Astarion flees from the sun - all companion reactions

[@thecheck968]

"Do not belittle him with pity, he is a survivor." What a banger fucking line.

[@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383]

Minthara is just the best at neutral insights as usual.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Except showing empathy is not the same thing as "pity". As a traditional drow matron, Minthara does not understand empathy, so she parses it as pity (which she considers condescending). But pity is only condescending if you go, "Oh poor thing" and then do absolutely nothing even _if_ you have the ability to help.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

@@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383 Let me play devil's advocate here: While Minthara's reaction is 100% in character, Minthara mislabeling the other companions' empathy (which she as a traditional drow matriarch doesn't understand) as "belittling pity" conveniently helps her to rationalized away her own lack of giving a s**t about Astarion's fate as superior. She's basically saying "Eh, he's a survivor, stop pitying him I'm sure he will find plenty of food, not my problem anymore."

[@thecheck968]

@@TF2CrunchyFrog ugh. I love Minthara and al of her flaws and nuances. Very good point.

[@MissKashira]

I started playing for Astarion, then fell in love with Minthara. She's so awesome.

[@0axis771]

Patch 6 has them treating Astarion like an acquaintance. Patch 7 has them treating him like an actual friend.

[@andreasottohansen7338]

Patch 6 certainly better fit my experience with him

[@johnathanera5863]

Because the party arent freinds with astarion. They barely tolerate him.

[@pagetvido1850]

For some characters, even acquaintanceship would be too much. A Duke Wyll would not be happy about vampires running around his city. I personally didn't get the vibes that they were best friends in the end, especially when Astarion just has zero disapproval to handing Shadowheart over to the Sharrans. Things like that.

[@giorgiosoverchia3879]

Totally agree, that bastard throws shades and complain 24/7

[@MarieCurtis92]

I'm honestly glad Minsc's reaction was left unchanged. The idea of Minsc and Boo giving Astarion a sunflower is just too funny... and sweet. 🌻

[@elenalizabeth]

And if you talk to Minsc at Withers party, he says a line something about “Boo and I go to visit Astarion in the Underdark to give him sunflowers, but he keeps moving without telling us” 😂 (this was on a playthrough where my Tav went with romanced Astarion to help lead the spawn to the Underdark)

[@MarieCurtis92]

@@elenalizabeth I love the sunflower bit. Lol

[@Ani-rq7wv]

Honestly made me decided that after the end of the game, my Tav’s favorite flower is now a tie between her original favorite(lavender) and sunflowers because they remind her of how much EVERYONE in the party grew to love Astarion

[@dayschange2]

I really hope there’s fanart of it.

[@Blindluck92]

Lae'zel sounds like she genuinely wants to go smack the sun until it promises not to burn Astarion anymore, and I'm down to help her do it.

[@SquarelyGames]

Minthara most based as always

[@ExiliodosInocentes]

great content, saves hours of re-loading to check all dialogs

[@DragonsDream]

Thank you, this video took me 2 days in total because Karlach simply won't react for the life of me, until I tried to turn her into a mindflayer today and boom, she finally did 😂

[@blacknyellow962]

Honestly glad that they changed (most of) the companions reactions to this scene. Since you fought tooth and nail to get there it felt weird that they just went "Oh right he's a vampire. Damn that sucks." and moved on.

[@MissKashira]

And very weird how they say they'll probably never see him again when he's just huddled behind some boxes a few feet away. I'd at least try to help get him in a basement somewhere til the sun sets. The dock scene is at sun rise, he'd have a LONG time stuck behind those boxes.

[@tyhjyys]

aw man gale's almost made me tear up

[@islandbrowncoat]

I mostly was just like wtf?! When the characters (Gale and Wyll usually triggered) were basically just like 'welp, he's gone forever'. I mean, night happens...? Why would you assume he just disappears? Then of course I got the epilogue scene and he's all healed up and so your other companions were just being rather stupid.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

1. Stupid for showing empathy? Stupid for being anxious what happens to Astarion, in case he doesnt find sufficient shelter and a route off the open docks to places with cellars? For being worried he might gets stuck somewhere (i.e. down a well) while the sun shifts position overhead and he is slowly running out of shadows? For being worried that people who just had to fight against newborn mindflayers might see Astarion, recognize him as a vampire, stake him while he can't escape and throw him into the sun, and we the player character will never hear what happened to him? 2. Before the Wither's Party epilogue existed, the only way to see Astarion again after the docks was if you romanced him... and if you hadn't romanced him, you were left wondering if he found a route off the docks

[@MissKashira]

Yeah, I found that odd too. Especially since you all just agreed to head over to the Elfsong, so he even knows where to find you after the sun sets.

[@linkencolville5814]

@@TF2CrunchyFrogHey fool, they said the companions were being stupid in patch 6 for being like “We’ll never see him again now that he’s a creature of the night.”

[@elenalizabeth]

Mintharas new one goes hard. Minsc’s one though 😂😂😂 I love that it didn’t change

[@BasementMinions]

Love seeing this, thank you for sharing these changes!

[@DragonsDream]

You're welcome, I'm glad you like it

[@jodiehobbs3837]

These lines just make me imagine Astarion unabashedly and earnestly enjoying the warmth and light of the sun and it breaks my heart to see it all taken away from him. The patch 7 dialogue change was a huge upgrade.

[@roboticgentlemen1970]

I always thought the OG recordings were weird.

[@stevenbyrd8487]

Same here.

[@ankitk236]

Give that man an umbrella lmao

[@anska7475]

Minthara's is so funny. I know the scene mostly as Avatar-Astarion (which I think has the best reactions overall) and she so mercilessly roasts him in that version for his decision.

[@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383]

To be fair, Minthara's preferences are all about grasping for power when one can and she would encourage Astarion to take the Rite of Ascension, encourage Shadowheart to become a Dark Justiciar, and even encourage the Dark Urge to take Bhaal's Final Blessing, showing great disappointment in any of the people in question who refused their respective opportunities.

[@anska7475]

​@@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383 I like the way Minthara's reaction for Avatar-Astarion is handled. It's just odd to have her so softened down when he is a companion - you'd expect it to be the other way round.

[@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383]

@@anska7475 I agree but then again, Avatar Astarion is the one influenced by the Player rather than a Script.

[@stargirl7646]

Wyll’s new one makes me laugh, and not in a good way 😂 That “Astarionnnn” felt so weak lol, and the rest felt like a Shakespeare monologue!

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Well.... Wyll is training for his new role of giving Ducal speeches. ;-) Honestly, remember the very first scene we meet Wyll? "The Blade of the Frontiers"? He always liked sounding like a Shakespeare monologue, he was brought up as a Duke's son afterall.

[@stargirl7646]

@@TF2CrunchyFrog true!!

[@yoursonisold8743]

Wyll always sounds Shakespearen though. He loves that theatrical note to all he says.

[@Aliasfakename123]

This scene has got to be one of the most awkward ones in game and idk if any dialogue changes really fix it. Astarion saying "it was nice while it lasted!", then running away and tripping while the sad chorus plays in the back is already off. Then add that everyone just... stands there and watches. I'm not saying they need to animate the whole team running after him, but just anything? Reaching out? Idk

[@svoba4af]

Exactly. I thought the main problem was the lack of empathy but no, it really is how Astarion himself is handled here. The changes are too little too late.

[@MissKashira]

Yeah, you'd think they'd find him a crate to climb into and two of the stronger characters could carry him underground til nightfall. It's weird how they leave him to just figure it out himself like they have something better to do. But claiming they'd never see him again was super weird. Why would you never see him again? You've already agreed to head to the Elfsong. He knows where to find you.

[@yoursonisold8743]

You have to remember it all happaens back to back. Right after this Karlach usually either is about to explode or the red dragons come to take Lae'zel. There really is no time to look where Astarion is hiding. And if he is ascended he doesnt even have to run at all.

[@svoba4af]

@@yoursonisold8743 So you're saying they're all secretly thinking "suck you did not ascend, eh?" Words are wind. I would accept if the only way it's adressed wasn't Astarion telling Tav how sorry he was he didn't seek them out /eyeroll Even romanced Tav doesn't say anything the next morning. There's a reason why almost all Astarionmancers headcanon what we see in the game away. This certainly is one of the most awkward scenes in the game. I'm afraid we were asking for the wrong thing. A few dialogue options for Tav would be better. But it's too late for that.

[@yoursonisold8743]

@@svoba4af I couldnt give less of a damn about the Astarion romance, so I guess that's why this doesn't matter to me. But even then... Astarion is still in the city. They will meet again at night. Not a big deal.

