BG3 | Astarion's vampire bride: A comparison of in-game scenes to Van Richten's Guide to Vampires

The turning process for the player doesn't match the description from Astarion when he describes how he was turned into a vampire by Cazador... begging the question, what kind of vampire is the player after being turned by a romanced ascended Astarion? In this video, I've compared in-game scenes between AA and dark urge with text from Van Richten's Guide to Vampires [freely available online]. Other potential evidence not shown: the player still has their reflection in a mirror, the player doesn't burn in the sun once the tadpoles are destroyed [compare to UA], the player doesn't wake up in a grave [there is a NPC that you can find in a grave in Act 3 - so this capability already exists in-game if the goal was to show similarities between how Astarion was turned and how Astarion turns the player].
Special thanks to the wonderfully supportive AA fandom & all of his dark consorts for the long, nerdy, discussions about Vampires in Baldur's Gate, the Forgotten Realms, D&D broadly, and actual vampire lore [not whatever Twilight is] throughout history! ily!
Song from the video is here:
• Can't Help Falling in ...

[@GamingGarden270]

Good or evil Astarion is always a fan favorite. Neil did such an amazing job voicing him😊

[@ladyvesperia7594]

Methinks all this is a little too on the nose for the devs to be oblivious to what they were protraying. 😮 Thank you for the wonderful compilation. 💝

[@LegallyBoopy]

Oh 10000% I think they left all of these clues in there without stating anything explicitly so that people could still freely roleplay their own headcanons for their Tavs/Durges.

[@antagonistlover]

@@LegallyBoopy they did it this way cause they couldn't use this book as a part of the lore. Copyright and stuff.

[@SpicePrincess1890]

​@antagonistlover I think it's a bit of both. They couldn't use the full DND info, but I doubt they wanted to since the entire game is basically a homebrew. Roleplay is a huge importance for this game, so allowing the player variety for how they want their narrative to go at this point would be ideal anyway.

[@wolficer-66]

Who needs heros when you can have the villain 😈 this is great. Thank you for the side by sides with text. Very compelling.

[@MizuMing]

Villains also make better lovers imo. ❤️‍🔥

[@wolficer-66]

@@MizuMing Lovers that are selfish for you, will burn the world for you. And hold dedication above morality...I'm inclined to agree with you >;)

[@GlaciesA]

Being the villan yea, being his slave meat puppet nooo 😂 ppl that see is a happy ending are so naive, he himself tells how he was going to use you if you break up with him before getting turned, he would never made you a full vampire and as a demonic vampire he has 0 emotions at that point he becomes pure evil and accepting his power is just being ok I'll be a slave forever now and be a toy until he gets tired and do whatever tf he wants with me 😂 no thanks

[@MizuMing]

@@GlaciesA He tells you mean and hurtful things 'IF' you break his heart. That is a generally normal reaction, if you've ever deeply emotionally wounded someone. He's just trying to hurt you back in that case. Otherwise, you and he share a romance several thousands of years long. What makes me say that? We get told by one of the future seeing blood echos in the Murder Trial area. Astarion and his consort die in eachothers arms, thousands of years later, while the stars blink out and Toril is obliterated. If Astarion had 0 emotions, he wouldn't be so hurt, and he is hurt. You assumed he had no emotions, but you are incorrect. He had an adjustment period. Six months later, he's definitely adjusted. 🤷

[@wolficer-66]

@@GlaciesA gross dude. No. He has massive copium if Tav dumps him. Which, just like when he lies in act 1, the PC can tell him he's spouting bs and they don't believe him. Think it's a bit silly to say "suddenly nothing he says is true until it's his breakup dialogue then he's the perfect example of honesty!" He's hurt so he says hurtful things. Pretty on track for his character. If you want to RP that he doesn't give Tav his blood and Tav can't see themselves in mirrors or stand in the sun or have the freedoms a spawn can't, you do you! But those things are in the game lol it's silly to just ignore them. People get to RP how they want. That's the whole point of the game. Imagine whatever you want! But don't tell me what to imagine? Lol big silly.

