Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Astarian build help request

First of all this is my first D and D type game and I love it.
I am playing my main game as a fighter as I was told that would be good for me as a newbie. Going great. Started to get a bit above myself and decided to do another game as Astarian and I am getting my ass handed to me on a plate. Can you lovely people give an old newbie some advice to improve my game?

It would be helpful to know where you're at in the game and what you're struggling with. Do you need help with the Rogue class basics, or are you trying to find a powerful build path?

If you're a complete newbie, playing a Rogue is going to be pretty challenging because you have to understand a bunch of different mechanics: Sneak Attack, stealth, dual wielding, finesse/light weapons, how to leverage bonus actions, how to maximize AC, etc. If the in-game tooltips aren't explaining things well enough you may want to consult a guide; I can try to find one for you if you'd like.

As far as battle tactics, your basic goals as a Rogue are to get your Sneak Attack off every turn possible and avoid getting hit because your HP is low. I find that it's a lot easier to play Rogue as a ranged weapon user instead of melee; you can stand back and let your melee tank (i.e. Karlach) run into the fray, and then get your ranged Sneak Attack in against any enemy in the tank's melee range without having to worry about hiding. Helpfully, Astarion is a high elf, which means you have proficiency with Longbows in addition to the Rogue's normal ranged options.

At level 3, the Thief subclass is the most straightforwardly powerful because you get a second bonus action each turn, which can be used a lot of different ways to great effect.

At level 4, your first feat should probably be Moderately Armoured, which gives proficiency with Medium Armour and Shields plus a point of Dexterity to get you to 18. This is especially great for a ranged-focus Rogue because, unlike "real" D&D, you can get the benefit of wearing a shield while using a ranged weapon, so it's just +2 AC with no drawback.

Hopefully some of this is helpful. If you're farther along than I think you are and want tips on maximizing damage output in the mid-late game I can provide those as well.

I personally have no idea how to play as a rogue, so I respecced Astarion to a bard (him being his dramatic self) and that has worked great for me. Plus it’s a charisma class so a nice face of the party (on persuasion checks etc.). And you get lots of fun dialogue options and you can play an instrument. And the high charisma gets you lower prices from traders.

HIGHLY recommend respeccing him to bard.

Thank you. At the time of asking I was starting anew. Since then I have got as far as Emerald Grove and I am about to get help from Nettie. I realise now that as a Rogue character it is very much more a tactical game than it is as a fighter in my other BG 3 game I am also doing.

I am enjoying my Astarian game but I am not used to playing tactical. It is a whole new experience and so far I am doing okay ish. Somebody recommended I sub class as a thief. Is that correct or should I leave it as Arcane Trickster?

I would recommend Thief for the extra bonus action.

Perhaps lean into having two hand crossbows for your first experience with this class.

Also, it helps to understand how sneak attack works. First, make sure sneak attack is on "ask" in your reactions. Once you've done this, you no longer have to click on the "sneak attack: ranged/melee" icons to make a sneak attack happen. Instead, rely on regular attacks and then the game will ask you if you want them to count as a sneak attack if your attack hits. At this point, you can click yes.

Sneak attack will trigger if you have an ally next to an enemy you're attacking, as long as your ally is threatening the enemy... meaning as long as they have a melee weapon in hand while standing next to the target. If they have a ranged weapon, they aren't threatening the target, so that won't count. It has to be a melee weapon.

You can also trigger sneak attack if you have advantage against the target... while not having any disadvantage. For example, if you're hiding and you attack a target, you can trigger a sneak attack prompt. However, if you're hiding *and* outside your normal range, you will not be able to trigger a sneak attack, because the distance will count as disadvantage, negating your ability to sneak attack.

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I would recommend taking at least two levels of a Fighter dip to get a fighting style and action surge. This will help you as your progress. I suggest waiting until you have four levels of Rogue to take the dip.

For your fighting style, I suggest Two Weapon Fighting. This is not only for melee, but it's also to ensure that you're getting your dex bonus for offhand crossbow attacks. This damage will start to add up nicely because you have two bonus actions as a Thief.

Try to pick up +1 hand crossbows as soon as you can. Dammon will have them in his inventory from time to time. Pick them up when you can until you have two, one for each of Astarion's hands.

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This is a great class to utilize poisons. You have those two bonus actions. Meaning you can use a bonus action to coat your hand crossbows (or short swords) in poison, then attack with your action *and* your remaining bonus action. Take advantage of the poison.

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Another multiclass option, if you don't want to take a dip into Fighter, is to consider a few levels of Ranger to get the gloomstalker subclass. It synergizes nicely with the Rogue. If you do this, I would suggest going at least five levels of Ranger to get extra attack.

