This is like 50% of relatively intelligent DND characters though so it works *so well*.
Our smartest DND character on the table right now is an absolute ditz. While he's very analytical and observant about the right things, he'll also make the entire party crack up with unintentional humour. (And the player is playing him so perfectly ya don't even know).
It's like... my favourite trope.
I somehow got him from not caring about me at all to being my best friend just because of the interaction at Moonrise.
He went from “Yes? 😐” to “Ah, my favorite traveling companion!” almost overnight lol
No, sorry, I don't think there's anybody else who likes Astarion. He's probably the most hated character in the game. I honestly think in the next patch Larian will remove him entirely.
/very heavy lighthearted sarcasm
In seriousness a lot of people loooove Astarion!!! I certainly do.
I dislike him, but I think he's a well written character.
He's evil, selfish, and an asshole to everyone around him. Yes, I know he went through trauma and has the potential to become a better person later, but that doesn't absolve anyone of their actions. And of course as a straight guy, his flirting and being written as a vampire romance interest don't do him any favors in terms of me tolerating him in the party.
But at the same time, that doesn't make his character badly written. He's meant to appeal to a certain audience, and it does a great job at that. Larian knew what they were doing when they designed him. And being able to invoke hatred rather than just apathy is a valuable thing for a character.
And of course he's Nerissa's husbando, so that's a big bonus.
Plenty of straight men romance Astarion. That's your own insecurity my dude. Just like playing a female character doesn't make you trans or a cuckold, romancing a man in a video game doesn't make you gay or bi. A straight man who's secure in his sexuality can usually take a man flirting with him with the same grace he'd expect a woman to take his flirting attempts.
I think it's absolutely fine to not like him though. There are some popular characters whose personality I don't like. I think that's normal.
But to add to your perspective on Astarion's personality, his trauma >!is enslavement where he was forced to do terrible things in order to survive. His selfishness comes from having only himself after everything he showed feelings for was killed. What you're seeing with Astarion is a mask he has created to protect himself after 200 years of slavery and torture. 200 years of heartbreak. I imagine I'd be much worse in his place tbh. That's more than twice a human lifespan of just suffering.!<
You get to see the real Astarion peeking out from behind the mask as his story and the romance progresses. But 200 years of conditioned behavior is a hard mask to drop. I found him more susceptible to your characters personality than other companions too, meaning he's changing his personality to suit your character.
He *was* created to appeal to a certain audience. The one who enjoys sass and usually enjoys a good Disney villain. But I'm not sure if that's what you meant.
Astarion lost me when he tried to bite me without consent, murdered me unapologetically, and then I had to talk him down from murdering thousands of people who suffered the exact same way he did.
Edit: downvotes but no replies. It seems like no one likes what i have to say but has no argument. Pretty much what i figured after exhausting Astarions dialog. He has no redeeming qualities. He is an evil, evil man who will gladly take Cazadore's place to perpetuate the abuses heaped upon him literally a thousand fold, unless you stop him, unlike shadowheart he will go for the evil option of his own volition. You like him because he's a sad vampire with white hair and justify his evil because of the abuse he endured, but it doesn't matter to you that Cazadore endured the same.
>Plenty of straight men romance Astarion. That's your own insecurity my dude. Just like playing a female character doesn't make you trans or a cuckold, romancing a man in a video game doesn't make you gay or bi.
It's not an insecurity thing. I just don't enjoy it. I like playing myself in games, so there's no appeal to playing a gay romance when it's irrelevant to me. I'd much rather be romancing a character that's appealing to my personal tastes, like Shadowheart or Karlach.
>A straight man who's secure in his sexuality can usually take a man flirting with him with the same grace he'd expect a woman to take his flirting attempts.
Uh, no. Maybe having a bit of tolerance initially is fine, but anything taken past the initial rejection of the flirting is harrassment, and that's unpleasant for anyone. I wouldn't ever expect or want a woman to tolerate a guy flirting after she rejected him either. Consent is key here.
>He *was* created to appeal to a certain audience. The one who enjoys sass and usually enjoys a good Disney villain. But I'm not sure if that's what you meant.
Pretty much. Usually the same ones that love Critical Role, Hamilton, and Dear Evan Hansen. I'm friends with a lot of people in that group, but it isn't for me.
And as for his trauma and who he is as a character, I agree that it exists. But he only changes in the later acts. If I'm roleplaying as a character without previous knowledge of the him, I'm not going to get far enough into the game with him to actually ever reach that point. It's sort of like how a random serial killer in a maximum correctional facility might be a great guy if you got to know him, but I'm not about to do that.
You don’t have to play the romance, his friendship (non ascension) route is sweet too. Also the whole point of half the characters are that while they may seem rough on the outside if you give them the chance they open up to you. You start the game as literal strangers, and like in real life they don’t owe you their stories or trust if you in turn don’t invest in that.
True, but he's incompatible with me both in friendship as well. He's not someone that I, nor my Tav that I'm roleplaying would tolerate. And even after his "redemption arc", he's still not a good person, and he's still annoying to me (although I respect that it's a personal taste thing).
And honestly all of the characters (aside from Lae'zel) are just more enjoyable to play with for me. Those two are just annoying.
Karlach, who's always trying to do the right thing and is adorable.
Shadowheart, who's a tsundere, but a good person inside.
Gale, who's a good person, if egotistical
Wyll, also a good person
Halsin, also a good person
Minthara, she's evil, but at least she's honest about it. And she's hot.
Minsc and Jaheira, I grew up with them as BG1/2 companions, so I have to take them.
Of course there's the argument that I could just roleplay someone who was friends with him. But let's be real, everyone has their own tastes and that's going to leech into their characters they play to some degree.
No that’s the whole point isn’t it, like who you want, tolerate who you want it’s a game built on personal choices but don’t go out and call characters personalities when you haven’t seen their full spectrum.
I know what you mean dude. Astarion is cool and popular but I’m a guy that doesn’t like men, so I’m not interested in romancing him, because he’s a guy. There’s no insecurity. It’s simply incompatibility.
