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As it stands, Astarion's "good" ending - and specifically, his non-romance ending, as I didn't romance him - is bizarrely bad. All that happens is he runs off crying, being burned by the sun, while your companion's are like, "Lol, what an idiot". You spend all this time trying to gain his trust, and push him towards not being an egotistical person who uses people for his own self interest, and this is the end? Quite literally all you have to do is:

1) Not have the companions crack jokes about it. What's up with that anyway? It pushes it from being kind of out of place and bad, to just being actively mean spirited towards his character, and the growth he's seen over the course of the story.

2) Instead of him running off crying, just have him directly reference the fact that the sun is rising, and because of his choices, he'll now have to go back to living like a regular vampire spawn - just now free from his Master. Have him talk up about how he's going to live his life more positively, and not hurt people or whatever. Have your character be able to respond back to him, and affirm his choice, tell him that he deserves this as penance for what he did, or whatever else. Then have him leave with grace, accepting of his new responsibilities and life direction.

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+1. I've nothing to add, and I agree with you on everything you said.

The last conversation with him that you get if you romanced him and you didn't
turn into a squid
is also weirdly off (it just isn't emotional or personal) and not as well written as everything else in his storyline, so it would be nice if they re-wrote that, too.

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Larian got out the B Roll footage for these endings lol

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I romanced him and believe me, it's almost worse if you do.

Cause, as the love of your life is burning up in the sun, your character gets no chance to react. You basically "lol" with everyone else and it's completely distasteful.

Additionally, this is a character who has earned a great deal of respect. He went against his nature by denying himself ultimate power and they almost frame it like he "deserves" ridicule.

It feels like they wrote his ending at the same time as writing his introduction. The ending screams of "this would be funny if you never got to know him."

He's the most well-written character in the game in my opinion and his ending completely shafted him. It's my biggest complaint.


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Yep. I have a play romancing him and one not. But the one I romanced him I decided to go with Karlach because goddamn it was mean to leave her. Then it ends just like the non-romanced version. I understand his panic but how about no jokes and a way to, I dunno, scream something or say a few things before it’s too late?

Left a sour taste.


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+1...

And like a few people already mentioned, it's even worse if you romance him.

Aside from burning up in the sun and companions cracking up underhanded jokes about it, in the epilogue you have with him, the one on one conversation, our responses (and his) are so beyond shit.

So, during the romance we promised multiple times that we won't leave his side, that we'll be with him no matter what and yet that seems to be forgotten about in the "epilogue" conversation with him somehow. What I mean is, we HAVE to reassure him AGAIN that we do in fact want to be with him. If Larian is so hell bent on us breaking up with him or "going our own way" why not also add options like "we spoke about it already, I love you and I meant what I said before, I will stand by you no matter what"... it's just odd. And an amazing VA like Neil can't really save those lines either, even though you can tell he really pours his heart and his soul into his work. When actors are given crap script like that to work with there is only so much they do to save it. And he almost saves it.

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I think the ending dialogue is a bit better if you take a particular route in the end, but even so it's not nowhere even near as good as everything before that.

If you turn into a mind flayer, the conversation is a bit more meaningful, in both the not-ascended and ascended version. Then the conversation centers on if they can continue now that Tav has changed.

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His "good" ending is just garbage. Besides that awful scene at the docks, with him running away, teammates making jokes, Tav standing around like a statue with nothing to say to her love or in any way trying to help him...
Then if you're lucky (it triggers for me only half the time) you get a conversation scene with a very pointless few line chat with him. At least ascended Astarion has a little more to say.

The epilogue as a whole is awful, incomplete, unsatisfying, there is little closure to the awesome adventure that got us all there. They made us go through 80+ hours interactive "movie" just to get a few minutes ending? I hope they rewrite the epilogue.

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This is the reason, I'm still just playing Act 1 and Act 2. I don't want to see how bad this ending is. You just spend all this time trying to help Astarion heal, and it gets throw back in your face. Sure, have one of the companions have a joke but have the option Tav to yell at them and help him. Give us a choice to follow him if you romanced him. My Character is a half-drow spending they rest her life in the dark wouldn't change a thing for her.

Last edited by Rosa; 24/09/23 12:31 AM.
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I am basically repeating what others have said, but I do agree that the Astarion good-ending could have been better.

I prefer the ascension Astarion ending because it seems like a good ending for him; at least he is not seemingly abandoned and disrespected like the non-ascension Astarion ending. (Plus, the ascended astarion has so much more dialogue; it would have been nice if the non-ascended astarion gave cute scenes like him showing you different places similarly to his grave.)