[@zetathunder7401]

I wish the devs stick to this and the "My treasure~", just let us enjoy being villains together 😩

[@GlaciesA]

"Together" you mean, you just become his slave and fell for a lie dear, he is fully evil at that point and is playing you he says so himself if you reject him 😂

[@saribeepo.o5111]

@@GlaciesA Vampire brides are not slaves, did you watch the video? Unacended Astarion isn't kind if you try to break up with him at the end of the game either, and it's called self soothing. AA convinces himself that he was just going to use you, to decide it was 'what is best' to make it hurt less. Kind of like how UA pretends that supporting his goal is the same as not thinking he's good enough AND that he really is happy to be a 'hero' (epilogue dialogue if not romanced) because he just never realized he could murder people and it would be okay if it's the right people (as if the double standard wasn't his issue with heros since act 1, and therefore he always knew it). As a matter of fact, if he is broken up with at the end of the game he will even say he gave up so much 'for you'. That sure sounds like he never actually wanted to stay a spawn. It seems he only does so because he sees that the PC won't help him, and since he can't get acension without that help, he has to pick to either walk away with nothing, or at least try to salavage keeping the person he loves at his side by giving in to what he/she wants, and acting like the person he/she demands that he become. Now, I would not assert that's true. I think Astarion can be happy with either end (depending on how it's played out), but let's just be clear, this 'I'm going to be an a** and rain on your parade' nonsense can go both ways with equally valid points.

[@kairaaitken938]

​@@GlaciesAyou can bite ascended Astarion at the epilogue party AFTER you destroy the tadpoles. Astarion couldn't even do hurt Cazador WITHOUT the assistance of the tadpole I'm not saying it's a healthy relationship. It does have its' red flag. But the shade of red is different given the freedoms Tav can do to ascended Astarion that other vampire spawn can't do

[@GlaciesA]

@kairaaitken938 yes he can hurt cazador he isnjust weak, if you play as astarion there is a high check that if you pass you can resist and actually fight him he is just stoped and pulled to the sacrifice cause he is weak and need us for everything, + we being able to hit him only means larian didn't think of that cause yes spawn can't attack its master origin astarion can because of the tadpole npc astarion can't cause his dice rolls suck lol just because you can do something like that in game doesn't really mean anything isnjust a larian slip up

[@Annal4yla]

Good or Evil, Spawn or Ascended, I love this character to pieces! Amazing job, love this video thank you ❤

[@NC-ij9rb]

You mean, we got MARRIED?! 😂❤

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

yes! [there's enough info there to HC it at least ] now, you should ascend him again and enjoy your honeymoon with a side of world domination!!😇

[@ОлегЛесков-у8о]

The traditional hairstyle suits him better. With a fashionable hairstyle, he is too big-eared

[@SquirrellySkeptical]

Really well done!😍

[@MizuMing]

So many people keep saying 'No because it wasn't written in a book I could find and read about in game' or 'That's from an old book, if it's not newly and freshly printed then it doesn't count, I can't hear you'. 🙄 Thank you!

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Kind of related to your point, I often wonder how much of the "Astarion discourse" is actually a result of there not being more in-game lore and a general unfamiliarity with vampires within the fandom? Sometimes it seems as though people aren't even aware of the fact that he's undead and classified as a monster tbh.

[@MizuMing]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga I remember one guy from about 4 months ago arguing his head off, because he was adamant that the bride HAD to bite Astarion and he needed to succeed on a 18 Strength check to get her off of him. He completely ignored the fact that an Ascendant Vampire was a whole new creature with rules we didn't know yet, because it was a Larian homebrew. You can still be on the same page, but get wildly different reactions to the same information. 😅 Another thing that I see over and over is people talking about Astarion's humanity, but forgetting he has never BEEN human. I get that it's *our* only frame of reference personally, but there is a lot on the subject of elves available for them to see how they may be correct/incorrect on certain topics. I mean humans were literally snapped into existence, but elves- they were literally born from the fallen blood of a god. We aren't the same type of creature, we are different on so many levels, so human-centric focus is silly as far as I think about it. 😅

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

@@MizuMing jajaja, oh... yeah, you're right. I think many of us are saying, "this is possibly where the idea came from" and others are saying, "well, if it's not identically created in the game, then it can't be the case" while ignoring all of the similarities. It's this desire to play the "right" way and get the "right" ending and pick the "right" dialogue options that I find so bizarre. It's not a standardized test, there are no "perfect scores", the "goal" is to have fun. Then again, they even ignore the in-game evidence. He describes how to create a "true vampire" and people ignore that, too. Even though Astarion repeats multiple times that the player has had his blood and at the end of the game, after the tadpoles are destroyed, a vampire player doesn't catch on fire unlike UA. Yes, very good point! It's always fun to dive into lore, but somehow many people are armchair diagnosing and incorrectly using mental health terminology to describe behavior that can be summed up as "vampire". For example, instead of an interesting discussion on "would it be possible to dissolve the creator/creation bond" between AA and his spawn, the conversation is instead "you can't break up with him, this is evidence of xyz in real life." No, it's evidence that you have two vampires, one that created the other, and it is not unusual in any vampire lore for vampires to not dissolve a blood-bond willingly/easily. And a lot of the information is freely available online, all they have to do is google it, lol.

[@MizuMing]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga Right, they often see it as 'not 1 to 1' so it must be wrong. Right also in that it's not a standardized test, it's a personal journey for your character, yourself and the relationships that you fostered along the way in game, but for some reason if you don't do it exactly like X individual did it, then you 'failed' or got the 'bad' endings. That's not true in the slightest! 🙅 As of patch 7, we'll cross over 17,000 variant endings. They aren't all good and they aren't all bad. Calling my ending bad because I didn't do what you did is silly and vice versa. 🤷 If you are satisfied at the end of the day, that's all that matters, that's all that *should* matter. The random hate from parts of the community and even some Larian staff is baffling. There was someone working on Gale animations talking about the AA kisses we got back in February, they said the most baffling thing I think. The kiss animations needed to be made for the 'Majority'. The majority of who? Players? Of 1 million players, over 80% aren't going to see said kisses! Only the people going out of their way to Ascend Astarion and romance him at the same time will likely see it, and of the Astarion community, those who really like AA are around 20% give or take, so why the majority? Only a minority of dedicated people will reach that point and most of us hate the animations. 👀 Gawd~ yes the armchair diagnosis is crazy. Then you have people telling you to 'go get therapy' or get mad at you for not having trauma, so you CAN'T possibly understand something. 🙄

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

​@@MizuMing Yes, agreed, I hear "bad ending" and think about Mass Effect 3 where the original endings were all the same, except highlighted either red, blue, or green. But, if each person is able to craft a story that makes sense for their character, then, the ending was good for that story that they created. I agree, somehow the passion of some parts of the fanbase has turned into, well, hate, as you've mentioned. Across nearly all socials I have witnessed personal attacks, and insults, and even doxxing of fans who dare mention that they enjoy AA without 100 caveats attached. How very peculiar that it's impossible to create a Venn Diagram between the fanbase members who are the loudest about the "AA bad ending" and those who feel entitled to follow people across social media and tell them that their RP is wrong, because it is simply a circle. In what universe does someone think it's okay to force a stranger to publicly disclose trauma in order to have a conversation about a video game character??? And why, are the loudest people who want to engage in trauma competitions so completely devoid of empathy towards the very real people they're engaging in discussion with? re: the animations, I hadn't heard about that, but I'm not really surprised. I was on my first blind playthrough as the Patch 6 changes happened and yeah, I don't have any positive comments so it's better to just have no comments, jajaja. Only to say, I do hope the Patch 7 changes will reflect whoever the companions were designed to be initially as opposed to being more fan-service for the "majority". Like, I really hope Larian sticks to their original vision and let modders focus on fan-service, lol.

[@cinder4181]

I mean, Larian openly notes that they put huge emphasis on being lore accurate n shit, and they genuinely were. The method at which they slowly paint the picture until the crescendo is perfect. Gotta say though, the updated more fearful kisses with your high approval astarion one all seem kinda... out of the general vibe? Like, by that point you both have already established the relationship, and even yes if he manipulates you up to that point, why would your tav ever be proper afraid? He's certainly ominous, and some of his more vicious expressions fit well for AA when he kisses tav, but it really didnt make sense why even if tav is meant to be a spawn and not a bride despite being step by step made into a bride D&D lore wise... why would the tav be terrified and not enticed?

[@britt6184]

It really doesn't make much sense as the player literally has the option of making it so their character finds enjoyment in pain. In the scene where Astarion turns the player into a vampire, they can tell him to either be gentle or to make it hurt. The dev notes for that scene state that the pc is enjoying it in both scenarios yet they forced frightened/angry expressions for these new kisses. Spawn Astarion got dragged through the mud too apparently as from what I've seen he only has one new kiss and the angle from which it's shown isn't the best. It feels like the animators for the kisses were biased against Astarion in spite of his popularity as a character.

