Ranking Every Baldurs Gate Romanceable Companion - Dannyphantom.exe

[@corpsewytchdannii]

That scene where Astarion finally confronts Cazador, Neil did that all in one take.

[@Nachtelfin0des0Todes]

He is a god, holy shit

[@Huntur]

WHAT. Neil Newborn is a humble god. GOD. Are you kidding me??? I had no idea, one take? The man has earned my worship for the rest of my days. I was already going to praise him as the best talent of our lives, in the best game ever to this day. But ONE TAKE?

[@JnEricsonx]

@@HunturAnd then you see him do the live play and be like, yup, he has that Astarion switch ready.

[@maryhales4595]

That is NUTS. Good for him!!!

[@blueturtle3623]

@@JnEricsonx I mean if you play a character as long as he played Astarion, you're gonna be able to slip into that character incredibly easily.

[@atinity6749]

I approve. For me, choosing between Astarion and Karlach is harder than beating bg3 in honour mode was.

[@lilypainter666]

Same

[@therusticoak]

fr I start blubbering and frothing at the mouth if I get disapproval from either

[@cloudscovermyflaws]

Fr fr I love them both so much oh my god

[@jonathanhibberd9983]

Weirdly I never had that option before, until this playthrough. Astarion never showed any interest. Even weirder, I didn't get him as an option the first time through this playthrough, then I scrapped 40 hours of progress to go back to Act 1 so I could get Minthara in Act 2. But this time through, Astarion was an option. I can't think of anything I've done different this time. I reloaded right before the Minthara encounter, and that's the only change from the original time through.

[@cloudscovermyflaws]

@@jonathanhibberd9983 Well first you have to have his approval high enough by the time the Grove or Goblin party comes around. Then to progress his romance, once you get to act two you need to go to Moonrise towers BEFORE releasing/killing the Nightsong and infiltrate the towers. Find an npc named Araj Oblodra and bring Astarion in your party. Let him make his own decisions and generally defend him against her advances and that night at camp he’ll be grateful and progress the romance. I missed this npc in my first playthrough actually.

[@olinn_123]

Astarion is a really special character to me. You think you are taking him to therapy? Jokes on you, it's a session for two. Doing his romance route helped me realise that some stuff that happened to me in the past was definitely not ok. Personal problems aside, finale of his quest is the most emotional and intese part of the game. Exploring Cazador's palace with him, meeting Sebastian, watching him being torn between ascending and not - everything was pulled off perfectly. And yet I still see people who say shit like "the only good Astarion is dead Astarion".

[@EileenGallia]

Astarion made me confront things about myself that I knew but was actively ignoring. Can't ignore anymore, need to address and grow.

[@Daelyah]

I always say this, but Astarion vaguely reminded me of the titular vampire from an old game series called Legacy of Kain. And when I went through a dark era in my life, when my sisters and I experienced some serious child abuse, Kain and the deuteragonist Raziel helped me pull through. They fought back against all odds, even after they endured their own traumas. It helped me to endure. And just as I loved seeing those two defy the odds in LoK, every BG3 playthrough I do will be with the intent of helping Astarion and Company fight back, as well. And every time I bring both games up, I always get my favorite RWBY song in my head: "This Life Is Mine." If I had the animation skills, I'd definitely put the main party of BG3 to that song. 💖

[@chainsawsam0205]

In the past couple of months, Astarion (and therapy) helped me realize that I am actually deeply emotionally traumatized. I just didn’t want to admit it. 🥲

[@MKMonsterr]

I see that sentiment about a couple characters and that is so strange to me. I don't think any of the companion characters are detestable enough to off them when they all contribute to the whole story. Just keep 'em in your camp if you don't like them???

[@bnuuynb]

its even better when you romance Astarion as resisting durge, its basically "we fix eachother" and i love it RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@lavishlyvice]

Not to be like "well aCTUALLY-", but Astarion has been a vampire for 200 years, not 500. He was turned at about 39 years old (which some people refer to as "child age" by elven standards, but that's a misconception/exaggeration). But yes, Astarion's backstory is really tragic in so many ways. Personally I wouldn't consider him a "good person" by the end of the game even if you push him towards it, but he definitely can end up a lot less bitter and even take the heroic approach in the epilogue (if you are on a friendship basis), albeit because "Nobody cares about killing people, so long as you kill the right ones!" which is very much in character for him. Romancing him as resisting Dark Urge brings out even more of his softer and caring side towards the player when they're a love interest.

[@roguejester4986]

I thought that was their young adult stage in High Elf years.

[@lavishlyvice]

​@@roguejester4986 ​​Well referring to him as a young adult rather than child when he was turned would be different, but it's still not entirely accurate imo. Astarion didn't live within an elven community/culture where he would have been referred to as a youngster, and a 39 year old elf is still mentally matured in the same way a human is. At the end of the day it's a cultural thing, not biological. Considering the culture and community he was living in, he was definitely fully matured and viewed as such. Especially considering that he was working as a magistrate lol

[@jeetleboose6287]

🤓

[@lavishlyvice]

​@@jeetleboose6287 Why? I'm just adding to the conversation, there's no offense intended here.

[@Jerepasaurus]

By most (D&D) Elven culture, 40ish years is a "young adult", or "college student" (even among Drow). By around 113, they're considered a mature adult. But, when hanging around races like humans though, they more often lean towards similar maturity, where running around at 20ish years as an adult adventurer is normal. I tend to prefer/run my lore that the focus on their biological age versus cultural age depends strongly on how they were raised and which peoples they've spent the most time with. Astarion not being regularly steeped in elven culture anymore, but still 240ish years, his confidence and charismatic manner are everything to him, which makes me so glad Neil was so fantastic and perfect at conveying this. At the same time, Astarion as a vamp is stuck forever at his age, and whatever Elven culture he may have had exposure to before he was turned is probably why he still indulges so playfully in childish shenanigans. He's got the best of being both old and young and the excuses for both. lol

[@sevzen7777]

This video feels like hanging out with your neurodivergent friend while they rant passionately about their interests, and you just sit there nodding silently, smiling about how cute their excitement is. 😂

[@ishtamadan9967]

fr

[@letsdostuff8967]

I feel targetted. Thank you.

[@olivermaxfield9791]

I am here after one such rant lol

[@riakun]

As a neurodivergent person who often rants to their friends, absolutely

[@visitinghours420]

Me talking to anyone about Arcane

[@creativehoney4753]

Wyll is my Disney prince. My first playthrough was romancing him and he is so wholesome. I broke his pact AND saved his father because screw Mizura.

[@yusufkaradag8983]

Only bad thing about him he has not much scene as shadowheart has .he is kinda rushed like they were going give him more scene but they didnt have enough time like halsin

[@creativehoney4753]

@@yusufkaradag8983 okay yeah, I can see that. His act 3 scene, while absolutely adorable, seems way less developed than many of the others I've seen for the other characters...

[@amandapugtato8085]

​@yusufkaradag8983 He was actually one of the last characters to be added and worked on. Most characters got 3+ years dev time and Wyll got about 1. So he felt rushed and less attended to because he literally was, which was disappointing for me because his intro scene was so badass and he had such potential but he ended up falling really flat for me.

[@yusufkaradag8983]

@@amandapugtato8085 yeah well i hope they fix this with dlc if it is not so they can do this in next game wyll has a lot of potential because warlocks usually evil and he is still a good person they can show us his struggles and his will to do good things despite everything bad that has happened him. Yeah they shows us that but not enough for his story arc and with some extra content they can show that us better.

[@Ailieorz]

He's a massive hypocrite though

[@ThisIsAutumnAlex]

30:48 "Women who can kill you are hot." (Special appearance guest star Uki!) "She is a terrifying military leader. A terrifying diplomat."

[@fhdnrixnrusnk3803]

I agree

[@lilypainter666]

I agree

[@lizard3657]

I agree

[@rebeccatao8463]

She’s practically the embodiment of “If evil, why hot?”

[@worldeater2414]

I agree with that part, but Mithara isn't simple at all.

[@Ganychan]

I made my character kinda middle aged, and it's perfect with Halsin. He's so respectful, even if he's very sexual, he always asks and makes sure you're ok, and apologises for the bear form AND goes back to his human form, so he can control it. He's the most emotionally mature of the bunch, and no matter his trauma, he tries to do good in this world. If you feel like he goes for younger people it's because yourself/your avatar is young. And some people sadly don't believe they deserve a wholesome unproblematic partner.

[@cheesemaster2083]

Agreed. Halsin is the best.

[@Wyvrn666]

Thank you. I don't see Halsin as someone who 'only would date young people' cause I feel he doesn't care about that, he even say his type is any type lmao, he gives me pansexual vibes. I think Halsin is much more than furry and muscles, I like him cause he's a mature person, is good but not naive, is protective, likes animals and is pretty cute and kinda dorky when flirting. And although he's very sexyal, initially he didn't want to f*ck with you not because he didn't like you but becauset he was worrying about more important things (at the tiefling party and act 2 cause the shadows), priorities in order and emocional intelligence.

