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

I do agree with all of this. I guess when I said "a tiny bit of closure" it was more that at least they gave us something, instead of nothing at all but the view of him running into the shadows. But as most say, compared to how deep some of the scenes were in prior acts, this was just like a whole different writer saying "let's just wrap this up quickly". I really hope they fix this ending, both the dock scene and the last conversation you have with him, or give us some DLC to let us help him find a cure.

It is random. The line is the same thing about the sun, but who says it can change if you save scum it.

Keeping this thread alive in hopes for more visibility by those who can do something about it.

I hate that at minimum a romanced Tav can't run after him.
Adding specific dialogue for Drow would be nice since their lives are spent in the underdark is an excellent point brought up by another commenter.

After Cazador, act 3 has very little for him (and other companions). And the romanced end scene is nonsense and doesn't jive with what's already been established between him and tav.

Where's the guy for a durge who says oh shit and is panicked he did something wrong when you tell him you want to end things because you're afraid you'll kill him?

Instead we get someone who says, hey if you want to go your own way now that's OK.
... what?

And then to be his friend and just ignore his burning, and be like k bye!?

Give him A better ending, he more than deserves it, for both a romanced and unromanced tav.

I disagree with the OP.

The game teaches you that sometimes what’s good for you isn’t good for the many and vice versa .

Sometimes you have to make hard choises and for me I always chose power over morale.

I let my buddy be the winner and ascend especially given the fact that I myself am the uncrowned prince of House Baal.


So it’s a fitting for a dark urge to have at least some powerful Allies who also chose power over goody two shoes choises and Astarion is perfectly made for this

The child of Baal, the ascended vampire and the daughter of Darkness sounds like an excellent team.

If you only get rewarded for being nice there won’t be any point in ever doing anything good.

Plus in real life it’s the same thing, you have to sometimes screw the others and chose what’s good for you else you are just going to be one of the many

Yup, I also brought this point that we have to, for some reason, re-affirm our relationship with him on the very first page of this thread. But yeah, I spoiler tagged it though.

Also no option to say: 'We discussed this already, I love you Astarion and I am never leaving your side" or something along those lines.

And as for who speaks during Astarion running off: it's random, just like this line of his also appears randomly (I have had endgame docks scenes where he never said it, and some where he did - there are also permutations if he speaks this line first, or butts in between other companions' lines).

When it comes to who says what during the docks scene, Gale's line is the biggest offender, next to Minsc's (or should I say Boo's?). SH, LZ, Halsin and Jaheira are somewhat neutral, Mind Flayer Karlach is the nicest of them all (which is pretty ironic, Karlach was always sympathetic to Astarion, but Mind Flayered Karlach takes it to a whole next lvl of sweetness).

I spoilered both pictures cause they take too much space, so open them at your own peril.

Also, I have no idea what Minthara says there, since I never recruited her in all my runs, maybe someday.

Sir/Madam, you are missing the point entirely.

Because YOU didn't choose the so called "good" ending that turns Astarion into a better person (morally), while he remains a pretty "powerless" spawn and therefore you didn't see the atrocity of a joke the docks scene turned Astarion into, doesn't mean that Larian didn't drop a ball there.

Look, we aren't asking for Astarion to be magically resistant to sunlight, we aren't asking for him not to start scorching at some point, what we are asking for is some reaction from our MAIN CHARACTER (who could possibly be in romance with Astarion) and for our companions to not start cracking underhanded jokes a'la "POOR ASTARION, BOO WILL BRING YOU A SUNFLOWER" . It's completely tone deaf!!!

What we are asking for is for our MC to rush to his help, drop a cloak over him, conjure water, cast darkness, anything!

Yeah, I didn't get this at all, but thanks for posting. And from what I read, probably a good thing I didn't have Minsc/Boo in the party, I probably would have cried at the sunflower line. I really hope they fix this stuff. Let's keep this dream alive! We can keep hoping!!

Actually, thinking about it, we know that the tadpole was manipulated by Netherese magic to delay ceremorphosis. We know that the tadpole protected Astarion from the sun. We know that the orb Gale carries is Netherese.

