Originally Posted by Lorna
But as much as I would like to change the expressions I don't think they are going to do it...we are a minority. I'm thinking about it carefully and I'm sure Larian wants to make it clear our character is being abused. It doesn't matter if you like AA, the goal is to make you feel like you've made a mistake and realizing this makes me so sad that I can no longer enjoy my evil path if I'm romancing him (or maybe the solution is just to ignore my Durge's sad face) I don't like to complain and bother Larian about something secondary like kisses, I can see all the work and effort they are doing to improve this game but for the first time I have found myself needing to send feedback because I have felt bad about something that was supposed to be good for all fans...Idk. At least it's nice to know I'm not alone in this matter.

And the key word is "make" everywhere, throughout the story. Make you feel like you've made a mistake. If you haven't previously MAKED Astarion stand "on the path of redemption". Feel the hand of lawful stupid goodness at your throat (and make the appropriate facial expression). I needed the path of evil in the first place to shield Astarion from this very "good", to give him the opportunity to be himself and do whatever he wants, that's the main enjoyment of "evil" for me - freedom. No redemption, no humility, no hunger, no burning and "be comfortable for them", "stop being an asshole to those around you". And one could enjoy the evil way, if the "paybacks" were realistic - betrayals of some companions, difficult fights with some Lathander paladins, vengeful gur from other clans - things that could really get in the way of a couple of vampires. But they needed to strike through Astarion, at Astarion - in a way that would set off triggers and guaranteed to make the player understand. Kisses, specifically those kisses - it's no longer secondary, it's total annihilation.

Originally Posted by LiryFire
The most frustrating part is that it's literally rewriting story. Yes, it is. Here
Just traveling, enjoying life together or making power in the city together.
I hope Larian doesn't rewrite the original narrative.

It's true that the epilogue has other answers besides "freedom?" - where lover and ally.
Which really gave hope, as here have written, that the line of complex evil would continue in a pretty good way.
But now the kiss literally victimizes and distressed player. A kiss.
There is a strange, obscure to me opinion in the community that evil - must suffer, not happy, not able to love tenderly (or does it only work with Astarion there must be a reason ranging from DnD to real psychology).
Evil is punished in fairy tales. If something is evil (it does), there shouldn't be anything else and it's still bad if anything is - reduction to caricature. B&W, Purity culture.

In my opinion caricaturing evil, flat out, is a devaluing of good. They should be equally appealing to themselves to make it fun to think and play.

This only works with Astarion. Heterosexual men can safely carve up a grove for Mintara and enjoy it, Shadowheart the Dark Justiciar doesn't bully his lover (with Shar forbidding love), etc. You can any evil without any caricature or punishments, under one condition - male player. I would add that Purity Culture = Culture of Violence in this case. And "good" is not just devalued, it becomes a rapist, a dictator. Immediately associations come to mind with how cruelty and violence in human history has always been done "in the name of good". And law. And now the game is trying to impose "law" through violence. I wonder, of course, what the real law "On Intentional Causing of Moral Harm" says in such a case, but hardly anyone cares.

Originally Posted by Ametris
Originally Posted by LiryFire
What stresses me out the most is the 7k story, as if it's a good(?) thing to let them go. "It's okay, everybody's OK". As stated in the letter. Even if they say it's good in big letters, I won't believe it. It's just trading mortals for undead though. Because zero chance that 7k undead won't bring death, and they're already. In the developers notes it says "pure evil" when one of the spawns is overcome by hunger. Also killing them is called "mercy killing". Just kill. Kill for Power. Leave it in the cages. Let it go.

The obvious attempt to emotionally manipulate us with Sebastian and the Gur children and paint an army of feral vampires being let loose (which is full of former petty criminals, street drunkards and brothel-goers, who are now much more powerful than before and will take advantage of it against their targets, also hungry and very likely insane after decades of rotting in their cells) as the right thing to do will never cease to amuse me.

"Kill out of mercy" - hero. Use them for a ritual that will give Astarion everything - freedom, sunshine, strength, independence - you're a scoundrel who "killed 7000 for some comfort of one". Yes, my Tav is a scoundrel, she will kill for Astarion if necessary, and more. And... Astarion will bring her to her knees in random for it. Why? Because, "If you don't like it, don't ascend him." It's just that those who hate Astarion haven't come up with any other option to make "don't like it". Maybe it's a calculation for new players who really won't like it beforehand, and the old ones can just be traumatized and thrown out of the game.

Originally Posted by Darkangel1211
Good thing I�m at the point where I�ve stopped playing BG3.

The morality police and general trolling was already too much for this AA fan and the kisses really sealed the deal.

The salt in that wound was that these kisses came from Larian themselves� if that doesn�t show their intentions towards AA, including MORE CENSORSHIP for his sex scene, I don�t think anything will.

I�ve logged my feedback with Larian and I�m done with this universe. I�m keeping my fingers crossed that one day vampire fans will truly get an RPG where �dark power couple rules eternally� will actually be a thing, but for now it�s a pipe dream.

You're lucky! A bit jealous, I really wanted to go through again with DU and Astarion. I also hope there will be those who will do better.

One life, one love - until the world falls down.