[@Laurastar2009]

Totally agree. I think how old you/Tav/Durge are/is affects your perception of the dynamic. To me, Halsin is still an older man, but not by much, and well within comparable maturity/life experience levels, so his interest doesn't feel inappropriate. I found the same in Stardew Valley - I can't romance characters like Sam and Abigail because they seem like teenagers to me (even though they're early 20s) - your avatar's age and experience greatly influences the vibes.

[@HeadDetectiveLassie]

Minthara as a companion in a good run is Astarion Act 1 x10. I've managed to get every other companion to chill out with their power fantasies and start healing from their trauma, becoming better versions of themselves. Then, I turn to Minthara, and she is trying to crown me as the ruler of an enslaved universe, and my only response options are "hell, no", "hell, yes", or "oh look, a butterfly".

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

I knocked her out in my Pala-Durge playthrough and things are going to be... Interesting. She's mildly annoyed at Shadowheart (my romance of choice as Durge) defying Shar, ticked off by Lae'zel defying Vlaakith, and is irritated by my Pala-Durge's disinterest in becoming Chosen by Bhaal and using the brain

[@marbleherogaming735]

​@@nathanfivecoate5848she admires power but hates being used by gods, like how she says how it would have been better for the group if Shadowheart embraced Shar, but better for Shadowheart to defy her.

[@corvigae]

I will never forget the time in my resisting!Durge playthrough that I slipped on ice in combat, and despite Minthara not even being in my party or anywhere near me, I still got a pop up of "Minthata Disapproves." Minty really just had a sixth sense to know that I'd done something cringe.

[@jahcode6132]

@@corvigae I love being able to rework a bug in my mind as something that's actually part of the story in a really funny way. My first playthrough when I ran into those three ogres in the blighted village, I paid them 500 gold to fight for me. Not once did summoning them ever work in act 1. And while I'm sure its a bug, it was way funnier to tell everyone that I paid some ogres to fight for me and instead they took the gold and skipped town. My second playthrough I went straight to the ogres when I hit level 4 and killed them as revenge for scamming me lol.

[@thecheck968]

I'm actually going to defend my girl Lae'zel. She takes time to accept Vlaakith is a liar and learn about the world she's been stranded in, but you don't fix her. Left to make her own decisions, she will always betray Vlaakith and her teachings. You have to actively and consistently persuade her to stay a zealot and ensure she never fixes herself. Plus, she's always had some autonomy. Very few githyanki would travel with a parasite-infested istik, let alone take them inside a creche to be cured. But she did that without question and without expecting anything in return.

[@rincaimo812]

LAE'ZEL ❤ I honestly do adore her because she is just so clearly able to figure it out. I mean, she breaks free of mental conditioning since BIRTH without much prodding. And she is always quick to admit when she is wrong as soon as she realizes it.

[@thescowl6971]

Dude admitted to not liking her, killing her in his first 3 playthroughs, and his reasons for not liking the romance was "the baggage". Yet, Astarion got s-tier; it's not even funny how much the bias isn't hiding.

[@butterkingu]

Real

[@dominoisdone6322]

​@@thescowl6971 it's ok to be biased sometimes

[@ilmarziano]

Lae'zel is one of the most level-headed and wise person in your party, she is so wise and always speaks the truth, she is reliable and has her own moral code which is good, fundamentally. I haven't seen this racism Danny speaks of, Gith don't interact much or at all with other races and Lae'zel hasn't too, so she's unfamiliar with the races in Faerun, but I haven't seen her be openly racist to anyone, SHADOWHEART, on the other hand...

[@Mellie]

I don't think Gale is co-dependent, I think he is emotionally damaged and insecure because of that damage. He's also the smartest character in the game which is why I personally am drawn to him. I feel like people who say this stuff about him haven't played his romance through which is amazing and multi-faceted. He will dump you pretty easily if you don't play your cards right with him. I get he's not everyone's cup of tea, nor should any of the companions be (I think the writing was so good in this game it actually causes people to relate to the characters depending on where they are emotionally) but to say he's co-dependent isn't quite accurate. You need to actually play his romance to get the full gist of who he is. As far as Halsin is concerned, he's 350 years old, Astarion is about 240 so there is that. Also, not all Tavs /Durges are 20 something, Halsin is also VERY respectful in his approach. If you say no, he full stops and never pressures you. I think you are way off on that one.

[@margaret8840]

Yeah, I feel like this analysis brushed past the fact that he was groomed by a goddess a little too quickly. Like, that's where a lot of his less palatable character traits are coming from. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of a burned out gifted kid who hasn't reached their "full potential" (however that's been defined by other people in their life). Also, someone propositioning or saying they're romantically interested in you once and then immediately backing off when you say no is not "coming on too strong"

[@sadphrog5379]

Personally I think some of these issues have to do with how the whole affection system is with the characters. If you’re just following the good storyline, approval will naturally increase pretty high for most companions. This will naturally result in your companions flirtatious dialogues showing up. So I flirty behavior from companions can stand out more if you’re not trying to romance them. I think Gale and Halsin tend to be more straightforward at the start, so I get how it can feel kind of out of place.

[@Daelyah]

I never even had Halsin flirting with me. I gained high enough approval from Gale that he wanted to show my Durge a glimpse of the Weave, but I had to politely suggest "another time" because I tend to pursue Astarion; Gale disapproved, but I'd rather try to politely decline than risk outright hurting him when he comes across (to me) as more of the cocksure older brother that can be annoying, but (platonically) loveable. I wanna see him in a happy dynamic with someone, but I would likely encourage him to pursue Wyll, out of anyone in our party. Wyll's a good man, and I think a dynamic between him and Gale is underexplored.

[@ThePack49]

​@@Daelyah 😅 I went with the weave presentation and didn't realize it was a romance thing until the narrator mentioned "sensual" and I had to back out of it. Doesn't help that I also have the issue in my still first run of the game as an always flirt with everyone approach 😂 so I had legitimately everyone you get in act one excluding Halsin and Minthara on my ass about romance scenes and had to be the heart breaker as I rolled for who I'd end up with. Ended between Karlach, Shadowheart and Astarion. I went with Astarion to show my partner that the fanged elf can be topped and I am sticking with every pain heartbreaking decision. I had an easy time not choosing Gale because I felt uncomfortable with how often he talked about his ex, most likely from my own personal issues relating to certain people no longer in my life that did that and had my trust 😅 but I'll get to him eventually in another run to get to his poetry scene in the grass.

[@ieshadover]

Asterian is so sexually damaged he doesn't need a lover he needs a true best friend. I am attemping this in current play thru to see how it works out.

[@HeadDetectiveLassie]

Shadowheart: -Spirit Guardians (either have whole party within it as the undead run themselves into it and die or have her run around into undead hordes - great in Act 2) -Inflict Wounds (when it hits, it hits hard) The right equipment doesn't make her hit better but can take advantage of when she manages to hit, making her hits hard and effectively debilitating. You can lean into Radiating Orb builds, Thunder/Reverberation builds, etc. And the Blood of Lathander is great with her Spirit Guardians. A portable barrier of death and blindness.

[@Venya9]

This. Lawnmower Shart destroyed everyone for me in Act 2 and Cazador fight.

[@pernilleinstitches]

Also turn undead is so good!

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

Shadowheart never leaves my party. I like her as a Cleric with 1 or 2 levels in Wizard after getting to 5th level in Cleric and give her the Warped Headband of Intellect until I get the Greater Amulet of Health

[@marbleherogaming735]

Spirit guardians saved me in the act 2 fight where Halsin retreves Thaniel

[@kademelien9363]

I started the quest with retrieving Halsin an immeditealy thought: I should have brought Shadowheart. I managed with the others, just made it harder for myself. Some fights can be really tough - or easy if you choose the right companions and skills.

[@Chateau22]

4:26 Lae'zel 7:31 Shadowheart 13:45 Wyll 17:56 Gale 21:38 Karlach 26:25 Halsin 28:13 Minthara (queen of smite) 31:03 Astarion

[@roramoya]

may the darkness protect you 🙏🏾

[@3bellam]

Bro thank you for the Wyll love!!!! That man is so underrated!!! His dance scene unironically made me second guess choosing Astarion as my romance 😭😭 He is such a sweetie pie babygirl🥰

[@DM-nw5lu]

I will never forgive Wyll that "rat diet" joke he hurled at Astarion, haha. Or how hateful/racist he is to some minorities (Goblins specifically. Even with the kids he was fn' brutal.). I also don't really enjoy Warlocks in combat (I did enjoy him in combat as a Warlock/Paladin though).

[@lifeinnahole1081]

Will has no personality outside of 'nice guy'

[@sadphrog5379]

I think Wyll’s stuff is cute but I couldn’t help but feel a little bored with his character at times. The pacing of his story really doesn’t help with that either, but he is very classic good guy which is harder for me to relate with.

[@yusufkaradag8983]

​@@DM-nw5lu goblins are really evil creatures .they killing people for fun they are serving absolute in game but before that they were worshipping maglubiyet and he is an evil guy. you may say they are evil because of culture or religion but they could stop and think for a moment "are we doing right thing? "Rather than that they like to do bad things .so yeah wyll kinda right to do racism here because they do really bad things

[@Daelyah]

His story didn't compel me as much, but I would've loved to have had the option to play wingman for non-romanced characters; to ship them with other party members. I would've loved to have seen him and Gale together, during my current Durge × Astarion run, just as I want to wing for SH × Karlach (since a polycule between Astarion and those two isn't that plausible, sadly).

