Companion's Reactions To Astarion Ascending - Baldur's Gate 3

[@lauralima772]

Everyone: Astarion, no!!!! Minthara: Astarion, YES!!!

[@ZaimGamePlay]

minthara is like.... YESSSS DOIT

[@LadyShiver]

If SH is still Sharran she is also okay with it. Really interesting.

[@alexaitcheson2397]

I read this in plankton's voice

[@qzbnyv]

@@LadyShiver And you can get Lae’zel and Gale to agree with it too, if you encourage Lae’zel to be pro-Vlaakith / anti-Orpheus and Gale to be pro-taking-the-power-of-Karsus / anti-Mystra. So it looks like this character played good with everyone but Astarion in the end. lol. led him down the dark path.

[@marcinzysko1653]

dew it

[@amspracklen]

Everyone Else: No don't sacrifice all those lives. Minthara: DO it!!!

[@berlin_wahl]

It's giving Kronk 😂

[@Trazyn_the_Hoarder]

It's *very* telling when even Lae'zel says its too much, and Minthara is the only one to support this choice 😬

[@seliamila1005]

La'Zel is more like "you have to seize power for everyone, the collective" instead of moral reason, considering she's fine with slavery due to her culture, Shar Shadowheart approve ascendant same with Minthara

[@saribeepo.o5111]

Lae'zel is a bit of a hypocrite here though. Her thing is 'you're supposed to do it for the collective'... Meanwhile there's no reason to suggest she's any more useful to Vlaketh then any other person that might have a silver sword, but her ambition was okay. Meanwhile Astarion's power can help the group defeat the absolute in a way only he can fulfill. Shadowheart also does support it if she is DJ Jahera is just being self serving. She doesn't feel bad for subjecting a vampire spawn to the most agonizing death possible for a vampire, but all of a sudden they're people now. She just doesn't like that her Harpers looking the other way with Cazador might now come back to bite them in the bu... neck

[@AR-bj5et]

@@saribeepo.o5111Literally just came across this vid and thought that, how are half of Lae’zel’s impulse killings remotely ‘for the good of the collective’? Idk what laurels she’s resting on, especially when that same collective has already turned on her

[@rexybobo1962]

Minthara is the wine aunt who whispers false rumors to the whole neighborhood to watch the chaos

[@TheAzuregreen]

Oddly specific 😂

[@poppyelliot7960]

So Minthara is Karen? How offensive to such a compelling character.

[@rexybobo1962]

nobody? said she was a karen?

[@nogetouttamyface]

That's why I love her

[@omgwtfbbq11111]

Astarion is ascended but he still put on his dog collar like a good boy when he put his clothes back on

[@kaynnoir]

Lol. Just cause he’s stronger doesn’t mean he shouldn’t behave.

[@nobuffer101]

I do love that pretty much every true evil playthrough *must* involve Astarion and Minthara. Whereas everyone cautions the other of their foolishness and tries to be the voice of reason, Astarion and Minthara walk up with the _"Nah bro, this is definitely a great idea"_ attitude.

[@realdaggerman105]

Act 1 be like: *Kick an orphan -Karlach disapproves (wtf are you doing???) -Laezel approves (the child must grow stronger) -Astarion approved (he is a dickhead)

[@ladymaria5921]

After he ascends his attitute towards Tav changes into more possesive manner rather than sweet and innocent love... If you pass insight check narrator says "Astarion thinks you are degrading yourself by being with him... but maybe you want to be degraded." Also he gets intoxicated by power, he wants to rule *everything*. I feel bad, I only wanted him to be able to walk under the sun freely, but I kinda regret my choice. Maybe I will reload my save file and persuade him to not to ascend. Plus I DID LOSE MY PALADIN OATH when I allowed him to ascend.

[@ponglenis9273]

You also lose your paladin oath when you free the spawn

[@seliamila1005]

The degrading part is more like "I can't believe it you still wanted me" instead of "you are worthless"

[@raeg1100]

​@@seliamila1005I've always taken it as he still views himself as terrible, and so in choosing to be with him you are letting his presence degrade you

[@hayleybartek8643]

I think in the conversation where he offers to turn you, he says something to the effect of "I can't believe you let me do that. So, one wicked turn deserves another." I think that after the moment of lust for power and blood passes, he regrets his decision and blames you for it.