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Feats to consider: ability increase to get your dex to 20 ultimately. sharpshooter to get a lot more damage from your ranged attacks. alert to make sure you always go first. --you can't go wrong with any of these. note, someone above suggested getting moderately armored for the proficiency and the +1 to your dex. I don't think that's necessarily bad, but I would suggest taking the Fighter dip which would get you the armor proficiency without have to rely on a feat.

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This is something to keep in mind: there's a toggle on your UI band that lets you determine whether your making a single attack or not. If it's set to single, for instance, your attack will only use your main hand, then you can make your offhand attacks separately.

Most folks will recommend that you set this to a single attack so that you don't accidentally waste offhand attacks. That happens when you're attacking an enemy that only has a few hp's left... when one attack will finish the enemy. If, in that case, you're set to use both attacks (which is the default), then you will waste the offhand attack by using it after the enemy has already died. This is understandable advice.

However, I suggest leaving it at the default and instead paying attention. If you start by using your offhand attacks on those "low hp" targets, then you can still be in control of your actions and bonus actions.

The benefit to leaving the setting to dual attack is twofold:

1. When you initiate an attack against an enemy before initiative has started: in this case, you will get both attacks in rather than just one.

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2. When you use your attack of opportunity against a target, you will get two attacks instead of just one. Which is great because attacks of opportunity can trigger a sneak attack. Meaning if your first attack of opportunity misses, you have a second one coming that can possibly trigger your sneak attack.

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I think you'll find Astarion to be a powerful member of your team. Good luck and let us know how things go.

Well i Loved use a Thief Back in a Day.. and the Coolest Combination i ever did was one i always use here too..
i Like to Call this Build the True arcane Trickster Larian wished to use my Build for his Character but made it wrong.
Just Try it Out.. will fell Totally Lore Wise no Joke.
3 Thief Trickery/9 Mage chose the school yu want..
yu will be a Jack of all Trades..
No door or Chest cant be unlocked by yu..
yu can use two daggers, swords
Bow for Sneaky when run out of Spell Slots..
Dont Forget to Get the Thunder clap Cantrip that thing Crit like Crazy for Close combat..
and Stun enemies you will be able to even Bite before yu left the Place with the Trickery extra action.. or stab too yu chose.

i always Focus on Intel for this Build..
like 19intel/16 dex
Tu up my Dex i can Get the Gear from Cresch that gave yu the Cat Jump and Up by 2 your Dex..
or yu can Gave hin the Gloves yu By on the Cresch/Rosymon map too that gave yu 18 dex and spend the Dex points in another stats to get even more variety amazing stuff.

Yu can Gave Hin too Shovel and the Summons from the Necro Book of Fay if yu dont want for yu any of then..
Get Super Strong..
Firsts Lvl Always go deep in Mage
when yu get to Mage lvl 6,7 yu can start to go the rest of Thief.. yu will be probably by Beginning of act 2.

i Always go as Necro in the mage school for astarion..
But when i use this Build in Hireling i always go the same as Gale for Power and Trow a Bunch of stuff without Hurting your Party its the best.

I like Thief Bard too.. works Pretty well in this Game especially the Swords Bard Thief.. Man that thing is Broken no Joke its like Palock, Hexa, Sorlock.. really Broken.
In my Evil Gale Run since i was the Mage of the Party i Made astarion using this Build.. really strong.

Btw im old.. so old that im from a Time when Rogue was not the Name of the Class..huahauhauhauhauha
Thief was the Name Back then.. so funny how things Change
Like any of yu remember Keena ?! haha
or Arcane Archer ?! that thing still exists ?
Prestige Classes were so cool.

I can second the Bard suggestion. I have most of my versions of Astarion run around as Rogue/Bard multiclasses and it is extremely satisfying. 4 Rogue(Thief) and the rest School of Swords Bard is my current favourite. Put your points in Charisma, use the Dexterity gloves from the Creche and the Diadem of Arcane Synergy which adds the spellcasting modifier to weapon attacks and it makes for a very entertaining, mobile character build that felt it suited Astarion's personality extremely well.

I always play Astarion as multiclass Rogue.
This is how I split my levels:
3 Levels Rogue, Subclass: Thief (This gives you 2 bonus actions)
4 Levels Fighter, Subclass: Battle Master. Fighter gives "Action Surge," which allows the character to deal additional attacks. When prompted to get additional attacks, I select Disarming Attack, Menacing attack and one additional trait of your liking (I usually pick Rally or Riposte. Rally is so you can heal nearby allies)
5 Levels Ranger, Subclass: GloomStalker, select Misty Step and Silence.