[@Hitori_YT]

Astarion from beginning to end is so good, hes so well written and voiced, i knew what his ending was with cazador bit when i experienced it myself it was spectacular, always my favorite bg3 character forever more

[@magicalmysmalin]

Astarion and Karlach are by far the best characters for me. My adoration knows no bounds. AND they are both badass. My lil bi heart is like “HI SANDWICH ME BETWEEN YOU BOTH, PLEASE.” THANK YOU for mentioning the babygirl-ifying of Astarion. I love him deeply, but I don’t care for many of his fans.

[@Daelyah]

If it were plausible, I would have a polycule between them, Durge, and Shadowheart. And I would totally get Shadowheart and Astarion's dynamic taking the longest to develop, or those two not even having that kind of intimacy together (while still sharing Karlach and Durge). But, the ladies did hit up my Durge, and it hurt having to turn them both down as I'm currently pursuing Astarion. Super sad I can't have that dream polycule... 🥺

[@beccangavin]

I agree on this wholeheartedly about some of Astarion’s fans…(and about Karlach and Astarion being eminently worthy of adoration)…I saw this one girl in a full meltdown because the writer of Astarion’s character said something that didn’t match what she imagined about the character that he created. Also based on the rest of her post, she had difficulty picking up subtext particularly when that subtext did not agree with the vampire romance in her head.

[@shroomian2739]

@@beccangavinyeah no, I’m down bad for Astarion but there are people who are *weird* about it. Like I want him to straighten my intestines too, but if you look at the comments on the video containing his ascended kiss animations there are people getting upset that - shocker of shockers - if you let him kill thousands of innocents he will be *evil* and that evil will manifest itself. Like, they want him to be a cruel asshole, but also their sweet babygirl, but also a sadist, but also their father figure, but also mentally unstable; and even when he does all this they get upset that there are any creative choices with him.

[@adri10c]

For those of you who want to know when Danny reviews your favorite character, I’ll leave this timestamps. (I patiently waited for Gale and Wyll, and afterwards thought to help you) 4:25 Lae’Zel 😐 7:32 Shadowheart 😊 13:47 Wyll 🥰 17:57 Gale 🙃 21:33 Karlach 😍 26:25 Halsin 😡 28:14 Mynthara 💀 31:03 Astarion 🤩

[@ravenwolf2746]

I always feel like people have experienced such a different Gale than I have. Gale has never come onto me in all my playthroughs unless I initiated. I do understand his story being less compelling though, it was just a flavour story compared to the rest, nothing big to explore or do apart from the magic tower. I personally love his romance scene, they are the best out of all the companions in my opinion, beautifully animated, beautiful scenes and really romantic. Personally I would put him at like B or A, he kinda hangs in the middle.

[@A_keo]

I had the same experience, Gale's never come on to any of my characters except the sorcerer I made with the intent of romancing him. I think a lot of people first experienced Gale when his romance was bugged and the game would think you were in a relationship with him when you weren't, so he became really misunderstood

[@ravenwolf2746]

@@A_keo I played the game in early access and release, and even then he didn't really come onto me. But to be fair I was blessed with a near bugless game from the beginning, apart from the god damn annoying helmets showing up when I didn't want to. I think it was honestly because of the choices during the showing magic scene, there was only one friendly but flirty sentence, before the update, which set up his romance and since people didn't want to be mean they probably clicked it and set a flag to have him romance back.

[@A_keo]

@ravenwolf2746 ahh that's a good point, I forgot a friendship option wasn't originally in the magic scene! I remember the patch note for it said something like "you can now pick an option between kissing him and kicking him in the balls" lol

[@lifeinnahole1081]

His astral scene put me off. It was tacky and lame 😂😂😂😂😂

[@ravenwolf2746]

@@lifeinnahole1081 I thought it was pretty cool, why not do it like gods. 😂 Though the weird movements made me laugh. I really loved the boat scene though, that was beautiful.

[@rythmiccoma2809]

Convincing Wyll to break his pact then saving his dad anyway is the funniest shit. "Nice deal you made there Mizzy, unfortunately for you I have mastered the art of Spirit Guardians and Haste" Thats it, thats all i needed to save him. Plus a lil stabbing as a treat

[@yusufkaradag8983]

She will try to kill his father in future

[@taiszar]

@@yusufkaradag8983idc hes a dunce

[@pizzaguy8844]

@@yusufkaradag8983 In the little Camp party ending if you do both he's still alive by that point in Balders Gate, so at the very least she's slow as fuck to do anything.

[@valor555]

With Astarion i disagree that he is the epitome of i can fix you.i always feel like his story is more akin to i am going to make you want to fix yourself. His story seems to progress more you are making him do things out of character and more you show him you aren't going to ditch him because he is a prick, you are gonna be there whether out of necessity or wanting to. And i think showing him that makes him want to act out of character for himself

[@rowanlavellan9755]

He's an angry feral cat that melts when he realizes you won't use and leave him.

[@bearhugzfam649]

Hear hear. Astarion doesn't want you to fix him (or let you, in fact) he just wants your company while he sorts himself out. Yes there's the chance to influence him re the ascension, but his personality doesn't change much throughout the game and he never seems to care much about gaining your approval (unlike the others). One of my fave exchanges that highlights it is if you call him out for being prejudice against the Gur and tell him he can't blame all of them for the ones who attacked him 200 years ago he'll give you a very haughty "I think you'll find I can, and there's nothing your bleeding heart can do about it." He shows the same sentiment a thousand more times but that's my favourite. And oh man when it comes to personal boundaries, you can literally romance anyone and get away with almost anything. You can DC25 persuade Gale to have sex he's explicitly said he doesn't want to, you can convince Karlach to stay with you while you have Halsin as a side piece (which she's pretty openly not really okay with), you can cheat on most of them (I think it's only Lae'zel who'll actually dump you if you do), the list goes on. But Astarion? Lol no. He'll dump you if you pressure him to bite Araj (no matter how gently you do it) after he's said no, he'll dump you if you pressure him into sex (again, no matter how you try it) after he's said no, he'll dump you if you try and manipulate him into taking the Astral tadpole after he's said no.... and he'll call you out for being an asshole each time he does, as well. Like, passionately and at significant length. You are absolutely an optional extra in his life, he wants you but he doesn't need you.

[@angelusgaston5922]

​@@bearhugzfam649 thank you for this. I don't think anyone understands just how complex he actually is. I love how open becomes the further along in the relationship you are including admitting he never felt comfortable in his own skin after what he has had to do. My boyfriend was curious about his reaction with the Drow twins and because he said wasn't comfortable with it I left it at that and he is actually really greatful when you give him the chance to have his own chooses. I love his reactions when you ask about what you are with him sounding so confused then so giddy when he says he says he is excited to find out. Honestly If I had to romance just one person thought the whole game indefinitely it would be him because it's so much joy watching him understand that he is so much more than what Cazador has made him.

[@bearhugzfam649]

@@angelusgaston5922 oh man, same. I love a bunch of the characters but I feel like there's so much more to Astarion than any of the others. Like, he's not even my fave character on a personal level (that's Karlach lol she's so me) but as a writer/reader, oh my god, I can get lost in his story for a dozen different playthroughs, they went ham on him and I'm here for it.

[@HeadDetectiveLassie]

I like Halsin very much platonically. He and Jaheira feel like the most mature adults in the group. I go to them when I just want a chill vibe and off-load the mantle of the most functional person in the party for a few moments. Their greetings are simple or sweet, and they don't complain when you leave them behind, just wish you well and promise they will be there when you need them. Also, Halsin's ending is finally finding a place he feels like he belongs, taking care of people who really need him and adopting 10+ children.

[@makha4957]

OMG Thank you for saying this

[@evansecencefan1435]

I need to romance Jaheira. Larian please 🥺🥺🥺

[@Linz_Chick]

I LOVE Karlach! When I romanced her and the scene came up when you can say "I love you" and she says it back so fast🥹❤ like she's been waiting for it! I just love her so much!

[@maryhales4595]

So wholesome!!

[@freyavaleria21]

I clipped that moment, one of my favourites

[@feverprole]

As a Gale defender I understand, but I think you might be projecting onto him a bit

[@margaret8840]

Absolutely, I didn't really get "codependent" from Gale at all. I think he's really insecure and bad at hiding it, and he wants reassurance. And I don't think he comes on too strong either. Maybe it was a bug or something, but he never really attempted to romance my character. We're just besties :)

[@sauce2514]

@@margaret8840 It definitely sucks that in Gale's romance you can bully him and when others insult him or call him boring your character can/will agree with them in an "attempt" to defend him. Very screwed up in my opinion.