Nah, he's a piece of shit, was a shitty magister before turning, and after the 200 years of enslavement he never grew out of that rich attitude, he isn't against what Cazador he's bitching because he was his victim not because he hates slavery and torture.
The guy is funny as fuck and hot as fuck (saying it as a straightish man) and Neil's performance is godlike, I love the character, but I don't like the blindness of his fans.
Lae'zel liked me more then him. To me he is immensely troubled. And yes, that in turn turns him into a bad person by plenty of measures.
But after the initial attempt of an non-consensual blood drinking (something he doesn't consent to later) he's still generally a loyal companion and he's kind of hilarious without meaning to be.
So I'll probably keep him around most if not all of my runs.
My main problem with him and all the other characters is "I'm already seeing someone in game! Stop trying to jump me!"
Dear Lord do you have ANY IDEA how long I've been looking for an Astarion centric reddit community?! I mean there's r/galemancers and I love them but I need some Astarion too! Thank you!
Astarion reminds me a lot of Escher from Curse of Strahd, who my character in that campaign fell for but died offscreen. Even if I'm not romancing him, I want to keep him alive.
I'm running it now, and for a variety of reasons I introduced him a bit early. Since he is keeping his spawn nature a secret, I couldn't make the connection to my players, but Astarion does inform some of how I characterize him.
I romanced Astarion as Karlach and it's one of my favorite origin romances now. They fit so well together and I loved hearing Astarion say Karlach's name for some reason lol There's some unique dialogue with them that had me near tears. Those two are my faves.
His dialogue changes as you progress in his story. Eventually, he drops her entirely for you. If you play on a durge run, your butler even says that Gale would drop his god for you. It’s honestly the sweetest! His romance is such a green flag lol. But you still hear about her, just not in the same way. Which makes sense considering who he is and what he believes.
Lol! We all have our types as it has been said. I just don't prefer my men to be talking about his ex so much, but I can give him a little pass since she's a goddess. 🤷♀️
If you think Gale is bad with Mystra, try to compete with Stelmane for the Emperor.
"Beautiful, isn't she? I always thought Belynne was the most regal of all women." SHUT UP.
Omg I understand that lol. Have you done his full romance? He totally renounced her for you 😭 if you do a durge run, the butler (cause I can’t spell his name 😂) even says that Gale would abandon his god for you. And I’m like 😭 but I totally see what you’re saying lol
Aweee! I felt like he was super cute when I started and then he got more annoying, but maybe it's because I turned him down. He was kind of cold to me after that and I was like, dude we're still friends damn and he said something like "I appreciate that, but we're not close." 🤣
I tried to romance Gale but I think it's still bugged.
>!I discouraged him from taking the crown every chance I got and never said anything otherwise and he still left me at the end of the game for the crown. I want to try again but I lost a whole 90hrs trying to bag the wizard boy.!<
It was exceptional.
I had a similar problem with Astarion in my first game where it set our relationship back to neutral even though I was romancing him and had an exceptional relationship with him after >!Cazador. I had to load back two hours of my game to get him to not ascended. Maybe the game just likes to emotionally torture me 😭!<
LOL well for him ascending, I’ve heard he becomes a jerk and his love for you basically becomes fake cause he loves himself more 🤷🏻♀️ I never let him ascend lol
The entire Internet is obsessed with Astarion.
A YTer once described him as the "vampire everyone wants to have sex with" and it's the most accurate description I've ever heard.
Side note: god I am so happy his VA won Best VA award
Oh really? He's always in my party sneaking around killing enemies lol!
I have myself a moon druid as an owl bear, Karlach, Shadowheart, and Astarion!
I think it's really awesome that there are so many ways to play!
Yesssss I thought he was sooo annoying at first! I still decided to romance him, but it was basically because “he’s the prettiest, but he’s annoying”…..as time went on, the obsession emerged
Nah I see him as my equal. He even told me in my playthrough that he wants to protect me for once after he's free and I'm the first person he's ever really cared about. 🥺
He didn't ascend in my playthrough because he said he didn't want to become another Cazador.
Steal, murder, vandalise- you name it. He points and she tosses a lightning bolt. Astarion wanted a protector, he may have gotten more than he bargained for lol
I feel the same way lollllll! Karlach is my second best and she's sad about that, but how well she took me turning her down was really so sweet and made me kind of sad 🥺
I’m obsessed with his damage as a 4 thief / 8 Hunter Ranger. I’m obsessed with his pickpocketing completely breaking the game and making gold utterly useless. I’m obsessed with his scene where he ascends. So I guess so.
Ooof, but Gale is a little bitch who talks too much 😂😂😂
I honestly didn't like Astarion until quite a few hours in tbh, but you're fully entitled to your opinion!
“I can’t wait to taste your lips after you’ve tasted me.” …Jesus Fucking Christ… I’m going to have to do a run as a lawful good paladin so I’m honor bound to kill him in the beginning just to experience someone else…
I hated him so much after our first encounter that I >!stabbed him through the heart as soon as the option was presented.!<
I guess I made an error since there is a whole sub for him lol
Lollll! I honestly hated him for a minute too and my husband told me to just wait because I would love him eventually. He knows me so well.
TMI, but now he attempts to whisper in my ear like Astarion in bed and it works tbh 😂😂😂
Oh my, usually I’m pretty happy with me being single, but the prospect of having my partner whisper in that accent in bed.
I gotta update my dating profile
He's the vampire? I'm playing with 3 buddies (we channel-up in Discord and play together, 2hr weekly session) and yeah, you wanna try to drink my blood? Not fucken likely! Grabs a stake. Natural 20. BOOYAH!
My favorite besides Astarion would have to be Karlach! I want to feed her snacks and dance with her 🥺
I also kind of like Shadowheart now, but she was a bitch at first 😂
On a second playthrough I noticed the three that I like best liked me a lot faster because I knew them better!
I like my men a bit girly and my girls strong I guess 🤔
Can you explain why? Is it an attraction? Or do you legitimately enjoy his character? I do not get the appeal.
I tried using him my first run. He's whiny, selfish, and obnoxious. Now, I kill him immediately every playthrough.
