Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Let Astarion Bite You & Drink Your Blood In BG3? (2024)

Astarion's nature as a vampire spawn makes him one of the most interesting Baldur's Gate 3 companions, but it also leads to a difficult choice when he asks to drink the protagonist's blood. No matter how fascinating this high elf rogue can be, turning over one's blood to a third party is never a comfortable prospect. This choice can have both upsides and downsides in Baldur's Gate 3, and it's best to have a thorough understanding of both of these possibilities before making a final decision.

Astarion's attempt to bite the Baldur's Gate 3 protagonist can come as something of a shock, occurring in camp after a long rest early in the campaign. This may not happen at the exact same point in every playthrough, but encountering the exsanguinated boar in Act 1 is necessary to trigger the event. Astarion shows his capacity for aggression in the first encounter with the main character, drawing a blade and even putting it to the throat if the protagonist antagonizes him slightly, but the story event surrounding the bite still marks a major escalation from this incident.

Astarion's Bite In BG3 Carries A Risk Of Death

Unfortunately, there's no completely safe way to accept Astarion's bite in Baldur's Gate 3. Astarion will attempt to drink more blood after taking a sip, and his success at this action can spell the protagonist's doom. Dice rolls are in place to save from the deadly outcome, but failing these rolls makes matters go south very quickly. The death of the protagonist at Astarion's hands won't immediately end the game, instead forcing the player to control the other characters in the party with the ability to bring back the main hero with revivify.

Accepting Astarion's Bite Has Baldur's Gate 3 Advantages

The biggest reason to accept the risk of Astarion's bite in Baldur's Gate 3 is to improve the protagonist's favor with the high elf rogue. Refusing the bite won't spell disaster for an Astarion romance in Baldur's Gate 3, providing only a minor setback, but accepting it is a good way to advance a bond. If Astarion's charms are proving irresistible either as a beau or simply a friend, letting him sink his teeth could be well worth the risk that it brings to the table.

The physical effects of the bite are more minor. Although Astarion can unlock the Vampire Bite ability through this instance, he'll end up with it whether the protagonist accepts his bite or not, so this isn't relevant as a deciding factor. Astarion will gain the temporary Happy buff after sucking blood, while the protagonist will be temporarily afflicted with the Bloodless condition. This gives Astarion a +1 on rolls for the next adventuring day, while Bloodless inflicts a -1 for the same duration. If the trade-off doesn't seem beneficial, taking another long rest will reset things to normal.

Astarion's bite won't turn characters into a vampire, so the only major effects to worry about are the choice's influence on relationships and the minor risk of death that it incurs. Even for those who aren't romancing Astarion, cultivating his favor can make it easier to influence him when his personal story arc eventually comes to a climax in Act 3, although it's possible to curate a positive opinion even after burning this particular bridge. As long as players are comfortable with a little risk, however, accepting Astarion's bite in Baldur's Gate 3 has more benefits than it does drawbacks.

Baldur's Gate 3

Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence