Baldur’s Gate 3 players debate whether Astarion is “canonically” evil during Act 1
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 fans can’t decide if the Pale Elf was meant to be Neutral-Evil during the adventure through Faerun. Here’s what the BG3 community had to say about Astarion.
Baldur’s Gate 3 uses 5e rules of D&D to build its world, and it heavily relies on its system while presenting most characters’ questlines. While some are more traditionally good-aligned, and others, like Minthara, were initially available only during evil playthroughs, some fan-favorite companions are more difficult to classify.
The debate of whether Astarion is actually evil when he’s first recruited has taken the community by storm. While everybody’s favorite vampire has a redemption arc -depending on the decisions made by the main character-, fans are adamant to explain that he can’t be a “Neutral” character at the beginning.
“He’s evil, at least when you start. I think you can lead him to a more neutral alignment, but he definitely starts as Neutral-Evil,” explained a player in a Reddit post that pointed out that Astarion is in favor of killing the Tieflings in Emerald Grove during Act 1.
Another Baldur’s Gate 3 player described a dialogue that the Pale Elf has with a Durge character, and said that he even agrees with the player if they choose to murder Alfira because they find her “annoying.”
“This is why I put him in timeout at camp for most of the game except for when I need him to lockpick a difficult chest my Tav can’t break. Even after I’ve played through the whole Cazador shenanigan, I still don’t know why people like him so much. His only saving grace for me is the VA, which does an S+ tier job,” read a comment.
Most fans insist that Astarion “gets a lot better” after Act 2, especially if the main character chooses the good-aligned options, and keeps a good relationship with him. “His arc starts to ramp up with his interactions with Raphael, Yurgir, and Araj. Not to mention, he has a lot to say about the whole Shadowfell and Moonrise situation,” noted a player.
And that’s why players believe Astarion isn’t “Neutral” but actually has an evil alignment in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you want to know more about Larian Studios, check which NPCs players feel would work best as companions and what is the hidden identity of the Iron Throne’s saboteur.