Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Fixing Astarion's "Good" Ending

Someone really wants us to Ascend him.

I just finished my first playthrough, with unascended Astarion, and I have to agree with what everyone in this thread has been saying. I feel like his romance arc peaked at the graveyard scene, and everything after that was either nonexistent (to be fair all romances are like that though) or just so watered down in comparison. Why don't we have one last sweet scene once it's time to go and fight the final battle? All we get is "this could be our last kiss" and then it's the most chaste kiss I've ever seen in my life. Then there's the awful scene at the docks which may have been fitting for a playthrough of someone who ignored Astarion the entire game, but not for someone who took the time to get to know him and complete his personal quest...and definitely not for someone who romanced him.

But honestly my biggest gripe is with the final scene you get with him just before the credits.


I hope that they can improve the endings to some extent, either in future patches or even a definitive edition of some kind. It's an amazing game and an amazing romance otherwise.

Also maybe it's just me, but I reeeally wish we had more opportunities to tell him he can feed on us again if he wants to. I didn't give him the option to do it a second time because he and Tav are still basically strangers at that point in the game, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to bring it up again later after romancing him. Ain't no way I'm going to let him survive off of rats for the rest of his life.

I so very agree with this!

The so called "last kiss" had me choking from laughter. It is so ridiculously pathetic, my kids give a more "meaningful kiss" to their Nana than Astarion to his lover before the FINAL battle where both if them could potentially perish.

Can we, please, have something similar to Aylin/Isobel kiss with our love interest?

Forget the kiss, first of all let me go after him when he runs from the sun. Romanced or not, there should be an option if we must have that kind of ending scene.

Game makes me run to Karlach, but won't even offer me an option to run after Astarion.

Yes, agree. As I wrote earlier, this scene needs more physical intimacy (not sex, but something akin to the hug in Act 2.) I think it's okay that


Yes, please! But minus the spinning around. Because I would cringe into oblivion.

Haha, I agree on NO spinning. What I'd like to see is a passion similar to their kiss and not a "dry smooch" on the lips. And for pity's sake make it last longer then a millisecond...

I'm currently doing a Durge evil playthrough with Ascended Astarion as my romance and...it's crazy how much more romantic interaction there is.

I mean, it's dysfunctional and manipulative and clearly not the "good" romance he or your Tav deserves but there was a lot more effort put into the interactions you have with Ascended Astarion than spawn Astarion which...makes no sense.

I still don't know what the ending is like; I'm bracing myself for it to fall flat like the other ending. But Astarion is already talking about our future and plans for us and when he was "good" spawn Astarion, I got literally no interaction or discussion about that at all.

Getting more and more annoyed that I'm enjoying douche-bag Astarion more....

There is quite a lot of romantic interaction for a "good" DUrge, too, though. It has even one of the sweetest and most tear jerking interactions with him - Spawn Astarion needs some work, but I'd never choose Ascendant over him again.

But you don't have to be nervous. Ascendant ending does not fall flat like the spawn one does.

We need an Astarion fix like they did for Karlach. Astarion was one of my main followers. To have him just up and run off while I stood there and did nothing was just gross. Not to mention, you go through the entire story trying to make him less of a power-hungry asshole (if you're good) and you succeed, only to just lol at him in the end. Whoever thought that was a good/fair ending for the character should be put in that caget they kept Orpheus in.

That's just it. It really seems that way, you get a much more rewarding and complete ending with him ascended than with him as a spawn. After cemetery scene (which I absolutely adore) you barely get anything from him. Few lines of nonsensical conversation. He cannot even define who we're to him, no clear plans for future, everything is very uncertain for him/them as a couple. Really, he is like a scared puppy looking up to you. Sweet, but kind of pitiful...

It looks like they spend all the time and resources for his "bad" ending and just slapped together his "good" ending in the last minute. I certainly hope that they will give us a satisfying ending for a spawn Astarion.

Eh it's not that bad, it's normal that he's still unsure of things so soon after Cazador.

But it's very obvious that ascended Astarion has more things to say overall. He also gets gameplay benefits and an ending that doesn't turn him into a joke.

It's not really that he's unsure of things post Cazador if you go down the spawn route that's the issue, the issue is the lack of ability to properly affirm his choices and discuss his future.

Definitely agree with that yeah. Unfortunately that's how the entirety of Act 3 is.

FYI, based off what you said, I went all the way back just to get this. Had to redo the fight.

Holy crap. Worth it. That was the sweetest damn moment ever. Probably my favorite save maybe the graveyard scene. Like...

It's got the bad ending taste out of my mouth.

The "Oh shit. What...what did I do wrong?" Agh! For a second I was like "Veranis, I better not regret this or I'm blaming you!!"

Probably just repeating what was already said, but unascended Astarion got done reeaaal dirty. Sunburn and running off, that's it. Really wanna see more of all the characters in general for what they're up to next. You can always get an idea if you romance someone, but it feels so sour to end on a moment of them in extreme pain and running away.

It's great, isn't it? I'm glad you liked it, too. I was feeling so bad reading that you did not have a good time with the DUrge ending. This scene is one of the reasons why redeemed DUrge and spawn Astarion are my preferred combo. It shows how commited to each other both of them have become. They redeem each other.

I just wish this kind of writing would have poured over to the ending. As it is now it feels like the relationship is back to square one (maybe two), all that development is wiped away.

Durge is the BEST character to romance Astarion, in my opinion. I'm assuming that they have these little interactions because they share the same writer (Stephen Rooney). It is wonderfully written.

But you're right spawn/DU relationship is so sweet. It seems that Astarion found someone who is even more broken than himself. Someone who [I quote] "gives him something to care for". It is nice to see that soft and caring side of Astarion under all that luster of his pretend persona.

After doing DUrge and romancing Astarion, I see no point in playing plain Tav. You get so much more depth in his romance with DU. I wish I didn't waste all that time on 3 playthrough playing Tav...

If they would just fix the ending now, that will be great. But I think the ending is bad in general.

This post gives me hope. I keep seeing how awful the Astarion romance endings are and it makes me not want to finish the game, just reroll a new character. Honestly, this makes me want to reroll as DU now though.

Also, regarding them giving us a new ending for Astarion like they did for Karlach, how much fuss would we have to kick up to get it to happen? Online petitions? Spamming social media? Bogging down the forums with posts and requests about it? I say we start a movement!

I'm assuming that's what we need to do then

Well, the ending stinks, there is no sugarcoating this. I think the ascended Astarion has a much better epilogue than the spawn. He is his own man, powerfull with no fear of anything. With spawn Tav/DU by his side. He has clear plans for two of them or you can influence him what you want to do. In general he has a lot more to say than spawn Astarion.

It is my personal opinion that the ONLY good ending for a spawn Astarion is to find a cure for vampirism. Otherwise after Tav dies he is left alone in the shadows with a sanguine hunger.