*Id like to have a serious discussion if possible but will see I guess* [spoilers for the entire game]

Well I’’ be clear I think this character is interesting but the tiniest of thought about he is an awful person. However it’s not just that he is awful as the game has a lot of companions that evil/ can be evil. Astarion is just written to get away with a lot of bad behavior that others are not from the reward system, to [according to the IGN of making clear punishments for killing children] And in general you can almost never call him out for his behavior.
For example- in Act after learning about everyone you can call out everyone for their shady behavior. Minus Karlack because she never lies.

*You can question Wyll on his hierocracy for making a pack with a demon.

* You can ‘violate’ Gales privacy and see why he is hiding about the orb, with detect thoughts or again yell at him for keeping It secret.

* you can ask Lae zel about her bad attitude after she starts to like you even if your approval is low from just killing some key game figures.

* Recruit Minthara the good way you can always ask her about her opinion, even if it’s a bit deranged she will at least have an answers for you. Which is well thought out

* Astarion tries to bite you in your sleep, if you reject him he will claim it was silly of him to ask. he NEVER asked though in fact even in his 'supposed 'growth' in Act 2 he will refer to never do things later in the game. When recruiting Minthara he will be 'scared of getting stabbed in his sleep. You can mention its no different then getting bitten. Which he claims he never did lol/ Their also the 'ask before you bite" line in DURGE. Again he never asked. Its one thing for a character to be a liar [fine] but again you just can never address any of his behavior 90% of the time.

The game actual never allows you to question his behavior except once or twice, in Act 3 and its really a nothing answer. The scene I refer to is if he wants to trick the spawn to siding with him when wants to sacrifice them and all you get is a h “well im better”. Only at the end of his [good] ending, or if you are smart enough to break up with Ascended Astarion immediately does he tell you he was manipulating you [which yeah its obvious] but again you cant say anything bout it tell his story is over. In fact its wild he will admit to manipulating in act 2 DEPENDING on how you get his confession if you 'romance' him, then proceed to try to manipulate your feelings all the way to act 3 by asking if you really care about him why wont you let him [kill 7 random stranger who is has been clear are also abused] and you can say nothing about except cut him off, agree or just keep worrying about his feelings.[despite the claim ive read from gamers that he has changed in act 2..he has not] Its one thing for a character to be a liar [fine] but again you just can never address any of his behavior 90% of the time.



If his arc is suppose to be about the cycle of abuse I think its a bit to caricature, I mean runaway slaves & people that commit genocide are real yet Astarion logic is "I was abused so I should be able to kill the people who were abused along side me in a demonic ritual sacrifice[ and the abuser]. Never heard that before. Lot of victims want to kill their abuser but the people who were abused along side them ? I don't recall hearing/reading that behavior. It feels more like a use of the Freudian excuse media trope. Their is a difference between having a nasty attitude from being abused and maybe violent against potential aggressors and planning to be a family annihilator [which isnt caused by abuse.]


I recall the IGN article about the developers saying, you can make bad choices but their will be consequences for that. For example if you kill children in the grove the game wont let you kill children “explicitly” also if they did their ERSB rating would be worst. Now with the vampire though you do in fact get rewarded a lot for Ascended him. Just another example of how he gets different treatment then other characters or consequence systems in the game.