Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Astarion romance improvements

Something like that is more likely to be a patch 7 fix if they add in more cinematics etc..

Hot fixes are more codes for quests fixing and scripting issues.

We will have to wait.

But tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow... We will hope that Lariant will heart us and return roleplay into AA romance

Yes, if they fix something, it will only be in the next big patch. Day 33, waiting for Tav’s facial expressions to change

Yep, still hoping we are going to be able to play again someday. Still want to role play my characters, with AA.

Thank you for the explanation!

I don't know if anyone has written about this, but right now there is still an Araj Oblodra potion loophole in the game.


There should be consequences for these actions. I think it would be better if if, if forced, it triggered a scene where it expressed its opinion to the player or ended the relationship, if there is one.

I agree. I consider this an even worse betrayal to him after the romance is locked in than before.

This is also one of the reasons why I would have preferred the post-Araj scene to be separate from the confession scene and not be used as an alternate romance lock-in. Furthermore, you are missing out on an important character development moment for Astarion if you lock in the romance before you meet Araj and thus never get the post-Araj scene.

But I think there is no need to change anything, because I do not think that this is coercion. Tav can says " do as you want, but such a potion would be useful". And after that, Astarion bites Araj , spits, minus 3, but he chose it himself, Tav only expressed his opinion, but did not force the drow to bite.
And it just looks good with the romance, Astarion and Tav are a couple, and he understands that this is necessary for the business, so why not bite, although it’s disgusting.
And I don’t like Astarion’s confession after Araj at all, it looks like gratitude, it’s unpleasant.
Moreover, this is one of the options for the development of relations, after Yurgir you are already a couple, and Astarion no longer treats the bite as coercion, I think so, therefore there is no need for a scene with resentment that he was forced, he decided on his own.
And to say that there should be consequences for Tav in the romance after Araj’s bite is incorrect, this is metagaming. Tav can't know what he's doing is wrong. Tav is already in a relationship and Astarion doesn’t really resist, especially if we say as above, he decides to bite, so it’s unfair to make claims against Tav.

I reported this exploit bug to Larian a couple months ago and they told me they were aware of this issue and already working on it and that it wasn't intentional, so hopefully we'll get a fix

I don't agree with everything.
I too like Astarion's recognition more after Yugir, so I leave Arai for later.

That's not metagaming.
All along the way Astarion says he wasn't his own master, everything was decided for him.
The choice to bite would have been his if he had said to Arai, "you stink, but you'll come in handy for the cause, I'll take it".
Meeting Arai, Astarion immediately to her suggestion says "I don't want to". Loud and clear. You can reply to her that "he declined". If you decide to find out why he refused, he will start to explain already. And even after that you can say, "you don't want to, say no". And he thanks the player, twice.
The phrase "do as you please, but we could use the potion" is just psychological coercion.
The same as with the astral larva, when you convince the companions to take it, no one wants it, but after the phrase that for the cause, for strength, against enemies, the characters agree. But they don't want it, it's your choice, your conviction.

It's the same thing if you were given a raisin pie (for example). And you don't eat raisins, and you don't like pie. And you talk about it. You get a reply: "suit yourself, but I tried so hard when I made it..."
And you eat the raisin pie and suffer so as not to offend.

In my opinion, it would be a good idea to play these scenes both, even if you already got one of them. It would reveal the character better.

Honestly, I don't see how Tav can't know what they're doing wrong. Oblodra's tone and the way she dares to talk to Astarion like a slave makes me want to immediately demonstrate a couple of painful techniques on her and make her apologize to him (too bad the game doesn't allow you to do that). On the first playthrough, I was so pissed off at her insolence that I didn't even think to ask Astarion why it was that he didn't want to bite that trashy thing. And if you ask, he'll say, "You want to rent me out for a potion?". And he'll say her blood is tainted.

Astarion expresses everything he thinks and feels about it in the breakup scene of the romance. And he doesn't accept apologies.


Of course, after Yurgir, Tav's value to Astarion is higher, but that doesn't change the essence of the situation. I realize that maybe for Tav, who would be willing to vomit nasty stuff for bonuses, it might not be seen as a big deal, but here we're talking about hurting someone you love, using them for your own gain. Ok, I probably myself in a similar situation could say something like, "Ha! Easy..." and try to gobble up the crap, gee, it's not weak, if anything, there are cure potions. But how much nicer and warmer it would be to hear from a partner something like: "Where are you going, dummy head, don't even think about it!", because this is caring, it means that the value of a person is higher than the value of some miserable "bonuses".

Thanks for the info, that confession after Yurgir is more interesting, I fought him always towards the end of the chapter to pump myself up and get Balthazar's golem because the fight with him is quite difficult and I have to use a decent amount of resources, but if the confession is worth it, it's worth trying to challenge him early...

bump

Looks like we have to rely on modders to get the highly requested features like consensual kisses and Tav being happy in the scenes, as well as being able to hug Astarion at will.

Fixed kisses:



Mod Happy facial expressions for Ascended Astarion kisses


Hugging Astarion:



Mod HUGS


And mentioned a while ago, but still not added actually positive lines for Tav so we're no longer forced into being selfish sex-crazies and holier than thou preachers:


Mod Astarion Post Ascension Dialogue Fix


Thank you, modding community!