[@rvgdustin1670]

Honestly it's the quotes the 1st time I encountered that made me ascend him in my preceding runs, I thought he deserved better. This patch softens the blow.

[@MissKashira]

Yeah, I heard many people felt that way and that's why they changed it. Because players would rather see 7k dead than watch Astarion treated like that and that definitely wasn't the message they were intending to go for.

[@entorienscriber8049]

I love Larian for giving us this incredible game, but this is the only point where they dropped the ball completely. You can play over 100 hours as Astarion's devoted lover, and then this scene has you just watch while he runs off in pain? Larian, we don't want new dialogue. We don't want every companion changed to be nicer to him. We want our romanced characters to show concern! Run after him. Throw a cloak over him. Something! ANYTHING!

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

As the player character is the focus viewpoint, and the next scene originally was about Karlach having to decide if she wants to return to Avernus or die in flames, there simply wasn't _time_ for everyone to go gallopping off the docks on a chase. And the player avatar is mute, so we can't yell, "I'll come and find you, love!" after him. Okay, they could add a brief dialogue choice, like "Meet us back at the inn!" Recently, Larian gave Karlach one more day and night after the docks before she has to make the decision, but I'm not certain if that is only if you romance her? Simply because Larian noticed that if you play as Origin-Astarion and romance her, and you stay as spawn-Astarion and are forced to hide fro mthe sun, then she goes up in flames alone, so that sucks. So you get one last post-docks scene with her to talk over with her what choices she has.

[@pagetvido1850]

Yeah I agree. I do appreciate Larian changing things up, but patch 6 reactions were better. It's hard to believe they're super best friends when they'll support Tav's decision to gut and cut whoever out of the party. I personally would have preferred seeing my Tav just ditch Karlach in favor of romanced Astarion. Priorities people.

[@svoba4af]

I swear to god, if I ever hear again that Astarion is Larian's favorite child... They completely botched the Spawn ending in perhaps the most important scene in the game. I struggle to headcanon how my Tav who romanced him didn't let him down here. It's not even adressed when you wake up to see him again, Tav isn't even relieved he's fine eventhough that would be the basics.

[@pagetvido1850]

@@svoba4af This! I had zero interest in Karlach's ending and Gale can make a decision about the crown on his own for once. I wanted at least the option to ditch the whole ending sequence and run after Astarion.

[@sapphichoneys4189]

God poor Wyll :( he must've been so distraught seeing Astarion burn like that. Wish we could hug Wyll

[@TAGfrost]

I like the new ones aside from wylls, they have a bit more emotion.

[@electricVGC]

Minsc and Minthara...

[@stargirl7646]

Agree!

[@yoursonisold8743]

I kinda like how sassy some of them were. They know he will be fine and that they can find him.

[@Amayawolf_01]

Gale calling after Astarion was cute ngl

[@PinkPotatoChip]

The right reaction would be his lover to offer comfort and support. Not have people hive speeches once he runs away.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

As the player character is the focus viewpoint, and the next scene originally was about Karlach having to decide if she wants to return to Avernus or die in flames, there simply wasn't _time_ for everyone to go gallopping off the docks on a chase. And the player avatar is mute, so we can't yell, "I'll come and find you, love!" after him. Okay, they could add a brief dialogue choice, like "Meet us back at the inn!" Recently, Larian gave Karlach one more day and night after the docks before she has to make the decision, but I'm not certain if that is only if you romance her? Simply because Larian noticed that if you play as Origin-Astarion and romance her, and you stay as spawn-Astarion and are forced to hide fro mthe sun, then she goes up in flames alone, so that sucks. So you get one last post-docks scene with her to talk over with her what choices she has.

[@BenTenpenny]

I got Shadowheart's line during my initial playthrough and was rather shocked by the lack of empathy for what should be a beloved companion. Apparently I wasn't alone with that feeling. Glad this got changed.

[@hawkblast9975]

Need a Drow ending where you two move to the Underdark

[@MissKashira]

I wasn't a drow, but for my ending, I suggested we go lead those 7k spawn we released into the Underdark so they don't go on a murder rampage, so that is an ending in a way. I feel Astarion just wants to be the boss of something, so that's a good ending for him. Rule over a fortress of hungry vampires.

