Astarion is a companion and an origin character in Baldur’s Gate 3. A high-elf vampire with a vendetta against his former master, Astarion, has a unique questline in BG3 that results in multiple endings for him.
Astarion has a dark secret that only you can help solve by following his companion quest, The Pale Elf. However, Astarion’s quest is extremely complex, leading to a multitude of endings that can be missed easily. In this guide, we will help you achieve the ending you want the most while reading up on the rest that you missed in the process.
Kill Astarion for Bad Endings
You will get multiple chances to kill Astarion. The first chance arrives when you meet Astarion on the beach after Nautiloid crashes.
He will jump at you and try to kill you. At this point, you can kill him for good, ending his story prematurely.
However, if you let Astarion go and recruit him as a companion, he will try to sneak into your tent at the long rest and drink your blood. You can either let him drink your blood or put a stake through his heart to kill him right there.
The final opportunity arrives during Act 2 at the Moonrise Towers, where Araj asks you for a vampire bite in exchange for a potion that will raise your Strength permanently by +2.
Astarion will know that Araj’s blood is poisoned and refuse to bite her. If you force Astarion to still bite Araj, he will either die or leave your party permanently.
All the above options will prematurely end Astarion’s quest and are considered bad endings for him in BG3.
Let Gandrel take Astarion
Gandrel is a bounty hunter that you will meet near the Treehouse at (X: -25, Y: 240) during Act 1. He is trying to find Astarion to return him to his master, Cazador.
If you allow him to take Astarion, you won’t be able to see until Act 3 when you reach Cazador’s Palace. He will be present on the roof with his other siblings during Cazador’s Ascension ceremony.
This is also a bad ending, as it will end up killing Astarion, and you will be considered a traitor for turning him in.
Let Astarion Ascend
Upon reaching Act 3, you can find Cazador’s Palace to progress Astarion’s companion quest, the Pale Elf. Cazador will be busy in his ascension ceremony, where you can interrupt him.
Astarion will ask you to allow him to ascend. If you allow Astarion to ascend, he will kill all 7007 souls captured by Cazador and become an extremely mean version of himself.
He will start demeaning you if you are romancing him and see you as a pet. He will keep dodging your request for ascension, but will gladly agree to turning you into a vampire spawn, his servant.
However, this will grant him a lot of powers. He can now walk in the sun and gain a powerful bite. He also hits harder and becomes extremely powerful over time by losing the only shred of humanity he had left.
This is also considered a bad ending, as you will lose Astarion you once dearly loved.
Don’t Let Astarion Ascend
If you convince Astarion with a persuasion check not to ascend via the ritual, he will simply kill Cazador and walk away.
He will thank you later at night when you long rest and take you to his grave (romance only). Upon killing the Netherbrain at the end of Act 3, Astarion will once again gain all his weaknesses as a vampire spawn, but will happily share the rest of his life with you.
You can also leave with Astarion at the end to find a cure for him. This is considered the best ending for Astarion, as it will not only save thousands of souls but also Astarion. This will also allow you to be with him for an eternity.
Evil Ending for Astarion
With patch 7, Larian has added a new evil ending for Astarion. For this ending, you must select Astarion as the origin character while starting the game. This will let you play as Astarion as your main character.
Once you reach the end of Act 3 before confronting the Elder Brain, you will get an option to either become a Mindflayer or turn one of your party members. You can also give the Netherstones to the Emperor if you want.
However, if you betray the Mindflayer or the Emperor, you can keep the Netherstones for your own use. This will let you dominate the Elder Brain upon passing a constitution check, and you will get the following options.
- Will all of Baldur’s Gate to perish.
- Command the citizens of Baldur’s Gate to kill each other.
- Conquer the world with the army of the absolute.
- Brainwash the citizens of Baldur’s Gate to work for you. They will rebuild the city unaware of their fates.
However, you will get a unique fifth option that will allow you to summon an army of vampire spawns that will attack everyone inside Baldur’s Gate on your command.
This will allow you to become the Sun King and turn the whole of Baldur’s Gate into your vampire army.
