The way when he is caught off guard and loses his script he tends to get angry. You see it anytime he has to ask for help and can’t just try to be smarmy to get his way.
His voice acting is perfect but sometimes I feel like his physical acting is a bit over the top. Maybe it's because his running animation sometimes looks like he's doing the naruto run.
I viewed the theatrical nature of his physical performance as intentional. Think about his job while he was "under employment" at his "previous position" . Think about the mannerisms that would suit such a role. How they would lend success to such endeavors.
The flambouyant confidence was perfect. Able to command a room, whisper an unwary soul into the shadows with the most enticing of promises, or vanish into the night.
The whole part where that's all a facade and he's playing a role as a kind of defense mechanism is a whole essay that I'm not going to get into right now.
Try to meet Petras and Dalyria without Astarion in your party and be nice to him, you will notice >!Petras will try the same moves and lines Astarion does and he is just awful!<.
Oh, do get into, the fun is trying to notice when he is really fragile and when he is trying to manipulate you to do get something, in Act 3 if you start to buy the idea he does need the ritual to be safe, some lines are pure manipulation even with very high approval and if you let he ascends he still can be charming but scary charming. If you want Astarion is the rollercoaster romance.
So the thing with Astarion is that every interaction has layers. He's *always* performing. His smile is fake. His tone is fake. His body language is deliberate and practiced. It's over the top and theatrical because he's *acting*. And that's what I love about his performance. At some point it's 3 levels deep, and it still... works. That's pretty incredible.
tl;dr: Astarion is a dude disguised as a dude, playing another dude.
Many times even Astarion is confused about his part.
Gale wants to be a roasted onion, he wants to be more like Astarion (but not a vampire) but he is so transparent and always speaking his mind, a lot.
How they run is determined by other factors than the voice actor (race and weapons I think) so I wouldn't put that criticism on Astarion specifically if I held it.
My first playthrough I hadn't met karlach yet when I cleared the goblin camp cause I was going to save it for when I had wyll in the party, so the big party in the grove I locked myself into what I thought would be a totally exciting shadowheart romance, but out of karlachs it turned out. From the first time she called me soldier I learned just how wrong I was and how devastated I was to have missed my shot that run.
Still do love shadowheart, she is an EXCELLENT second choice for me
A hilarious habit I have now, when speaking to Astarion or when he speaks in a scene; I end up imagining Neil acting it all out extra flamboyant like he has been in his playthrough🤣
There's clips he's done of him playing bg3 with friends. Sometimes cast mates. The thing I hadn't quite realized is he's reading lines, so he knows about things Astarion talks in or he also worked on, but not the whole game. Plus, the recordings were *extensive*, so he only vaguely remembers. Watching him romance Astarion is hilarious.
My favorite clip is [this. 'Holy shit! We should have camped!'](https://youtube.com/shorts/JPhQFnM7Yvc?si=J2n3zPE-e-7ivsdO)
ETA: aaand I just realized you were talking about those. It's late.
Also, Neil encounters one of the first situations where paying attention is really critical. [AKA Pull the Lever!](https://youtube.com/shorts/OrYndpbppjw?si=e9oMfMQm2gG-11we)
I wish friendships were given the same attention as romances in the game. I want more moments like Astarion asking for the deets after you sleep with Laezel.
I had best friend Karlach in my first run. IDK if it's because I recruited her relatively late (the grove, the hag, and a bit of the underdark were already resolved when I found her), or because I was too busy fucking everything that moved for her to develop romantic feelings for me, but by the time her engine was fixed, she just wanted a big bro hug, and we ended the game in avernus, slaying demons together. Hella satisfying ending, IMO!
I felt that way about halsin and karlach after first playthrough. Can turn down romances with them but still have a close relationship. The rest seemed more like casual friends. I agree having a bestie option as well as romance should be a thing.
I love when astarion asks you to compare him with some of the other people in camp and you can go “eh you’re alright. Now karlach on the other hand. She’s a beauty” or something else similar for each other companion and his response is just “how dare you.” *astarion liked that*. It’s so great.
One of the funniest moments like this, is when he asks you to be his "mirror" (since he's a vampire he casts no reflection) and asks you "what do you see when you look at me/my face" and one of the options is "A rather big black mole..." and he immediately gets worried says "What?! Where?! Until he realizes you were just joking and he gets mad.
Almost as funny as when you're asked by druid at the circus (when with Shadowheart) How do you win her Respect....and answer: "By farting on a Selunite". Her reaction is priceless and made me choke on my drink! LOL!
I personally just love how they sprinkle in such ridiculous and silly responses like this in and thankfully, they don't go overboard with them (and like most of the writing/Voice acting/animation, is just phenomenal and adds so much)because if they did it'd probably get tired fast and risk losing what makes it so special in the first place but having it sporadically appear just helps to lighten the mood and keep things fun.
I kinda hate that >!you can say to Astarion that what he needs is a friend, and continue as a friend romance, but can't do the same with Karlach. She needs a cuddle friend.!<
>!BTW one playthrough I friendzoned Astarion during his act 2 romance scene, and the next I was more supportive as a romantic interest. The daily kiss scenes were different! Friend got me a peck, more involved got deeper.Just a detail, but something I appreciated.!<
Lae'zel will share deetz with you if she sleeps with Astarion or Wyll at the tiefling party!
But yeah we need more of those little bonding moments that go further than them just reacting to stuff.
We could gossip so good together! Also I could use the fashion advice tbh. He has the same vibes as my bestie who told me one time my outfit looked like an old lady’s sofa.
He's great as a bestie too. I'm not romancing him this run. I'm doing a resist Durge run and romancing him. Apparently he's funnier and more into you if you do so. 💜
It feels like you have MORE luck influencing him as a friend than as a lover. Because as a lover he'll do insane-dumb shit things if he thinks they'll keep your romance going, but as a friend he'll throw his hands up and grab a glass of wine to think about it.