[@stargirl7646]

Minsc’s reaction is good! One of my favs

[@Ani-rq7wv]

I think the thing I appreciate most is that everyone is no longer like “oh dear guess we’ll never see him again” because that always felt extra weird when you had romanced him. Like guys, what do you mean “that’s the last we’ll see of him” that’s my lover???? My partner???? My boyfriend???? I’m not just gonna abandon him, I’m literally gonna go find him as soon as I can

[@MissKashira]

Yeah, that was incredibly odd. Especially considering you'd all just decided where you were headed, so he knows where to find you at sunset.

[@Thepopcornator]

Minsc didn’t get the memo.

[@Cr00514]

I think tav should follow him

[@ciste1785]

as an astarion lover, i like the older ones better, they make more sense. Especially lae'zel's, god i love lae'zel

[@antp5952]

Its would be even sadder if right after Astorian ran away she said how sad it was for him only to burn right after

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Thanks for uploading these. These new reactions are definitely better than the old ones where the Companions' reaction seemed to be, "Welp, there he goes, sucks to be him for not taking the Ascension route and staying a Spawn, eh?"

[@pagetvido1850]

Patch 6 fit better, given how most of the characters leaned one way in the morality score system, and Astarion and Minthara leaned the other way. The good guys wouldn't consider Astarion or Minthara friends if they knew just how much they approved of massacres.

[@Mithcoriel]

Minthara I agree. But Astarion can be fixed. In this scene he's unascended, so he made the right choice.

[@pagetvido1850]

@@Mithcoriel Can be fixed? He's a vampire and he passionately defends his right to follow his nature. He might be influenced to be an ethical vampire, but he's still the guy in act 3 that walks into a room full of hacked up corpses and laments that they aren't fresh.

[@antagonistlover]

@@Mithcoriel yikes. Even Neil cringes when folks say they can "fix" Astarion. But live w your delulu headcanon, yas.

[@Amayawolf_01]

​@@pagetvido1850He does passionately defend it, but he also used to be a magistrate at one point and also clearly hates being a vampire in the first place because of all the trauma that came with it. We know a lot of Astarion's behaviors are masks to cope. Not saying I agree with the whole "I can fix him!!" thing but I play as a good character and like 90% of the time he's totally fine with me doing good stuff, he's just a little selfish now and then. Plus he's chaotic neutral as a spawn, and only becomes genuinely evil when ascended

[@Mithcoriel]

@@antagonistlover Can I have a quote? Given how much Astarion is built to show trauma and overcoming trauma, I somehow doubt he would be outright unsalvagable. Remember I'm not talking about ascended Astarion.

[@jamie_u]

I think the new reactions make more sense considering their in game lines. also, Gale’s reaction is so bloodweave-ish 😅

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

Minsc never fails to get it right the first time.

[@nicolasmathieu4632]

I liked more the patch 6 sunlight, it was darker and a bit more nostalgic, but yes the lines are way better

[@lobowolf1540]

Hold on, so without spoilers, if i make karlach a full squid, would that cure the heart problem?

[@JustTadfoolThings]

Yep

[@ozymandias8523]

Also certain god can cure Karlach

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

@@ozymandias8523 Nope. God-Gale, when asked to fix Karlach's heart, refuses with the excuse that he is the "God of Ambition" meaning he doesnt hand out solutions to his followers but merely encourages them to seek solutions for their own problems and maybe if they pray nicely he will send them some helpful hints. God-Gale is... not very helpful.

[@randomlynamed3353]

Gale, God of Thoughts and Prayers

[@Mithcoriel]

Why are you watching spoilerish videos if you haven't finished the game? I really advise against it..

[@revanamell1791]

Minsk gets my respect for not needing to be reminded about empathy.

[@samuelgoodliffe4757]

Pretty good overall. I think a couple were a little overdramatic for my liking. Also Minsc 😂

[@amberh709]

I want to play Patch 7 SO bad but my game kept breaking and my mods weren't loading in so I had to go back to patch 6 😭 (my mods still aren't working fml)

[@5Demona5]

Minsc's was perfect from the start 😂😂😂❤❤❤

[@CrusasTheOrc]

Imma be honest, while I do think their old reactions were a bit apathetic given the long journey they shared together, whether they like each other or not. But the new reactions could be better, because they now feel a bit toooo emotional given that it’s not like he died or st and still returned to the party later, and not all characters feel the same way about him

[@DavidGonzalez-zl3dz]

Minsc has always been perfect. No notes

[@Megawaps]

Do they always react the new way, or does it depend on the relationship inside the party? Because when I played the game and got this ending, the first set of responses were definitely more fitting for my companions than the second would be.