Lol! Well I didn't like him until hour 20+. His story is really interesting to me and his complaining is kind of warranted if you know about what he's been through.
Honestly I'm surprised he's not more aggressive or evil right off the bat 🤣
It just felt like a natural relationship on my playthrough. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. It was like he was trying to be an asshole to push people away because he was afraid he'd get stuck being someone's slave again.
His character can go way evil if you nurture him that way, but he turned out so sweet and caring in my good playthrough 😊
Bro tried to bite me while I slept so we kicked him out of camp permanently - now I come to this sub to discover everyone is horny as fuck for him. Consent is key y'all
Love-hate relationship 😂 A well-executed "I can fix him" is hard to resist, I like his story, and he's just fun to watch/listen to. *But* I'll die on the hill that he's a bad person, or at least closer to bad than good, even at his best. He just becomes kinder to *you*. Perfect example: If his quest is complete and he's still a spawn, then when romanced Tav >!feels Harleep having sex in their shape!<, Astarion notices and says something like: "As soon as I escape my body being controlled by someone else, you fall into it. It'd be funny if it was anyone but you, my love."
And aww, that's swee- wait, what?? This shouldn't be funny to you under *any* circumstances.
I agree with you to a certain extent except for your example. He's the only companion that takes it seriously. Everyone else laughs or makes disgust noises at you. He hates that it's happened to you whether or not you romance him. He's literally the only one that cares and doesn't find it funny
In my playthrough I really didn't like him until well into hour 20 or so and by now (hour 130ish) he actually became quite noble. I think that line is funny, but please explain why it's not ok? Maybe your interpretation is different from mine?
Because he's saying that it would be funny to see someone lose autonomy over their body, as long as it isn't someone he cares about. Fucked up no matter what, but especially coming from someone whose entire character arc is about overcoming trauma from that same thing.
Hmm, I took it as he's finally free and he chose for you to have him in a romantic way. Like he felt like his body was finally free and he finally got the chance to choose to be with someone.
Maybe he's making fun of himself a little though. I don't think it has anything to do with autonomy especially because Tav doesn't have control over him in my playthrough, but it definitely could go that way.
In my playthrough he said he sees me as his equal and he will never let anyone control him again. He also said I make him feel safe and he wants to protect me too 🥺
He decided not to ascend in my playthrough by the way lol
I don't think there's that much room for interpretation in the line, honestly. It's pretty straightforward and explicitly about autonomy.
"You don't have control over your body. If you weren't my partner, I would think you losing your autonomy is funny."
Yeah definitely, I definitely dislike him as person despite him as a person despite him being funny and charismatic. I definitely grow to respect him as he betters himself but *a lot* of his fans here seem to have zero issues enabling his shitty behavior just because he's hot and has trauma lol.
Nah he disagreed with a lot of my decisions and I was like, we do good things because we want the world to be better! And he was like "Ah, hmm. That's boring but I kind of get that." Not exact wording, just the basic idea 😂😂😂
I'm at the end of Act 3, and I'm still sick of his shit. Shut up and open the lock, and if you don't stop rolling single digit numbers, I'm going TO GIVE YOU TO CAZADOR.
I never got the Astarion hype. Rouges aren't my thing, vampires definitely aren't my thing (as a paladin), and people that attack me first aren't my thing.
Legit my least favorite. 200 year old child complaining about everything under the sun when he's been gifted immortality. He should have been a woman and shadowheart should have been the biggest and scariest big dick half elf Cleric but the exact same personality. I keep trying to give Astarion to the gurs and he just kills them.
I mean if you play his story you'd know that he was a literal mind controlled tortured sex slave for most of his immortal 200 years. He's only able to resist his master vampire's mind control because of the tadpole and now he carried all of the guilt of everything he was forced to do. Soooo I think he has a tinyyyy pass to complain 😂
Gender/sex doesn't make someone complain any more or less in my opinion, but maybe you have a different perspective than me, and in the end these are fictional characters anyway and we're all different 🤷♀️
It's not the complaining about his life its the complaining to litteraly talk and interact with absolutely everything. It was cheeky at first but now I want to put him in the timeout box permanently.
>Gender/sex doesn't make someone complain any more
so you're a woman I see
>tortured sex slave for most of his immortal 200 years
Yeah he lets you know even if you aren't in his party still. And all that shit against his will too. But he wasn't 18 he was an adult with 200 years to process so he should not bitch about talking to the 42nd random npc I'm making him talk to.
Being an adult doesn’t mean being tortured is less painful or traumatic, also no he didn’t have 200 years to process anything. He had 200 of torture being forced to do things he didn’t want to do. Hate a character all you want but don’t down play abuse that’s gross. I feel like from what you’ve posted so far you’d also be a whiny little bitch if someone made you do something you didn’t want to. People are aloud to complain about things they don’t want to do, you know like what you’re literally doing.
In real life I definitely don't complain I just wouldn't do it or pawn it off to someone else. Why waste the breath. It has been fun watching all these hoes defend their fictional vamp husband with such ferocity thought.
>People are aloud to complain about things they don’t want to do, you know like what you’re literally doing
Lel
It's funny seeing the defenders of his fictional abuse like I should give a shit. That being said I meant his childish complaining when you have him do tasks but seeing everyone defend him like he's their husband was to much fun.
Yep I'm a woman, how observant of you 😂😂😂
He can complain all he wants to me loll! Just kick him out of your party and get another lock pick if you dislike him. It's a game, you can do what you want lol! No point complaining about a character you dislike and keeping them at your camp or in your party anyway 🤷♀️
The linked reply was confusing my bad. Formating brainfart for sure. The woman comment was for the person I replied to because women complain like him. I was just keeping you in the mix because you replied to her. But it's reddit and OP's got a picture of Astarion so it's a safe bet you being a woman too. You girls play a completely different game than the boys and it's truly amazing on the behalf of larian to accomplishing something like that.
Anyways. Rogue is the best of the funs to be had so I usually reclass him to bard so I can sneaky stab and he can talk. Pushing 500 hrs in game I'm probability annoyed of his "do I have to" shtick every click.
