Curate, connect, and discover
Lately, I’ve been playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time - and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the game… and the pale elf, of course.
That’s how this character analysis came to life. At the start, I didn’t know much about the game or its world, but I did know that companions were available for romance. So I checked them out before starting, and two characters piqued my interest: Astarion and Gale.
Somehow… I never met Gale in my game (either I didn’t poke that hole in the wall or he just never showed up?), so naturally, I started exploring my options with Astarion.
His romance was described in guides as a bit of a challenge - especially if your Tav is good-aligned and likes helping others. The common conclusion is usually: be evil and he’ll like that.
I shrugged and decided to try balancing things out. But as I played and got to know him better, that advice began to make less and less sense to me. So I started putting my thoughts into words, hoping to explain why I didn’t agree.
In the end, this turned into something more like a diary - a journey of discovering new sides of Astarion and reflecting on the moments my Tav shared with him.
I hope you will find this analysis/review/Astarion fan diary (?) interesting, even if you don't agree with every part. If that’s the case, please be kind - I poured a lot of heart (and sleepless nights) into this. And if you did feel the same way, I hope this lets you re-experience that journey all over again <3
The Truth Behind The Mask
Getting Closer
First Bite
Power Or Its Absence?
Reflecting In Their Eyes
The Need To Be Seen
Facing Vampire Spawns
Astarion's Shirt
Softie Underneath
Sharess' Caress
Astarion and Cazador
Ascension Or Not?
Other posts about Astarion (rediscovering missed cutscenes and lore):
The First Night
"Unascended" Astarion
Astarion's Age
Astarion The Elf
Poison Or Dagger?
The Bear Conversation
(This is the initial plan, but it may evolve. I’ll add links to each post as I upload them)
TL;DR: Not a red flag – cinnamon roll with fangs. Handle with care, love and moonlight.