[@bsjun8410]

What is the armor mod you're using? They look very nice.

[@finger3215]

Where is that Shadowheart outfit from?

[@svpern4tural]

this might kill me off

[@michadybczak4862]

Great!

[@timtimothy5405]

I'm just getting to act 3. Is this the base ending? How many endings are there?

[@lucamannini5207]

There's like hundreds of variations, but mainly there's 3 "macro endings"

[@antagonistlover]

Yay, way to go. Let's add more out of character lines to each companion 🥰 that was the point of storywriting, for each character to have a different reaction, even if it's mean or neutral or kind-hearted. Smh. That's what happens when studios try to appeal to all groups of people. Spoiler: you're not going to satisfy everyone!

[@TheEquestrianGallade]

What makes these out of character? Remember, only spawn Astarion burns in the sunlight, so he’s not the colossal dickhead that he starts out as at this point. There’s no reason that the party wouldn’t consider him a friend.

[@antagonistlover]

@@TheEquestrianGallade the mere fact it sounds like generic goody lines from fairytales.

[@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383]

Honestly, I would not be bothered by the old reactions. Considering what everyone has just been through, I doubt most would have room for strong emotions even if they're faced with the fact they might not see Astarion as often as they would from now on. Even I would imagine myself that I would just simply speak with neutrality with Astarion's retreat from the sun, especially since it is not like he is dying like Karlach when you don't convince her to return to Avernus.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Considering sunlight is deadly for vampires, and if Astarion doesn't find a way off those open docks, or doesn't find sufficient shelter in a ruined city, or blinded trips and falls into the Chionthar and dies to to the damage from "flowing water" while burning up at the same time, or is recognized as a vampire spawn by irate citizens (instead of as "Hero of Baldur's Gate") while he is hiding and has no way to run away and they stake him and throw him onto a pyre... I'd say he is _very much_ in lethal danger that day, and every day afterwards until word has spread that he is one of the heroes.

[@svoba4af]

You see, I'm afraid Larian was thinking your way too. That Karlach was in mortal danger while Astarion can just funnily trip over his feet to the nearest shade. No, he was in mortal danger, being blinded in the ruins of a city where he can't enter places without invitation. Larian's first shitty attemot was the sewer ending in his origin about how he's going to thrive down there - which I completely hate and is at odds with what he's telling you in the epilogue. I guess I have to make my peace with the fact that his spawn ending just sucks outside of the epilogue.

[@rvpairofdicethewanderer2383]

@@svoba4af It's even sad when you romance Karlach as Avatar Astarion who did not ascend. Astarion has to hide away from the sun and would be unable to convince Karlach to return to Avernus so she just dies there without Astarion seeing her one last time.

[@alejandroparra5669]

Will's new dialogue was done very poorly by the voice actor, almost as if he didnt want to do it

[@s1b3r11]

It was also written as if Wyll writer didn't want to write it and didn't thought it would fit a character yet was forced by Larian... It's so different from how those 2 characters interact it seems extremely out of character

[@FotoPhreak12]

Right? In battle when Astarion gets ko'd, an origin Wyll actually shouts his name and it is a million times more emotive. They should have just used that . Unfortunately Larian is notorious for not giving Wyll his due so they probably just recorded one take of this patch 7 audio and swiftly moved on to their more popular characters 😑

[@ozymandias8523]

Will patch 6 was better than patch 7 lol

[@DistantDragon]

Same with laezel, the new one doesn't feel like it fits her personality

[@nathanieljefferies5491]

I kinda liked the old reactions…they were funny af plus the new reactions feel so forced and out of place.

[@michal_1725]

forced how?

[@nathanieljefferies5491]

@@michal_1725really? You just need to hear how they call out to him “Astarion!” Felt so overdramatic yet so passionless at the same time. Most of them in truth are kind of Ambivalent to him cause that was their relationship with one the least trustworthy persons in the camp.