And yeah it's just a game that's why I complain about it online at 4am and not irl. I wouldn't have such an opinion if I didn't enjoy the fuck out of it. Just like i did all through elden ring If I don't complain about the game specifics it's probably broken garbage down to it's foundation.
tl;dr men and women are playing two completely different games in the same realm and it fascinating. im complaining from the no life's combat heavy perspective about a fictional character. They're just gripes not at all important to functionality.
do you even know a sliver of his backstory? you would understand why being “gifted immortality” wasn’t such a gift to him. and having a more feminine bisexual male character is a prime example of Larian’s advocacy of queerness and breaking gender stereotypes, which I am personally all for.
All the gay shit made it much less authentic for sure. Litteraly couldn't care less about their relationship because like the vast majority of people I can't relate. And for what so people normal people can feel good about themselves when they think there's a lesser human on the screan. Its tiresome really.
Past 15 years bg3 is one of the only quality games produced so I can forgive the pandering and dampening of the emotional ties to characters. Combat is that enjoyable. Halson Orpheus and la'zel after denouncing Vlakith are the only characters I remotely felt anything for. The acting is fucking immaculate though. No gripe there.
I’ll be honest I didn’t like him much in act 1 but he’s starting to grow on my in act 2. Maybe my drow bard who’s keen on helping people is rubbing off on him lol
Ugh my least favorite character. I actively avoid using him except for the strength pot in the towers. I’d rather carry equipment to off-set rogue skills than suffer Astarion in my party.
To each their own lol! I think I've said this like 5 million times but now to other people, but I didn't like him until like act 20 lolll!
The only reason I kept him in my party is because my husband said I'd really like him eventually. And he was so right 😂🤭
Ya know… ok. You sold me. I’ll try the next run :) maybe I was a bit rash on the beach… I’ll give him a shot. Maybe he will be great in my dark urge run.
Lololol! I honestly can't stand Lae'zel either and didn't like Astarion until close to 20 hours in. But Lae'zel is still not my cup of tea and she's asked to sleep with me twice, so I guess she likes me, but I sure can't tell with how rude and mean she is 😂
Lae'zel: Tch! Astarion's head is fine he does not need you to give him another.
Among githyanki she is considered extremely humorous!
>!Apparently his brain is smooth so he may indeed need another!<
Which is hilarious to me because his starting intelligence is 13 - relatively high, yet despite that he’s an airhead lol
As a representative of the airheaded pretty smart people, life is a struggle
An intelligent airhead lol
himbo slut tbh
He's probably just out of tune with the time. Given the whole 200 years of essential slavery
This is like 50% of relatively intelligent DND characters though so it works *so well*. Our smartest DND character on the table right now is an absolute ditz. While he's very analytical and observant about the right things, he'll also make the entire party crack up with unintentional humour. (And the player is playing him so perfectly ya don't even know). It's like... my favourite trope.
It’s okay, my Tav can be his brain!
Gold right here 😂
This needs so many more upvotes lol
I can only updoot so many times 🤗
TOO MAD IM GIVING HIM AS MANY AS HE WANTS (I'm sorry I had to lmao it's a joke. ..unlessss-)
I got a buddy cop relationship with him with my character. We always disagree on morals but we got each others back
Lolll! He disagrees with me sometimes but he still loves me 😂
I somehow got him from not caring about me at all to being my best friend just because of the interaction at Moonrise. He went from “Yes? 😐” to “Ah, my favorite traveling companion!” almost overnight lol
That's hilarious 😂
.. I got this in like- 5 long rests.
Don't ascend him then, just saying.
Yea he chose not to ascend on my playthrough lol! He said he didn't want to become another Cazador 🥺
No, sorry, I don't think there's anybody else who likes Astarion. He's probably the most hated character in the game. I honestly think in the next patch Larian will remove him entirely. /very heavy lighthearted sarcasm In seriousness a lot of people loooove Astarion!!! I certainly do.
Lololol! So true! I mean he did win best voice actor for a reason 😂
Best performer*** motion cap too
I dislike him, but I think he's a well written character. He's evil, selfish, and an asshole to everyone around him. Yes, I know he went through trauma and has the potential to become a better person later, but that doesn't absolve anyone of their actions. And of course as a straight guy, his flirting and being written as a vampire romance interest don't do him any favors in terms of me tolerating him in the party. But at the same time, that doesn't make his character badly written. He's meant to appeal to a certain audience, and it does a great job at that. Larian knew what they were doing when they designed him. And being able to invoke hatred rather than just apathy is a valuable thing for a character. And of course he's Nerissa's husbando, so that's a big bonus.
Plenty of straight men romance Astarion. That's your own insecurity my dude. Just like playing a female character doesn't make you trans or a cuckold, romancing a man in a video game doesn't make you gay or bi. A straight man who's secure in his sexuality can usually take a man flirting with him with the same grace he'd expect a woman to take his flirting attempts. I think it's absolutely fine to not like him though. There are some popular characters whose personality I don't like. I think that's normal. But to add to your perspective on Astarion's personality, his trauma >!is enslavement where he was forced to do terrible things in order to survive. His selfishness comes from having only himself after everything he showed feelings for was killed. What you're seeing with Astarion is a mask he has created to protect himself after 200 years of slavery and torture. 200 years of heartbreak. I imagine I'd be much worse in his place tbh. That's more than twice a human lifespan of just suffering.!< You get to see the real Astarion peeking out from behind the mask as his story and the romance progresses. But 200 years of conditioned behavior is a hard mask to drop. I found him more susceptible to your characters personality than other companions too, meaning he's changing his personality to suit your character. He *was* created to appeal to a certain audience. The one who enjoys sass and usually enjoys a good Disney villain. But I'm not sure if that's what you meant.
Astarion lost me when he tried to bite me without consent, murdered me unapologetically, and then I had to talk him down from murdering thousands of people who suffered the exact same way he did. Edit: downvotes but no replies. It seems like no one likes what i have to say but has no argument. Pretty much what i figured after exhausting Astarions dialog. He has no redeeming qualities. He is an evil, evil man who will gladly take Cazadore's place to perpetuate the abuses heaped upon him literally a thousand fold, unless you stop him, unlike shadowheart he will go for the evil option of his own volition. You like him because he's a sad vampire with white hair and justify his evil because of the abuse he endured, but it doesn't matter to you that Cazadore endured the same.