[@Jasna323]

​ @shailennanu5491 it really is SO odd that you only get those kinds of interactions with Gale. It makes me feel so bad for him that he's the butt of the joke to the party, even if some of the banter (especially with astarion) can be funny 😭​ poor guy's going through it enough already

[@shadowdroid776]

​@@margaret8840He's just a big dork and I like that about him! He has that whole 'I haven't spoken to anyone in so long and right now I'm trying my best' vibe about him and I adore it. I wouldn't ever romance him, he's just a great friend in my opinion.

[@margaret8840]

@@shadowdroid776 literally he's my rotten soldier. My sweet cheese. My good time boy

[@Nekokkm]

So you can save Wyll's dad and brake his pact. It's a bit of a pain and Mizora (derogatory) shows up to try and stop you but you can still do it and it gives Wyll some of his autonomy back. I also love the friendship Wyll develops with Karlach. It is so genuinely sweet and if you don't romance her and follow her into Avernus, Wyll does and he fights with her. Also, I have played this game for over 500+ hours and no matter how many new tav/durges I make I still wind up romancing Astarion. I just love him, and I love the way you can help him heal. I do think you make a good point about people misrepresenting him as being a good and pure person though, that kinda bothers me when I see it in fandom spaces. I also love putting him on the double hand crossbow build, mans really pretends he's a gunslinger and fakes recoil every time he attacks.

[@ettaetta439]

Yep. I literally choose to do that every single time. All Mizora does to try to "stop" you is summon like 6 spiders that can get destroyed by Shadowheart's spirit guardians in a single turn. Wyll deserves the best for how much his romance and screentime got shafted in bg3.

[@Daelyah]

Good and pure? I may jokingly call Astarion "Babygirl" on the premise that I want to protect him, and I keep associating "Babygirl" in my head with "sassy," "fabulous," and "MUST PROTECC!"... However, he's the furthest member of the party from good and pure! And it takes a great deal of encouraging his path to healing before he understands he's free to be a better person, finally. He's monstrous, as a result of prolonged and horrifying abuse. But, his story can be one of breaking the cycle and learning to heal, and I have been onboard since Day One of Early Access for this! He vaguely reminded me of the titular vampire from Legacy of Kain, and LoK helped me during a dark era in my adolescence. Kain and the deuteragonist Raziel were constantly fighting back against eldritch nightmares and "the Wheel of Fate." In that same vein, I 100% every time will help Astarion do the same.

[@lilylollielegs34]

⁠@@ettaetta439I mean Mizora later says that she will try and kill him again when he has the most to lose so the duke isn’t safe forever. That being said if Wyll becomes the blade of Avernus maybe he will get to her before she can go back after his dad

[@helplessheroine2641]

@@lilylollielegs34no one is safe forever, he’s old and a soldier so I never even considered taking the deal to save him. He’s gonna die anyway at some point lol

[@DarthAlecto]

I keep trying to romance different characters each playthrough but the moment I spot Astarion the free will leaves my body

[@WraithReaper09]

There is a way to fix that. Play AS Astarion.

[@chriswalker9828]

Me, but Karlach

[@Infiltrator_]

Me, but Lae’zel

[@user-Dver]

Me, but Shadowheart

[@diorsse]

shadowheart's spirit guardians is so underrated. also just popping sanctuary on her and just using her to heal is really helpful too! she's underrated

[@GabyT]

i agree

[@SeniorSunday]

Shadowheart's spirit guardians carried me through Act 2. I gave her the blood of Lathander and spent her actions dashing to hit/blind as many enemies as possible.

[@mtthw1597]

I mean from the begining to the end she was the only companion that never left my party her buffs and heals and as you said spirit guardians are just too good to replace her spot by someone else you just respec her from tricster to life cleric round up her stats and she is a beast at supporting

[@helplessheroine2641]

@@SeniorSundaythat and animate dead! In the mausoleum you can do it without needing a body so I just fast-traveled there after every long rest to raise 4 skeletons

[@Wishfull171]

I’m shocked of his complaints, her guidance bolt (might be misremembering) does tons of damage and usuallly lands for me against undead or dark enemies, I use sanctuary constantly to protect my team, healing is a bonus and I gave her misty step, good weapons etc. The spirit guardian was such an awesome bonus!!!

[@Elix90]

Aren't you a sassy little guy! Love your energy, agree with most of it (I am so obsessed with the vampire twink, it's bad), but I ADORE your take on Karlach and how she'd be for the girlies if she were real. That whole part of the video, you nailed it.

[@Daelyah]

She does comment on Astarion in-game, about how she'd "ride him to the Feywild and back" if she didn't have to deal with the engine running too hot. I'd have those two plus Shadowheart in a polycule with Durge, if the game would let me keep that dynamic to the very end. 🥺 That said, I'm pretty sure the actor Sam Béart would **DEFINITELY** ship Karlach with one of the ladies. 😆

[@grayhatjen5924]

​@Daelyah Can confirm Beàrt has mentioned in a couple of interviews/streams that Karlach is straight up lesbian coded (no pun intended.) Not terribly long ago they mentioned "Minthy" was/would be a good romantic partner for Karlach. The catch is, I don't know if they were referring to an actual in game potential pairing (in the post Patch 5 world) or if they were referring to an emerging Karlach/Minthara ship in fan art or the like. I do have a K/M run in the works, specifically because of that particular comment, but I don't know whether it can come to fruition. Time will tell.

[@pinkdruid2347]

THANK YOU for talking about Astarion this way. This is what I keep trying to argue to people and you put it so well. The way that I see Astarion is that he leans towards an evil alignment, but really he’s neutrally aligned (just like most of the other companions), and he can be swayed either way. The options that you choose are what push him into either becoming a true villain or becoming maybe not your traditional good guy, but definitely a better person (an anti-hero if you will). Personally I always pick the “good” route because I’m a sucker for redemption arcs and his is so well written. But at the same time…I agree with your point that the fans of Astarion are very divided, and personally it frustrates me a little bit when people don’t seem to pick up on the nuance that makes his character so good. One portion of people seem to take Astarion at face value. They see that he disapproves of your good deeds and approves of your bad ones, and so they just go “Welp, that’s it. He’s evil” and they don’t look any deeper. This is annoying because there is SO MUCH there if you are willing to just dig a little deeper, and even if you decide you want to take the evil path, it doesn’t seem fair to treat Astarion as if he doesn’t have any good in him…But then on the complete opposite end of the spectrum are the people who make him too much of a good guy. Who excuse all of his behavior as if he has 0 bad qualities. And as much as I love Astarion and believe he does deserve some forgiveness…I also 100% agree that treating him as if he were a character like Wyll just isn’t true to who Astarion actually is. In my eyes, Astarion is the epitome of a well written anti-hero/morally grey character. A character you are lead to believe is a villain, but who you slowly realize isn’t all bad and even has a chance to redeem themself and become better. Astarion is in the same category as characters like Zuko and Marvel’s Loki. Which are characters who also have very similarly divided fan bases, where half say “He’s done bad things and doesn’t deserve forgiveness. You’re better off just viewing him as evil. If you excuse any of this behavior you are toxic yourself” or “He’s just a sweet baby boy who has a lot of trauma and has never done anything wrong. All is forgiven. Toxic traits who???”. And meanwhile the writers are hitting their heads against a wall saying “He’s both…He’s both. He’s not all bad or all good. He’s both. That’s why it’s called morally “grey” because it’s a mix of black and white. A mix of both evil and good. He is both”. Astarion is both.

[@sleepybeef2412]

So I'm romancing Gale and here's why: I'm asexual. When Lae'Zel and Astarion were showing first signs of romance, I was like "Eeeeeh... Maybe coming on a bit too strong." However, with Gale, the first romance scene with him is very sweet. You find him reminiscing over his past love, which isn't a great start for a romance, but eh. However, afterwards he teaches you how to manipulate the weave with somatic components, after which you can connect to him and share your thoughts, during which I decided to show and image of holding hands with him on a walk, which to me was a romantic yet non-sexual sign of affection. Gale receives this very well with something along the lines of "An unexpected thought, but a pleasant one for certain." From that point on I was smitten with him. He felt like the least horny one and captured my heart with how sweet that one romantic moment I created was. IT WAS ONLY LATER THOUGH THAT I GOT THE DANCE SCENE WITH WYLL AND HAD TO REJECT HIM AND BROKE MY FUCKING HEART BECAUSE I HAD TO REJECT THIS SWEET MAN! HOLY SHIT I FELT SO BAD. My heart is still pointing towards Gale, but I'm probably romancing Wyll in the next playthrough. I'm only in act 2 still (currently in the Gauntlet of Shar), so we shall see if Gale continues to hold my affection. Karlach is also a possibility because I like big buff women aesthetically and usually play them myself in dnd, but we shall see. Also as I was writing this, I've realised that I like people with Dog energy. Gale is a kicked puppy, Wyll is a loyal guard dog and Karlach is a Golden Retriever.