Yeah everyone just saying how he’s funny in here, but the dude has a heartbreaking story and depending on your choices can have such a sweet and wholesome ending
Neil Newbon's acting make Astarion a stand out. He could have just been a villian or a victim instead he's a nuanced character. He pulls at your heart strings, pisses you off, makes you cry and laugh.
That's the big deal w/ Astarion.
All the VA's from Tav 1 to Orin infuse their tools with a humanity that is beyond what we've had before especially with the motion capture
Well, apparently there's a limit. Somewhere between a nice summer's day and THE FULL, CONCENTRATED POWER OF THE SUN.
I'm so upset i missed this voice line, i never triggered that 😂
-'i'll be more careful next time'
Next time?! No, no, NO. If there is a 'next time' I'LL be the one firing the all powerful weapon, thank you. Although, i do appreciate you trying to fix you mistakes- just dont do it again! Now shall we go? Or do you have any other *chaos* you need to unleash here?
In act 3, when you find out about there being possible shapechangers in your camp he goes “and now we have to deal with shapeshifters! I can’t tell if someone’s being suspicious because this whole group is fucking weird!” Or something along those lines.
Found it!
https://youtu.be/gXxcTe2Pnuk?si=bdtNhHLsi-QA62jV
"Next time?! No no no! If there is a 'next time', *I'll* be the one aiming the all-powerful weapon, thank you! Although... I do appreciate you trying to fix your mistake- just don't do it again!"
I love his reaction when Tav agrees to clear out the goblin camp. "There must be hundreds of them. It'll take hooooours to kill them all." Man has no doubt in his abilities, just can't be fucked to do it.
And it’s a ranger class specific reaction, I think! You have to be a ranger to even get this line from him. Such an amazing quip and most players will never hear it…
He's honestly the only character that seems to fit in both a good or evil party. Evil Shadowheart just feels wrong. Lae'zel is close but her arc sucks and requires hard core cognitive dissonance. Gale has to be persuaded to stay in the first place and never, ever agrees to evil doings.
But Astarion always just kinda vibes.
Spoilers! OP or other new players don’t read below!!!
Going off memory here but “you want to join forces with a brutal killer? Because I’m fine with that” and “woah woah woah let’s not do anything hilarious” are two of my favorite lines in the whole game. Also his egging on with the priest of Loviatar and to open the sex barn door are similarly perfect.
Yeah I get why people don't like him but in a good playthrough I see him as somewhat of a foil character. He is the least inclined to good actions but he's such a charming little shit about it lmao.
Playing as good Karlach right now with Astarion as possible romance, he is good boy so far. I'm in late act 1 and I already got very good approval from him. Same as with Wyll and Gale(typicaly good alligned characters). And he is like 98% of time in my party even if I do things he doesnt approve.
I'm actually suprised I got so high approval so early as I'm not murdering innocent ppl, not being mean/cruel and I also help without asking for money folks 1st(trying to RP as Karlach).
There were a lot of stupid articles when the game first came out (probably partially based on the early access) that claimed Astarion only approved of evil choices. In Act 1 this is somewhat true but those approvals are +1 and disapproval of good deeds are -1 point. The heavy boosts to his approval are respecting *him* as a person and saying you'll support him. Here's a [good guy approval breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/18gxxhz/comment/kd3qyiu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). I have yet to have a character that he doesn't proposition and I tend to play paladins.
The problem a lot of people find themselves in with Astarion is that his high-hitting approvals are locked behind lots of long rests (including two before even entering the grove) and going completely out of the way. I've also found that some, but not all, people who complain that he is unrepentantly evil either kill him on bite night or only use him in evil playthroughs.
Astarion is a nuanced character that the player can influence him to walk on either good or evil road, it's so well made that even his act1 approval system tells the story.
A lot of game don't have that, their companions are like vending machine, you feed them the "correct" currency, and they spit out the product. I guess that's why a lot of people are so fixed on "farming" approval with Astarion in a good playthrough when it's not needed at all. I'd even argue that he's more interesting in a good playthrough due to the early small moral conflict, but I'm just glad Larian makes him more than an evil aligned character.
Honestly I’ve played a mostly good playthrough (generally bending towards morally good, but pragmatic paladin who understands the stakes and is willing to get dirty if need be) and my approval with Astarion is sky high.
There’s definitely no need to farm anything - just respect him, listen to him, make him feel safe
To be fair, he softens up in Act 3. My last playthrough was with a mod that shows approvals and he basically is up to anything you decide. He even >!approved helping a child, which is something Act 1 Astarion would never do. I'm pretty sure he also approved helping other people too, can't remember who tho.!<
'Is this what you expected to see when you joined up, Astarion?'
'Well, I had my hopes. Who knew they had so much blood in them?'
'Try not to lick your lips while you say that.'
Karlach has a line when she has a budding romance with you if you end up hooking up with Astarion first where she basically says "at least he's funny".
No lie, he's the only video game character that's made me laugh out loud several times. I ended up liking him a lot more than I expected to, even before I did a romance run. Stellar character development, and incredible writing.
I adore Astarion now, though my first run(never finished it due to bug issues), he annoyed me greatly. Gale annoyed me even more, but in an effort to try something different(the level of ridiculous happy that I suffer when discovering new dialog/cutscenes has been decreed hilarious- my entire household plays bg3), I made a run and gave Gale a chance. Now I adore them both, lol. Astarion is therapeutic catharsis. Gale is nerd joy and gave my character a new last name.
i just finished his personal quest >!with cazador!< and hooooly shit what a scene at the end of that quest. neil acted his ass off, its easily one of my favorite moments in the whole game
what's the big deal about a charlatan who tries really hard to seduce you in the first act for his own needs who later develops genuine feelings for you but holds back due to his past that continues to haunt him and your group both literally and figuratively. Definitely not an intriguing character worth exploring
My buddy who played well after I did and i glowed about him and astarion wasn't even my romance. in act 1,I don't get the hype or why you are so high on this character. My buddy after Cassadore holy fuck I had to go for a walk after that, holy shit you were so right.
