I need to express one big dissapointment I have with the game. I’m going to refer to EA Astarion version and his backstory that was apparently cut (but is still present in the artbook). There will be also some spoilers to the full game story.
So: I’m aware that this in unpopular opinion and there are mostly two groups of players: those who adore him and love to help him with his trauma, and those who hate him and kill instantly (I’m exaggerating a bit but I think you know what I mean). And I’m in the group which mourns his corrupted magistrate arc.
Don’t get me wrong, I think his trauma plot is one of the best narrative parts of the whole Baldur’s Gate 3 - if not the best. Well written, nice, interesting psychology and objectively very good.
But I really, really hoped for corrupted, disgraced nobleman who lost everything because his own greed and who now must deal with it - if someone didn’t hear about it, this is what Swen said 3 years ago about Astarion:
„A disgraced nobleman who used his position as a local magistrate to serve a vampire clan by feeding them prisoners, he was eventually too corrupt even for them and was effectively sent to serve as the personal slave of a powerful vampire.”
I wouldn’t even mind to be able to „fix him”, but I imagined it would be rather letting him understand what a hypocrite he is. I wanted to see a powerful, selfish person in the place of those who he harmed. A person who slowly realises he kind of deserved what he got.
I also wanted Cazador to be more interesting. Cruel, evil - sure, but not that one-dimentional and rather pathetic character who’s only function in the game is to be a punching bag the player can joyfully kill with nothing but pure satisfaction. I imagined he particularly enjoys tormenting Astarion, because he understands his ironic position. An abuser who abuses another abuser.
Imagine you and your party breaks into his palace (or crypt) only to learn from Cazador, that Astarion isn’t only the victim. You’re angry, maybe a bit confused, maybe you just hate him more than before, but your vampire companion could already changed, at least partially, and the choice to help him isn’t as obvious as it is now. I suspect it could look like this in the earlier phase of game development - lines like „So Cazador was around just when you were bleeding to death on the street? What a coincidence” or „Some Gurs attacked me because of my decree” strongly suggest some cut content the player was supposed to discover later.
A manipulative abuser who is an obvious victim at the same time - it was a fascinating combination and a first and main reason I was so hyped for BG3. I really wanted to see what can happen with him from this startpoint. Now Astarion is much more sympathetic (although some players still think he is an annoying asshole, I know ;)) and when you think about it, you really can’t blame him for what he became. In the current version of the game he is just a victim - Cazador forced him to become who he is, he had no choice. The old Astarion was actually responsible for the evil he commited in the past.
