Ascended Astarion is the only LI in the game who cannot even be touched in any way in the epilogue. So, dear Larian, I really ask you to give our fandom the same opportunity to kiss or hug our LI that other players have. UA players have hugs with LI, give us that opportunity as well. Modified Act 2 hugs would be ideal, as these hugs are beautiful and very much want to do them again.
Of course the ritual matters to Astarion's story - he gains complete independence, a beating heart, power and freedom.
It's a strange lack of embrace and even stranger to draw any conclusions about the path and ‘what kind of attitude the player should form towards Astarion on the path of evil’ from that. If think that way it only speaks to Larian's lacklustre plot, inept rpg and double standards. Um, no. if I can hug Sharr Shedowhart, I should be able to do it with Astarion.
UA has no kiss, should I now conclude that he is in a heavy stage of trauma treatment when 6 months ago he was kissing Tav - could be of course, but more likely it just wasn't added.
No animation means no animation. Tav tells AA that ‘no one dares touch us, my love’, zero reason not to add a hug. Well, Tav kisses him perfectly in the evil new ending.