A nice option would be that maybe, through a group dynamic built up to this point, that Gale, should you choose to let him ascend as a god or maybe even just with the power of the orb (and that he lives, and blah blah the other criteria), would in theory be able to cast a spell to grant Astarion the ability to walk in the sun.

We have seen light magic that protects from darkness with the pixie magic and lanterns in the shadow cursed lands.

It wouldn't be far fetched that the light could be muted/negated to provide Astarion protection by a darkness spell.

It would be a nice option and tie right into established lore we know by the endpoint of the game. It would be something of a potential resolution, even if Gale just promises to research it. Even a spell that has to be cast daily and is more of a temporary solution, or even imbued into a ring or something provides some resolution and isn't the total disconnect we see at the end currently.

The point being, with what is already established, it could fit right in to add the option.

Well, Cloak of Dragomir exists so... yes, it was an addition by Beamdog to BG2:EE but still, for all intents and purposes it exists.

https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Cloak_of_Dragomir

So Gale, or even a cleric via Divine Intervention could try to recreate/summon an item serving a similar purpose. Since it's unlikely Hexxat is dead and would voluntarily part with hers, so Astarion would need something like that tailored just to himself. Possibly.

Yes I want a cure for Unascended Astarion. The guy has suffered for nearly 200 years and what the hell else does anyone who has romanced him want if not a proper cure? I don't want him left in the dark with the hunger while I grow old and die. There are a lot of cures for vampirism, some in BG2, many in DnD5e and we have a death god in our camp that owes us a favour for sorting out the dead 3 to his apparent satisfaction.

Regardless of the above, the dock and the final chat scene need to be dealt with.

For a start the dock scene is unecessary, it's evening all they had to do was let the tadpole effect last 3 more minutes, he can find out in the morning not on the docks when all the other stuff is going on, and we can discuss it as part of the last chat.

If they MUST put it in because someone up high in Larian thinks it works (due to a lack of anything resembling empathy) then cut the stupider comments, especially those from Gale and Minsc. Only caring remarks or at least not outright cruel ones. Let it be the last dock interaction and let us follow him out. Preferably after I have yeeted any uncaring sods into the harbor.

Let the last talk we have with him have us properly together not standing 5 feet apart, holding hands while we're talking. And if we haven't managed to convince Larion to have a 'cure for Astarion' quest immediately after we knocked Cazador into the lowest reaches of the hells then we talk about the known cures, we have more than 2 lines of conversation, we decide to find Jaheira and ask her if she knows of anything, we do something hopeful rather than just stand there like stumps, and we end with a hug and a proper kiss (not one of those 1 second wonders Larian appears to enjoy).

Complete agreement. The ending is like... REALLY?! They gave this character so much depth, such a great development, just to stop any care for his arc after the Cazador fight? It is really like a joke, I cannot imagine that someone who wrote his story up to this point would be happy with the 'good' ending Astarion got.

And this kiss scene... I have not got to the end to see the final scene, because the lack of more companion's scenes in act III just makes me stop playing after fighting Cazador, but I suppose it is the same, like we have in the camp if we ask to kiss him.

This thing they call 'a kiss' and which so much resembles a kiss on a forehead somebody would give to their child just seems so absurd to me. I know he has intimacy issues, but based on his comments after the kiss - he has nothing against it, he likes it. Considering how much sex stuff is in this game, one would think Larian could be able to make a proper kiss scene. And I do not mean some extreme-kissing-getting-all-over-each-other, but just a little bit more passionate kiss than this. Or at least put there the hug option. How hard would that be?

It's even shorter. It's a superquick peck.

I think after the graveyard scene Astarion is up for proper kisses. And Larian manages it just fine with Aylin and Isobel and a few others from memory, so the animations are in game. Hugging also exists - Shadowheart and her parents for example, Karlach and Tav after Dammon makes it so she can touch folks for a bit - But apparently such niceties don't exist for fully romaced couples. Sigh

My brain just does not get it. Really. Just.... why? WHY?

This game is so amazing on so many levels and then they do some absolutely unnecessary (due to existing animations, which could surely have been easily implemented) stuff like this, which is ruining the immersion and the whole experience. And this is basically nothing in comparison to that AWFUL ending.

