I was so reluctant to give Necromancy of Thay to Astarion because I didn't want it to come back to bite us in the ass later. And it turned out to be worth nothing. He didn't even bonk Cazador over the head with it.
Originally Posted by Bethra
doesn't help that the rat person is buggy in Act 2.
Astarion is my preferred romance partner due to the writing and acting - minus the ending.
On the one occasion I did the full endings I was left with a bad taste in my mouth and just sad. He's owed so much more. Even if not romanced this guy has fought alongside you, helped you, for the entire game.
My preferred game ending is just to kill Orin, Kill Cazador and stop after I've had the graveyard scene. At that point I'm perfectly satisfied and not unhappy. Don't care about the big bad, its just another enemy with some badly railroaded choices thrown in for good measure. Will happily let it sit under the city not bothering me for all subsequent playthroughs if Larian doesn't sort out something better for endings.
I lost interest in the main plot the moment the Emperor showed up in its true form. And after seeing the "endings" my Act 3 goes like this: Cazador first to make Astarion's life easier, Orin next because I play Durge, then House of Grief because we understand and take care of Shadowheart, and finally Lorroakan because Rolan grew on me. There are some interesting side quests, but the lack of companion reactivity makes things so dull. Nothing happens in camp anymore either which makes long rests a chore.