You can level up Fighter and Gloomstalker interchangeably, it depends on if you want the extra attack actions first, or if you want the misty step first.

You can also do 3-3-3 into each of the above class, then allocate the remaining 3 levels how you see fit. OR even add in another Dex class build (Monk). This would allow Astarion to attack unarmed.

If you keep Astarion a Rogue, one of the smartest things you can do is MAKE SURE HE IS HOLDING AN OFF-HAND WEAPON. This is available at level 1. I can't stress this enough. If you have 2 daggers, equip this in his offhand. This makes him stab people twice in one turn, rather than just attacking once with his main hand.

As you level up, and are given additional abilities, I usually grab Initiative, Dual Weild and Tough for him. If you select Dual-Weild, he'll be able to hold heavier weapons in both hands. Make sure the two weapons are linked).

Really cool Build..
Remember a Lot the one i Use on Jaheira and Laezel..
i always Mix then with Hunter or Thief.

Like Jaheira i always go..
7 Druid/ 5 fighter Battlemaster or 7 Druid/2 Fighter/3 Trickery Thief.
i Always focus on Dex and her Main stat for Druid..

Laezel i alwas go..
7 Fighter/5 Hunter yu just Need Hunter Mark..
the rest get stuff to ground controll or Usefull spells like speak with animals.
Gear i always gave her all Gith Bonus Gear.. she becomes a Godess.
Or i Go
6 Fighter/3 Hunter/3 Thief Trickery
I always Make 16 str/20 dex.

BTW another Great Build for astarion its the Unholly assassin of Bhaal..
That thing is super strong too..
its a Mix of Fighter/Thief

Just 1 Tip
Having higher Dex in any Build its really good.. always try to get at least 14/16 dex in any build yu do.

All way too complicated. Ultimate AstariArcher:

Assassin 6 / BattleMaster 6

Rogue 1
Rogue 2 - Cunning Actions - practice hiding, shooting, hiding again.
Rogue 3 - Assassin - Always open with this, from stealth. You get auto-crits, and you attack back
Rogue 4 - ASI Dexterity - Better initiative, better AC, better Attack, Better Damage, better Skill Checks
Fighter 1 - Archery for +2 Attack/DMG on your bow
Fighter 2 - Now you can Action Surge. Do this during your surprise round, especially with Arrows of Many Targets, watch it crit on groups!
Fighter 3 - BattleMaster : Push or Trip attack, Precision Attack, Disarming Attack
Fighter 4 - Sharpshooter - Toggle this on and never toggle it back off. +10 Damage each shot. With everything you took previously, the -5 to attack is already negated.
Fighter 5 - Extra Attack, now things really take off. Be sure to have 'Favorable Beginnings' from your illithid things for another guaranteed crit
Fighter 6 - ASI Dexterity - Better initiative, better AC, better Attack, Better Damage, better Skill Checks
Rogue 5- Uncanny Dodge, 3D6 Sneak Damage
Rogue 6 - Skill Expertise of choice.

No need to respec, however this build assumes you start with 16 Dex instead of 17; so you'd respec as soon as Withers comes to your camp.

You will gain awesome stuff *every level* and will always be on par with the challenge, regardless of difficulty. Will always be good for traps and locks, and with special arrows can take entire groups of foes. Especially the Arrows of Many Targets will absolutely *slaughter* your foes. Combine this with the ring of +2 Acid on weapon damage and the gloves of +1d4 Fire damage and this will be the hardest non-caster striker.

I made him Shadow monk 6/ thief rogue 4/ spore Druid 2 and he soloed half the game for me/

Cloak of shadows + shadowstep guaranteed that we always surprise the enemies, his stun strike takes out every thougher boss, he has stealth + straight of hand from both rogue and monk so he could steal everything with ease and with tavern brawler he just bare handed slaughtered our enemies.

Works perfect RP wise , he felt a lot like Daemon from Vampire diaries , being able to teleport to someone then snap their necks lol.

And then become invisible with cloak of shadows like a true vampire lord.

With 2 bonus actions he can get out of any trouble by hide+ shadow step away, and overall this build was amazing .

With spore Druid he also got extra nercotic damage to his attacks, and able to cast guidance , and then at act 3 got haste spores from the armor of Sporekeeper


Absolute blast playing him this way

A most unique characteristic of this game is its massive freedom of gameplay. Ideally, all players should pick a playstyle (i.e., a personalized unique set of gameplay preferences) before deciding how to play a specific character. Picking a build that fits into one's preferred playstyle is a much wiser choice than forcing oneself into other people's playstyle by picking a build optimized by others for that playstyle.