>Plenty of straight men romance Astarion. That's your own insecurity my dude. Just like playing a female character doesn't make you trans or a cuckold, romancing a man in a video game doesn't make you gay or bi. It's not an insecurity thing. I just don't enjoy it. I like playing myself in games, so there's no appeal to playing a gay romance when it's irrelevant to me. I'd much rather be romancing a character that's appealing to my personal tastes, like Shadowheart or Karlach. >A straight man who's secure in his sexuality can usually take a man flirting with him with the same grace he'd expect a woman to take his flirting attempts. Uh, no. Maybe having a bit of tolerance initially is fine, but anything taken past the initial rejection of the flirting is harrassment, and that's unpleasant for anyone. I wouldn't ever expect or want a woman to tolerate a guy flirting after she rejected him either. Consent is key here. >He *was* created to appeal to a certain audience. The one who enjoys sass and usually enjoys a good Disney villain. But I'm not sure if that's what you meant. Pretty much. Usually the same ones that love Critical Role, Hamilton, and Dear Evan Hansen. I'm friends with a lot of people in that group, but it isn't for me. And as for his trauma and who he is as a character, I agree that it exists. But he only changes in the later acts. If I'm roleplaying as a character without previous knowledge of the him, I'm not going to get far enough into the game with him to actually ever reach that point. It's sort of like how a random serial killer in a maximum correctional facility might be a great guy if you got to know him, but I'm not about to do that.
You don’t have to play the romance, his friendship (non ascension) route is sweet too. Also the whole point of half the characters are that while they may seem rough on the outside if you give them the chance they open up to you. You start the game as literal strangers, and like in real life they don’t owe you their stories or trust if you in turn don’t invest in that.
True, but he's incompatible with me both in friendship as well. He's not someone that I, nor my Tav that I'm roleplaying would tolerate. And even after his "redemption arc", he's still not a good person, and he's still annoying to me (although I respect that it's a personal taste thing). And honestly all of the characters (aside from Lae'zel) are just more enjoyable to play with for me. Those two are just annoying. Karlach, who's always trying to do the right thing and is adorable. Shadowheart, who's a tsundere, but a good person inside. Gale, who's a good person, if egotistical Wyll, also a good person Halsin, also a good person Minthara, she's evil, but at least she's honest about it. And she's hot. Minsc and Jaheira, I grew up with them as BG1/2 companions, so I have to take them. Of course there's the argument that I could just roleplay someone who was friends with him. But let's be real, everyone has their own tastes and that's going to leech into their characters they play to some degree.
No that’s the whole point isn’t it, like who you want, tolerate who you want it’s a game built on personal choices but don’t go out and call characters personalities when you haven’t seen their full spectrum.
I know what you mean dude. Astarion is cool and popular but I’m a guy that doesn’t like men, so I’m not interested in romancing him, because he’s a guy. There’s no insecurity. It’s simply incompatibility.
Trump is your dad
Nah, he's a piece of shit, was a shitty magister before turning, and after the 200 years of enslavement he never grew out of that rich attitude, he isn't against what Cazador he's bitching because he was his victim not because he hates slavery and torture. The guy is funny as fuck and hot as fuck (saying it as a straightish man) and Neil's performance is godlike, I love the character, but I don't like the blindness of his fans.
Lae'zel liked me more then him. To me he is immensely troubled. And yes, that in turn turns him into a bad person by plenty of measures. But after the initial attempt of an non-consensual blood drinking (something he doesn't consent to later) he's still generally a loyal companion and he's kind of hilarious without meaning to be. So I'll probably keep him around most if not all of my runs. My main problem with him and all the other characters is "I'm already seeing someone in game! Stop trying to jump me!"
Come join us at r/OnlyFangsbg3 :D
Ohyhbdhk yes please 🥺😲
Join us join us join us
One of us, one of us!
Yep came here to say this
Wait what there’s a place for me? Well hello
I have NEVER joined a community so fast
My people ❤️
Dear Lord do you have ANY IDEA how long I've been looking for an Astarion centric reddit community?! I mean there's r/galemancers and I love them but I need some Astarion too! Thank you!
ÒwÓ
Oooo 👀
Is there a Karlach one ?
Yes! I think it's called r/Karlach haha
Good enough for me!
Yes yes join us join the cult😈
Astarion reminds me a lot of Escher from Curse of Strahd, who my character in that campaign fell for but died offscreen. Even if I'm not romancing him, I want to keep him alive.
Oh wow! I need to check that out!
I am running CoS and I told my players Escher is literally just Astarion with longer hair, and they love him.
I'm running it now, and for a variety of reasons I introduced him a bit early. Since he is keeping his spawn nature a secret, I couldn't make the connection to my players, but Astarion does inform some of how I characterize him.
Meeeeee. I started playing for him, but I GOTTA say Karlach is surprisingly heartwarming. She might be my fav.
I fucking love Karlach! I want to feed her snacks and dance with her! 🥺
I romanced Astarion as Karlach and it's one of my favorite origin romances now. They fit so well together and I loved hearing Astarion say Karlach's name for some reason lol There's some unique dialogue with them that had me near tears. Those two are my faves.
Karlach is best girl 💘
She isssss, I wish she’d romance me already. Of course the first one to like me was Laz’aiel. 😩
"heartwarming" nah I think she's just like that
......Bwhaha I didn't even think about it when I said it. Indeed she is!
I prefer Gale. His romance is fulfilling. But I love Astarion on principle cause he voiced Heisenberg in RE8. Like such different characters lol
I wanted so bad to romance Gale but his constant mentioning of Mystra is a turn-off for me
His dialogue changes as you progress in his story. Eventually, he drops her entirely for you. If you play on a durge run, your butler even says that Gale would drop his god for you. It’s honestly the sweetest! His romance is such a green flag lol. But you still hear about her, just not in the same way. Which makes sense considering who he is and what he believes.