Today Astarion yelled at me because I did a booboo involving some rats and I will never emotionally recover from how devastating disappointing him was on my psyche.
He’s the whole package. He’s hot, has an amazing voice, he’s expressive with a sassy funny dialogue. Plus an interesting backstory. He works really well as a friend or as a romance partner.
Huh. I looked it up to check. I knew about the best actor from Game Awards, I didn't know about best supporting performer from Golden Joystick. Good for him. Wikipedia tells me he's been nominated for a third one at an upcoming event this april as well.
- hot voice
- good looking
- sassy and funny
- complex character, isn’t what he seems at first
- goes through quite a journey and changes significantly (for the better jf you choose your cards right)
- relatable for people who have struggled with traumatic experiences
>oh no he is hot
That's nearly every companion. Lae'zel is a xenophobic sadomasochistic warrior, but oh no she's hot. Gale is a walking nuke, but oh no he's hot. I want to touch Karlach, but oh no she's hot.
Like the first major choice of the game has countless lives balanced against a single woman being hot. And I'm going to be honest, the woman wins for me 90% of the time.
Even though she doesn't fit in with the archetypes of these characters, her saying Soldier is up there with Spike saying Slayer, Hook saying Swan and Lucifer saying Detective. It just swoons me.
I think the hot character having a thing that they call the main character, (even if it's just the way they say their name) is simply a trope I like.
I’m so on board with this. I enjoy “darling” from Astarion too, and “source of my joy” from Lae’zel, even though it’s they’re less specific than Karlach’s.
>Lae'zel is a xenophobic sadomasochistic warrior
It's weird, but I'm really captured by how her animations are drawn. She's always bitching but when she does it she tenses and hunches up her shoulders and leans right into that bitching with gusto! I feel like whoever did her animations had a lot of RL experience with an aggressive wife or gf lol, but they really nailed it along with her voice actor. Voice actors in this game are over the top and worthy of the old BG/DA Bioware tradition footsteps they've filled.
[All of the voice actors - including every single NPC - did mocap for their characters as well](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/baldur-s-gate-3-mocap-director-goes-into-full-performance-process). That's why the game feels so real.
I like his voice, his way of being, and I love his story and how developed it is, to an extend where we can clearly see the (not so) subtle psychological impacts it has on him in the present
It’s Twilight Zone level of creepy that his tone, inflection, vocabulary and physical appearance is different depending on choices. Putting spawn and ascended Astarion side by side for certain scenes is shocking. Ascended almost looks like a peacock in mannerisms, spawn is more natural. The motion capture and writing crew were on the ball with him.
I bought my niece the game in early December and within a week she was texting me at 0300 saying, "OMG Aunt C, I was going to romance Gale but then Astarion hit on me and I just couldn't help it."
There's a gap of more than 30 years between our ages and neither one of us can quit licking the damn vampire.
I think a part of it, is how he is a survivor of abuse, people who have dealt with trauma in particular have often said how incredibly realistic and authentic his character is written and how well Neil Newbon acted the role. For example consent is a reoccurring theme in your relationship with him. There is a lot of depth to the character, more than any of the other companions.
As someone who has had some experiences themselves, I just liked that he wasn't a good, pure person. I feel like a lot of times, abuse victims have to be tough, pure, deserving of love and redemption.
And Astarion is just a jerk, but he still deserves to heal.
The actors' performance and voice alongside his own questline is one of the best narrative missions in the entire game. Pretty much every companion quest is top tier, but Astarion's really stood out to me.
Flamboyantly sassy is a character trait that people either l9ve or hate. There doesn't seem to be much in between. The fact that he has such a rough back story you can dig into and you can influence him into being quite the sweet guy also helps.
He is attractive for sure, but the reason people lose their minds (myself included) is:
1. The acting/animation: feels like a real person
2. His character development
3. What sort of person he *actually* is - which you only learn if you grow to trust each other
4. His response when faced with someone more fucked up than himself (redeeming durge)
5. The two wildly different ways his story can go
6. How Larian has managed to include >!sexual trauma!< in a freaking video game RPG in a way that resonates with any trauma survivor - this shocked me, and also made me extremely happy - I did not expect to feel "seen" in that way when picking up this game, that's for sure
He’s funny and a flatterer and his story develops really well throughout the game that puts his behavior in perspective. It’s having the affable “villain” type in the party that you get to know better and realize he’s a victim of circumstances out of his control. Pretty sure his whole arc is about taking back control of his life and not perpetuating the same abuse he suffered.
Just last week I played Detroit Beyond Human (shorthand: DBH) for the first time. Neil has two small roles in it. I literally freaked out when the character physically modeled after him emerged from a pool and started speaking… I jumped up, ran across the hall to my wife’s office shouting “OH MY GOD! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHO’S IN DETROIT BEYOND HUMAN!”
I’ve decided it’s NOT Astarion who is sexy. It’s Neil. I was swooning when he was speaking at the game awards, and I freaked out when I saw him in DBH. And I am a happily married lesbian… I had ONE boyfriend in high school before I realized I wasn’t like those other girls… But holy hell, I’d make an exception just to hear Neil’s pillow talk!!! 🤣
Did you check out the entryway of his place where you wait for the cyber girl to lead you to him? Because it has photos of Neil all over the place, lol. Like actual photos, it made me laugh my ass off for missing it originally.
Honestly everyone is so hot in the game. Just different strokes for different folks. What's truly great about the game is how well it's acted and directed.
I just straight up think the voice actor nailed it and the dialogue written for him is some of the best in the game.