If we can be super evil slavers, tyrants and murderers in the new upcoming endings, then we should also be able to be fully supportive of AA and enjoy his romance. No more dumb and railroaded moralising in a dark fantasy RPG for adults, please.

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These lines should also be fixed by Larian:

Added missing Spawn Astarion kiss lines: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-Vz59_OA3wE

Mod Astarion Kiss Dialogue Fixed

Thanks so much to the modders!

Now we can play... It is only because of them that we can do so. Perhaps in the future, our story will be stunningly beautiful, complete and real, also thanks to them.

Larian, remember that there are PS players too! Don't forget cross-platform mod support! Everyone is entitled to a good game!

Even though I am appreciative of the modders and their efforts, I still think that Larian should be responsible for fixing the game that they created. So, I will continue to request this & give feedback.

Yes, thank you very much modding community. But really Larian needs to fix this confusion.
The character is afraid of the kiss they're approaching. There's literally an opition to break up since the character so dislikes the whole thing. All other content implies that the player do their character ally and lover, since they don't click on break up.

I agree with the posters above. Big thanks to the modder, it's a quickfix to tide us over to patch 7, but I'd also prefer Larian to fix this. My character should not look scared or angry in a repeatable kiss they ask for, especially since we can totally lean into the whole evil power couple thing in dialogue all the way through to the very end of the game.

No other romance gets this treatment for their kisses.

The expressions during kissing AA are still a work in progress & the modder is doing an amazing job. There are some things they are trying to figure out so if it doesn't work for you currently, you might send them a very polite note on Nexus mods to explain what is going on. We are all waiting for patch 7 to see if Larian themselves will act responsibly and fix the issues we have given feedback and suggestions on. Such as the Patch 6 kisses (FOR BOTH AA AND UA), the absurd dialogue choices available after the ascension that makes one path of the Astarion romance act like TAV is a demanding little brat or wants to argue with Astarion, which NONE OF US WANTED. And other small things here and there that can be fixed that we have asked for over the process of the game coming out. Some things have been addressed. Some have not. There is no one right way or wrong way to roleplay this game. There is no right way or wrong way to headcanon this game with your own story. The problem lies with someone stepping over other's boundaries that push a narrative down the throat of another person who does not want to play a specific narrative. That is not ok and no one should be pushed or FORCED to do so. There are many who love ALL THINGS ASTARION. There are those who only love the one path over the other. That is their individual choice and they can do or play however they want. It is a fantasy game and it is meant to be fun & entertaining for the individual. It is also a mature game and does deal with some adult themes & things, but that does not mean that anyone should be threatened or harmed in real life over choices in a video game in a fantasy land that is not real. There is no need to fight over things in real life on how someone chooses to play a video game. As Astarion says: "You are free to make your own stupid stupid choices."

So.... Please be kind to others and in hope, they will be kind back. You can disagree about things in a video game, but keep it civil. He is all kinds of deliciousness trapped in one amazing gorgeous vampiric elf body, with a great heart.

I do hope Larian will listen to our suggestions in the forums where we have been posting feedback and suggestions. I hope that we all will be happy with the game and then either be able to continue playing it or come back to it after an unfortunate change from the studio made you stop playing. Maybe you also had some irl stuff and took some well deserved time away for a new adventure or to see friends and family. I wish all of you the best on this Mother's Day Weekend (at least for the US ladies) and may you all have many blessings and enjoyments this weekend. Keep dreaming and having your wildest dreams come true! Happy Mother's Day to the moms of the world and may you all have a great morning/day/night wherever you are!

I fully support it. When one person, with their own hands, at the expense of their own personal time, does a job that a large game company can't do, it doesn't do the company any honor. Dear Larian, you are making a game for adults, there is no need to insult the players' sensibilities and the players' intelligence by making them wade through a poorly written script or look at the victim's face instead of their character's facial expressions on the screen. I am heartily grateful to you for creating such an amazing character like Astarion, I'm sure if it was someone else in his place I would have left the game even after the first "like degrading yourself", not to mention those kisses. But...


I love him. So many of us really love him. Please don't destroy this. Just one person with an open mind about the character, with a player-friendly attitude, would probably, by spending a minimal budget, find a way to fix the problems, and let us enjoy the game. I'm sure such a person can be found in such a huge and wonderful studio.

The modding community is doing a great job. And I agree, this issue must be solved by Larian itself for several reasons.
Also the facial expressions of Tav have to be precisely coordinated, especially in these intimate D/s kisses, otherwise it looks odd. Unfortunately this mod currently cannot do that. (For example in the kneeling kiss, the big grin when Astarion grabs Tav by the throat doesn't fit. Tav would be more reserved, looking at Astarion expectantly, slightly (!) concerned or shyly, but not laughing like a fool. This is a tense and intimate moment and the laugher doesn't fit. Like that, it looks weird and out of place. Also right before, when Tav is going down on his knees, a more reserved expression would be much better for that intimate D/s moment - - But I really appreciate the mod for those, who use it as a quick fix - especially the happy face after this kiss is an improvement!)

So like the others I still support Larian to take the feedbacks and the survey into account and work on Tav's facial expressions.