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

I personally love Shadowheart. She's just so sweet and you actually have to wait until act 3 to get to third base with her, and even then the scene is mostly focused on her freedom from Shar and facing her fear of the water by learning to swim with Tav/Durge's help. It's very sweet. And so is the epilogue with her, leaving the city together with her parents in tow and going on to live the good, peaceful, quiet life together out in the countryside on a farmstead, with a quaint cottage, beautiful garden of flowers, and a great pack of pets. It's just lovely

[@serinas4465]

That is very interesting! I realised in my second playthrough that so much plays into how the characters act towards you. In my first I didn't like Gale, he came onto my Tiefling like an incel trying to guilt trip you into a relationship, because he has feelings right after meeting you. In my second playthrough it was a complete different story where he was a confidant to my sorceress dark urge drow. There we talked magic and learning and became fast friends. But I'm aromantic but allosexual, so for me the approaches of Astarion, Shadowheart and Lae'zel feel more natural, and Gale and Wyll come in way too strong for me in the way of feelings. I think it is very cool that we both find companions we find compelling for our interests!

[@roramoya]

Examining the dialogue more closely implied that it wasn't his love he was mourning, but his connection with the Weave. Gale isn't the sort to pursue a relationship with another when he still has romantic feelings for someone else-he's very open and honest about that and will tell you there's no love lost between him and Mystra

[@caiacw]

As a fellow asexual: Wyll is the best romance for an asexual player.

[@blackhat4206]

@@nathanfivecoate5848 Shadowheart’s joke when you give her the night orchid still gets me! The way she says “Joking!” after convincing you you just handled a deadly poisonous plant is honestly adorable.

[@Sophie-wn2wo]

I can not even begin to describe how much astarion annoyed me in my first playthrough. I was a rogue so I left him at camp and basically ignored him. In my second playthrough however I took him in my party and I can not even begin to describe the love that formed inside me for that pixel man. His story is so good and feels so real. Now every time I start a new playthrough (yes it has been a lot, this game is my life now) his behavior makes so much sense and I can't help but to help him overcome his trauma every single time because it is what he deserves (I refuse to make him into the kind of man that oppressed him for 200 years).

[@Red_Cat4888]

Did not realize when I clicked on this video (with minimal knowledge of Balder’s Gate) that I would be listenig to one of the most thoughtful and in-depth takes on character building that I’ve ever heard but here we are😂 i have to say I agree though, you’ve argued your point fabulously my friend

[@MaddyRose1998]

I need to listen to people yell about how great Karlach is more often, that was like nectar for my soul. We went to Avernus together with Wyll as our bff third and I can’t image a better ending.

[@callmekitto]

listen. LISTEN. as a former burnout gifted kid, don't judge me for loving the doe-eyed shoe eatin' wizard, man

[@kaylahaas]

the man gets on his knees, puts your hand on his chest and is like “thanks for letting me eat those boots. anyway I was a bad boy, I have a nuke in my chest” you can’t help but love him

[@callmekitto]

@kaylahaas "sorry I became my own cautionary tale of hubris do you still think I'm hot 🥺" also his [spoiler] meeting with Mystra again is SO FUNNY. they could have gone the route of having him like Oh... To See Her Again... But I Love Another... Oh I Am Conflicted... Who to Choose.... NOPE afterwards he's like "I would have chewed my own arm off to meet up with her before you, but turns out I like you way better. you like me for more than my magic, you're actually nice to me, and you don't tell me to blow myself up." It just makes me picture that in-game he has this real intense moment with Mystra but also at the back of his mind he's like "this sucks. sure wish my bf/gf/partner were here :("

[@Honk4frogs]

For shadowhearts combat: Once she unlocked spirit guardians, she became irreplaceable in my team. Give her some equipment that gives radiating orb on radiant damage and boom, damaging+debuffing aoe which moves with her as she walks, meaning she can just walk through a group of low hp enemies and k!ll them all instantly, or reduce any creatures attack rolls by 9, meaning they never hit. Add the helmet that does radiant damage when someone misses you with an attack, walk by everyone triggering attacks of opportunity, insane. The Halsin portal defending quest was a joke with shadowheart just walking through the giant mob. And for good measure, give her the ring that adds bless on anyone you heal, and you have a bonus action bless without concentration. Cleric is busted in this game with how it interacts with items.

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

I like giving Shadowheart the Warped Headband of Intellect and dipping 1-2 levels of Wizard after 5th level in Cleric and focusing primarily on area denial, crowd control, support spells, damage spells that still do at least half damage even on a successful save, and also summoning. It works quite well

[@SeniorSunday]

Legit! I had Shadowheart cast Spirit Guardians and dash for the entirety of the Halsin portal quest. It truly trivialized things.

[@jammerthebaws4287]

I did a funny strat involving SH on tactician(light domain duh) and my tempestcleric for the portal. I just put a wall of fire where most of the bow harpers spawn/gith zombies etc, and used call lightning to knock them back across the wall of fire so the enemy would all funnel through the wall, then get knocked back through it, and walk through it again. Currently finally trying out honor mode. Never underestimate the sheer power of wall of fire I loveeee it. With this strat there's 2 things: 1: its a pain in the ass to loot the bodies (they all path in the same line if done right and end up ontop of eachother) 2: U still have to fight the wraiths coming from the non fire side but that's karlach and lae'zels job

[@buihuy5211]

Aww, it sucks you weren't a Halsin enjoyer. Personally I don't see him as someone who would prefer "a younger partner" or like taking advantage of younger partner as well, he also respectful enough to ask you to get the consent of your partner first before actually go any further. I also think his kind of "sex crave" is part of his trauma response to his time as a Drow family's sex slave, his enslavement specifically I feel like it would make him the best at understanding Astarion. But that just me. Awesome tier list

[@Sadie_idkwhattonamemysel-pn1pq]

Thank you Danny this is exactly what I needed

[@weglipi]

Literally got into dnd and bg3 cause of Danny and I can't imagine what person would I be without that part, thanks Danny (Hot frog lmao best description)

[@TheChannelOfAllTnings]

i want to but every time i think about dnd i think of that one sene in stranger things where will says “mom, i know the tournament would take long, but not 10 hours” and then the mom is like”10 HOURS!!!”

[@shadowjewel]

I 100% agree with Astarion and Karlach. Those two are just so awesome. Bonus, playing one of them as the Origin character gives such a sweet combo - and Karlach can somehow make even Ascended Astarion just a little sweeter, provided they don't attempt to turn her into a vamp. Him choosing to go Avernus with her, and so sacrificing the seat of power Cazador had built up that he could have at least partly inherited, was kind of touching in as much as his ascended self can be (it's all relative at that point; a vamp who might as well be a souped up vamp lord with how he behaves, abandoning power to be with his lover? Wow.).

[@katherinabraun245]

I both got Halsin and Minthara by only knocking Minthara unconscious. Halsin accepts that as 'killing' the leaders and later in Moonrise, you meet her again in front of Ketheric, where she has to answer for disappointing the Absolute. I only had to waltz in, save her out of the prison by saying her brain is mush and now Minthara and Halsin share a space in my camp. :) Though Halsin doesn't have a line for her joining, so I think this wasn't really planned.

[@HavingFunISKEY]

It definitely wasn’t planned at first. People used the knockout method as a workaround and it was patched in as an official method about a month or two ago.

[@johnschaeffer7008]

I actually think Wyll not having much autonomy is what really makes him a very thematically coherent character. He always had a choice. To take a deal or not take a deal. But for him, because he is a good man, there was really no choice after all. Because he always makes the noble choice if you don't interfere. Wyll's whole character is him being a slave to his own morality. And it always gets him in trouble. But that's who he is. That's who he wants to be. Sacrificing himself for others. I only appreciate Wyll more, the more I revisit the game.

[@Moretropes11]

I love Wyll so much so many people write him off as boring, but he’s literally a warlock. He’s also gorgeous and has some really sweet moments💗

[@Daelyah]

I kinda ship him with Gale. I'm not particularly interested romantically in either characters, so much as "these are my bros, and I think they'd be cute together." If there was an option to play wingman for party members that PC is not actively romancing, I think that would add a nice touch to the story outcomes. ❤

[@HannahBower-r6b]

I love Karlach so much that it's to the point where I get jealous when other people romance her

[@KKEQ]

YESS A NEW VIDEO IM SO PROUD OF YOU DANNY

[@janicel6841]

First video ive seen of Dan and omg the chaotic energy exuding from him 😂 Love it

[@Master_McDiluc_EmoEdition]

Me: *_*Debatng whether I should get BG3_** Danny: *_*Posts this video_** I think the universe is trying to send me a sign through Danny 🤣

[@nudle9186]

i don't fucking understand why everyone hate gale this much imo he was so charming witty funny and cute, always loved his inputs on the events he is so funny imo and i liked how he was kinda desperate for your love and attention, made his character more complex and interesting

[@LUCASINGSANDSINGSMORE]

Danny never fails to kill me of laughter HES so so funny and hot

[@Echo_Luna234]

I want him to be my friend but I know he will say no :(

[@hyliastone286]

Why did you emphasize HE like that???

[@Leesterkirby]

wyll is absolutely my favorite character im so glad this isnt another video of someone calling him boring or bad

[@D3vious113]

Personal take; Karlach smoked a cigar with you while giving a concise brief about how to slay demons while the horde comes tearing down the mountains. That is straight up Doom Slayer energy, just saying.