[@joemcguire9988]

That’s kind of funny because in my first playthrough I lost my Paladin oath by not killing the vampires. I was an oath of ancients Paladin and I was supposed to save nature and destroy unnatural things so I guess that means vampires. In trying to be a good guy and spare these innocents, I broke my oath

[@Cyrillius1]

wild how this path is the completion of the vampire life cycle, killing his master and surpassing him, just like Cazador did

[@Thom35UO]

The list of previous vampires before Cazador just makes me think this actually is the vampire life cycle, which I think might be the most cruel and disturbing thing in this game

[@Cyrillius1]

@@Thom35UO for sure!

[@ninethreefivesix]

It's just a cycle of violence. Especially if you don't romance Astarion it leaves a very bad taste.

[@johnnybravous]

I think Lae'zel's reaction hurts me a little more than the rest honestly

[@ashurredly7994]

I played as Astarion in my first run, romanced Gale, and we just egged each other on to get power. Gale wasn't super thrilled but did make a comment like "you seem sharper, hungrier, I l Iike it." In general they are a liiittle more sympathetic to PC Vampire Lord Astarion than when he's a companion.

[@evangelinelaveau7754]

Wait, you can play as other characters?!

[@ashurredly7994]

@@evangelinelaveau7754 - yup! You can play as any of the origin characters: Asty, Gale, Karlach, Shadowheart, La'zel, or Wyll.

[@coffeeavenger]

Given Gale’s reaction when I gave him a certain book in act 3, I’m not surprised that he’d go along with the power-hungry option.

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

This is what we call 'Toxic Bloodweave'. Lol

[@DJinKERRY831]

Gae

[@olly_lmao]

I LITERALLY CANT WITH MINTHARA

[@evgeniiaustimenko4218]

I had Shadowheart (who still Shar worshiper) and she support Astarion with his plan.

[@Thom35UO]

A unusual decision in this game. Please, tell me, gowdifficult was to finish act 2?

[@thearcanamodernau8130]

This just confirmed to me that Minthara is the best partner for Ascended Astarion. They are so much alike. 4:29 also this is sad as fuck. It's like he's seeing Tav's love as a mean to subdue them. Full blown narcissistic mentality

[@nemofish3504]

Lmao I hate ascended Astarion, he basically just becomes the person he bitches about throughout the game

[@JK-zd3md]

unfortunate reality of abuse- your perception of "strength" is often the behavior of your abuser. Once you start trying to be free, It's easy to get lost in the sauce and become just like them. The way out is to have good people around you who can intervene before it goes too far- like Tav _should_ be doing here for Astarion Tragically, it's implied that Astarion knows on some level that he's made the wrong choice and became something wretched. An insight check later tells us his changed behavior towards you (possessiveness, manipulation, etc.) is because he now sees you as 'degrading' yourself by choosing to still be with him despite his unforgivable actions

[@Megoover]

​@@JK-zd3mdtrue flex is healing without becoming the one who hurt you

[@puraidoeustass]

And then there is Shar Shadowheart all like "I've sacrificed a lot of people, so I won't stop you. Go take what's yours." or something. Now I have the Chosen of Bhaal, Shar-Shadowheart, Ascended Astarion and a Bard that can even trick devils at their own game (My Durge's "sister", another created character.) I maybe should have kept Minthy around. But she is, like the rest of possible companions, dead. (One thing I simply can't do is romance astarion if I plan to ascend him. That's the biggest no-go for me, the way he talks to me is disgusting.)

[@cyvose]

You also missed that Dark Justiciar Shadowheart also encourages Astarion

[@kare880]

I love minthara 😂 shes so hilarious

[@SweetNightmares_]

If only Astarion had a good(ish) ascension where he just wants to walk in the sun and not become all power hungry (which I know is the lore of a true vampire) BUT MAN I JUST WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY

[@joshuaseagondollar2495]

I mean, if you play as him and ascend in an Origin run, you basically can do that. Your companions will disapprove at first, but then things are back to normal. I'm planning on ascending in my current run since I've basically gone with the mindset of letting my companions make their own choices when it comes to their story conclusions. And since there's no Tav/Durge to talk him down, Astarion ascending of his own choice makes sense. But I plan on still playing him as someone who'll use that power for good, so that all those lives were not sacrificed in vain.

[@anonthe-third2367]

he is happy as a spawn

[@qzbnyv]

🩸 The Astarion we knew and loved died when he said the words.

[@LadyShiver]

This is very fun to see. My party personally consisted of Tav, Astarion Shadowheart (Still Sharran) and Halsin. For me shadowheart was like "Do what you must (not exactly in those words)", Halsin was angry though.

[@chaygrice7612]

I wish more of these clip channels would use Sharran Shadowheart

[@marleyfa845]

Such a sad outcome. And the reality for many victims of abuse. The cycle continues.