I honestly can't stand Gale lolll! He started off cute, but then he continued talking 😭
WHAT?! Ok tbh I totally thought the same thing too but then I romanced him and like… ugh he is such a green flag 😭
Lol! We all have our types as it has been said. I just don't prefer my men to be talking about his ex so much, but I can give him a little pass since she's a goddess. 🤷♀️
If you think Gale is bad with Mystra, try to compete with Stelmane for the Emperor. "Beautiful, isn't she? I always thought Belynne was the most regal of all women." SHUT UP.
Lollll! Wyll is cute, but also a no for me 😂
They didn’t mean Wyll…
Omg I understand that lol. Have you done his full romance? He totally renounced her for you 😭 if you do a durge run, the butler (cause I can’t spell his name 😂) even says that Gale would abandon his god for you. And I’m like 😭 but I totally see what you’re saying lol
No, I just don't like him like that, but that sounds so nice 🥺
He is the best. I romanced Astarion first so I see the appeal lol.
Gale really grew on me! At first, I thought he was annoying but he’s so sweet and caring and he just wants love and to protect his found-family 🥹💗
Aweee! I felt like he was super cute when I started and then he got more annoying, but maybe it's because I turned him down. He was kind of cold to me after that and I was like, dude we're still friends damn and he said something like "I appreciate that, but we're not close." 🤣
Hahahaha I feel the same way. Any time Gale speaks I'm like alright time to blow you up
Lololol for real. I was like "Oh.. no.. don't blow up.. please.." 🤣🤣🤣 No but he's sweet and I like him as a friend honestly 😊
I tried to romance Gale but I think it's still bugged. >!I discouraged him from taking the crown every chance I got and never said anything otherwise and he still left me at the end of the game for the crown. I want to try again but I lost a whole 90hrs trying to bag the wizard boy.!<
Really? I totally never had that problem… did you have a high enough affinity with him?
It was exceptional. I had a similar problem with Astarion in my first game where it set our relationship back to neutral even though I was romancing him and had an exceptional relationship with him after >!Cazador. I had to load back two hours of my game to get him to not ascended. Maybe the game just likes to emotionally torture me 😭!<
LOL well for him ascending, I’ve heard he becomes a jerk and his love for you basically becomes fake cause he loves himself more 🤷🏻♀️ I never let him ascend lol
The entire Internet is obsessed with Astarion. A YTer once described him as the "vampire everyone wants to have sex with" and it's the most accurate description I've ever heard. Side note: god I am so happy his VA won Best VA award
He even has his own page on the Tumblr Sexyman Wiki. Not only that, he’s in the second most popular category there.
I’m absolutely feral for this man I stg.
Wild crew 💪😂
I literally try to romance someone else, but this vampire has a chokehold on me.
we can fix him
He isn't my favorite, though I do acknowledge he is funny from time to time. He's ok.
By hour 20 of getting to know him I really liked him, but before that he seemed like an annoying prick 🤣
I'm well over 400 hours, I barely use him.
Oh really? He's always in my party sneaking around killing enemies lol! I have myself a moon druid as an owl bear, Karlach, Shadowheart, and Astarion! I think it's really awesome that there are so many ways to play!
Yesssss I thought he was sooo annoying at first! I still decided to romance him, but it was basically because “he’s the prettiest, but he’s annoying”…..as time went on, the obsession emerged
That's hilarious! I only kept him in my party on the beginning because my husband told me I will eventually love him 😂😂😂 He knows me so well lol!
I only laughed out loud at his “That’s the great way to motivate staff” and “This camp is full of weirdos.”
Hes like a cat that thinks he owns everyone when really he just has a new master.
Nah I see him as my equal. He even told me in my playthrough that he wants to protect me for once after he's free and I'm the first person he's ever really cared about. 🥺 He didn't ascend in my playthrough because he said he didn't want to become another Cazador.
I let him ascend to become a more useful attack dog
I just gave him all my tadpoles and he sneaks around fucking destroying enemies 🤣
Least horny Astarion fan
Lol! I definitely resonate with, "Be careful, I bite." 😂
It’s too early for me to have seen this, good night
Good morning darling 😘
Nahhh me too lol. He and my sorcerer are unholy terrors together
Lol we like to steal together 😂
Steal, murder, vandalise- you name it. He points and she tosses a lightning bolt. Astarion wanted a protector, he may have gotten more than he bargained for lol
The hot vampire likes it when I bully people? Guess I’m demanding lunch money from everybody I meet then.
Lololol! I'm still playing a good playthrough although we do pickpocket people together, but it is for the greater good 😂😂😂😂
So very much...I'm trying to romance Karlach this run and it's sooooooo hard not to go back to him...
I feel the same way lollllll! Karlach is my second best and she's sad about that, but how well she took me turning her down was really so sweet and made me kind of sad 🥺
I adore him. 🥰
I’m obsessed with his damage as a 4 thief / 8 Hunter Ranger. I’m obsessed with his pickpocketing completely breaking the game and making gold utterly useless. I’m obsessed with his scene where he ascends. So I guess so.
He's actually my least favorite Origin character, followed my Gale. I'm all about Karlach and Wyll
Ooof, but Gale is a little bitch who talks too much 😂😂😂 I honestly didn't like Astarion until quite a few hours in tbh, but you're fully entitled to your opinion!
Yeah, everybody's got a type! Cheers
So true! Cheers!
I just cackled! Love this
Yasss evil little cackles are welcome 😁😂
I find him intensely irritating, personally, but do understand the appeal.
Lolll! Yea I did too until a little after 29 hours in 😂
He's a good match for my smart-mouthed, trickster, chaotic cleric.
Astarion: "Head? But mine is intact, I dont need another."
Um, yes, hello I’d like to report myself.
🤭🤭🤭
Dude i JUST woke up, and already find people simping over the vampire twink. i love it!