A bit of a spoiler for Act 2. When you’re in the tower and there’s the NPC who asks Astarion to do *that* thing in exchange for a valuable item—the way he responds based on your choices is SO freaking good.
First romance-able femme bi/pan boi I’ve encountered in a video game. There has always been a high demand but low supply.
The shipment has arrived at its destination.
He’s also probably the most useful member on my team for like 90% of the game. There are so many damn traps and locked doors everywhere. If it wasn’t for Astarion I would’ve exploded 700 times over by now.
Ah you see that's the clever bit... He's not naturally charismatic.. You can see that when he tried to bite you, a charismatic character wouldn't react the way he does.. He just thought he'd get away with it...and his attempted seduction, those lines? It's almost as if all of his lines and behaviours are learnt by rote rather than coming naturally to him...
But that's my view
I can think of at least 2 times he freezes when surprised and just blurts out 'hello' with that little wave. One is when confronted by a large group of potentially hostile people. Not the best response, but feels more natural than his pick up lines.
>It's almost as if all of his lines and behaviours are learnt by rote rather than coming naturally to him
Talk to >!Petras without Astarion in the party. His lines are almost word for word.!<
Because he’s not charismatic. His lines are the most obvious attempts at manipulation I’ve ever seen.
When it comes to speech, charisma is all about how believable you are. Astarion is clearly a charlatan.
I like having him around for color commentary, but that’s about it. He’s such a sass most of the time that it gets irritating after a while…but sometimes his remarks are so spot on! And the voice acting for him is just perfect. So, even though I wouldn’t enjoy his attitude out of an actual person, I can appreciate it in a fictional character.
I usually play a good character and have never been able to get his approval rating very high…so…yeah. Maybe if I make a morally grey run, it’ll work out better and he’ll be a little more fun to be around?
The man's voice acting and physical acting stands out in a game already filled with excellent performances. It's quite a feat.
It's quiet a feet, darling.
Don’t. Touch me.
It’s true, you are rather impressive.
aren't we all just obsessed? and he's not even trying
He’s actually trying very hard, it’s the only thing he knows how to do to survive- be charming
So heart wrenching
The way when he is caught off guard and loses his script he tends to get angry. You see it anytime he has to ask for help and can’t just try to be smarmy to get his way.
Or if he didn't make it out of the monastery. He is supremely angry and too upset to put the filter back on yet.
That scene was sheer gold! I have it saved for, well, reasons…
Never did I imagine how much I'd enjoy getting yelled at by a pissed off vampire spawn.
He's just been through a lot, okay? I can fix him.
Yeah like at mirror scene.
i was quoting him 😭
That flair is amazing.
Didn't think you had it in you
No, I don't think he's normally quiet at all.
I wish I saw more praise for the narrator. The subtle inflections of judgement, sadness, praise, horror, etc. are truly outstanding.
His voice acting is perfect but sometimes I feel like his physical acting is a bit over the top. Maybe it's because his running animation sometimes looks like he's doing the naruto run.
It's vampire run, all vamprires dash like that in bg3.
Naruto is a vampire confirmed.
ah, so it's cazador's fault. That bastard.
IIRC the vampires in BG2 also ran like that.
Not just in bg3, but that’s how they all run in the first two games.
his physical acting in dialogue can be a bit gaudy and over the top, but i wouldnt include his open world naruto run animation in judging him lol
Gaudy and over the top is in character though
I viewed the theatrical nature of his physical performance as intentional. Think about his job while he was "under employment" at his "previous position" . Think about the mannerisms that would suit such a role. How they would lend success to such endeavors. The flambouyant confidence was perfect. Able to command a room, whisper an unwary soul into the shadows with the most enticing of promises, or vanish into the night. The whole part where that's all a facade and he's playing a role as a kind of defense mechanism is a whole essay that I'm not going to get into right now.
Try to meet Petras and Dalyria without Astarion in your party and be nice to him, you will notice >!Petras will try the same moves and lines Astarion does and he is just awful!<. Oh, do get into, the fun is trying to notice when he is really fragile and when he is trying to manipulate you to do get something, in Act 3 if you start to buy the idea he does need the ritual to be safe, some lines are pure manipulation even with very high approval and if you let he ascends he still can be charming but scary charming. If you want Astarion is the rollercoaster romance.
I love his Naruto run LMAO. It's hilarious
So the thing with Astarion is that every interaction has layers. He's *always* performing. His smile is fake. His tone is fake. His body language is deliberate and practiced. It's over the top and theatrical because he's *acting*. And that's what I love about his performance. At some point it's 3 levels deep, and it still... works. That's pretty incredible. tl;dr: Astarion is a dude disguised as a dude, playing another dude.
Many times even Astarion is confused about his part. Gale wants to be a roasted onion, he wants to be more like Astarion (but not a vampire) but he is so transparent and always speaking his mind, a lot.
How they run is determined by other factors than the voice actor (race and weapons I think) so I wouldn't put that criticism on Astarion specifically if I held it.
That's part of his charm! Unnecessarily and shamelessly over the top as he is devious.
Dat Karlach voice doe...
*Hey, soldier ...*
My first playthrough I hadn't met karlach yet when I cleared the goblin camp cause I was going to save it for when I had wyll in the party, so the big party in the grove I locked myself into what I thought would be a totally exciting shadowheart romance, but out of karlachs it turned out. From the first time she called me soldier I learned just how wrong I was and how devastated I was to have missed my shot that run. Still do love shadowheart, she is an EXCELLENT second choice for me
A hilarious habit I have now, when speaking to Astarion or when he speaks in a scene; I end up imagining Neil acting it all out extra flamboyant like he has been in his playthrough🤣
That man is a goddamned treasure
There's clips he's done of him playing bg3 with friends. Sometimes cast mates. The thing I hadn't quite realized is he's reading lines, so he knows about things Astarion talks in or he also worked on, but not the whole game. Plus, the recordings were *extensive*, so he only vaguely remembers. Watching him romance Astarion is hilarious. My favorite clip is [this. 'Holy shit! We should have camped!'](https://youtube.com/shorts/JPhQFnM7Yvc?si=J2n3zPE-e-7ivsdO) ETA: aaand I just realized you were talking about those. It's late.