[@wolficer-66]

@@cinder4181 They said they're fixing Tavs faces in patch 7!! 😍 So even Larian agrees it didn't fit

[@gloomdollys]

​@@wolficer-66ARE THEY OMG I COULD CRY YESSSS

[@AbiLush]

oh loved this as i had delved a bit into it and had seen it being described as a vampire bride before but the exact language wasn't pointed out so it was a bit flimsy excuse for my taste just looked too hopeful, but it definitely does seem more that way with the language uses pointed out here. I will say..i think a bhaal accepting durge and ascend Astarion would be such a good evil play (pity there is no real end for bhaal accepting durge..i am hoping we might get that in the new patch)

[@StudioSokki]

What is the mod for the short hair? I've seen it before, it's so perfect for him. ❤

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/1420

[@maoreen7422]

Это ВЕЛИКОЛЕПНО!

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Outfit: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/6919 Dyes: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/9094

[@maoreen7422]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga Благодарю :3

[@pawep2966]

Astarion new hair ? What mod is it?

[@jessrose7312]

what mod hair is your durge using at 2:21?? I've been trying to look for it on nexus but I cant find it 😭

[@StealthheartDraws]

huh. it is interesting to know that you are not Astarion's slave when he makes you a spawn. and you're not really a spawn.

[@vaantsy]

normal astarion : Oh God, he's hot ascended astarion : *wet myself*

[@Aurilndia]

Same, sister... 😂

[@Blutelfgardist1]

Hey, what clothing mod do you use? :)

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Do you have a time stamp for the one you're referring to? The outfits are from quite a few different mods 😅

[@Blutelfgardist1]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga at the Start and 2:08 Is good. But i Like them all tbh

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

@@Blutelfgardist1 www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/9274 www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/8001

[@Oblivinar]

Hair mod name? Making notes for when console mod support comes out

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

I'm not sure which one you're asking about, but the short hair on him is this mod: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/1420

[@Oblivinar]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga thank you very much!

[@antagonistlover]

Cool video. If only 15yo tiktokers spawning "media literacy is dead" videos could actually read and process information 😢

[@calibrijones]

He looks like the evil villain in "who framed Roger rabbit"

[@iMalveria]

Does he actually give you his blood or does he make you believe he did? I don't understand

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Well, it's not about "making someone believe something," right? If that was the case, there would be an insight check. To me, it's more about, is there enough in-game evidence to support the interpretation. So, there's context to suggest AA has given his blood to the player. For example, when comparing Spawn Durge to Spawn Astarion: 1. The player doesn't catch on fire in the sun, after the tadpoles are destroyed, the player still has their reflection in the mirror, the player doesn't wake up in a grave the next morning [the way Astarion describes being turned]. That, combined with him saying he gave the player his blood, can be interpreted as yes, he did. [In addition, the devnotes do not say he's lying to the player when he says this.] If you're asking if there's an animated scene of him giving the player his blood, no there's not. Which is probably for the best, right? Because it supports the player's ability to create their own stories about what happens. If you don't like this interpretation, that's valid!! As long as we're all having a good time, that's really the goal.

[@Nirraart]

You did a great job putting all the info together. Also the choice of the soundtracks is just too perfect! I applause!

[@StrawberryQuestions]

I’m not personally an AA enjoyer, but i think how one views him can DEFINITELY be subjective. It all depends on the story you are telling through your tav, and while I have my own opinions about the morality of letting him ascend, becoming a spawn esc: that’s all they are. opinions! People need to be more open to how others see things, even if u don’t agree. On another note, SUCH A PRETTY TAV!! Aesthetic, but not to the point where they look like every other basic tav with cc I’ve seen. Cool vid :D

[@SquirrellySkeptical]

Yep, people can enjoy whichever version of Astarion they like, or no version! And they can tell their own Tav/DU RP story with him, thats the entire point of an RPG

[@wolficer-66]

This^^ I am personally not a fan of spawn route. But I would never expect people who like it to share my opinions and feelings over it. I can totally see why the route is appealing to others and that's great

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

No judgment on my end! I like both paths because that means I have more Astarion content in Astarion's Gate 3 😆. But seriously, I can absolutely understand how people may not like one path or another. Thanks!

[@ManubibiWalsh]

This is the correct take. Also, both routes are predicted by the writing, which is to say both routes you can take have seeds and hints at them throughout the character’s story. None of those routes is “truer” to who Astarion is, so debating it is pointless anyway. It all comes down to which version of him the player prefers. That’s it.

