Baldur’s Gate 3 Astarion companion – recruit location and best BG3 build

Want to know every detail about Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3? This vampire spawn who is a High Elf Rogue is an interesting addition to the game. While he’s great at stealth and sneak attacks, you might find yourself drawn to his dark past.

While other Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses might be better at direct combat, Astarion can even learn a spell or two with the right subclass. Read on to know more about one of the more memorable Baldur’s Gate 3 companions. Here’s a Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue build that would fit Astarion’s stealthy tactics across its Acts. D&D’s strategic combat backed up by Larian Studios’ gorgeous visuals and storylines makes for quite the combination. Now that the game is on Xbox, find Astarion right away.

Where to recruit Astarion in BG3

Astarian is an elf rogue and also a vampire spawn who hails from Baldur’s Gate. He’ll be calling for aid in the Ravaged Beach but beware, it’s a trap. Astarion is one of the earliest companions you’ll encounter, appearing just after the Nautiloid ship crashes in the tutorial. To find him, head through the wreckage of the crash site, up towards the back end of the ship.

You’ll find a chamber with a dying Mind Flayer inside, whether or not you choose to interact here is up to you. Take the left exit out from this chamber. On the map, this will appear as a circular ring road, half in the ship, half outside of it. You’ll find Astarion just up ahead on this road, where he’ll either ambush you or confront you depending on your success in passing a perception check.

He values deception and narcissism so he won’t hesitate to prioritise himself or the party over other people. Remember that these choices will be at direct odds with kind companions like Gale and Wyll. You’ll uncover more of his story in Act 1 when you meet a monster hunter at the Sunlit Wetlands. He’ll be on the hunt for a vampire spawn. Astarion’s odd behaviour is when his facade begins to wear off.

Astarion’s background and BG3 inspiration

Inspiration points let you reroll dice rolls at important moments. You gain these by performing actions that correspond to a character’s background. As a Charlatan, Astarion can gain Inspiration by doing the following:

• Very Important Parasite – Deceive any of the guards in the goblin camp
• Cheese Your Way Through – Talk your way past the bandits and enter the chapel
• Merciless – Manipulate the Flind into eating itself
• Silver Blades, Silver Tongue – Convince Kith’rak Voss to leave without violence
• Spiked – Poison the beer in the Goblin Camp

Acts of greed and profiting from manipulation and the suffering of others are a surefire way to inspire Astarion. Leaning into this might lower the approval of other characters but it’ll certainly keep the coffers full. Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 backgrounds guide for a more comprehensive list. In short, selfish actions are a good way to win Astarion some Inspiration points.

Astarion’s starting skills, proficiencies, and attributes

Astarion will possess a Shortbow, a Dagger, Padded Armour, and Leather Boots when he joins your party. He has a rather balanced set of skills and attributes, except for a rather low Strength. While he has proficiency in Persuasion and Deception, his low Charisma makes it a bad idea to use those skills. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a higher Charisma stat. But his Dexterity makes him a solid stealth option, with a high Armour class bonus and proficiency in Stealth and Sleight of Hand.

Skills

Here are Astarion’s skills:

• Acrobatics
• Deception
• History
• Perception
• Persuasion
• Sleight of Hand
• Stealth

Features

As a High Elf, Astarion has the following features:

• Base Racial Speed – You can move 9m per turn.
• Elven Weapon Training – You have Proficiency with the Longsword, Shortsword, Shortbow, and Longbow.
• Darkvision – Can see in the dark up to 12m.
• Fey Ancestry – You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
• Cantrip – Pick from Acid Splash, Bone Chill, Fire Bolt, Poison Spray, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp, Blade Ward, Friends, Dancing Lights, Light, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, and True Strike.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Here are the Weapon and Armour Proficiencies of Astarion in BG3:

• Simple Weapons
• Hand Crossbows
• Longswords
• Rapiers
• Shortswords
• Longbows
• Shortbows
• Light Armour

Ability Scores

And here are Astarion’s ability scores:

• Strength (Str): 8
• Dexterity (Dex): 17
• Constitution (Con): 14
• Intelligence (Int): 13
• Wisdom (Wis): 13
• Charisma (Cha): 10

Best Astarion equipment in Baldur’s Gate 3

Here are some equipment we recommend for Astarion in BG3:

• Shadow of Menzoberranzan – Gives Shrouded in Shadow
• Drow Studded Leather Armour – Stealth +1
• Gloves of Archery – You gain Proficiency with longbows and shortbows. In addition, your ranged weapon attacks deal an additional 2 damage.
• Disintegrating Night Walkers – Can’t be Enwebbed, Entangled, or Ensnared and can’t slip on grease or ice. Grants Misty Step.
• The Joltshooter – When the wielder deals damage using this weapon, they gain 2 Lightning Charges.

Astarion BG3 companion quest guide

His quest is called The Pale Elf. You don’t have to go out of your way to complete this quest. Over time, you will learn that Astarion is a vampire fleeing from a vampire lord named Cazador Szarr. Astarion will try to bite you at the camp and that’s when you’ll learn more about his past.

Meeting the monster hunter Gandrel is also a loaded encounter. The wrong choice could lead to Astarion’s death. You need to kill Gandrel as Astarion believes his master sent the monster hunter. This is when the Elf reveals that Cazador carved poetry onto his back written in the Infernal language. Astarion is worried that he might not be able to refuse his master if they cross paths again. That’s about it for Act 1. The next Act will let you learn more about Cazador and how to defeat him.