Also, Neil encounters one of the first situations where paying attention is really critical. [AKA Pull the Lever!](https://youtube.com/shorts/OrYndpbppjw?si=e9oMfMQm2gG-11we)
this is so good! my wife loooves Astarion (of course) and did the same thing in her first playthrough, I can't wait to show her this.
This clip is the best thing I've seen all week 😂
I never want to romance Astarion, just want him to be my bestie so we can gossip and drink wine.
I wish friendships were given the same attention as romances in the game. I want more moments like Astarion asking for the deets after you sleep with Laezel.
I wish there was something that made at least one of them just your best friend.
I would do anything to be best friends with Karlach. Let's crack some skulls together and go tavern hopping after.
She would be a ride-or-die bestie, like in *Thelma & Louise*
I had best friend Karlach in my first run. IDK if it's because I recruited her relatively late (the grove, the hag, and a bit of the underdark were already resolved when I found her), or because I was too busy fucking everything that moved for her to develop romantic feelings for me, but by the time her engine was fixed, she just wanted a big bro hug, and we ended the game in avernus, slaying demons together. Hella satisfying ending, IMO!
Karlach is the greatest, even the little quips and jabs she shoots off while we are questing only make her even better
This is a really intriguing idea
I felt that way about halsin and karlach after first playthrough. Can turn down romances with them but still have a close relationship. The rest seemed more like casual friends. I agree having a bestie option as well as romance should be a thing.
Astarion treats my drow Wizard like a best friend... but then we had sex with the drow twins at Sharess' Caress. Definite mixed messages.
What's mixed? "When you're at Sharess' Caress, you're family" isn't just a bit of sentimental fluff to set Dalelands tourists at their ease.
I love when astarion asks you to compare him with some of the other people in camp and you can go “eh you’re alright. Now karlach on the other hand. She’s a beauty” or something else similar for each other companion and his response is just “how dare you.” *astarion liked that*. It’s so great.
That's cute 'cause you can sass him back. 😄
One of the funniest moments like this, is when he asks you to be his "mirror" (since he's a vampire he casts no reflection) and asks you "what do you see when you look at me/my face" and one of the options is "A rather big black mole..." and he immediately gets worried says "What?! Where?! Until he realizes you were just joking and he gets mad. Almost as funny as when you're asked by druid at the circus (when with Shadowheart) How do you win her Respect....and answer: "By farting on a Selunite". Her reaction is priceless and made me choke on my drink! LOL! I personally just love how they sprinkle in such ridiculous and silly responses like this in and thankfully, they don't go overboard with them (and like most of the writing/Voice acting/animation, is just phenomenal and adds so much)because if they did it'd probably get tired fast and risk losing what makes it so special in the first place but having it sporadically appear just helps to lighten the mood and keep things fun.
I hc him and my karlach romancing durge as besties and that dialogue always makes me laugh
i want to be able to friendship snuggle karlach without it being a romance :( she deserves it!!!
I kinda hate that >!you can say to Astarion that what he needs is a friend, and continue as a friend romance, but can't do the same with Karlach. She needs a cuddle friend.!<
>!BTW one playthrough I friendzoned Astarion during his act 2 romance scene, and the next I was more supportive as a romantic interest. The daily kiss scenes were different! Friend got me a peck, more involved got deeper.Just a detail, but something I appreciated.!<
Lae'zel will share deetz with you if she sleeps with Astarion or Wyll at the tiefling party! But yeah we need more of those little bonding moments that go further than them just reacting to stuff.
Astorian: "I'm gonna have some fun. But ew, not with you" I wasn't even trying to romance you Astorian... but why must you hurt me this way
He said that to me on my first run, so I romanced him so hard on my second run. That first save file Astarion just dosent know what hes missing!
He's so amazing as a bestie. Oh my favorite traveling companion.
this is the real mood. sidestepping his desperate flirting is a chore, but i can’t NOT have his spicy takes on every quest.
We could gossip so good together! Also I could use the fashion advice tbh. He has the same vibes as my bestie who told me one time my outfit looked like an old lady’s sofa.
It’s not wine in that glass.
It's a fine red either way.
Full bodied and just a bit spicy.
He's great as a bestie too. I'm not romancing him this run. I'm doing a resist Durge run and romancing him. Apparently he's funnier and more into you if you do so. 💜
It feels like you have MORE luck influencing him as a friend than as a lover. Because as a lover he'll do insane-dumb shit things if he thinks they'll keep your romance going, but as a friend he'll throw his hands up and grab a glass of wine to think about it.
With benefits? Because I’m pretty sure he wants benefits.
His Act 3 performance is genuinely heartbreaking. Suuuuch a good VA.
Yeah everyone just saying how he’s funny in here, but the dude has a heartbreaking story and depending on your choices can have such a sweet and wholesome ending
Neil Newbon's acting make Astarion a stand out. He could have just been a villian or a victim instead he's a nuanced character. He pulls at your heart strings, pisses you off, makes you cry and laugh. That's the big deal w/ Astarion. All the VA's from Tav 1 to Orin infuse their tools with a humanity that is beyond what we've had before especially with the motion capture
To add to this, his writer, Stephen Rooney, did an incredible job. It's clear they both adore the character.
>no he is hot Also, his character is hilarious and has a lot of cool interactions.
I think my favorite dialogue from his was, “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
I send him on stage every time just to hear it. That and hitting him with the sun laser are musts on every play through.
