seven thousand in total. Suddenly, Astarion's decision to ascend now depends on his ability to commit a slaughter. Adding to the emotional complexity was that a good portion of these victims were only there because of his actions.

When the party finally confronts Cazador, what ensues is perhaps one of the most fun fights of the game, rife with time-dependent actions and unique enemy types. Once Cazador is defeated though, the pivotal moment of Astarion's life is underway. The player can either try to reach past his trauma and convince him that performing the ritual would make him just as bad as Cazador. Alternatively, they can encourage him, allowing him to kill all the spawn in the dungeons and become the vampire he always dreamed of being. Whatever the decision, Astarion kills Cazador, but his decision of whether or not to become ascendant permanently alters his personality.

The Two Different Kind of Astarions

If Astarion went through with the ritual, then he becomes a much more powerful party member. However, this comes at the cost of his morality. Astarion now has delusions of grandeur, believing himself to be deserving of everything. His relationship with the player will also become more carnal rather than emotional. In this ending though, the player does have the option to become a vampire like Astarion. The gamble here is whether Astarion will honor the player's request or simply keep them bound as Cazador did to him so long ago. Ultimately though, Astarion is worse off if he ascends. Some checks even suggest Astarion secretly resents the player for letting him go through with it.

If he remains a normal spawn and simply kills Cazador, then Astarion finally begins to move on from his trauma. It will never truly leave him, but it doesn't haunt his every waking moment. Astarion makes peace with his existence and wants to pursue a genuine relationship with the player, even if he won't be able to walk in the sun once the war with the Absolute is concluded. He is happier though. An unascended Astarion manages to free himself not only from the threat of Cazador but also from all the horrible instincts he instilled in Astarion.

Overall, Astarion's romance is one of the most complex of the entire game. It was clearly a labor of love from the developers to have a vampire spawn wrestle with the great temptations of being a creature of the night. Who Astarion becomes is up to the player. Their love can either condemn or save him from himself, and in return, they will have a devoted vampire at their side.

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Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is arole-playing video gamedeveloped and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment in the Baldur's Gate series.

RPG

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:96/100 Critics Recommend:98%

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Divinity 4.0

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

100+ Hours

X|S Enhanced

yes

Metascore

96

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only

Number of Players

1-4

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Cross Save

yes

Cross-Platform Play

Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't support crossplay