I have finished my 1st playthrough, but the 2nd and 3rd not and in current state of the game, I am not even planing to finish them... there is absolutely no motivation go further after killing Cazador.

But as an optimist I hope Larian will do something about this. They do listen to fans - at least in some cases. And personaly I am not even in hurry for the fixes. They had years to polish the 1st act, so sure, Larian, take your time. As long as it will be really worth it, I can wait a year or more for a proper ending.

All of the companion kiss scenes are really weird, like kissing gramma goodbye or something. I just don't do it anymore, too disappointing. And all of the prior comments are correct.. cosidering all of the sex in this game, and the kissing and interraction we see with other NPCs, but they can't add a repeatable ROMANTIC, somewhat lingering kiss for our character's LI, just this corny peck? I miss the days of the modding toolset in Dragon Age Origins where modders could make extra scenes for romance with companions, be it extra kisses or even a wedding. Some day maybe. I did put some feedback in for a better kiss on the discord, with any luck they'll see it if they don't see this thread.

I left feedback on Larian's Discord about this. Maybe more posts would make them pay more attention. Tho they have to be aware by now. People keep mentioning this when talking about the endings.

I respectfully disagree. Astarion is finally happy with who he is, finally accepted that he's enough.

He has made no indication he has a desire to return to human life. He wants to be free and also wants to walk in the sun.

You fixed the first issue by killing Cazador.

The questline for a nonascended Astarion is that he discovers he's enough and worthwhile exactly as he is -even as a vampire spawn.

He wants the ability to walk in the sun as a vampire spawn.

A cure is not the answer. It's not even something he has ever indicated he wanted.

Curing him of vampirism would be a solution that gives him the freedom to walk in the sun, but at the cost of changing who/what he is.

It's counter productive to everything you spent the game teaching/telling him.

In the graveyard, he has embraced his circumstances and his life. He says goodbye to the memory of his former human self. The one who 'lay here, dead and buried'

He can be a vampire spawn and find a way to acquire a sunwalking ability or find an item that grants it.

A cure isn't necessary and isn't inherently the answer because it fixes the sun problem.

I agree with this. I don't think he needs a solution to walking in the sun - he should exit the scene before the sun even rises in the epilogue, so he doesn't get burned at all. But I think his first stated goal as a spawn is finding a solution to being out in the sun, even a temporary one, and then working with Jaheria - and the MC if they wish - to find a cure for vampirism. But not explicitly for himself, instead for all the people he helped enslave and turned into vampire spawns.

Oh now that's a great idea to get a cure any of the spawn who may want it.
In my last comment, I realize I was a bit vague. I didn't necessarily mean something to shield him with on the docks, per se.

If you romance him, in the scene after the docs, you can tell him you'll help him find a way to walk in the sun again. And he really appreciates the possibility and expresses that's an adventure he's interested pursuing alongside Tav.

That's what I was referring to. He wants a solution so he can walk in the sun, it doesn't inherently mean he needs/wants cured.

I'd go along with that, walking in the sun is what he wants more than anything. But again it still leaves the issue that his lover will grow old and die leaving him alone.
My personal preference would be to initially have a way to let him walk in the sun (and lose that damn dock scene above all else).

So yes he might have accepted his current status and if he can walk in the sun he'll be happy. I'm up for that 100% but its all too vague as it currently is in our last conversation. It's not presented more optimistically and hopefully, more a sad comment.

So why can't we have a small quest for that before the ending, some item or potion that will enable it, thereby cutting out the dock scene entirely.
Doesn't have to be in Act 3
A puzzle room in the temple of Lathander (or the Arcane Tower in the Underdark) very well hidden with a daywalker amulet as the prize maybe, thematically it would fit in either.
Everyone could be happy with that as its player choice whether to pick it up or not.

The final scenes (which are effectively completely nondescript currently) should at the least open up more possibilities including mentioning cures (for him or anyone else) which are available in DnD5e, he has never expressed an opinion because they are never raised as a possibility.

Plus I want to be able to hug him not fold my arms and look at him from a distance.