So, just to be clear, to get this I should leave Gale in camp so he does NOT see the big brain wearing the bling before the Kethric fight? I know you have had a million questions about this, but I am in act 2 pursuing the "you are more than just magic" path (no astral smooches) and I have the opportunity to try this. I still need to do last light fight and gauntlet. So maybe leaving him out of the colony and the Kethic fight so he doesn't see the crown is some weird trigger for later? He does get a slight power hungry look when he sees it, so I have always wondered if him not being there and not having to talk him down from blowing himself up helps? I have gotten the other dialogue with the forgiveness route in my other playthrough, but I want to see this one play out. Thank you :) . . . . . Side note and Astarion spoilers for his Act 2 confessions: Just got the alternate confession scene in Act 2 with Astarion and it is sooo much more sweet than what you get after Drow. I choose now to go Drow when I want to friend zone him (no jealousy bad vibes lines if you go for some other romance after), and Orthon when I want a more sweet and honest confession aka romance route. Go to LL and then have a drink (or not) with the druid, then take Harper convoy to ambush the drider, get buff from Dolly Dolly, and go to Moonrise. Avoid the Drow, which is easy, and do the Kethric scene (also, go save someone if you did not kill them in the Grove). Long rest to get an unavoidable Gith scene out of the way and next day, make your way up to the mausoleum for some questionable poetry. Then just go talk the Orthon to death (or kill it - whatevs). Make Astarion thank you right after, one of my fav sassy scenes with him when you can tease him. Then GTFO of the gauntlet after grabbing the way point. Go to camp and The Questionable Poet will visit and drop some lore on Astarion. Then you long rest and he confesses. It is more soft, genuine, and sweet. It does eventually loop back in to the same outcomes. I was just so surprised how differently he comes off and the tones of each confession, like "damn you really care about me and you are amazing" instead of "damn you stuck up for me when some bish was super rude to me so you must really care".

Now I see there is no point in preventing Gale from seeing Ketheric in Act 2. Just follow the instructions after that.@@DarkSideBecky

You get this version of the scene if you meet with Mystra before having the boat scene conversation, and encourage Gale to seek her forgiveness when he asks for your advice. It may also require a certain amount of having discouraged him from going after the crown before that though, in order for him to agree to seek Mystra's forgiveness rather than go with the "three-dragon ante" approach.

If friendship is high enough, at one point in camp he wants to talk to you and show you some magic. Thats the start of the romance.

I really love Astarion's romance plot too, but I agree that Gale gets such an undeserved bad rep. A lot of people discount him because he eats their boots, but get past that, encourage him to see himself as more than his own magic, and he's such a love. I smile so hard during all the romance scenes.

Dying at the image 😂

You want to skip giving him the book of Karsus on the first prompt to then when he argues about it, give it to him. Let him do the talking with Elminster and encourage him to see forgiveness. Voilà!

You and me both!

Exactly the same thoughts ! 😇 After all it means we are both a bit like him!

"Wash my Pain Away"

@@danidekariosrutherford Found it in the meantime and it's actually "I want to live", but thanks for taking the time to respond anyway 💜

@@tristandohnel4283 Oh, I'm sorry. I got it mixed up, that's the name of the song from the first romantic scene with Gale, the one played on the piano

💯 Both of theirs are so well done!

Doesn’t he say “you put the stars to shame” right before that too? He genuinely does have the best lines

Check some of the other comments asking about it. I posted it a few times 🙂

I think a little of both. The woods are real, I think, but the aurora and everything else is illusion.

When did he almost break things off? Forgive the question, but I am romancing Gale and have yet to have this convo.

@@madamezimba1007 sorry, I somehow missed this comment! It was a combo of dialogue choices where my Tav shot down the idea of getting rid of the gods (she’s a cleric so, not into that) and at first he was like “well I guess we’re done then” and I had to talk him back into continuing the relationship. For all I know, only clerics can have this exchange, I’m not sure 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ultimately, it is Tav's decision that drive the characters to these choices. In my playthrough, where I got this scene, Gale didn't want the power anymore. He wanted to get the crown to Mystra so the orb would be removed and he and Tav could finally be together without fear. But that was because my Tav nurtured the idea that he didn't need all that power, that he was more than his magic, that he made a mistake with the orb and he needed to make it right. It's Tav's guidance that drives all the characters in their decisions, not just the characters themselves.

@@Bi0tics ikr. But even after all of that in the end u still have choice to tell him that not getting the crown will be better for everyone. Thoughtful gale's tone and that dialoge option makes me think that his ambitions have not evaporated because of tav, love, mistra, forgiveness and anything else. Well, even the goddess and previous power was not enough to satisfy his hunger. I suppose it's just a kind of pretty delusion that tav will be enough. Maybe I'm overthinking)

@@MaLeFeu Oh, my dialogue was different. I didn't have to tell him he didn't need it, he went straight to saying he'd find the crown, deliver it to Mystra, and finally be free of the orb.

Except Minthara, who seems to love you even more as an Illithid 🤷‍♀️

@@elenalizabeth Gale is the partner who will bail you out of jail, Minthara is the Ride or Die who is in there with you saying "Let's bust out of here and do that again"

@@NathanielTavington haha yeah Gale will sneak you out of jail and protect you through hiding you. Minthara would be like “if we kill everyone then no one will be around to arrest you again”