Best BG3 Astarion build

Level 1-4

Rogues start off with Sneak Attacks. And Astarion has a special Vampire Bite action that deals damage and heals you in the process. But the next essential part of their kit unlocks once you level up. At level 2, Astarion gains access to Cunning Actions. This includes a modified Dash action that can be used to swiftly enter combat or cover large distances. You also get Cunning Action Hide and Cunning Action Disengage. These pair well with the Rogue’s stealth attacks.

As a Rogue, Astarion can pick between the Arcane Trickster, Assassin, and Thief subclasses on reaching level 3. I’d pick the Assassin as the best subclass since you get to deal bonus damage on the first turn and deal critical hits to surprised enemies. But the Thief might make more sense for players who prefer stealth. This subclass also provides Fast Hands, an extra bonus action, and Second-Story Work, a trait that reduces falling damage. His low Intelligence stat means that he won’t be great at spells, making an Arcane Trickster a tough horse to bet on. As a Thief, Astarion can use Fast Hands to gain a bonus action. This lets him attack twice with his offhand weapon, making for a total of three attacks. This boosts his attack power and his survivability in combat.

✓ Antony’s annotation

Uncanny Dodge lets Rogues survive tough encounters

Astarion gains the Uncanny Dodge ability at level 5. This helps him tackle boss fights and other encounters.

Reaching level 4 lets you pick from Baldur’s Gate 3 feats. Dual Wielder lets Astarion use two rapiers or shortswords. It’s a solid pick if you want to go on the offensive. Rember to hide between rounds to use sneak attacks. These devastating attacks require you to have an advantage over an enemy to use. High ground and darkness help with this.

Level 5-8

Level 5 is when Astarion can handle bigger threats. This is thanks to the Uncanny Dodge ability. This reduces incoming damage in half. And Level 6 lets you add expertise to two skills. While Stealth and Sleight of Hand are good picks for combat, you could try to account for Astarion’s weaknesses. Deception and Acrobatics are good options to make up for his low Charisma and Strength. And at level 7, Rogues get access to Evasion. This ability lets you dodge spells entirely if you succeed a Dexterity Saving Throw.

Level 8 lets you pick yet another feat. Ability Improvement is a good way to improve Astarion’s solid Dexterity. Or you could opt for the Sharpshooter feat that increases your ranged attack damage at the cost of accuracy.

Level 9-12

Level 9 grants Astarion Supreme Sneak. This lets you turn Invisible once every short rest. While it does cost an action, you can activate it before battles too. And Level 10 gives you access to a third feat. Next, level 11 gives you Reliable Talent. Basically, when you make an Ability Check with a Skill you are Proficient with it, the lowest result you can roll on the die is 10.

Level 12, Baldur’s Gate 3 max level, lets you pick one final feat. If you’ve already picked Sharpshooter or Dual Wielder, consider Lucky or another +2 to Dexterity. Lucky gives you 3 Luck Points to gain an advantage on Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, or Saving Throws.

How to romance Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3

You can romance Astarion after the refugee celebration. Remember to have won his approval by picking choices that cater to his brand of sly deception. You’ll have a dialogue sequence with Astarion that you’ll have to go through without contradicting him. Our Baldur’s Gate 3 romance guide explores this even further. Here are the choices you will need to make to romance Astarion:

• Really? Saving lives is awful?
• True, the goblins would have thrown a wilder party.
• And what’s your idea of ‘a little fun’?
• All right, let’s do it. I’ll see you later.

Is it worth keeping Astarion in your party

If you can work with his narcissistic demeanor, he’s a solid pick as a stealthy ally. Astarion also has one of the more interesting character arcs, complete with a heartbreaking companion quest. Baldur’s Gate 3 companions like Astarion augment your party with unique abilities that help you both in combat and in dialogue. This opens up your party to feature a wide variety of companions.

All Astarion endings in Baldur’s Gate 3 explained

These endings contain spoilers so skip this section if you want to go in without knowing how things will pan out for our favorite vampire spawn. Here are all the Astarion endings in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• You can refuse to help Astarion fight Cazadar. He will plead for your assistance once more but you can choose to stay out of it once more. An enraged Astarion then brutally murders Cazador and breaks down into tears. He will then destroy his former owner’s staff and leave your party. The vampire spawns formerly in Cazador’s control will be left in their cages. Their fate is left to Ulma, a leader of the Gur tribe.
• You can convince Astarion to not undergo the Ascension ritual. You can do this by mentioning that the ritual will consume him or kill all the spawns. A Persuasion or Insight check will let you clear this with a lower DC check. He still murders Cazador this time but stays in your party. You will then have to pick between two choices. You can kill all the vampire spawns, making your companions and Astarion’s siblings unhappy. Astarion does the killing himself. Or you can release them and the vampire spawn will head to the Underdark. Ulma will be unhappy.
• You can help Astarion perform the Ascension ritual. He will then gain the Vampire Ascendant feature that lets him cast Gaseous Form. He also gets Ascendant Bite, a 1d10 Necrotic damage bonus to attack rolls. Note that all your other party members will dislike this, lowering their approval ratings. And this kills all the vampire spawns. You also have to battle Ulma and her tribe.

That covers everything you need to know about Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3. Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 abilities guide to learn how your companions can give you an edge against the Forgotten Realms and its dice rolls. Here are some Baldur’s Gate 3 cheats to tinker with the game’s underlying systems. A safer bet would be our best Baldur’s Gate 3 mods list.

BG3 Astarion companion FAQs

How to make Astarion like you?

Support Astarion in the dialogue with the team after the bite in the Camp. Tell him he can feed on enemies.

Can Astarion turn you into a vampire?

Astarion isn’t a vampire, he is a vampire spawn, so no.