[@Hideybee]

Yeah I like some of the original lines more too

[@michal_1725]

@@nathanieljefferies5491 i mean most of the companions seem to kind of like Astarion as a spawn, as seen by the dialogues when he does not ascend i personally thought it was more out of place when they were like "damn, guess he's gone forever" after he burst into flames

[@nathanieljefferies5491]

@@michal_1725 the thing is, they treat him as if he is the player character which is out of place. Companions treat each other kind of like meh really. And they do not really like him but more of merely tolerate. The banter seemed to point to this from their tone. The patch 7 reactions would make sense if this was origin astarion.

[@s1b3r11]

Unpopular opinion: New reactions are worse. The majority of them seems to be very fake and artificial - like the writers were forced to add them despite thinking that their character really doesn't feel anything for Astarion. They sound like reactions of fake friends and people who never cared about you at all pretending they care so so much when something bad happens to you. I think it would have even been better for Astarion if people were more honest to him instead of this fake, forced "sympathy".

[@bluebay1031]

Ngl a lot of these are honest depending on how you play them. Shadowheart being callous was entirely out of character for how her narrative went in my playthrough. Most of them don't permanently hate each other by the end, and their dynamic and party banter has always had the possibility of being more Dysfunctuon Junction then just barely tolerating each other. Again, it largely depends on how you play. I do think it would've been good to have multiple dialogue options, that way different ones could trigger depending on how you choose to carry out the narrative. For example, maintaining a mostly morally darker party would trigger Mintharas old dialogue, same with killing Nightsong for Shadowheart. As it stands though, the only one that's kind of perpetually out of character is Jaheira and the specific lines about loving the sun (and SHs tone on the "poor Astarion" bit). Everything else is easily fluid on whether it's in or out of character, dependent on your personal playthrough. Example: For my personal playthrough, SH and Minsc would be in character, but Minthara would not.

[@s1b3r11]

@@bluebay1031 I like the idea of multiple endings, triggering depending on the playthrough though I would prefer it not to be dependent on good/evil ending. Even in good run characters can still dislike each other while even evil characters may be friends. For Shadowheart I personally liked previous ones better. I've always though that she and Astarion understand each other and she is one of the few companions who actually cares but she has always been very distant and calm. As for her being callous I also though it to be in character considering she kinda admits to having a crush of Halsin and yet some of the things she says to him in act2 are rather callous. I don't think she wanted to hurt him, though. It could be similar with Astarion. That being said, I don't necessary hate her new reaction because I do kinda think they usually like each other. The only one that seemed better from original to me was Minthara's (although original was still quite good) and Gale - he was kinda dramatic but I always though that his original line was out of character considering he seems to grow to really like Astarion and even in act 3 he is the only one who genuinely offers him his own blood to drink and also ask to party together so for him to suddenly not care was rather strange. On the other hand Wyll barely has any positive interaction with Astarion so for him to suddenly turn into Shakespeare is rather out of character. Lae'zel has been rather neutral to him and her previous response was both neutral and pleasant, new one with her having such strong emotions seems strange. Similarly I don't get why Halsin's so emotional since again he and Astarion seems to be rather neutral... For lithid Karlach I preferred the previous response because it was much more Illithid showing her change while the new one is just normal Karlach. I completely agree that Jaheira's out of character.

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Huh? "fake friends"? "their characters really doesn't feel anything for Astarion"? Where is this coming from? On a Heroes of Baldur's Gate ending run, and the following Wither's Party, the writers make it very clear the other Companions _do_ have grown fond of spawn-Astarion. Are you projecting your own dislike of Astarion onto them and demanding its canon?

[@s1b3r11]

