Baldur’s Gate 3is a massive game that accounts for so many different decisions that it can be difficult to keep track. Major story decisions drive the party forward, butBaldur’s Gate 3’s Origin characters in particular also have personal arcs with choices that could have dire consequences.
Astarion’s personal storyhas little to do with the main story ofBaldur’s Gate 3, but its themes are very relevant to both the player character and every other party member. His crisis moment happens in Act 3 when he and the party confront Cazador. The player can convince Astarion not to ascend, or to take over Cazador’s ritual and become a Vampire Ascendant. Both options have their pros and cons, with different approaches toBaldur’s Gate 3accommodating the two decisions. The choice impacts Astarion dramatically as a character in the aftermath, and magnifies either his worst or best personality traits.
Reasons to Ascend Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3
Cazador’s ascendant ritual is an evil-aligned event that was created through a deal with a devil and requires a mass sacrifice. Ascending Astarion requires sacrificing 7,000 people, includingAstarion’s vampire spawnsiblings and some of the victims he lured to Cazador in the past. In exchange, Astarion becomes the most powerful vampire in the Realms, can survive in sunlight without the tadpole, and can turn others into vampire spawn.
There are also mechanical advantages to ascending Astarion, such as gaining Ascended Bite and Misty Escape (Vampire Ascendent) as class actions, and gaining 1d10 Necrotic damage to damage rolls. Another positive to ascending Astarion is that he keeps his invulnerability to sunlight inBaldur’s Gate 3’s aftermath.Vampire spawn Astarionloses this invulnerability and is forced to live his life in the darkness once more.
A romanced Astarion will demand submission from the player. Some players find this appealing, but this route isn’t for everyone, and also wouldn’t work with characters who aren’t submissive and who don’t value callous ruthlessness.
Reasons to Keep Astarion a Vampire Spawn in Baldur’s Gate 3
Discouraging Astarion from completing the ritual and remaining as a vampire spawn doesn’t have any upfront advantages, and he doesn’t gain anything mechanically. However, there are many story and roleplaying reasons to not Ascend Astarion, especially when romancing Astarion or when playing as a good-aligned character. Players will need to justify killing 7,000 vampire spawn, some of whom are children, while others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Astarion becomes more confident as a vampire ascendant, but this change is arguably for the worse.Ascending Astarion just perpetuates the cycle of abusethat Cazador was trapped in, and he continues it by offering to make the player his vampire spawn. Ascended Astarion also loses all the parts of his personality that make him endearing and worth saving in the first place, such as his emotional vulnerability with the player.
Astarion, as a vampire spawn, is quietly confident, takes pride in how he attains his freedom, respects and trusts the player character, and grows in a healthy way that overcomes the cycle of abuse. Astarion’s arc mirrors the other Origin companions and is especially resonant with aredeemed Dark Urgeplayer. Players who want to ascend Astarion need to balance if they want to go the ruthless, power-hungry route that sacrifices Astarion’s soul for a couple of mechanical advantages in combat. Or, they could lean into the themes ofBaldur’s Gate 3’s story and turn Astarion’s story into one of the most compelling in the game.