[@Lizzyacedetective]

Oh hey D3vious didn't expect you here

[@D3vious113]

@@Lizzyacedetective Not sure why, this is pretty on par with my youtube doom scrolling XD

[@Lizzyacedetective]

@@D3vious113 Fair but I didnt expect it given I'm subscribed to Danny and looked down to see you

[@dieCG]

Ok… everyone is totally allowed their feelings about stuff… but if Halsin is a creepy 50 year old hitting on 20 year olds, so is Astarion. They are the same age, regardless of how they look, and they are both pretty insistent, just Halsin is quicker to accept “no” as an answer, and isn’t as damaged by past trauma, and actually wants a healthy relationship while being pretty mentally put together… just saying…

[@nisie_neri]

Note: Halsin is over 500 and Astarion is over 200

[@dieCG]

@@nisie_neri : Halsin is 350. According to Larian Studios official tweets, so is Astarion.

[@nisie_neri]

@@dieCG okay I apologize. I read the wrong article.

[@RosePostedThis]

Tav isn't always 20.

[@dieCG]

@@RosePostedThis : There’s also this… especially if you consider the people that made this game are mostly in their late 30s and 40s, so they are going to make older companions. Honestly, the youngest is Lae’zel at 22. Wyll is 24, Karlach 28-30 with an unsure due to being in Avernus, and time being all weird. Gale is in his 40s. Shadowheart is 48 because half elf. All the other companions are over 130. I mean… yeah.

[@DannyRayqu]

Ironically your opinion of Halsin was exactly what I felt with karlach, I literally recruited her got approval from her since i tend to be very nice nd all but I was very surprised and a little put off that my 1st scene with her she sits down talks to me and immediately says I wanna ride you so hard, its too much, specially since I was already romancing someone, but I just think Karlach is the Leliana of BG3, she doesn't need to have explicitly romantic dialogue options for her to come on to you or to think she was in a relationship with you (at the end of the game her dialogue made it seem like she was my ex, which she totally wasn't I gently told her no but I guess that's not what she thought, I ship her with Shadowheart or Wyll tho xp)

[@tmden4020]

How he described lazeal was how I felt about shadowheart. Lazeal was scared and over confident to me where Shadow heart was obnoxiously tsundere and abrasive.

[@emperortime4380]

Karlach Berserker Throw build is already enough to make me love her. Then you factor in her personality and she’s SS+ tier

[@radstermind]

I might just be a simp for Halsin, but he is like 1000 years old or something. He literally only knows nature. He also makes it clear that he knows he is attractive. So my take on Halsin is that of how like a wild animal acts where they find like a suitable mate and then just decide that they wanna bang and get bonded for life. Now some ppl are into that. I’m into big guy with muscles. Halsin is the only companion that fits the bill out of them all so ya 😛

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

350 years old. Halsin is 350 years old. My Durge was a High Half-Elf named Telendas. He was a Selûnite Cleric 2/Wizard 10, and in a committed relationship with Shadowheart (Cleric 11/Wizard 1). The two amnesiac Half-Elves were both in their 40s, and both resisting the dark gods in their lives, guided along their path by Selûne's light. Halsin got kidnapped by Orin. With Shadowheart at his side he went to duel Orin. He slew her with but a single spell (and Perilous Stakes) before she could do a damn thing after transforming into the Slayer, and then when Bhaal told him that he was to become the new Chosen, Telendas told him to go pound sand, that he'd rather die than live another day, sleep another night afraid that he might be possessed. Bhaal killed Telendas, but after the lord of murder left Withers renewed Telendas's lease of life, now free of the Urge. Then, later that same day Telendas and Shadowheart went to the House of Grief and rescued her parents from Shar's clutches. He promised her that no matter what happened that he would be by her side and they would endure whatever torment Shar tried to inflict on her together. A few days later Halsin finally spoke to Telendas about wanting to have sex with him. Telendas was incredibly disinterested, especially since he was freed from his foul blood not days before and was getting comfortable sleeping beside Shadowheart without fearing that he'd be possessed and try to kill her like that one time in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. He told Halsin that he was already quite happy being monogamous with Shadowheart and that he didn't want to change a thing about it.

[@G00FY4R4B]

The way he was just confused taking the mic and then screams in it 💀

[@TheSorcerock]

Shart misses a lot because you use sacred flames. A cantrip that makes the enemy roll dex, and most act1 enemies have high dex. Especially the goblins

[@SeniorSunday]

Or people use firebolt, which uses her INT modifier...

[@cyruslupercal9493]

It's not that. You can see the percentages. She misses disproportionatly a lot.

[@dagamerboi]

triggers tsar bomba in the middle of a large town.

[@IRFine]

Pro tip: multiclass Karlach into thief rogue rather than fighter. (5 levels barb, 4 levels rogue, 3 levels barb being the leveling order) Thief gets you an extra attack every turn, where action surge is just two attacks once per short rest. Plus you don’t miss an ASI, which is nice compared to the barb 10 fighter 2 builds. Berserker-Thief is the most slept on multiclass in BG3, probably because it’s not a combo that functions in tabletop.

[@IAmGalaxian-bi6co]

but what about more actions with fighter 5 barb 7 for more rage and action surge value and less MAD

[@IRFine]

@@IAmGalaxian-bi6co barb rogue is no more mad than a regular barb. You go strength-based OR dex-based not both. As for the proposed build, I’ll walk though this: 5-7 is useless because extra attack from multiple classes doesn’t stack. This I think is the bit you missed. So 4-8 would be way better. Cuz it gives a feat. Fighter 4 Barbarian 8 is a fine build, but it’s still one attack per round short of where barb rogue is hitting. You could go Fighter 8 Barbarian 4, which is stronger than 4-8 because of the extra feat, and because Barbarian levels 6 through 8 are dogshit, but 8-4 is a fighter-first build, so not under contention under the constraints set by Danny which was no class respec. There’s also Barb 9 Fighter 3 (Champion) I guess, if you’re into crit fishing, but I don’t think that one is worth losing a feat for

[@TheHawaiianMermaid22]

This is my partial bias response to your S tier, I highly agree with you!! Karlach and Astarion are Top Tier companions in my book. Karlach will forever be my top #1 choice when it comes to my campaign buddy and fighter. She’s is definitely the most powerful and what’s nice is that you don’t have to do much work with her. She’s literally the least complicated companion of all of them. Astarion is a hot piece of ass and he’s perfect for durge campaigns cuz he falls in love with you almost immediately. He can sometimes be complicated, but all and all, I will always have along side me and Karlach.

[@therealTDjo]

The face in the thumbnail says it all 😭

[@Rosie-246]

Love your vids danny. You never fail to make me smile❤

[@Cristin647]

I understand all these, but I do have to wholeheartedly disagree about Halsin. The man comes on strong, but also is very understanding of boundaries. He falls in love with the first person to actually connect with him as a person in years, so it's understandable where his intense feelings come from, and he does shoot his shot, but never in a way that implies pressure. He makes it clear that if the feelings are not reciprocated, he still treasures your friendship more than anything. He's a very emotionally mature character, which makes sense since he's the oldest of all the companions, and yet he still has his own arc of putting everyone else before himself. He does not value himself compared to others. He has felt trapped by duties and responsibilities because of his guilt of the shadow curse. The moment the shadow curse began 100 years ago, Halsin lost any friend he could have connected with and was forced into a position of responsibility where no one communicated with him as a person, but rather as an authority. The fact that when you show up and are willing to help him with the threat he has spent 100 years dwelling on, and talk to him also as a person and an equal rather than him as an authority, he becomes so immediately infatuated and attached to that. It can be very heartwarming but also very sad when you register how much he doesn't value himself because he's forgotten how to while taking care of other people and the Grobe for the last over 100 years. I do think there's a lack of content for exploring that aspect of his character, but it can make him quite compelling. It's rewarding to return his affection and let him know that he can be loved for himself, not as an Archdruid. If you only romance him by the end of the game, he is baffled by the idea that you love him and only him, and has this sense of imposter syndrome while also being incredibly grateful for your love. Anyways, TLDR: Halsin deserves at least a B tier imo

[@影沼]

Lae'zel: "Racist, super strong fighter, basically a tsundere who you can fix and she becomes all doki doki by mid Act 3. Will never share you with anyone D TIER, too much effort to fix!" Shadowheart: "Racist against Githyanki (and you, if you play as one), a thief, a hypocrite who wants to keep secrets while simultaneously wanting to suss out all of yours, won't even join your party in certain circumstances if the Gith is with you unless you pass a Persuasion check, will actively flirt with Halsin and is up to an open relationship if given the opportunity, won't marry you in any of your endings, but will marry Wyll in his, you CAN fix her though. Combat ability SUCKS. A Tier! Because she's hot! That means I'm willing to take the time to fix her!"

[@cacnmheese90]

I just got into this game today. This is incredible timing lol

[@archidearest]

the intro got my heart I LOVE HOW UNHINGED YOU ARE, ALL HAIL THE VAMPIRE TWINK

[@alyxluvss]

no way you did halsin so dirty and turned around and sung astarions praises 😭😭

[@beastslayer8729]

Personally, I think Wyll's romance stuff is really boring, while the entire rest of his story and questline is super interesting. I'm not really surprised he isn't a popular romance companion, but the duality of his heroic spirit and the devil he is pacted to is fantastic and well written.