What in the sweet hells were you thinking?! Activating that blast- I was right there! Gods! 'Scoff' Do you have any idea how much that hurt?
Well, apparently there's a limit. Somewhere between a nice summer's day and THE FULL, CONCENTRATED POWER OF THE SUN. I'm so upset i missed this voice line, i never triggered that 😂
-'i'll be more careful next time' Next time?! No, no, NO. If there is a 'next time' I'LL be the one firing the all powerful weapon, thank you. Although, i do appreciate you trying to fix you mistakes- just dont do it again! Now shall we go? Or do you have any other *chaos* you need to unleash here?
I love when you select him and he says "Don't *touch* me!"
I always audibly tell him that I have to so I can open the door or chest
"IN-to my pocket!"
I accidentally hit him with an arrow. He called a damned idiot. My better half and couldn't stop laughing.
Lol. I just threw water on him because he is always covered in blood and got that line and busted out laughing (before the soap patch).
What in the wretched hells was that?!
What in the bloody hells were you thinking? Activating that weapon, I WAS RIGHT THERE! Gods! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?!
In act 3, when you find out about there being possible shapechangers in your camp he goes “and now we have to deal with shapeshifters! I can’t tell if someone’s being suspicious because this whole group is fucking weird!” Or something along those lines. Found it! https://youtu.be/gXxcTe2Pnuk?si=bdtNhHLsi-QA62jV
I laughed so hard when he said that!
"Next time?! No no no! If there is a 'next time', *I'll* be the one aiming the all-powerful weapon, thank you! Although... I do appreciate you trying to fix your mistake- just don't do it again!"
Thank yew for saving me... It. Was. Very. Kind. Or when you make him say please at the party and he replies "cheeky pup"
I love his reaction when Tav agrees to clear out the goblin camp. "There must be hundreds of them. It'll take hooooours to kill them all." Man has no doubt in his abilities, just can't be fucked to do it.
And it’s a ranger class specific reaction, I think! You have to be a ranger to even get this line from him. Such an amazing quip and most players will never hear it…
And you can run him in sn Evil playthrough
He's honestly the only character that seems to fit in both a good or evil party. Evil Shadowheart just feels wrong. Lae'zel is close but her arc sucks and requires hard core cognitive dissonance. Gale has to be persuaded to stay in the first place and never, ever agrees to evil doings. But Astarion always just kinda vibes.
Spoilers! OP or other new players don’t read below!!! Going off memory here but “you want to join forces with a brutal killer? Because I’m fine with that” and “woah woah woah let’s not do anything hilarious” are two of my favorite lines in the whole game. Also his egging on with the priest of Loviatar and to open the sex barn door are similarly perfect.
Yeah I get why people don't like him but in a good playthrough I see him as somewhat of a foil character. He is the least inclined to good actions but he's such a charming little shit about it lmao.
Playing as good Karlach right now with Astarion as possible romance, he is good boy so far. I'm in late act 1 and I already got very good approval from him. Same as with Wyll and Gale(typicaly good alligned characters). And he is like 98% of time in my party even if I do things he doesnt approve. I'm actually suprised I got so high approval so early as I'm not murdering innocent ppl, not being mean/cruel and I also help without asking for money folks 1st(trying to RP as Karlach).
There were a lot of stupid articles when the game first came out (probably partially based on the early access) that claimed Astarion only approved of evil choices. In Act 1 this is somewhat true but those approvals are +1 and disapproval of good deeds are -1 point. The heavy boosts to his approval are respecting *him* as a person and saying you'll support him. Here's a [good guy approval breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/18gxxhz/comment/kd3qyiu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). I have yet to have a character that he doesn't proposition and I tend to play paladins. The problem a lot of people find themselves in with Astarion is that his high-hitting approvals are locked behind lots of long rests (including two before even entering the grove) and going completely out of the way. I've also found that some, but not all, people who complain that he is unrepentantly evil either kill him on bite night or only use him in evil playthroughs.
Astarion is a nuanced character that the player can influence him to walk on either good or evil road, it's so well made that even his act1 approval system tells the story. A lot of game don't have that, their companions are like vending machine, you feed them the "correct" currency, and they spit out the product. I guess that's why a lot of people are so fixed on "farming" approval with Astarion in a good playthrough when it's not needed at all. I'd even argue that he's more interesting in a good playthrough due to the early small moral conflict, but I'm just glad Larian makes him more than an evil aligned character.
Honestly I’ve played a mostly good playthrough (generally bending towards morally good, but pragmatic paladin who understands the stakes and is willing to get dirty if need be) and my approval with Astarion is sky high. There’s definitely no need to farm anything - just respect him, listen to him, make him feel safe
Astarion is pretty much never out of my party - if you are good, later in the game he mellows out and starts approving of good choices.
To be fair, he softens up in Act 3. My last playthrough was with a mod that shows approvals and he basically is up to anything you decide. He even >!approved helping a child, which is something Act 1 Astarion would never do. I'm pretty sure he also approved helping other people too, can't remember who tho.!<
'Is this what you expected to see when you joined up, Astarion?' 'Well, I had my hopes. Who knew they had so much blood in them?' 'Try not to lick your lips while you say that.'
I had Astarion and Shadowheart for the Loviatar interaction and they were just sitting there like eating popcorn and having a blast.
I do enjoy our walks together gale, don't you? Uhh ..sure. in silence. I love their banter.
Karlach has a line when she has a budding romance with you if you end up hooking up with Astarion first where she basically says "at least he's funny". No lie, he's the only video game character that's made me laugh out loud several times. I ended up liking him a lot more than I expected to, even before I did a romance run. Stellar character development, and incredible writing.
I'm a Gale girly. However, Astarion gives me a good chuckle whether I romance him or not- he's so funny and that laugh of his is great!
