Apparently, this must be an artistic trick in which Astarion deserves redemption by sacrificing the sun for the sake of the people he ruined. Redemption must be bitter. Another thing is that I hate all our actions at the end. We can't run after him. We can't comfort him or anything like this. I also hate how he reacts to our suicide. All final reactions are performed very poorly. Also, do not forget that Astarion is 200 years old, many options for curing vampirism do not work for him. If they add some cure to the game, then his lesson will not be learned.
I think he's been a vampire for less than 200 years, he says Sebastian was 'one of my first' and that Seb had been there for 170 years. That leaves 30 years unaccounted for. I doubt Cazador let him sit in his room doing nothing all that time, so my personal feeling is that at most by the time Sebastian became the target Astarion had been a vampire for probably less than 10 years. (I did work out the maths at one point - to get 7k spawn between 7 siblings - some of whom came after Astarion, they would have had to be out in the city gathering up people an awful lot in the course of a year, a bit unrealistic ). It's telling that he remembers Sebastian whereas he didn't remember the children, he obviously didn't start dissociating himself until later. From what I remember of DnD lore 200 years as a vampire is the cut off for some cures, not how old he is and he's a high elf so a long life span anyway (up to 750 I think). If he refused to do anything his body would carry out the order without his volition as he says himself - or if it was something that needed him to participate and he refused he was severely punished. So how can he be held responsible for what he was made to do? I really doubt given the option anyone would choose to be buried alive for a year no matter how noble they purport to be, at least not more than once anyway.
In any case being treated as an abused slave for 170 to 180 ish years is more than enough punishment for whatever sins (the released game never mentions any such) he may or may not have committed prior to being turned.
He does voice unhappiness with his vampire status several times in the game, nothing as a major dialogue but little remarks here and there, like not being able to use a mirror as 'Just another thing I've had taken away from me' in tones of utter discontent followed by slamming the mirror onto the ground. And we all know he wants to be able to walk in the sun. It's not just the sunlight thing either, its easy to forget that line from the narrator early in Act 1 'Slave to Sanguine Hunger'. Unascended Astarion at game end will have to deal with no sunlight ever again on top of needing blood, instead of coffee and a sandwich. He won't be able to travel easily (running water) and campsites are out. I doubt a tent will cut the sun out completely, unless Baldurs Gate tentmakers are used to working with blackout fabric. And now that Cazador is dead that life is all he has left - for eternity. Without Tav if romanced, they will die their natural death and leave him alone. I don't think I'd wish that fate on my worst enemy let alone my lover.
Nothing about a cure is ever raised in BG3 so he can't voice an opinion on it. We don't know if he would consider it or not, as its never offered as an option we could work towards. My personal feeling is he might jump at the idea as it would completely free him from the hunger, a spawn has nothing special in the way of power to lose, allow us to travel as easily as we have been doing all game, and allow him to walk in daylight for the rest of his naturally long life.
My point is that the possibility should have been mentioned as previous games dealt with it and that is a plot hole. They have the one person who would intimately know how to cure it in the game, actually possible to have her in your camp with her tent only a few feet away from his at Rivington, and it never gets mentioned.
So yeah for Unascended Astarion I want one of our chats with him to mention the possibility of going to talk to Jaheira at the very least. Is that so hard? I want to be able to help him at the docks (or not have that scene at all) and have Jaheira come and chat to us, mention the possibility and leave us to talk about it. I want to be able to hug him and say I'll support whatever decision he feels is right for him. Not decide for him - I've pretty much done enough of that. I don't even need to know what that decision is if Larion doesn't want to go down that rabbit hole, but to know the possibility exists for him would be enough. Other than that more hugs. more proper kisses not one second wonders, more responses that make sense for new lovers and where we treat each other as equals not me deciding everything and him going along with it.
For Ascended Astarion I don't think as much is missing, but more chat responses would be nice and more hugs.
Less of this standing 5 feet apart and folding our arms please, this is our lover, not the damn window cleaner we're talking to.