[@insertname954]

He's got 2, maybe 3 romantic scenes compared to Astarion's 9 scenes. Yeah Larian clearly shafted Wyll's story, I wonder why 🙄

[@beastslayer8729]

@@insertname954 To be fair, they gave Wyll the old school way of romance, which has a lot less steps before he straight up proposed. Even though it feels a bit lackluster, it fits his character as the son of a noble who was taught how to properly court.

[@insertname954]

@@beastslayer8729 Come on, the writers could've given Wyll some epic romantic scenes! It's not like traditional romance is dull??? plenty of good love stories out there. They just didn't put enough heart into Wyll's storyline, and it totally shows :C

[@beastslayer8729]

@@insertname954 Traditional romance isn't necessarily dull, but most of the romantic stuff happens after marriage. The game is only showing the "courtship" side of things, which is practically non-existent. Kind of like, "I like you, you like me, let's get married." It's charming in it's own way, mostly as a show of dedication between two individuals, but there just isn't a whole lot of content. People like Astarion who are casual with sex and only hold hands after declaring love have much more content to offer during the "courtship" phase.

[@dagamerboi]

I love that danny has a microphone that sounds good at normal volume and deep fries itself when he shouts. peak comedy

[@chanverses]

i’ve found a lot of people don’t know this but the reason shadowheart misses a lot with fire bolt and sacred flame is because fire bolt is based on your int score and hers is 10 so it’s pretty low and she’s guaranteed to miss half the time. sacred flame has a dex save and most enemies have pretty high dex, especially in act 1 so unless you’re actively checking their dex score before casting it, you’re most likely gonna miss with it😂

[@jennakins98]

Genuine question- is that not calculated into the chance to hit percentage that hovers above the enemy's head before you try to hit them?

[@hopekeeley2122]

As someone who pretty much exclusively plays explorer/balanced and classes characters for story instead of combat, it makes sense to me why shadowheart has a trickster domain despite it really sucking for her. she’s forcing herself to conform to sharan ideals, not what she’s actually good at, she becomes a powerhouse as a light domain once she’s out of the emo phase, because that’s what she was always meant to be

[@angiep2229]

I agree with most of these. Especially Karlach, she is so freaking amazing. Except I would swap where you ranked Lae'zel and Minthara. IDK, I've never had Minthara in my group because I can't bring myself to do the things you need to get her. So I guess I can't make much of a case there. But Lae'zel? I had the same initial feeling about her as you. And like you, she grew on me. I also do find her hot, but that's irrelevant, because that's just a matter of taste, which differs for everyone. Her story is compelling, but what really makes me love this character is the way she talks about the rest of the companions. She shows care for them. When you recruit Karlach, Lae'zel tells you how strong Karlach is and all she's overcome, and Lae'zel asks you to treat Karlach with respect. Also, when I was doing a playthrough as Karlach, when I went through the Paladins of Tyr and threw the big flaming tantrum, most of my companions were like, "WTF." Lae'zel told me it was glorious; she loved it. I also want to bring up Lae'zel's take on Shadowheart's story. As you learn about Shadowheart's history and everything she's been through, Lae'zel basically agrees that it's awful and that Shadowheart deserves vengeance. For Lae'zel I feel like that's how she shows compassion. I just think this character is actually a lot softer than she pretends to be. Even from the beginning, she's helping your character even if you're not a githyanki, and that's not something most of her people would do, IMO. Your criticism of Lae'zel is valid, but I just think you gave it far more weight than is fair to her.

[@fluffy_walrus]

Yeah, I think Lae'zel gets hated early on because of a few reasons, some legit (just not liking people with thorny/abrasive personalities, not digging the aesthetic, etc.), but some majorly questionable ones that I've seen are: 1) People can often mistake niceness for kindness 2) People can often mistake being evil for being lawful If you go into BG3 knowing even the basics of Gith society and culture, you'll see Lae'zel is very lawful. That's her driving force, and she shows a spark of kindness right away by promising access to a githyanki creche to have the tadpole removed, even if you're not githyanki. Mind flayers being her people's mortal enemies and a massive threat to all life, she heavily prioritizes getting to a creche because transformation typically happens quickly, and even if yours is seemingly delayed, it could happen at any moment and that is (in her mind) the only sure way to get healed. And as the game goes on, and you help deprogram her from her socioreligious zeal, that kindness shows up more and more. And for all the Githyanki are known to be supremely racist, Lae'zel exhibits less of that early on than some other well loved companions. For all Lae'zel is considered mean and cruel, Astarion and Minthara have already finished that race before Lae'zel got off the blocks. I can definitely understand people not familiar with the lore buying into Shadowheart's gaslighting, and ditching or killing Lae'zel, if they don't know the lore. But if you know the lore, it's easy to tell Lae'zel IS very much in the top percentile of Githyanki in being open-minded and kind. She's no harder to love than someone like Shadowheart or Astarion, she's no more a fix'er-upper than those two either. She's no less terrified than either of them, if some are using that as justification for why Astarion or Shadowheart are so compelling and lovable. And I'm not a Shadowheart or Astarion hater, I've done 4 runs in BG3, romancing those three and Karlach, and it can be hard to rank those in terms of preference because they're all so great. I'd also love for Wyll to get more content, because we was so underdeveloped and he deserved so much more, his character's woefully underappreciated.

[@angiep2229]

@@fluffy_walrus I really enjoyed reading all of this. I also wanted to add that even Gale expresses a little bit of racism. "You're staring at me like a Rashemi at a blackboard." And no one seems to care about that. I really love all of these characters. They're so complicated and that makes them feel so much more real! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@SeniorSunday]

Lae'zel continued to surprise me with her commentary on what was going on w/ the story and companions. She was... unexpectedly insightful, levelheaded, and supportive in a way I really appreciated.

[@Sia_Bot]

been a neil newbon fan for years atp im so glad people in wider spheres are recognising the talent behind their favourite voices recently 💕

[@smol8125]

You want damage dealing astarion? Multi-class him with monk. Thief monk asatrion ONE SHOTS people in his turn on my game and his sass with it? GOD DAMN

[@Daelyah]

Taking notes, sounds so fun! 😆

[@beahgg]

Thanks Danny, gr8 vid and Astarion isn't baby per see, but he sure is a treasure and loveable to the max!

[@venrisulven]

11:57 this is my experience with karlach. 95% reckless attack, 4 consecutive crit fails. She literally could not enter combat without getting her critical miss in at least once.

[@dukuganryu7043]

Did you take the great weapon fighting feat? It may boost the damage but it also subtracts 5 from your hit-chance-die so she misses more often

[@venrisulven]

@@dukuganryu7043 I did but the numbers % still shows correctly. I would also turn it off and shed still miss all the time.

[@dukuganryu7043]

@@venrisulven oh ok

[@zanderhart5243]

I love how shadowheart was the only fully named character on the chapter thing

[@callmeanne1043]

Ah man, you managed to hit on nearly every point that I have with the characters lmao, especially pointing out how some fans give a bunch of Wyll’s traits to Astarion. I love them both dearly but god does Wyll suffer from chronic underdevelopment, dude has a LOT going on and while they deliver on most of it, the execution comes out a slight bit clunky and makes what they don’t touch a bit glaring, which is a shame! I do have one small point about Halsin, in that I mostly agree with you that he 100% comes on way too strong, but that if you ignore the romance and look at him as a character, you’ll see that he’s actually gone through just as much trauma as the main cast and has a lot of interesting aspects that just… aren’t expanded on like at all in favor of “I’m a big bear man and I like to fuck.” Like dude was a slave for three years! And he carries so much grief over the shadow curse, having massive survivor’s guilt about having to step up as the new leader of the druids so quickly and so suddenly that it makes him think he’s incompetent! And all this was just kinda mentioned once or twice and then dropped! I really get the most out of Halsin’s character by going “I do not see” about his eagerness to get with the MC and then helping him figure out what he wants to do now that the shadow curse has finally ended. Homeboy got done dirty when it comes to his romance, but what can you do? (Edit: spelling error)

[@DM-nw5lu]

I still don't get the Wyll point. Which qualities are we talking about specifically? That are actually more Wyll but get attributed to Astarion?

[@diorsse]

@@DM-nw5lu i think it's how some people say that astarion raised their standards or something, like don't get me wrong i love astarion and i will never not romance him but he's a lot more flawed than what people make him out to be. it's like some people just completely disregard his trauma and backstory in favour of idealizing some "hot vampire twink"

[@DM-nw5lu]

@@diorsseAgain.. what does that have to do with Wyll? Astarion is flawed... as are all of the companions.. even Karlach. But I still do not understand the connection to Wyll.