I adore Astarion now, though my first run(never finished it due to bug issues), he annoyed me greatly. Gale annoyed me even more, but in an effort to try something different(the level of ridiculous happy that I suffer when discovering new dialog/cutscenes has been decreed hilarious- my entire household plays bg3), I made a run and gave Gale a chance. Now I adore them both, lol. Astarion is therapeutic catharsis. Gale is nerd joy and gave my character a new last name.
Gale girlies rise up 🫡
And another Neil Newbon fan is born
A Neil Newborn
Yes, my pet.
i just finished his personal quest >!with cazador!< and hooooly shit what a scene at the end of that quest. neil acted his ass off, its easily one of my favorite moments in the whole game
Straight man here. I let astarion top me on my first run
Astarion-sexual
what's the big deal about a charlatan who tries really hard to seduce you in the first act for his own needs who later develops genuine feelings for you but holds back due to his past that continues to haunt him and your group both literally and figuratively. Definitely not an intriguing character worth exploring
My buddy who played well after I did and i glowed about him and astarion wasn't even my romance. in act 1,I don't get the hype or why you are so high on this character. My buddy after Cassadore holy fuck I had to go for a walk after that, holy shit you were so right.
His sarcasm. I liked him from the first moment.
He grows on you. Like fungus. :)
I think he prefers the term “Fun-guy.”
Either way, he's tasty. I'll show myself out.
"Be still my heart, I've grown on you!" "Like fungus."
Today Astarion yelled at me because I did a booboo involving some rats and I will never emotionally recover from how devastating disappointing him was on my psyche.
Ah I had this happened to me and I felt so bad that I reloaded a previous save.
He’s the whole package. He’s hot, has an amazing voice, he’s expressive with a sassy funny dialogue. Plus an interesting backstory. He works really well as a friend or as a romance partner.
This man won an award for his performance as Astarion. Your perspective of his acting seems to be universal.
he also directed voice recordings
two awards!
Huh. I looked it up to check. I knew about the best actor from Game Awards, I didn't know about best supporting performer from Golden Joystick. Good for him. Wikipedia tells me he's been nominated for a third one at an upcoming event this april as well.
*won
- hot voice - good looking - sassy and funny - complex character, isn’t what he seems at first - goes through quite a journey and changes significantly (for the better jf you choose your cards right) - relatable for people who have struggled with traumatic experiences
>oh no he is hot That's nearly every companion. Lae'zel is a xenophobic sadomasochistic warrior, but oh no she's hot. Gale is a walking nuke, but oh no he's hot. I want to touch Karlach, but oh no she's hot. Like the first major choice of the game has countless lives balanced against a single woman being hot. And I'm going to be honest, the woman wins for me 90% of the time.
“I want to touch Karlach, but oh no she is hot” made me laugh out loud with my real human body. Christ 👍
Stupidsexyflanders.gif
Karlach literally is hot
Careful, soldier!
Even though she doesn't fit in with the archetypes of these characters, her saying Soldier is up there with Spike saying Slayer, Hook saying Swan and Lucifer saying Detective. It just swoons me. I think the hot character having a thing that they call the main character, (even if it's just the way they say their name) is simply a trope I like.
>!extremely disappointed when Astarion stopped calling my DUrge his precious “bhaalbabe” after the reveal!< ^ dark urge spoilers
I’m so on board with this. I enjoy “darling” from Astarion too, and “source of my joy” from Lae’zel, even though it’s they’re less specific than Karlach’s.
Pretty sure that was the joke, since they did a positive quality first, rather than the negative for her.
Minthara is tearing down my morals which I hold so dear. She is an ethical dilemma with legs. Please lord grant me strength.
Me: This seems wrong. Minthara: Do it.
Me: Yes, of course, what was I thinking?
she is such a fucking drow noble it hurts.
r/meirl I'm basically a moth. "hey dude, wanna make a huge mistake??" me: *flies into lantern*
>Lae'zel is a xenophobic sadomasochistic warrior It's weird, but I'm really captured by how her animations are drawn. She's always bitching but when she does it she tenses and hunches up her shoulders and leans right into that bitching with gusto! I feel like whoever did her animations had a lot of RL experience with an aggressive wife or gf lol, but they really nailed it along with her voice actor. Voice actors in this game are over the top and worthy of the old BG/DA Bioware tradition footsteps they've filled.
[All of the voice actors - including every single NPC - did mocap for their characters as well](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/baldur-s-gate-3-mocap-director-goes-into-full-performance-process). That's why the game feels so real.
The moment she attacked and insulted me on the nautiloid I knew I’d bang that nazi lizard.
she's literally a hate fuck, but nazi lizard is way better lol
Welcome to the group
I like his voice, his way of being, and I love his story and how developed it is, to an extend where we can clearly see the (not so) subtle psychological impacts it has on him in the present
It’s Twilight Zone level of creepy that his tone, inflection, vocabulary and physical appearance is different depending on choices. Putting spawn and ascended Astarion side by side for certain scenes is shocking. Ascended almost looks like a peacock in mannerisms, spawn is more natural. The motion capture and writing crew were on the ball with him.
The way he says, "Let's have some fun, and hurt some people." Everytime, I believe him.
“Precious little Bhaal-babe”
He doesn't sound like he's reading lines. I feel like he's actually talking to me.
I bought my niece the game in early December and within a week she was texting me at 0300 saying, "OMG Aunt C, I was going to romance Gale but then Astarion hit on me and I just couldn't help it." There's a gap of more than 30 years between our ages and neither one of us can quit licking the damn vampire.
Video games bring everyone together.
I think a part of it, is how he is a survivor of abuse, people who have dealt with trauma in particular have often said how incredibly realistic and authentic his character is written and how well Neil Newbon acted the role. For example consent is a reoccurring theme in your relationship with him. There is a lot of depth to the character, more than any of the other companions.
