Baldur's Gate 3 Gives Ascended Astarion a Bleak Future

2 days ago 3

Astarion Steam Trading Card art from Baldur's Gate 3

Published May 23, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Melissa Sarnowski is a Gaming Writer at DualShockers who has been covering games professionally since 2022. She specializes in lists, reviews, and features, with additional experience writing guides for Hardcore Gamer.

Before joining DualShockers, Melissa contributed to Screen Rant, and she currently writes for CBR and Hardcore Gamer in addition to DualShockers. Her work focuses heavily on RPGs, horror games, MMOs, indie games, and simulation games, with recurring coverage of franchises such as Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, The Legend of Zelda, and The Sims. She holds a Bachelor of Science in English from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Baldur's Gate 3 gives you a number of choices to make throughout all three acts, but it doesn't tell you what the consequences of each choice will be. In some cases, you can make an educated guess as to how a decision will play out. As an example, helping Shadowheart in the Nautiloid is a choice that you can assume will lead to her liking you more from the beginning, because she even admits that you could've just left her in the pod.

10 Reasons Baldur’s Gate 3 Still Feels Like the New Standard for Modern RPGs

Baldur's Gate 3 launched back in 2023, but it set a standard for modern RPGs that no other company has come close to matching, even years later.

It's the big decisions that come with the uncertainty that you might be about to ruin your favorite character's life forever. However, BG3 is also designed in a way where what you might think is the best choice for that character turns out to be the worst option.

Letting Astarion Ascend Allegedly Gives Him His Life Back

Assuming you aren't going to let Astarion die or hand him over to Cazador, he has two possible outcomes for his life after the Brain issue is over. You can let him take Cazador's place in the Ascension Ritual, which lets him become a much stronger vampire instead of a vampire spawn. Alternatively, you can prevent Astarion from ascending by talking him out of it or making it so that the ritual can't be completed. The easiest option is just to kill one of the other vampire spawn during the fight with Cazador.

Baldur's Gate 3: 10 Ways to Make Your Next Playthrough Different

Baldur's Gate 3 is a massive game with endless replayability. But how can you make each playthrough feel unique?

Astarion makes a strong case for why you should let him ascend, and I would've let him do it in my first run if I hadn't accidentally killed one of the other spawn during the fight, making it no longer an option. If he ascends, then he believes that he wouldn't be forced to live in the dark like he does as a spawn, and that he would get his life back as much as he could in his circumstances.

Astarion is Happier Staying as a Spawn

Astarion speaking down to Cazador in Baldur's Gate 3.

This wasn't necessarily the case when BG3 was first released, but the epilogue that was added later gave you new insight into how each character's life goes after the final fight. While Ascended Astarion seems to be doing well, his dialog reveals that he's actually quite lonely with his new power, and that the people around him aren't there because of who he is but because of the power he now has.

Meanwhile, Astarion as a vampire spawn is surprisingly peppy during the epilogue. I was so relieved about this because accidentally ruining the ritual turned out to be the best outcome for Astarion. He's a bit sad about the normal rules of vampire spawns applying to him again, and he'll miss his time in the sunlight, but he's genuinely happy that he's found a purpose in society through killing criminals. This helps the city, and it lets him have a source of blood that nobody's upset about.

While Ascended Astarion seems to be doing well, his dialog reveals that he's actually quite lonely with his new power.

It's adorable how giddy Astarion is while telling you about this new path for him in life after the Brain. I'm sure that the team at Larian did this on purpose, because there are repeated themes throughout the game regarding the dangers of seeking power. You can look at Gale to see how well trying to become a god went for him, and it makes perfect sense that the best choice for characters in Baldur's Gate 3 is often the one that favors giving up potential power.