[@callmeanne1043]

@@DM-nw5lu in my experience, I’ve seen fans sometimes paint early-to-mid game Astarion as a lot more chivalrous than he is in-game: someone that picks the selfless, “good” options readily, who goes out of his way to defend his allies, and ESPECIALLY more prone to open adoration of the MC. A key point of Astarion’s romance is the fact that his relationship with the MC is meant to be manipulative in the beginning, him trying to guarantee his safety in the group and once they reach Baldur’s Gate. However, I have seen many people skip over that aspect in favor of making him seem softer and more romantic than he really is. I remember in the earlier days seeing a LOT of edits of Wyll’s second act romance scene with people’s MC’s dancing with Astarion instead. I think the funniest instance of this happening was a tumblr post where op was talking about their love for incorruptible characters who go through the worst circumstances and still retain their morality in the end. Someone tagged the post as Astarion and op themselves came out and said they were talking about Wyll lmao. It’s a common symptom of fandom woobification for people to take the fan favorite and flatten down their rough edges to just be an uwu smol bean, and I’ll never yuck someone’s yum about it, it’s just equal parts funny and annoying when people sand Astarion down into a traditionally palatable romance when Wyll “I still believe in the fairytales of old” Ravengard is right there

[@faunasvalley]

i agree with almost all but gale deserves so much better! i feel like i could write a 6 page essay on the topic, but i instead will summarize by saying, he was quite literally groomed from a young age because he was "gifted." Said groomer (Mystra), starts by encouraging his magical gifts, and then later starts a romance with this man she's mentored since he was A LITERAL CHILD! i feel like the game definitely should've touched more on this and the amount of trauma he has stemming from it (hence a lot of the undesirable behaviors mentioned i.e., overexplaining, being egotistical about his intelligence, emotional insecurities, etc.) especially going into being able to have him see just how (frankly) evil Mystra is for doing that. he even expressly states he's pretty certain he's not the only person she's done things like this to, and "won't be the last." i think he has so much depth as a character, tim downie did an incredible job voice acting/playing him and it really shows! I think he's absolutely an A tier (i would go S, but i know it's my own implicit bias) and should be treated as such!

[@chameleon25]

I felt the same way about Wyll and it made me really sad. And when you do get his dad in the camp and tell him about Wyll’s sacrifices it happens so quick. Like oh my son’s not the monster I made him out to be? Oops sorry. I would have rather it had a cutscene dedicated to it rather than just a chat in camp. Where Wyll can explain it himself and the Duke has to think about it rather than it being so quick and oh yeah btw go get Ansur under baldurs gate. Also i was told about the dragon by Wyll and later the Duke told me about it in the same manner lol. i expected Wyll to chime in and say we're on it or something but it was like it was the first time i was being told about it.

[@Echo_Luna234]

THANK YOU FOR POSTING!!! MY DAY WAS SHITTY AND THEN YOU POSTED AND NOW IM A LITERALLY TO HAPPY

[@GrimStarling]

I think the one thing everyone in the BG3 fandom can agree on is that Karlach is S-tier and we will do anything for muscle mommy.

[@TortitaEnjoyer]

Imma disagree. Not the biggest fan of goody toe shoe characters. Just personal pref, tho

[@drinksanddice6428]

Wow what an intro. First video and im lovin it

[@lindseyw860]

Holy fuck! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who is creeped out by Halsin!

[@rc4780]

It amazes me the amount of people who just really don't get Halsin and I think a large part of that comes from the player not being able to 'fix' him. Halsin is an older man who knows what he wants, but he's also incredibly respectful of the player and companions. Reminder: YOU have to initiate the romance with him. YOU have to ask about his dating history and if he's single. If you don't do this, you can't romance him, unlike everyone else who you can just by saying 'good morning.' He tells you that you can tell him he's wrong about wanting to pursue a romance with him and he'll stop and won't say anymore about it. He tells you that you have to let your current partner know, and understands if they don't want it and you choose them. He's mortified that he Wild Shapes in front of you because he was too horny for you, and he apologizes profusely. He doesn't manipulate you like Astarion, or use you to fill an ex-shaped hole like Gale. He's incredibly kind, understanding, patient, and loving. But God forbid if an older man should find you attractive. Plus his banter with Shadowheart is S+.

[@Lillyfee1817]

I love you and your videos it’s making me happy every fucking day thank you so mutch ❤

[@ryanbarber6481]

You got a sub instantly from me solely because of the Kaneki poster you got on the wall. Hellll yesssss!

[@ishtamadan9967]

as a 22 year old, i can confirm that i am watching this video from the comfort of my retirement home.

[@dethbyfatgoats7627]

I approve. Also Karlach’s dance while afk is so fantastic

[@sweesbees]

35:08 you're so right. i see some astarion fans describe him as a hero who is burdened by trauma and pain who wants to do the right thing always and is super sweet and at some point i'm just like "wyll. you like wyll." some people just need to admit that to themselves tbh

[@samilles472]

This tier list is S tier.

[@carriegrigsby7756]

Wyll was my first romance in my first play through. His little dance scene is so precious ughhhh

[@ChassitKitty]

There is so much useful information wrapped up in this video, and now I will definitely be buying this game. Thx for the build advice!

[@IcySync]

I don't get why Wyll's preference of waiting to have sex means he'd be boring in bed or that he'd be asexual. Some people just want a strong mental and emotional connection before a physical one. Just because someone isn't outwardly and overtly sexual doesn't mean they don't have those desires at all. I mean, waiting to boink was the norm up until more recently, wasn't It? And It's still the norm in many non-western countries to wait until you better know someone. Plus, he could also just be Demisexual.

[@katecatcheside4186]

SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT ABOUT HALSIN! Yessssssss. You took a hammer and hit that nail right on the head. Karlach and Astarion forever

[@alyxluvss]

no way ur creeped out by halsin and not astarion 💀💀 they’re both around the same age and astarion pesters you more when you say no

[@FaolanHart]

The way you feel about Lae'zel, is the way I feel about Astarian. The way I feel about Lae,zel, is the way you feel about Karlach.

[@elgigantegrande]

I'm so fucking glad to see the sheer RESPECT given to my girl Karlach. She I'd best girl and I will accept no other opinions

[@bernova]

I agree about Karlach,Astarion, and Shadowheart. They're the best! Halsin... I guess I kind of never saw my Tav as an innocent youngling (they were all anything but) and actually like him. I also REALLY love lae'zel. My biggest issues are with the remaining characters. I like Gale as a friend and actually romanced him in my last playthrough because so many people like him, and frankly... I was so incredibly underwhelmed. It doesn't help that he's as needy as my most recent ex XD and,boy,I'm NEVER dating a man like that again, but the way his story unfolded just didn't strike enough of an emotional cord with me. It's resolved in a very underwhelming way too. Maybe there should have been more small transitional scenes inbetween?? And as for Wyll,I really want to like him! He has a great 1st scene,cool backstory,he's handsome, but then... his lenghty monologues really killed me. Someone told me he talks like a pastor and yes,that's exactly it. I just can't cope with that,no matter how cool he 'technically' is. And yeah,it doesn't help that his story is paced in an odd way. As for the people who think Astarion is some kind of sweet vanilla bean XD It's so odd when his appeal is in the fact that he starts out as a chaotic neutral/neutral evil character and can change so significantly.

[@Daelyah]

Astarion comes across as neutral evil, in Act 1. I do wish polycules could be possible to keep to the end of BG3, because I want to have him and Durge with Karlach and Shadowheart (though I get thet SH would either take the longest to warm up to Astarion, or those two just don't hook up while happily sharing Karlach and Durge). I also wish playing wingman were a mechanic in the game, because I'm curious about a Wyll × Gale ship. For what problems I may have with my bros, I still wanna see them happy, too. Laez'el creeps on my Durge, and gets simultaneously annoyed and annoying when I turn her down-but I do want to see her go on her own redemption arc, as Durge, SH and Astarion go on theirs. Halsin's also a bro I allow in camp, and I'm hoping Minthara's eventually recruitable (knocked her out, in the hopes of seeing if it's possible).

[@ConnaKazie.]

Lae'zel at D seems harsh. She starts off as quite a dick as you said, but she becomes so sweet and genuine by the end, her romance story is phenomenal and all she wants is to help her people and free them of their tyrant. I would also argue that the best pure melee subclass is battle master fighter and not beserker, beserker is a close second though. Beserker struggles from doing nothing but hit enemy and take damage. Battle master is capable of tanking damage too with their high AC and they can disarm, trip, riposte and all these utility based things that completely change the tide of the battle. Disarming attack is probably the most OP thing in the game, as you can just pick up the opponents weapon from the ground FOR FREE, meaning they don't have a weapon anymore, any martial person you face, nomoreweapon4u

[@mystic_atlas]

Completely agree with the S tier, they're my beloveds

[@RaptorsVevo]

My party is Karlach, Wyll, and Halsin. They're just the wholesome bunch. They all seem so nice and optimistic

[@Satan_Official]

Not having been loved for centuries, pushing people and emotions away and shutting everyone that could possibly make you happy as a result of that trauma, so that no one can hurt you ever again?!? Yeah, no, can't relate, definitely couldn't be me... It's not like I'd ever give up on love, or empathy, or emotions, or human connections just because the one true love I've ever had stopped loving me. Definitely not something I would do... Can't give up on emotions twice after all.