Astarion is a fan-favorite companion when it comes to tricky action gameplay. You will recruit Astarion after you land on the Ravaged Beach and complete its companion quest, The Pale Elf. Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a vampiric companion with dark behavior and secret background, so his build will be interesting.
Astarion cunning and mischievous playstyle is essential in strengthening almost every party. To execute Astarion’s abilities at its best, I will take you through the best subclass and equipment choices for Astarion build in BG3.
Best Subclass for Astarion in BG3
Because of the Rogue class, many players opt for the Assassins due to their strength and stealth. But it is certainly not a good choice for Astarion as his abilities revolve mainly around intelligence.
Considering the above factor, the best subclass for Asterion is the Thief. This perfectly suits the cunning nature of Astarion. Dexterity and Intelligence power the Thief.
Here are the reasons why Thief is the best subclass for Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Thieves in BG3 can pick locks.
- Thieves in BG3 can detect and disarm traps.
- Thieves have higher mobility as compared to any other subclass.
- Thieves have stealthy and sneaky movements.
- Thieves get bonus actions.
One major perk you get in the thief subclass is the Fast Hand ability that will unlock at level 3. This ability will grant you second bonus action for every turn.
This will be a significant advantage for you on the battlefield as you can play two steps ahead of your opponent. In the same turn, you have multiple options, like Hide, Dash, and Disengage.
Best equipment for Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3
We will use steal-focused gears to leverage further Astarion’s build abilities in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, Astarion’s lack of strength cannot be compromised, and it should be balanced with a wise choice of weapons in all 3 acts.
Melee Weapons
You can use Finesse Rapiers and Shortsword as your best weapon in Act 1 of Astarion. You can use Rapier as your primary weapon and equip Shortsword in your second hand for cross attack.
The Rapier with Finesse property will scale damage according to your Dexterity in Baldur’s Gate 3. In Acts 2 and 3, you can opt for Blade of the First Blood as your primary weapon and Arcane Absorption Dagger as your off-hand weapon.
The Blade of the First Blood is a legendary Finesse dagger with Piercing Strike that exploits enemy weakness. Also, it has True Strike Riposte, which will allow you to retaliate on missed enemy attacks. The Arcane Absorption Dagger also features Piercing Strike and will be a good fit for your off-hand.
Ranged Weapons
You can opt for Joltshooter or Heavy Spellthief as your ranged weapon in Act 1 for Astarion build in BG3. Joltshooter is a Longbow and a good early-game ranged weapon that has 18 meters range and will grant you two lightning charges upon hitting an enemy.
If you don’t have Joltshooter, you can use Spellthief as an alternative ranged weapon. Spellthief also has 18 meters range, but it comes with a Piercing Shot ability. Shooting sleeping enemies using this weapon can give your a critical strike.
Armor
For Astarion build in Baldur’s Gate 3, we will use the lightweight armor to cope with Astarion’s Dexterity and help him increase his mobility.
For this reason, the best choice will be the Padded Astarion’s Armor. Although this armor will not provide excellent protection, it comes with Light Armor Proficiency. This means it will not affect your spell casting, mobility, or attacks in any way.