Here are a few things that have made it possible that even with 500+ hours playing in Tactician mode I've not seen a game-over screen and regardless of how weak he may appear to be, Astarion has almost never downed in combat.


My playstyle and my build decisions regarding Astarion

1) I don't like to respec (i.e., change class and reset stats)
- so I accept Astarion for what he is.
- As a result, he is forever in my games a Rogue with a suboptimal stat distribution.
- Also, I will never change Astarion's classes/stats by going to Withers.

2) I prefer to talk to people/enemies
- even if that means I'll have to walk into a death trap (i.e., to be ambushed by a powerful foe and its/his/her/their allies)
- so, I don't like Astarion to take the Rogue subclass Assassin, which is almost all about doing preemptive strikes before enemies can strike back - which is against my talk-first-fight-later preference.

3) I'm always interested in using a caster heavy party
- so, I don't like my own Astarion to be an Arcane Trickster (a Rogue Wizard subclass).
- If you prefer a non-caster party (meaning: you rely on weapons more than spells for killing enemies), Arcane Trickster can be an excellent subclass for Astarion.

4) I have not played Astarion as my main character
- as a companion, I prefer not to make Astarion a party face (going this route would also require respecing, which is also against my preference).
- As a result, I would not want to multiclass Astarion into a Charisma-based class (Bard, Paladin, Warlock).

5) Astarion starts with very low STR and I don't like respecing
- so, my Astarion will never become a strength-based character (Barbarian, Paladin).

6) Also, due to his poor Wisdom score, without respecing, he's not good for Wisdom-based classes (Cleric, Druid, Monk).

7) I don't like to use potions
- so, I prefer Astarion to stay out of trouble (i.e., avoid going melee)
- Astarion in my games almost never uses/needs healing in combat and I prefer to keep that way.


Putting all the above together, here is the conclusion

1) Multiclass options: Fighter, Ranger.
2) Preferred combat style: Ranged (dual hand-crossbows).
3) If there is always a heavy duty party tank: Rogue/Ranger is preferred.
4) If Astarion has to directly fight enemies in melee: Rogue/Fighter is preferred.
5) Single-class Rogue? Does not sound like a best option.


Astarion in my games (exclusively played on Tactician mode so far - will try Honour mode soon)

1) My Dark Urge (multiclass Sorceress) is a hardcore party face/tank:
- Astarion is a Thief(3)/Ranger(5)/Thief(4) in this party.
- Combat style:
As a style, Astarion has a Raven following him everywhere.
Always prefer to talk first, fight later.
Always prefer to talk people into a fight rather than out of a fight.
If enemies focus on Astarion, which happens a lot in first 1/3 of the game, I use Astarion as a bait to draw enemies toward my party or ambush.
If enemies ignore Astarion, he may attack from anywhere safe to him (typically from behind my Durge).
He usually attacks first. And his first-round attack is typically very devastating.
He, paired with Karlach/Lae'zel + Shadowheart, can kill most enemies on their own - without help from my main character.
However, for hardest battles, my Durge has to be able to hold ground and/or organize a counterattack.
Astarion carries a shield.
My Durge is typically responsible for intercepting every dangerous enemy going after Astarion.
My Durge is typically responsible for ensuring Astarion make sneak attacks (by repositioning her invisible familiar behind the target).
This party almost completely stopped using (healing) options in Act 2/3.

2) Everybody has to tank for themselves - that's my Karlach party:
- Astarion is a Thief(3)/Fighter(6)/Thief(3) in this party.
- Combat style:
Kill everyone/everything that moves (with some exceptions).
Also prefer to talk first, fight later.
Also prefer to talk people into a fight rather than out of fight (with some excpetions).
As a fighter now, Astarion has to tank for himself if ever possible,
has to help other party members to survive if necessary.
No respec is done for Karlach - as a result, Karlach is not optimized for tanking or talking.
However, without respecing ever done, Astarion + Karlach remain arguably the most effective DPS combo in this game.
Unfortunately, compared to my Thief/Ranger build, this Astarion cannot wear Heavy Armor and cannot learn spells.
Sneak attack is not a focus for this Astarion.
This is not a better build. But it fits a Berzeker party reasonably well.

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I don't know about the preferred playstyles of the OP. I hope the OP will figure out a most preferred playstyle and then pick a build that best fits into that style. That should yield a much more satisfying gameplay experience than simply blindly picking a recommended hottest build without knowing why.