Why is romancing Astarion so hard?
Romancing Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a challenging and intricate process that requires deceit, trickery, and making morally questionable decisions, making it a complex and demanding experience for players. This complexity stems from Astarion’s unique personality and the push-pull dynamic of his romance, where players must carefully navigate dialogue choices to please or displease him, often involving provoking and lying to other characters.
Understanding Astarion’s Romance
To better understand why romancing Astarion is so hard, it’s essential to delve into the specifics of his character and the nature of his interactions.
Astarion’s Approval System
Astarion, like all characters, has a distinct personality and traits that he approves of and dislikes, making it crucial for players to maintain a consistent personality that appeals to his nature to gain his approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about romancing Astarion:
- How hard is it to romance Astarion?: Astarion’s romance can be challenging, but as long as you can maintain a consistent personality that appeals to his traits, gaining his approval should be straightforward.
- Should you sleep with Astarion at the party?: You don’t need to sleep with him at the party; if you get his approval high enough, he’ll proposition you on his own at some point during Act 1.
- Should you let Astarion feed on you?: If you plan to make Astarion a permanent part of your party, consider letting him suck your blood for the Happy buff, which adds a +1 to all his checks and grants him the Vampire Bite action in battle.
- How much approval do you need to romance Astarion?: Fair approval is good enough to start the romance at the tiefling party later on, but you can earn more approval in Act I and II.
- Can you romance Astarion if you don’t sleep with him?: Yes, you can romance Astarion without sleeping with him at the party; just get his approval high enough, and he’ll proposition you.
- How do you know if Astarion likes you?: Check his approval rating on the character sheet; the goal is to gain high approval, ideally before the Rescue Druid Halsin quest.
- Should I let Astarion turn me into a vampire?: There’s a small risk of death, but the benefits of letting Astarion bite you outweigh the risks, and you can always be revived.
- What happens if Astarion kills you?: You’ll wake up with the Bloodless debuff, but you can use a Scroll of Revivify or pay to be brought back to life.
- Will Astarion turn you into a vampire?: Astarion will refuse to turn you into a full vampire, implying he’s become like Cazador in more ways than one.
- Does Astarion tell you he loves you?: Even when offering to make you a vampire, Astarion says he loves you, but it’s clear he doesn’t mean it.
- How do you get Astarion to love you?: Support his desires, be supportive of his nature, align with evil creatures, be ruthless, demonstrate power, appreciate the fine arts, be cruel, and let him bite you.
- Can Astarion break up with you?: Yes, if you tell his siblings ‘You can take him’ and then choose certain options, Astarion will break up with you.
- Can you get Astarion to like you while being good?: It’s challenging, but possible, if you’re willing to let loose occasionally and be on his good side.
- Can you romance Astarion with fair approval?: Yes, fair approval is enough to start the romance, and you can earn more approval in Act I and II.
- Can you romance Astarion and be good?: It’s possible to achieve a good ending with Astarion, but it comes with its own baggage and troubling aspects regardless of the choices made.