[@annettebogart]

I didn't even get the choice to tell him not to ascend. He chose it completely on his own not to become the vampire king. I was so proud of him.

[@MelekCetin_5384]

How?

[@asmalltalk]

@@MelekCetin_5384 it doesn't happen on its own (talking about companion Astarion, not playing as origin). if you go about the fight the normal way and you're with him at the scene you always get the standard dialogue (refuse him, ascend him, persuade him). there are 3 ways he doesn't do it and you don't need to convince him: the player is not present -> a) wild-shaped b) ungrouped from Astarion and further away - you send only him to interact with the coffin. he won't complete the ritual because he doesn't have you to assist him OR you let Astarion get trapped in the ritual and 'accidentally' kill one of the other spawn.. which of course nullifies the possibility to perform the ritual.. so you can be present with him + the dialogue is quite different (no persuasion checks needed, or no talk of getting the power himself because it's not possible anymore)

[@MelekCetin_5384]

@@asmalltalk oh, I get it now. Thanks!

[@annettebogart]

@@asmalltalk oh yes. I see why that happened now. I accidentally killed one of the female vampire sacrifices during he battle and didn't get the option to send them away either. They all just ran off after the sequence was over.

[@seliamila1005]

I encourage him to ascend since day one lol

[@DummyFace123]

I love how the living nuclear bomb, shar worshiper, and psychic murderous space orc FINALLY found their moral compass. Karlach and Wyll get to speak. Shadowheart, Gale, and Lae can stfu

[@Wh00000]

This is a good example of who your friends are being an example of who you yourself are.

[@nocturna76]

lae'zel & wyll blaming astarion for 'making the choice' as if it would ever even happen if the player hadn't literally MADE THE CHOICE for him 😤

[@seliamila1005]

Both Minthara and Shar Shadowheart approved this decision

[@rasendori20]

Uh huh, leave it to the fucking Drow to be that way…

[@GrimPixls]

hey hey hey, drow aren't always bad!

[@makeytgreatagain6256]

Hey 😢

[@medjed7422]

no need for racism, some of us are only a little bit evil man

[@nonducorduco7356]

My companions just stood there this entire time. Probably a bug they squashed

[@AshCarvalho-r6s]

got rid of his abs? me too lol

[@tophernoldon1865]

I feel like it’s pretty likely that Jaheira and Minsc kill Ascended Astarion a few months after the epilogue.

[@probablydeadoof19]

halsin watching this video like 😐

[@L93-L93]

That’s a lot of spawn dead, however consider how many people will die if you unleash a thousand starving spawn on the population.

[@DummyFace123]

Btw if you kill astarion immediately with a stake when he tries to bite you, all of these people are like "BYE"

[@darkempire8538]

Everyone:disapprove Minthara:approves

[@BriannaRandom]

i wish they showed shar aligned shadowheart in here. she has v interesting lines because she also had to sacrifice people for her goals to be met

[@Red_Foxxy_Fox]

Shadowheart has alternate dialogue encouraging Astarion to ascend, if you let her go down the path of Shar in Act 2.

[@jhod555]

how I LOVE the ab removal mod.

[@Eugenewu-xp9jh]

My black Dragonborn durge laughing at Cazador get what he deserves and ignoring his companions pleas for Astarion to stop. Except Minthara.

[@kbucket]

2:24 Gale sounds like he's scolding his dog who's barking at the mail man lol

[@berlin_wahl]

While the trafficking victim is wearing a collar 😅

[@gibbo7027]

I am 100% sure Minthara is loosely based on Palpatine as a character 😄

[@honeybeesandbuttercups]

i recognize that mod!! 🤝

[@xxbadxxxx]

Minthara is just evil no matter what 😂

[@finagle007]

Minthara would fit in well among the Sith. Makes me want to see a SWTOR crossover fic where a DS Inquisitor ends up joining the party...

[@tmc9399]

As always, Minthara best girl

[@doncagape5409]

If Shar SH kills Last Light Inn, she approves, if Tav fails/kills Last Light Inn, she disapproves

[@alex-uw4mm]

minty being so supportive xD

[@TheGryfonclaw]

Minthara is such a bro srsly

[@pandoraarts7748]

I KNOW ITS BAD BUT I CANT SAY NO TO HIM!!!!!

[@softbones9700]

he is very grateful afterwards at camp when u stop him tho :) he appreciates that you saved him and stopped him from becoming what he hated

[@adrienneinchi]

I’ve always wondered what Karlach’s reply is to option 3 ( 5:50 ). Anyone know?