[@pennyjane2451]

This video illustrates what I believe was the original intention for Ascended Astarion, before the patch 6 kisses travesty dropped. Thank you, for me this is ascended Astarion cannon for the Tavs who choose to give him everything and want eternity with him.

[@juliagoetia]

The patch 6 kisses travesty? What happened? Been a while since I've played.

[@pennyjane2451]

@@juliagoetia Some people are OK with them but I found Tav's expression heartbreaking. Tav looks humiliated and afraid which is not the AA love story ending I wanted. Larian has just announced that in Patch 7 the expressions have been changed, so I'm pleased about that, though honestly with the mods coming to console I can't wait to try the hugs and kisses mods too.

[@yheralawha6921]

​@@pennyjane2451 ... Yeah. I hadn't done an ascended Astarion romance before patch 6... don't want to at this point. As things stand, I'd rather knee the bastard... and cry a lot.

[@badpost_op]

It's not a travesty if it was all of the writer's intent to make sure that the cycle of abuse continues if he is allowed to take Cazador's powers from the ritual. He's lying with every breath. Don't be dense.

[@pennyjane2451]

@@badpost_op I don't believe that was the writers original intent though, listen to everything he says when ascended, it is not consistent with the ascended kisses which were a much later addition to the game. No need to be rude about it. I don't see it the way you do. If you listen to all the different dialogues to differnt paths with Astarion or any of the origin characters for that matter, they often contradict themselves, afterall they are characters in a game, not real people and they are designed to respond to the player.

[@off2funnyworld]

Unintentionally signing up for an Astarion fashion show but I’m here for it~

[@shibernyan2009]

Love this! Finally someone has put almost all the Dark Kiss related info together in one video. I will be referring to this video if I ever end up in a discussion again regarding the topic, A-Astarion's ending deserves more appreciation.😌 Also the way he says "hmmgh...she's a vampire" at the end is so funny (and kinda hot).😂👀

[@ManubibiWalsh]

Astarion with that alternative haircut… nnngh I can’t wait to get the mod tools on ps5, it’s gonna be WILD!!

[@artofdominique]

I love Ascended Astarion. He's got that old school Disney villain vibe. 😄

[@FannyBang]

You did such an amazing job compiling everything and linking it all together! Van Richten's guide is a personal favorite for my own DnD campaigns and lore nerdery 🥰 I can't wait to ascend him again in my current playthrough 🥹

[@fulya354]

I don't get why people read too harsh on ascended Astarion. In general for a power drunk vampire he is not even that bad to you :D Maybe it's because I'm too familiar with vampire nature (although I'm more familiar with WoD vampires), no matter spawn or true vampire, vampires are always about power and manipulation. As a spawn Asterion lover you take advantage of his fears and vulnerability to keep him this tame, you don't know what would become of him if he overcomes these disadvantages one day. It's also obvious that AA is full of shit most of the time and you'll need your creator desperately as a newly turned vampire anyway. I'm tired of seeing people policing around about AA, what they expect from him is completely out of his nature. At the end of the day it's literally an RPG, it's all about fantasy whether it's bad or good. Thank you for the video it was quite enlightening actually!

[@yuttasparrow0private]

Completely agree 👍 ❤ AA is evil, but not so bad))

[@themarkgrayson]

i never realized how close Astarion looks to Neil himself, the haircut definitely brought it out. ive preferred spawn route, but this definitely makes it more intriguing. ill try this in a future durge run. i interpret it as manipulation to keep tav close, but carefully researched so hed get it right. he still has an underlying deep love for tav, but its shrouded by his vampirism, leading him to be manipulative and feel the need to be secretive in order to keep tav. his love becoming warped and possessive and him needing tav because of that deep possessive urge. he made tav a bride rather than a spawn because if tav died hed want to feel the pain of their loss. just my interpretation btw, i like the darker interpretations of AA personally and having the bride aspect rather than him forcing a spawn to be with him sweetens it for me. ultimately ill do spawn runs more but ill feel better about doing AA with this info.

[@NotGoingBackHarrisWalz2024]

I love him so much. I hate that I can't hear all the banter with AA and certain companions about my character being turned 😭 it doesn't work for xbox for some reason. I've run all over the place with the ones that are supposed to have dialog and nothing 😢 love this sooo much btw❤ thanks for this awesome vid😊

[@SquirrellySkeptical]

yeah, the banter not triggering is :( same as the Minsc / AA dialogue

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

sadly, a lot of the Act 3 banter is bugged on PC, too. It's all in the game files though, so hopefully the next update will fix it!