But there is nothing like watching him burn and run off between crates while rocking back and forth with no option for Tav to run after him to comfort him while some of the party members make rude comments (I watched the Astarion Origin ending because I wasn’t sure where he ran off to on the docs or how he decided to live in the good-ending, the Origin ending gives a bit more of an extension to where he went and decided to do with his life)

But it looks like he ends up alone in the end, even if you romance him. (Unless it is a bug and the game assumes you did not romance him.) It did not seem like a happy ending for Astarion. It feels like all the work put into making him feel that he is enough, or whatever, was for no reason, as in the end he ended up with nothing. (If I remember there is even dialogue along of the lines of him being grateful that he did not ascend and that you made him realize that he does not need power and is enough as a spawn. If he was enough, then why is he all alone at the end? Though I’m still unsure if it’s a bug and the game provided a non-romanced Astarion cutscene. I guess he could be happy as is)

At least ascended; even if he becomes a pompous asshat and his emotions become twisted, he is not burning in the sun and living outside all alone, like a homeless person trying to eat what scraps they can find. It seems like choosing to ascend is a good ending for him (not for you or Baldurs Gate).

I do hope they make the ending a bit more tasteful. I found it hard to watch personally.

Last edited by Verzkyia; 24/09/23 02:04 AM. Reason: Added More
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I also support this opinion (as I already did in some other thread).

Please, Larian, do not leave this humiliating 'good' ending for Astarion. As for the whole playthrough (at least during Act 1 and Act 2, as I also believe that Act 3 is really lacking more connection to companions - almost no cutscenes and camp conversations in comparison to previous acts) you have builded such a great character with great development. And all he gets in the end is mocking from his companions (and possible lover) when he is about to burst in flames.

Sure this current ending is good, if you do not care about him. In my 1st playthrough I have almost never took him out of the camp. I have even missed some parts of his personal quest, so it was quite fitting, just standing there, while he run from the sun.

But now, I am romancing him and I am really demotivated by this to complete the game. Because I know the scene will be the same. That after all that care and support my character showed him, she will still be standing in there, as he runs for his life and (possibly) Gale mocks him.

It is really awful to have this as canonical good ending, there should be some variations depending on your relationship with him.

Well, I am leaving my current playthroug to 'hang in the air' with hope, that Larian will listen to our plea, like they did with Karlach's fans.

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Ive posted this in another thread, so I will just repeat it here.

Astarion has NO good ending as of right now. Things are very vague in this state of the game, nothing is explained as to what is going to happen to them (Tav/Astarion).

If he stays a spawn and you're an elf than you've got around 700 year to stick together, if you're a human for example then in 40 years you're old and in 50-60 you're dead. And where does it leave him? Alone in the shadows and with a never ending hunger for blood. Well, does that sound like a happy ending for him? There has to be a HOPE in the so called "good" ending to have him cured of vampirism. A wish spell/ spell of true resurrection, or a Gale if he was ascended to a Godhood. Otherwise it's all down hill for Astarion after Tav is gone.

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Concerning everyone's (your companion's) reactions:

Remember when we met up with his spawn siblings in the Flophouse? Remember his spawn siblings' reaction to their brother burning in the sun?
"God's, No brother!! Stop!!" "What's happened to you, Astarion?!"
They were panicked and begging Astarion to let him go because a vampire burning in the sun is SUPPOSED TO BE A BIG DEAL.
His freaking sister had a harsher reaction to their nothing brother burning up but your companions and you and his love don't seem concerned at all about it when it happens to Astarion.

What am I missing here? Who at Larian thought this was a good idea? I have 0 clue why this was supposed to be funny. We did exactly what you wanted, we got to know him. And in getting to know him, you punish us for it.

Last edited by vx_phoenix_vx; 25/09/23 01:27 PM. Reason: More context

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GOOD THREAD!! boosting!! i know the devs said they are gonna button down later on and focus on re-writing some stuff that doesnt make sense, but PLEASE PUT THIS ON THE LIST!! astarion is such a wonderful character who (at his non-ascended ending) earns all of his companion's respect.. it doesnt make sense that his trauma is suddenly treated so flippantly, especially at END GAME? and i totally agree about "giving hope" when it comes to his ending. most of the other characters (sans poor karlach) have a goal to work towards at the end of the game. Astarion's future is barely talked about at all.. why cant it end with him formulating a plan to find a "cure", or at least something that allows him to walk in the daylight again?

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I had a post just shut down....maybe because this thread existed. I had a Not happy ending at all- I took Astarion to meet his maker. He has been a primary member of my team lvl5 thief lvl 6 monk since the start. Anyway we traveled to
[/spoiler] the Master vampire instead of talking we went stealth attack. Skipping all dialog we killed him and his buddies. After the battle Astarion lost his mind and basically said screw you captives...screw you adventurers. Broke the staff and fled with the vamp buddies the master vampire had tied up. I sat with a what the heck feeling. This was after he just apologized to the captives. [spoiler]
was that supposed to happen.