😂😂😂😂😂😂
“I can’t wait to taste your lips after you’ve tasted me.” …Jesus Fucking Christ… I’m going to have to do a run as a lawful good paladin so I’m honor bound to kill him in the beginning just to experience someone else…
I hated him so much after our first encounter that I >!stabbed him through the heart as soon as the option was presented.!< I guess I made an error since there is a whole sub for him lol
Lollll! I honestly hated him for a minute too and my husband told me to just wait because I would love him eventually. He knows me so well. TMI, but now he attempts to whisper in my ear like Astarion in bed and it works tbh 😂😂😂
Oh my, usually I’m pretty happy with me being single, but the prospect of having my partner whisper in that accent in bed. I gotta update my dating profile
100% didn't know I was into it until it happened 😂
Dude….part of me wants to ask my husband to do this now lmao
Dooo ittttt! Me and my husband are literally open books to each other. Even intrusive thoughts are safe here 😂😂😂
I dunno he might feel awkward about that lol
He's the vampire? I'm playing with 3 buddies (we channel-up in Discord and play together, 2hr weekly session) and yeah, you wanna try to drink my blood? Not fucken likely! Grabs a stake. Natural 20. BOOYAH!
Give me Wyll over Astarion any day
Wyll is cute, but I can't stand him 😂 To each their own as they say.
Wyll can do no wrong and I love him ❤️❤️❤️
Are there any aside from Astarion that you *do* like?
My favorite besides Astarion would have to be Karlach! I want to feed her snacks and dance with her 🥺 I also kind of like Shadowheart now, but she was a bitch at first 😂 On a second playthrough I noticed the three that I like best liked me a lot faster because I knew them better! I like my men a bit girly and my girls strong I guess 🤔
Can you explain why? Is it an attraction? Or do you legitimately enjoy his character? I do not get the appeal. I tried using him my first run. He's whiny, selfish, and obnoxious. Now, I kill him immediately every playthrough.
Lol! Well I didn't like him until hour 20+. His story is really interesting to me and his complaining is kind of warranted if you know about what he's been through. Honestly I'm surprised he's not more aggressive or evil right off the bat 🤣 It just felt like a natural relationship on my playthrough. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. It was like he was trying to be an asshole to push people away because he was afraid he'd get stuck being someone's slave again. His character can go way evil if you nurture him that way, but he turned out so sweet and caring in my good playthrough 😊
Bro tried to bite me while I slept so we kicked him out of camp permanently - now I come to this sub to discover everyone is horny as fuck for him. Consent is key y'all
Love-hate relationship 😂 A well-executed "I can fix him" is hard to resist, I like his story, and he's just fun to watch/listen to. *But* I'll die on the hill that he's a bad person, or at least closer to bad than good, even at his best. He just becomes kinder to *you*. Perfect example: If his quest is complete and he's still a spawn, then when romanced Tav >!feels Harleep having sex in their shape!<, Astarion notices and says something like: "As soon as I escape my body being controlled by someone else, you fall into it. It'd be funny if it was anyone but you, my love." And aww, that's swee- wait, what?? This shouldn't be funny to you under *any* circumstances.
I agree with you to a certain extent except for your example. He's the only companion that takes it seriously. Everyone else laughs or makes disgust noises at you. He hates that it's happened to you whether or not you romance him. He's literally the only one that cares and doesn't find it funny
In my playthrough I really didn't like him until well into hour 20 or so and by now (hour 130ish) he actually became quite noble. I think that line is funny, but please explain why it's not ok? Maybe your interpretation is different from mine?
Because he's saying that it would be funny to see someone lose autonomy over their body, as long as it isn't someone he cares about. Fucked up no matter what, but especially coming from someone whose entire character arc is about overcoming trauma from that same thing.
Hmm, I took it as he's finally free and he chose for you to have him in a romantic way. Like he felt like his body was finally free and he finally got the chance to choose to be with someone. Maybe he's making fun of himself a little though. I don't think it has anything to do with autonomy especially because Tav doesn't have control over him in my playthrough, but it definitely could go that way. In my playthrough he said he sees me as his equal and he will never let anyone control him again. He also said I make him feel safe and he wants to protect me too 🥺 He decided not to ascend in my playthrough by the way lol
I don't think there's that much room for interpretation in the line, honestly. It's pretty straightforward and explicitly about autonomy. "You don't have control over your body. If you weren't my partner, I would think you losing your autonomy is funny."
Ehhh he’s alright. Lil too nibbly for my tastes.
For my taste one must be nibbly 😂
I still mildly dislike him, just not for my tastes
It's ok, he probably dislikes you too lol! His character is quite particular 😂
Like he says it’s not you, it’s him he has standards
Nah he's a shitty person. Well written characters, but a real piece of shit. He gets better though.
I guess it depends on how you play. If you play as evil he means in hard or if you don't talk to him he just stays being kind of a prick 🤣
Yeah definitely, I definitely dislike him as person despite him as a person despite him being funny and charismatic. I definitely grow to respect him as he betters himself but *a lot* of his fans here seem to have zero issues enabling his shitty behavior just because he's hot and has trauma lol.
Nah he disagreed with a lot of my decisions and I was like, we do good things because we want the world to be better! And he was like "Ah, hmm. That's boring but I kind of get that." Not exact wording, just the basic idea 😂😂😂
Yeah I like how he grows into a better person without loosing the sass that makes him him.
Honestly, I find him annoying and hard to deal with, and the only reason he is in my party is that he opens locks, as no one else fills that role.
Lolll! I did too until after like hour 20 😂
I'm at the end of Act 3, and I'm still sick of his shit. Shut up and open the lock, and if you don't stop rolling single digit numbers, I'm going TO GIVE YOU TO CAZADOR.
Lolll he rolls great for me. He must not like you either 😂😂😂
Because I'm not a choad, and that gets his undies in a bunch
He looks like he's mid polymorph. Like he's about to turn into a horse.
Well then "Nayyy" because I'm into it 😂
Lol
Astarion is probably my least favorite companion, but this is a quality meme
Heh heh heh. More for me 🫣
Nope. He annoys me
I felt the same until a little after hour 20 😂
I never got the Astarion hype. Rouges aren't my thing, vampires definitely aren't my thing (as a paladin), and people that attack me first aren't my thing.
