So for my for my first play-through I picked Astarion's Origin, as the internet had already well and truly spoilered me about his quest and I like playing rogues anyway. (It was really all my own fault: Didn't want to buy the game at first, got entranced by the immersive sim aspects of it all and had already watched way too many videos by this point.)
I actually had the exact opposite experience. I've played Larian studio games before, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I went in BLIND. All I needed to know, was Cohhcarnage (streamer/youtuber) loved the game and recommended it. He plays games the way I normally do, which is hardest difficulty, looting everything, trying to do all the subquests and then remembering you have a main quest (hah). I liked Astarion's personality because he's so sassy, but I had no idea what his story end would be like. I normally play Rogues as well, just being stealthy. If he hadn't been a rogue, I would have chosen that. I also wanted to be a summoner (like Lohse in DOS2) or a necromancer, but they didn't have exactly what I wanted, so I ended up playing as a Druid and I absolutely loved it.
that I didn't have the option to talk with anyone else about the scars. Yes, Companion-Astarion is very secretive about them but when I am playing the character, I think I should have some degree of autonomy about whom my character trusts with his secrets - and with a wizard boyfriend and Karlach as a besti, these two would have been quite good options to at least address the topic with .... Which is especially odd since during Shadowheart's wine scene, you are given an opportunity to open up about Astarion's past.
Yea, that really bothered me as well. He never talked about his scars with Shadorheart. If you romanced Karlach, as a Tiefling, she should be capable of reading Infernal (language on his back). I think to get the full nature of the document, he still had to rely on Raphael though, because his scars are only part of the contract and not the entire thing.
Gale's romance explores none physical forms of intimacy and the guy is almost painfully sincere in his affection. (Also, he is well cast in the role of the lonely, powerful fool to wrap around your finger for protection only to have him pull the rug from under your feet. ^^; Sorry, Gale.)
Also Gale kindly replaced some missing plot beats. For example is Astarion's Origin missing the whole Araj situation. There is no Tav who could make him drink from Araj or respect his decision because in this reality Astarion is Tav. So the whole bit about him reflecting about not wanting to be used as a pretty body is missing as a plot point, it just never comes up.
When romancing Gale, there is a moment after a fight in the shadows when he comes up to the pc and tells them (I paraphrase) that their battle prowess and facing dangers at their side makes them only more desirable. For me, this worked extremely well for Astarion (to the point that I wondered if it had been made for him) because it appreciates the pc's fighting skills and treats the body as an instrument of the pc's own agency rather than a thing to be ogled and used by others. It's not quite the same as the Araj situation, but it might inspire similar thoughts.
Gale made me grin a bunch of times because he's so wholesome and awkward. There was a part where he tells you Tara told him to make more human friends. And you joke that you're really a nymph-in-disguise, and he goes "Nymphs are sticklers for hygeine, and you my friend have not bathed in a tenday. Although I do rather like your musk." Like. Oh. My. God. Gale are you flirting? Is this you flirting? It was so *facepalm,* but at the same time, endearing and hilarious.
I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about, in the shadowlands. He says something like "I don't know if it's just being surrounded by darkness that makes you feel more alive, but I find you more desirable with your body glistening with sweat" or something like that. He feels like he's bumbling and has no idea how to express himself, other than to just go "HI. I LIKE YOU." He's a prime example of rolling a Nat 20 in Honesty and Sincerity, but such a sweet introvert rolling a Nat 1 in social etiquette.
Another scene I really liked with Gale, is when he dies and he gives you the instructions to resurrect him. It's SO FUNNY. I know the instructions were meant to be annoying, but I found it HILARIOUS because I'm actually paying attention. When he asks you to repeat everything back to him, and I actually do, I loved the "GALE APPROVES" at the top of my screen. It's like he expected people to skip over all his monologue. Even when he describes the fall of Karsus, and he asks if I want the short or long version, I always tell him the long version and it feels like he's telling me a bedtime story xD
I think the main reason I would want to do a Gale Origin playthrough, is because I want to see the ending with him and Mystra. I think the main reason I didn't want to romance him, was because I was like "OMG is he going to talk about his goddess ex-girlfriend the entire time?" xD After patch 5, at the 6-month reunion camp, I got to HUG GALE. OMG. He told me he gave the crown of Karsus back to Mystra, just like he told me he would *ONG. MY HEART. ALL THE FEELS.
I also like that he invites you to his tower and wants to make dinner for you. Honestly, if Astarion were not in this story, I would romance Gale <3
My biggest gripe with both Spawnstarion and Gale's Origin is that you cannot save Karlach though. Those nasty rays of sun and that impatient goddess! Really Mystra, you could have waited two more minutes...
I've saved karlach in all my playthroughs, without romancing her. The key is Wyll.
If you want to save Karlach in any playthough, you need to make Wyll the Blade of Avernus.
Wyll becomes the Blade of Avernus, if you have him break his contract with Mizora. Then do the Ansur dragon quest.
If Wyll becomes Blade of Avernus, at the dock when Karlach is dying, Wyll will stop her and tell her to go to Avernus with him so her heart won't explode.
