There are reasons, why I kill Astarion outright nowadays. I don't want a knife on my throat and I don't want rapey vampire feeding scenes, so he dies.
And I do think, that most scenes involving Astarion are handled poorly. I mean who in their right mind want that psycho in their group? Even in an evil playthrough the guy is at best a liability. I mean literally the first thing he does is threaten you - not even standoffish Lae'zel is that stupid. I tried every route with Astarion, even did the romance once ( although I did puke a little in my mouth while doing that) and I really can' t see one redeeming quality or good reason for keeping him around.
Personally I find him hilarious and full of personality. He’s one of the standout characters for sure. And his story hints at a tragic figure beneath all the bravado.
I think in general we aren’t supposed to necessarily “like” any of the companions at this stage. The story seems to be about a group of people who normally would not want anything to do with each other being thrust together by circumstance (or something else) and being forced to work together. Hopefully the companion relationships continue to evolve throughout the game. I know some people would prefer the companions got along better or were nicer but I kind of enjoy that premise.