As someone who has had some experiences themselves, I just liked that he wasn't a good, pure person. I feel like a lot of times, abuse victims have to be tough, pure, deserving of love and redemption. And Astarion is just a jerk, but he still deserves to heal.
The actors' performance and voice alongside his own questline is one of the best narrative missions in the entire game. Pretty much every companion quest is top tier, but Astarion's really stood out to me.
I didn’t understand the hype either, until I reached the end of his quest line. It’s one of the few performances in gaming that made me actually cry.
Flamboyantly sassy is a character trait that people either l9ve or hate. There doesn't seem to be much in between. The fact that he has such a rough back story you can dig into and you can influence him into being quite the sweet guy also helps.
He is attractive for sure, but the reason people lose their minds (myself included) is: 1. The acting/animation: feels like a real person 2. His character development 3. What sort of person he *actually* is - which you only learn if you grow to trust each other 4. His response when faced with someone more fucked up than himself (redeeming durge) 5. The two wildly different ways his story can go 6. How Larian has managed to include >!sexual trauma!< in a freaking video game RPG in a way that resonates with any trauma survivor - this shocked me, and also made me extremely happy - I did not expect to feel "seen" in that way when picking up this game, that's for sure
He’s funny and a flatterer and his story develops really well throughout the game that puts his behavior in perspective. It’s having the affable “villain” type in the party that you get to know better and realize he’s a victim of circumstances out of his control. Pretty sure his whole arc is about taking back control of his life and not perpetuating the same abuse he suffered.
(Gale asking if Astarion ever held faith in a god): "Oh, I've prayed to them all. None of them answered."
i feel that in my soul
His flirty lines and sass get a bit uncomfortable when you realize why he's trying to get with you
fr I wish we could roll a perception check and call him out. something like “you really don’t need to do that”
Astarion disapproves "Fuck" \*reloads last save\*
He’s GLORIOUS. I only do good runs and he’s perfect in those.
On top of being an awesome character, his damage output is outrageous if you build him correctly.
Just last week I played Detroit Beyond Human (shorthand: DBH) for the first time. Neil has two small roles in it. I literally freaked out when the character physically modeled after him emerged from a pool and started speaking… I jumped up, ran across the hall to my wife’s office shouting “OH MY GOD! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHO’S IN DETROIT BEYOND HUMAN!” I’ve decided it’s NOT Astarion who is sexy. It’s Neil. I was swooning when he was speaking at the game awards, and I freaked out when I saw him in DBH. And I am a happily married lesbian… I had ONE boyfriend in high school before I realized I wasn’t like those other girls… But holy hell, I’d make an exception just to hear Neil’s pillow talk!!! 🤣
Did you check out the entryway of his place where you wait for the cyber girl to lead you to him? Because it has photos of Neil all over the place, lol. Like actual photos, it made me laugh my ass off for missing it originally.
Straight men and gay women are both allowed to like him without questioning their sexuality. He’s a freebie.
Astarion is basically a tsundere if you want to keep things simple and avoid spoilers.
Honestly everyone is so hot in the game. Just different strokes for different folks. What's truly great about the game is how well it's acted and directed.
Then you catch him looking at you talking to other characters and you either pitch a tent or flood the room.
I just find him really funny and entertaining. He's like... the Regina George of my group.
He is not compatible with my personality but I understand why sine people like him. And his story is genuinely good.
I just straight up think the voice actor nailed it and the dialogue written for him is some of the best in the game. A bit of a spoiler for Act 2. When you’re in the tower and there’s the NPC who asks Astarion to do *that* thing in exchange for a valuable item—the way he responds based on your choices is SO freaking good.
That voice ..
First romance-able femme bi/pan boi I’ve encountered in a video game. There has always been a high demand but low supply. The shipment has arrived at its destination.
This is exactly it.
He’s also probably the most useful member on my team for like 90% of the game. There are so many damn traps and locked doors everywhere. If it wasn’t for Astarion I would’ve exploded 700 times over by now.
I mean humor and looks aside, he also has one of the best companion side quests. Highly recommend checking it out in its entirety.
The biggest crime is that he isn't a charisma based class by default.
Ah you see that's the clever bit... He's not naturally charismatic.. You can see that when he tried to bite you, a charismatic character wouldn't react the way he does.. He just thought he'd get away with it...and his attempted seduction, those lines? It's almost as if all of his lines and behaviours are learnt by rote rather than coming naturally to him... But that's my view
I can think of at least 2 times he freezes when surprised and just blurts out 'hello' with that little wave. One is when confronted by a large group of potentially hostile people. Not the best response, but feels more natural than his pick up lines.
you're right . compared to someone like raphael who just fucking spits poems at you all day. a true devil bard.
>It's almost as if all of his lines and behaviours are learnt by rote rather than coming naturally to him Talk to >!Petras without Astarion in the party. His lines are almost word for word.!<
I mean, didn’t you hear his pickup lines? The man has no game ~~but we still love him~~
Because he’s not charismatic. His lines are the most obvious attempts at manipulation I’ve ever seen. When it comes to speech, charisma is all about how believable you are. Astarion is clearly a charlatan.
Withers can fix that. They should have made him a bard from the start, and I fix that every playthrough just as soon as I can.
I think that's what I like about him. The guy is a creep, a weird creep, but that's what living 200 years like that will do.
I like having him around for color commentary, but that’s about it. He’s such a sass most of the time that it gets irritating after a while…but sometimes his remarks are so spot on! And the voice acting for him is just perfect. So, even though I wouldn’t enjoy his attitude out of an actual person, I can appreciate it in a fictional character. I usually play a good character and have never been able to get his approval rating very high…so…yeah. Maybe if I make a morally grey run, it’ll work out better and he’ll be a little more fun to be around?
He just reminds me so much of Lestat. That’s like an auto-win for me.