Baldur’s Gate 3: Why Astarion Isn’t Drinking Your Blood

Baldur’s Gate 3 has one of the most detailed requirements for companion development, especially when it comes to the vampiric high elf rogue, Astarion, drinking the player’s blood. Like the other companions in the game, Astarion is easy to overlook depending on the player’s exploration. He can be located southwest of Roadside Cliffs near the nautiloid ship calling for help, a rogue by trade and a powerful one given his background as a vampire.

However, this tidbit is unknown to the player, given vampires’ habit of bursting into flames when in sunlight. It’s one of the features from other tabletop RPGs Baldur’s Gate 3 emulates. As the player progresses through the game, Astarion naturally gets closer; in this case, it’s literally as he tries to take some blood from the player. However, this moment isn’t triggering for some players.

For Astarion to take some blood, the player needs to raise their approval rating. Like other player choice games like Mass Effect or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate 3 relies on an approval system that goes up or down depending on the player’s choices. However, unlike most player choices games, Baldur’s Gate 3‘s choices can change in how much approval can be given since the game is both in early access and some options are more forgiving than others.

How To Get Astarion To Drink Your Blood In Baldur’s Gate 3

Among Baldur’s Gate 3‘s most important early choices when it comes to a romance or progress as a friend with Astarion, the player must act and adhere to the kind of character he portrays himself. As a rogue, he hides a tragic past under a façade of dark humor and quips. Moreover, he leans more toward the intellectual side in conversation and has an egocentric value system. Essentially, appealing to Astarion’s nature as a trickster and selfish character will bag the most approval points. Once approval is reached, and after a rest, Astarion will be looming over the player, ready to take a bite.

Being in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 will change in the coming years with new content updates from its character customization to the companion approval system. However, the game is already a massive step forward in games of a similar genre. Moreover, while the player’s choices for approval seem to be a work in progress, their outcome and narrative impact make them feel more crucial and organic than most choice-based games. Despite being in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 is set to be one of the most immersive and comprehensive RPGs to date; hopefully, Astarion will be thirstier for the player’s blood when the game fully launches.

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