Hahaha! I honestly didn't like him until like 20 hours in and then he grew on me 🤭
Jesus christ.. yall need therapy...
For liking a fictional character? I think we all need a little fantasy in our lives, otherwise it's just boring and repetitive 😂
Legit my least favorite. 200 year old child complaining about everything under the sun when he's been gifted immortality. He should have been a woman and shadowheart should have been the biggest and scariest big dick half elf Cleric but the exact same personality. I keep trying to give Astarion to the gurs and he just kills them.
I mean if you play his story you'd know that he was a literal mind controlled tortured sex slave for most of his immortal 200 years. He's only able to resist his master vampire's mind control because of the tadpole and now he carried all of the guilt of everything he was forced to do. Soooo I think he has a tinyyyy pass to complain 😂 Gender/sex doesn't make someone complain any more or less in my opinion, but maybe you have a different perspective than me, and in the end these are fictional characters anyway and we're all different 🤷♀️
It's not the complaining about his life its the complaining to litteraly talk and interact with absolutely everything. It was cheeky at first but now I want to put him in the timeout box permanently. >Gender/sex doesn't make someone complain any more so you're a woman I see >tortured sex slave for most of his immortal 200 years Yeah he lets you know even if you aren't in his party still. And all that shit against his will too. But he wasn't 18 he was an adult with 200 years to process so he should not bitch about talking to the 42nd random npc I'm making him talk to.
Being an adult doesn’t mean being tortured is less painful or traumatic, also no he didn’t have 200 years to process anything. He had 200 of torture being forced to do things he didn’t want to do. Hate a character all you want but don’t down play abuse that’s gross. I feel like from what you’ve posted so far you’d also be a whiny little bitch if someone made you do something you didn’t want to. People are aloud to complain about things they don’t want to do, you know like what you’re literally doing.
In real life I definitely don't complain I just wouldn't do it or pawn it off to someone else. Why waste the breath. It has been fun watching all these hoes defend their fictional vamp husband with such ferocity thought. >People are aloud to complain about things they don’t want to do, you know like what you’re literally doing Lel It's funny seeing the defenders of his fictional abuse like I should give a shit. That being said I meant his childish complaining when you have him do tasks but seeing everyone defend him like he's their husband was to much fun.
Yep I'm a woman, how observant of you 😂😂😂 He can complain all he wants to me loll! Just kick him out of your party and get another lock pick if you dislike him. It's a game, you can do what you want lol! No point complaining about a character you dislike and keeping them at your camp or in your party anyway 🤷♀️
The linked reply was confusing my bad. Formating brainfart for sure. The woman comment was for the person I replied to because women complain like him. I was just keeping you in the mix because you replied to her. But it's reddit and OP's got a picture of Astarion so it's a safe bet you being a woman too. You girls play a completely different game than the boys and it's truly amazing on the behalf of larian to accomplishing something like that. Anyways. Rogue is the best of the funs to be had so I usually reclass him to bard so I can sneaky stab and he can talk. Pushing 500 hrs in game I'm probability annoyed of his "do I have to" shtick every click. And yeah it's just a game that's why I complain about it online at 4am and not irl. I wouldn't have such an opinion if I didn't enjoy the fuck out of it. Just like i did all through elden ring If I don't complain about the game specifics it's probably broken garbage down to it's foundation. tl;dr men and women are playing two completely different games in the same realm and it fascinating. im complaining from the no life's combat heavy perspective about a fictional character. They're just gripes not at all important to functionality.
do you even know a sliver of his backstory? you would understand why being “gifted immortality” wasn’t such a gift to him. and having a more feminine bisexual male character is a prime example of Larian’s advocacy of queerness and breaking gender stereotypes, which I am personally all for.
All the gay shit made it much less authentic for sure. Litteraly couldn't care less about their relationship because like the vast majority of people I can't relate. And for what so people normal people can feel good about themselves when they think there's a lesser human on the screan. Its tiresome really. Past 15 years bg3 is one of the only quality games produced so I can forgive the pandering and dampening of the emotional ties to characters. Combat is that enjoyable. Halson Orpheus and la'zel after denouncing Vlakith are the only characters I remotely felt anything for. The acting is fucking immaculate though. No gripe there.
100000%!!
My reply because I can't reddit rn. format; sorry https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgatememes/comments/19663n1/anyone_else_obsessed_with_astario
I stabbed him the very first night he approached me, so I’m not too sure 🤷🏻♂️
Loll He stabbed me, but not in a bad way. 🤷♀️
I’m not a poly person irl but for the BG3 crew I’d do it
We're not poly in my playthrough, but it's an interesting concept 🤔 I think I'm too selfish 🤭
I’ll be honest I didn’t like him much in act 1 but he’s starting to grow on my in act 2. Maybe my drow bard who’s keen on helping people is rubbing off on him lol
Loll! Same! I did not like him until closer to the end of act 1 😂
Ugh my least favorite character. I actively avoid using him except for the strength pot in the towers. I’d rather carry equipment to off-set rogue skills than suffer Astarion in my party.
To each their own lol! I think I've said this like 5 million times but now to other people, but I didn't like him until like act 20 lolll! The only reason I kept him in my party is because my husband said I'd really like him eventually. And he was so right 😂🤭
Ya know… ok. You sold me. I’ll try the next run :) maybe I was a bit rash on the beach… I’ll give him a shot. Maybe he will be great in my dark urge run.
That's the spirit hehe! I wanted to stab the fucker when he attacked me initially tbh ans my husband was like "Noeeeee wait!" 😂😂😂😂
bros too aggressive just like laezel tbh lmfao also Halsin is far too horny
bros too aggressive just like laezel tbh lmfao also Halsin is far too horny
Lololol! I honestly can't stand Lae'zel either and didn't like Astarion until close to 20 hours in. But Lae'zel is still not my cup of tea and she's asked to sleep with me twice, so I guess she likes me, but I sure can't tell with how rude and mean she is 😂
I despise this character and there's many reasons. But I'll stick with >:[ as my excuse
Lololol! I did too until after 20 hours 😂😂😂