[@AstarionSimp468]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga there's updates still?

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

@@AstarionSimp468 Patch 7 [coming in September], in addition to the new content and mod support, there will hopefully be bug fixes.

[@Kittyintheraiyn]

Your Tav/Durge and Astarion are both deliciously gorgeous~

[@juliabe408]

It's such a great research, I just can physically feel how much work is behind this vid. And yes, AA loves Tav/Durge, objectively, period. Everyone sees what they want to to see (as e.g. people in Middleages seriously thought that beaver is an art of fish), but there are some things wich actually just need a little more attention to detail to see them for what they really are. AA's love to the protagonist is one of them. Love Astarion both SA and AA. And also love the music!

[@Tropicanine]

the Bishop of Quebec approached his superiors in the Church and asked whether his flock would be permitted to eat beaver meat on Fridays during Lent, despite the fact that meat-eating was forbidden. Since the semi-aquatic rodent was a skilled swimmer, the Church declared that the beaver was a fish. I wouldn´t say they seriously thought this, just wanted to find some loophole to eat meat on fridays as well. This also reminds me of "Herrgottsbescheißerle" a kind of swabian ravioli, they were filled with a lot of herbs, so it´s very green, but actually has meat in them. The name basically translates to "God screw over" which is funny af.

[@juliabe408]

@@Tropicanine it's a total offtop of my original post, but in my eyes, the reason, that beaver was declaired fish and was allowed to be eaten for his talents in swimming, because people wanted to cheat on the system they themselves created upon them, doesn't make it better. The name of the raviolli is funny, and something tells me, in times it was invented, not the best meat was used for it.

[@Dark_Angel_Beckons]

Excellent work! ❣💫❤‍🔥

[@Marielle685]

Thank you so much for this beautiful video! ❤ Perfect job - you pulled together all of Astarion's lines and plot points that prove the "vampire bride" theory. The song you chose fits our story so wonderfully, and the final shots speak volumes too. 💕Thank you!!! 💯

[@MarinaRainart]

Thank you, this was very interesting. You did a wonderful job.

[@mokianka]

This is why I love ascended Astarion, thank you for putting this together is such a beautiful package. I hope more people can see this and hopefully be swayed to the dark side. ❤😊

[@nicotttttt]

Your tav is so pretty!! I love all the information on this video. It is to show how well written and acted this character is.

[@Esiaa]

Ok, that's it, second playthrough Astarion will ascend and Dark Urge will accept Bhaal. Though I kinda want to try AA and Durge that resisted Bhaal (or the other way around).

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

You can do AA & resist Durge now, and wait for AA & accept Durge when the new evil endings drop in September!

[@wolficer-66]

@@Esiaa AA and resist Durge is my favorite pairing!!! If you like a little wicked, dark love while taking your power back >;) AA and the game itself has some very sweet dialogue for it

[@saribeepo.o5111]

@@wolficer-66 It's a good pairing for sure. I'd prefer AA and accept Durge... but Bhaal's stupid ultimatum gets in the way when I've managed to get other new companion endings. Though, seeing the exchange between the two of them when becoming the Absolute is quite satisfying for me. No offense to Minty, but it feels so much more... right with AA.

[@wolflithay6380]

I love this so much info that i wanted to know so bad but could never find! Thank you! Also your tav is so gorgeous!!!! ❤🥰

[@raelaurenmccoy803]

Ma'am let me tell you something... I watched this more than once. I'm about to watch it again 😅! I just started playing this game this past month due to all of the Astarion content I'd seen and as an avid Dark Paranormal Romance reader the second I saw the difference between him staying a Spawn and him Ascended I was like SOLD! I would literally take him either way and I don't judge anyone on their preferences but as for me and my playthrough I want Lestat(AA) instead of Edward(SA).😊 When he says I'll be wonderfully obedient (Yes, I said..."I") My reply would be, "Yessir, say less!" They know the target audience for him when he's on his power trip. Also, also your character is gorgeous and of course he's beautiful 😍!

[@tabbydgurl]

Amazing work on this!! x

[@almostatami]

Your Tav is so pretty I literally gasped. I also never realized how big Astarion's ears are😂 They're cute though.

[@HelloItsYou]

Your character so pretty!