[@Kittymouth]

I want to buy this game and just go FULL EVIL with my run.

[@NinjaFlibble]

That's what I did. If you want to REALLY up the evil, be the Dark Urge origin

[@bigbear7076]

Genocide runs ftw

[@hayleybartek8643]

The consequences of Ascension aren't good. Astarion basically gets permanent high and he never comes back down. But it's a different level of catharsis knowing that Astarion could, in some other non-canon timeline, give Cazador exactly what he deserved: the mark, in all the gory details, and immediately getting used in the same manner he intended to use everyone else.

[@yhorm1837]

Gods i love Minthara

[@fenneclord9581]

My shadowheart told astarion to do it, that making sacrifices is worth it Then again I had her kill the night song and I killed isobelle

[@Qulize]

Does Minthara not have any reaction after he completed the ritual?

[@socialjihad5724]

On my playthrough, it was one of the lines that was broken (for context, there were a number of points where it was clear that Minthara was supposed to have a response to a current event, but the game bugs out)...not sure if it any of the recent patches have fixed it yet

[@jauua3494]

What outfit mod is this? Tav and Astarion look fucking amazing

[@aferreira9404]

At what point do you even get that cutscenes where he asks you to see his scars? I wasn't planning on letting him ascend, just curious. After I got Cazador out of the coffin Astarion just straight up killed him

[@stallion8426]

High enough approval in late act 1

[@Wopperino]

Minthara is HER

[@kewpified]

The good aligned characters objecting to ending the feral vampire spawn is a bit odd. I can understand why the objecting to the ones that are not feral a bit or perhaps they fear an ascended Astarion...

[@zxvx39r8e]

cause the spawn aren't feral, they've been travelling with astarion who is also a spawn. once they're free of cazador, they won't even have to feed on people, they could live in the underdark and feed on animals

[@RetroCube]

⁠@@zxvx39r8eAh but the blood of humanoids is all the more sweeter. Why settle for animals when you could have something that tastes a lot better? Plus there’s plenty of thugs and bandits running around that nobody would miss… Or maybe even orphans or beggars who are going to die anyway… And so on and so forth. At least, that’s probably the mindset most vampires will eventually have. We know from Astarion that he says the blood of humanoids tastes much better than animals. And Cazador’s notes seem to imply nobles and healthy people taste even better than regular commoners. Unless they find people willing to give their blood away or are willing to up with eating animals, it’s only a matter of time at that point until the freed vampires make less moral choices.

[@mikaleiali3332]

i used mercs on this quest

[@ponglenis9273]

It’s sad we didn’t get the chance to have him force cazador to turn him into a full blooded vampire, without astarion ascending. This way he becomes stronger, but without killing 7.000 people

[@andaredvex]

He would have still changed by becoming a true vampire, I reckon. As a spawn, albeit chaotic evil, he does retain more humanoid characteristics, but a vampire is an inherently evil creature.

[@ogrim_dn5013]

where halsin? he too have reactions

[@blazinlatino89]

Minthara is the best

[@MoonsongReverb]

Never anyone reacted when i had this scene, did they remove it?

[@Eugenewu-xp9jh]

I don’t see Halsin’s reaction.

[@blacklightburns100]

Minthara is the best 👌

[@bosunbill9059]

Where's Halsin?

[@stars-and-clouds]

Is Minthara here freed or not?

[@cakesly]

Jaheira's just the coolest

[@AlexisTheDragon]

There is nothing wrong with power, truly, it's everything and it's beautiful. But I've learned in my life there are no short-cuts to it, just being honest with yourself and others and doing the best you can and never giving up, and if you do, get back on that horse n try again. Minsc had it completely right, he doesn't even get that much stronger, not at all even.

[@emmuzboosh]

Well yeah surprisingly there’s no magic short cuts irl because magic and vampires don’t exist lol. Though money is an absolute short cut to power irl 10000%

[@TheGreenReaper]

He does get stronger, but several of the more valuable bonuses as a vampire are temporarily covered by the dream visitor already.

[@easytiger35]

OK so I actually just had Shadowheaer DISAPPROVE of me stopping the ritual and I cant find anyone saying this happened to them.... she was basically saying what Minthara said in this one...Shadowheart said ."Some destinies require sacrifice. Do as you must." This is a Shadowheart that killed a certain someone and embraced her darkness, so maybe that is why. BUT it is odd because I also tried encouraging the ritual all the way through and Shadowheart disapproves of that as well! SHE CANT BE PLEASED hahaha