Last edited by Painbringer71; 25/09/23 07:26 PM.
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Originally Posted by Painbringer71
I had a post just shut down....maybe because this thread existed. I had a Not happy ending at all- I took Astarion to meet his maker. He has been a primary member of my team lvl5 thief lvl 6 monk since the start. Anyway we traveled to
[/spoiler] the Master vampire instead of talking we went stealth attack. Skipping all dialog we killed him and his buddies. After the battle Astarion lost his mind and basically said screw you captives...screw you adventurers. Broke the staff and fled with the vamp buddies the master vampire had tied up. I sat with a what the heck feeling. This was after he just apologized to the captives. [spoiler]
was that supposed to happen.

Have you tried re-loading to see if the same dialogue happens? Sometimes I only get (continue) as a dialogue option when I know there should be more, and re-loading it seems to fix it.


Speaking of Cazador, to anyone who may be struggling with the battle. If you want to avoid the fight as much as possible with Cazador by accessing the dialogue, you can grab Victoria's dead body from the locked room and toss it between the stairs and walkway where the ritual is taking place, and Cazador and other enemies will run into it and stand there until they die. Just make sure the person carrying the dead body has the Necrotic Resistance potion and some healing potions. Tossing the body away from you and picking it back up helps preserve life points(so long as you remain on your turn until everything is dead) Keeping Astarion out of the battle by hiding him far away will prevent him from being sacrificed since he wont register as being present in the room.

Last edited by Verzkyia; 25/09/23 07:44 PM. Reason: Fixed Spoiler

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Brucil Offline OP
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Originally Posted by vx_phoenix_vx
Concerning everyone's (your companion's) reactions:

Remember when we met up with his spawn siblings in the Flophouse? Remember his spawn siblings' reaction to their brother burning in the sun?
"God's, No brother!! Stop!!" "What's happened to you, Astarion?!"
They were panicked and begging Astarion to let him go because a vampire burning in the sun is SUPPOSED TO BE A BIG DEAL.
His freaking sister had a harsher reaction to their nothing brother burning up but your companions and you and his love don't seem concerned at all about it when it happens to Astarion.

What am I missing here? Who at Larian thought this was a good idea? I have 0 clue why this was supposed to be funny. We did exactly what you wanted, we got to know him. And in getting to know him, you punish us for it.


Part of me thinks that the writers got too caught up in trying to force in their bad erotica (or the erotica that would play best to the horny gamers). There's a lot of bizarre moments in the companion storylines, and interactions, that just seem really out of pocket and forced, while actually natural relationship moments are completely ignored.

And Astarion's good ending just seems like the writers actively spiting you for not going down their toxic badboy boytoy vampire domination route, or whatever.

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Originally Posted by Painbringer71
I had a post just shut down....maybe because this thread existed. I had a Not happy ending at all- I took Astarion to meet his maker. He has been a primary member of my team lvl5 thief lvl 6 monk since the start. Anyway we traveled to
[/spoiler] the Master vampire instead of talking we went stealth attack. Skipping all dialog we killed him and his buddies. After the battle Astarion lost his mind and basically said screw you captives...screw you adventurers. Broke the staff and fled with the vamp buddies the master vampire had tied up. I sat with a what the heck feeling. This was after he just apologized to the captives. [spoiler]
was that supposed to happen.

So, Astarion's whole quest line is a confrontation with the master vampire. By attacking before dialogue starts, Astarion loses his only chance to confront the monster who spawned him. Your Tav basically robbed him of the one thing he wanted during the whole game. Confronting Cazador, not just killing him.

I'm a little confused because Cazador should have gone to his coffin after you kill him. Maybe that didn't trigger because you didn't go through the dialogue with Cazador? From reading other posts, attacking before the dialogue seems to lock him into the "you promised to help me ascend and then denied me at the last second" which ends in him killing the 7000 and leaving the group.

Not sure what choices you made during the playthrough either, but I KNOW that if you encourage him to take power/replace Cazador/try to ascend during the whole game and then change your mind at the ritual and try to stop it, there is no way to convince him to not ascend without angering him and stop him from leaving the party. I would try to reload the save before attacking and go through the dialogue before battle to see if that changes anything.

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agreed! I thought that's weird the companions' only reaction was to crack jokes when Astarion ran off, and my Tav didn't even seem concerned at all. Overall it felt too rushed, like a montage of basic reactions without much depth. I've just completed my first playthrough, having romanced him(Good Astarion ending). The transitions to the next character's scenes were too abrupt. The worst part was that I was still crying about Karlach(couldn't save her) burning and dying and the scene transitioned to Astarion's final dialogue in the room too quickly. Hey I was still crying about Karlarch! Lol.. Let me engage with my special one at my own pace. I wish there were a final celebration night or something where we could take our time to say farewell to everyone, and get a glimpse of a hopeful future for the characters. I can't help but wonder if this was due to tight deadlines or budget constraints. I genuinely hope to see more content as DLC in the future. Just take my money Larian, this game worths hundreds to me.

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Originally Posted by zzzzzzora
I can't help but wonder if this was due to tight deadlines or budget constraints.

Apparently not - see Community Update #24, it has a paragraph which explains their reasoning.

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