[@asiontheartlinxy578]

that hair is gorgeous

[@NightQueen01]

This is a really excellent video essay. I've watched it a few times now pausing it to read all the information you provided. Thanks for widening my understanding of dnd vampire lore ✅

[@nicsnort]

Interesting comparison but you defintely did cherry pick. I've read over Van Richten's myself (for a fanfic I wrote where AA made Tav his consort through the Dark Kiss ceremony) and I don't think the devs intended Tav/Durge to become a "vampire bride" explicitly. The text heavily indicates that the three bites need to be over three days and the "bride" must be fed the vampire's blood for at least 1 minute (in 2e rounds were a minute long). Like you can swing it for fanfic or headcanon but there are too many discrepancies in the actual process for that ceremony to be the intent by the Devs in my eyes.

[@selelebrin]

Bravo 👏🏻

[@Suzanne_sf]

Thank you for this video! :)

[@loopy2980]

omg I love your Tav! What are your Mods? Also brilliant video :)

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

thank you! I have so many of them, jajaja! Is there any mod[s] in particular?

[@bravejelly2615]

This video's quality is truly amazing!

[@starry65]

hairstyle crime

[@DominicanaEnPalaven]

me encantó!

[@logicalchaos0142]

I ❤ Astarion but i HATE the short hair n the bowling shirt look. Same face, same voice but totally different vibe. If he looked like this from the start i woukdve romanced Wyll or Gale or even Shadowheart.

[@grymmoire]

I love this ❤ 2:42 what is her armor?

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/5452

[@grymmoire]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga thank you!! What dye are you using?? It's gorgeous!

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

I don't remember the exact dye, but it is from Effe's Consort Dyes [this is the only dye pack that I use]: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/9094

[@vicariousxiv2436]

What mod gets you that alternate hair for him? For the life of me I cannot find it on Nexusmods lol

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/1420

[@vicariousxiv2436]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga Ah, I see, you did something manually in the codes yourself to add that style to Astarion, yeah? I appreciate the link though, just not sure how to take it from there to Astarion's head lol

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

@@vicariousxiv2436 Oooh, I understand, you don't have to manually set it in the code [you can if you want]. Alternatively, you can use this: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/899 That mod allows you to edit the appearance of any Origin character [and yourself]. You do need to have the script extender installed for it to work. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@vicariousxiv2436]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga Ah, interesting! I have individual mods changing the hair of all of the companions (except Karlach, have a mod that gives her facial scars instead) but could never find one I liked for Astarion, I never thought about mods that just let you customize them all though lol Thanks for the info!

[@mahouho]

omg drop the mod list for him, I am in LOVE

[@angelicsailor1st]

Absolutely love how you compiled dark kiss here! I’m not a fan of AA but I’ve owned Dark Kiss for a long time now and did a run with it and did a deep dive so I always thought Tav was a bride!!! If / when someone has questions about it I’ll just send them to this video 😂 In other news does anyone know what mod pack Astarion’s long ears and the short haircut and clothes are from? I’m in love with the look

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

His race is high-elf; those are his default ears! The short hair mod: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/1420

[@angelicsailor1st]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga thank you!!!

[@GameOnShanny]

youre character is pretty how did you do it

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

tysm! My OC is a Tiefling [devil = Mephistopheles & human = Dominican]; to make her appearance match her human ethnicity, I installed a ton of mods. Her head, all of the curly hairstyles, the hair color, her skin complexion, and her horns are modded. I play on PC. If you want links to the mods and/or need help getting started with modding your game on PC, let me know! I don't mind at all.

[@sabilabu5395]

Which mod are Astarion Clothes from 2:05 ? Its soo cool :0

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/9274

[@m.-ki8yy]

The editing, the outfit change as your Durge progresses into being a vampire spawn/bride

[@siyoran]

where did you get or wich mod did you used for the earrings in 1:25 ?

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/5317

[@siyoran]

@@RPG_NoMeDiga thank you so much (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

[@HinamiMori]

Those clothing mods, I need names, so pretty! :D

[@hunterwolf6646]

What is the mod for the open chest ruby dragon jacket?