@@TF2CrunchyFrog lol I like him but the developers didn't succeed at making me believe that other companions do or even that the companions are more than acquaintances for that matter. If Astarion dies in Act 3 after going mad then despite knowing his backstory most of them are either happy or neutral. They have no guilt or sympathy for him at all, on the contrary they comment only that he was always 'evil'. They do not miss him. Compare it to their reaction if Lae'zel decide to be loyal to vlakith (they all feel sorry for her), if Shart decide to be a leader of an evil cult (again they all show her sympathy) or if Durge decides to be a mass murderer loyal to bhaal - they blame themselves and stay loyal to durge and are visibly sad for durge. In Durge/Shart/Lae cases they react like people who really care, in Astarion's like that people who know you but do not particularly like you (the only neutral ones are Shart and maybe, maybe Gale since he is the only one that mentions that he is sorry). You only learn who is your real friend at your lowest and Astarion's lowest (the ending where he's killed) shows most of them doesn't care. There is nothing in the game that shows otherwise so those new reactions are in most cases extremely out of character. They don't care if he dies but they shout, cry and have emotional breakdown when he has to hide in the shadow? Make it makes sense, because to me it's the bunch of fake friends crying how much they like you after something bad happens not because they care but because they want to make themselves look better. Besides, the original lines where they for a reason that reason was that their own writers believed that og lines are what suits they characters better and represent what they think about him better. The new ones were created only because some Astarion fans demanded that others should like him. The writers had nothing to say in that. Personally I respect and like more people who are honest about what they think of me over fake friends so I do think them being honest was better

[@pagetvido1850]

Hard to believe any of them liked him when none of them offered him blood throughout the game. That always came off as rather callous towards vampires, imo. Astarion didn't seem to feel much for them either, given he had to debate whether he'd rather Gale/Halsin or Gortash dies first. I kind of loved that they were moral opposites forced into the same team by Illithids.

[@RandomGamefriends]

No shade to you for uploading them, I'm just commenting on the change itself- but damn, do I think this is even worse than the original ones. And the original ones were already bad! Well, save for Jaheira's. Jaheira's new line is really good! But the rest sound like they're suddenly using therapy speak and like the actors don't really want to be there? It sounds extremely forced, and I can't pinpoint why.

[@Saberios]

I feel like its those odd remarks about how much he loved the sun. It feels unnatural and not in character for any of them.

[@Aliasfakename123]

I think it's an odd scene to write for in general with how it's presented. Like, even Astarion first running off feels awkward? And they don't animate anyone moving to help him. They all just watch him scurry away and fall over and muse about it rather than go after him or something. I feel like no matter what it's going to sound weird with that set up. "Realistically", your buddy spontaneously combusting would make you go "oh, shi-- we gotta do something!" But I guess they wanted dialogue more substantial than that...? That being said I always enjoy Minthara's dialogue so I like her lines despite the context

[@ozymandias8523]

Only Wills feel worse and forced compared to the old one.

[@RandomGamefriends]

@@ozymandias8523 I actually think Gale has the worst one by far. Very over the top, to me. Some of the old lines weren't so bad, so I do think say, Shadowheart's, is a bit of a downgrade in how it's delivered now.

[@Mithcoriel]

@@Aliasfakename123 I agree. The problem is and was always that they are not helping him, and instead just standing there. That's the part that doesn't make sense.

[@jackychen6261]

I am still of the opinion they should add a quest into the game to perhaps make Astarion stay true to himself even after ascension. To make him realize hes turning into Cazador and that he is better than that. Because he does deserve to be in the sun without a tadpole in his head 😢

[@akira0597]

Sadly that's impossible. Becoming a vampire ascendant rids you of your own soul as part of the payment. Literally handing out your humanity in exchange for power. But he could carry a parasol with him.

[@MissKashira]

I find it interesting you'd rather have him condemn 7k people, including children, to eternal damnation, but stay sweet instead of wishing the version of him that didn't do that found a way to stay in the sun. Plus, not being able to go out in the sun isn't the only way a vampire suffers. It's a curse. I'd make more sense to wish for a way to have the curse lifted from spawn Astarion rather than wishing AA could be convinced to behave the same when he no longer has a reason to. The fawning was a defense mechanism. As a vampire lord, he's not afraid of anything anymore, so what's left is a version of Astarion that is no longer hiding the worst aspects of his personality.

[@MissKashira]

@@akira0597 AA still has his soul. It's been confirmed. The difference between AA and UA is that UA way of talking around things is a talent he built up over 200 years to keep from getting harmed. AA doesn't need that tool anymore. So what you're seeing is who he is under the superficial charm. They both have the same approvals and disapprovals. The same love for power. The same desire to dominate. The difference is that AA has more tools in order to make the things he wants happen.

[@freitasmano1]

Of course larian changed for their golden boy as if he doesn’t has way more content than most

[@ducky36F]

I hate them changing story content like this tbh.

[@andreasottohansen7338]

More sympathetic to Astarion? Well, i suppose *some* downgrades were inevitable