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Sorry for the super late response: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/8755

[@MyMessyMind]

Im sorry but the shorter hairstyle is horrendous on him imo 😅

[@princessmiaxo]

it's better than the long hair mods that get rid of his beautiful curls💔

[@MyMessyMind]

@@princessmiaxo hmm idk those are just as bad imo. The only hairstyle I've seen that looks good if not even better than the curls in the mid length slicked back hair, that one does things to me 😩

[@Eloshka96]

All I can think is he tells u exactly what cazador told him

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

I can see that! There are three similar sentences. I attempted to account for those, too, that's why I included the "good" and the "bad" in the video. How do you account for everything else in your AA playthroughs? I would love to hear a counter-perspective based on in-game evidence about the following: We know how it looks in the game when spawn are controlled, but that never happens to the player? Or the fact that the player doesn't burn in the sun? Or the fact that AA can tell the player what he wants, then the player can ignore it, and nothing changes? Or the fact that the player still has their reflection in the mirror? How AA shows empathy to the player after Haarlep? How AA verbally says he will protect the player from Araj? How AA says he will protect the player against Jaheira and Minsc [even though he's not a fan of the player submitting to Bhaal], and then there's a cut scene where he backs you? Is all of that like Cazador, too?

[@thecheck968]

Tav having freewill is pretty definitely debunked by picking dialogue options that challenge ascended Astarion. Telling him that you want to go your separate ways at the end of the game will have him laughing and reminding you that without the tadpole’s protection, you are his to control. It’s a pretty ironic fate considering his story was about ensuring his own freedom once the tadpoles are gone. At the party, you can ask when he’ll free you and he’ll be annoyed as if you’re throwing some sort of tantrum. And going a bit off topic, but to show he has fallen from being our consent king, there’s a disturbing dialogue if you refuse to become his spawn. The next day, if you pick the right dialogue options, he’ll say that he can do anything he wants. And that he should have turned you into a spawn just to prove that he could. There is no doubt in my mind that regardless of how submissive Tav is, Astarion will eventually cross their boundaries. Sure, you are his love. But above all, he needs to prove that you are *his.*

[@wolficer-66]

Dude just let people enjoy what they enjoy. Not everyone is going to judge an entire romance path based off of a few copium breakup lines. Tav has free will. He directly shows that by asking what they want. If Tav is his spawn and they break up with him, he never controls them to come back. And when you try to dump him in the epilogue, he never compels Tav. Just denies them. He's an evil vampire. He's not going to give Tav a daisy. Can't break up with Minthara then either. There's dialogue options for each way someone wants to RP. That's what RP games do. If you want to RP a victim you can. If you don't want to, the game has dialogue for that too. Unless you want to say we all have to take every dialogue option as canon. In which case, we've all broken up with him, he's both spawn and ascended, and we all forced him to feed on Araj. I really wish people would stop busting in Kool aid man style to repeat the same three talking points on why players can't have fun their own way.

[@RPG_NoMeDiga]

Here, I’m presenting a specific available path and how that relates to some D&D lore. Your comments are about an alternative path, one that is mutually exclusive of the one I’ve referenced as they cannot both occur at the same time. i.e., for the path I’ve chosen to discuss they’re not applicable. In a game that has a multi-branching narrative, not all of the choices are valid all at once. They represent an option, a choice, if you will, as to how you would like that game to play out in your own imagination. If someone IRL asks how your day is going, you can reply positively "it's going well" or negatively "it was going better until you arrived" both will alter the direction the conversation then takes. It's the same in the game - this isn't a novel concept. To be clear, if your enjoyment of the game ultimately comes from RP'ing as arguing and fighting with your LI and being unhappy after the game ends, you should absolutely do that! However, as someone who appears to care greatly about consent and boundaries, certainly your expectation could not be that as an adult player of this game, I must consider your selected RP options and the "disturbing" scenarios that you've imagined for yourself, as a part of my own personal RP on my single-player game, on my computer, in my own home? That wouldn’t be very cash-money of you. It would, however, be a curious display of self-righteous entitlement, and you would never dream of doing that, would you? Happy Gaming!!!

[@SquirrellySkeptical]

I do enjoy hearing other peoples takes on lines. It is good to see how other people hear the same deliveries and interpret them.

[@thecheck968]

@@wolficer-66 My initial comment was a bit rambly, so let me try again so I can be more concise - When ascended Astarion turns Tav, it is with the intent of making them a spawn he can compel. This is why you can't break up with him after the tadpoles are destroyed. - Ascended Astarion has an unhealthy view on love and power. He's able to put up a mask it if you never challenge his authority, but that doesn't make these thoughts any less canon. If you never trigger Astarion's bite scene, that doesn't mean he's unwilling to bite his companions, just that the opportunity never arose.

[@meishuu]

Shh you’re talking sense 😂 they won’t understand you