Astarion
Baldur's Gate character
Astarion, as he appears in the promotional material for Baldur's Gate 3 (2023)
First appearanceBaldur's Gate 3 (2023)
Voiced byNeil Newbon
In-universe information
RaceHigh Elf
ClassRogue

Astarion Ancunín is a fictional character from Larian Studios Baldur's Gate video game series, which is based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing system of Dungeons & Dragons. Making his first appearance in 2023's Baldur's Gate 3, Astarion is available as a major playable character, either as the primary protagonist, or as a recruitable party member and is a rogue, specializing in stealth, lockpicking and sneak attacks. In the game, Astarion is kidnapped alongside several other party members and infected with a Illithid parasite and must search for a way to cure himself. Early in the story, he is revealed to be a vampire spawn, and his personal quest focuses on evading and hunting down his former master Cazador.

Reception to Astarion has been universally positive. When he was initially encountered during Baldur's Gate 3's early access period, he quickly became a fan-favorite character and his prominence on the game's box art and his role in subsequent trailers and marketing was greatly increased. He also earned critical praise for his dry, sassy characterization, his intriguing backstory, and sex appeal. Astarion is voiced by English actor Neil Newbon, who has also received praise, winning several awards for his performance, including the 2023 Golden Joystick Award for Best Supporting Performer, and Best Performance at the 2023 Game Awards.

Creation and development

Neil Newbon, who provided the voice and motion capture for Astarion, received critical acclaim and several awards for his performance.

Astarion was created by and primarily written by Baldurs Gate 3 senior writer Stephen Rooney. He is voiced and motion captured by English actor Neil Newbon. Discussing his process for bringing the character to life, Newbon stated that he was heavily influenced by commedia dell’arte, a comedic style of Italian theatre, and their inclusion of an amoral jester known as Arlecchino. Astarion's mannerisms were adapted from several of Newbon's friends and by several creative individuals, namely makeup artist Leendert Van Nimwegen, actor Giles Foreman, and cabaret performer Reuben Kaye. Newbon stated that he developed some of the vampiric aspects of Astarion's character from a local stray cat, explaining that “the way the cat moves, or the way the cat looks at you. The way the cat will allow you to come closer and then rip your hand off when it’s bored ‘cause that’s enough. ‘That’s enough, now. No touching now, darling.’ You know, things like that.”[1]

Newbon acknowledged the importance of the character, stating that “One thing I wanted to say is that this character has meant the world to me. He is a survivor, he has gone through trauma. People have come up to me and said that they've felt inspired to deal with their own trauma. As a survivor myself, I understand when they talk to me about it - what they mean. That they feel seen by the game, they feel understood by the characters. That is a testament to this amazing, beautiful masterpiece that Larian, Swen, the writing team have all put together and created.”[2]

Discussing what it was like to play Astarion, Newbon explained that “They let me explore the heavier stuff and take it in an interesting direction. On one level you have this sort of feckless, decadent, hedonistic vampire who is almost a caricature. But the fact that’s just a cover, that this is a façade that he’s wearing to defend, protect himself against the fact that he’s deeply traumatised, is in a lot of pain, and has now tasted freedom for the first time and is taking his shot to do everything he can. Even if this means manipulating everybody around him or destroying everything around him and that he touches to be free, is a very fascinating character to play.” He also praised the character's pansexuality, and discussed how an intimacy coordinator was available for all of the performers to help them bring the game's sex scenes to life.[3]

Portraying the struggles of Astarion as a survivor of trauma and abuse was a difficult balance for Newbon, who admitted that “there [was] a lot of stuff that came very close to home” and that he had to take care to separate the aspects of his own life that he was bringing to the character to the truth of the actual character in the script, and reflected upon the care he and the developers took with his storyline, explaining “it's not a gimmick. He's not [traumatised] because it's 'just another idea for a character story' … this was a very fleshed out, deep, layered observation of a character in trouble and jeopardy, having gone through trauma—and then what they do to get out of that, and what they can do with their newfound sense of freedom, and what that means to them.”[4]

Personality

Astarion has the "Charlatan" background, meaning players can gain his approval through manipulation and intimidation. He enjoys displays of power and cruelty, and appreciates snarkiness and mocking. He is inspired when the player gains access to areas/information by deceiving others. He also approves when the player makes choices that support independence and autonomy, and when the player helps certain characters in need. Astarion dislikes displays of weakness and does not like acts of kindness or charity that offer no reward. He disapproves when the player tries to rein him in or restrict him in some way.

Astarion has the demeanour of a charming and confident nobleman with a biting wit, and enjoys making sarcastic remarks and japes at other people's expense, all the while acting smug and haughty. His decades of being a vampire have left him with a lack of moral scruples compared to several of the game's other party members, though he does have certain lines he'd prefer not to cross, such as the killing of innocents. At the beginning of the game's story, Astarion has recently escaped his abusive master Cazador and discovered that sunlight no longer hurts him. As such, he comes off as reckless and hedonistic at times, wishing to enjoy his newfound freedom as much as possible however, once it is revealed that his newfound immunity is due to the Mindflater tadpole, he becomes much more resistant to destroying it and instead suggests finding a way to weild their power instead. Astarion's extraverted demeanour belies the trauma of decades of abuse. Astarion's sire, the vampire lord Cazador, performed horrifically depraved acts on Astarion that left both physical and psychological scars and he is utterly ruthless in his pursuit of revenge on Cazador and is not afraid to commit acts of cruelty or deception in the pursuit of his goal. Whether Astarion ultimately becomes a better person, or if he becomes just as monstrous as his former master, is down to the player's actions.

Gameplay

As a rogue, Astarion wears light armor and is proficient with several bladed weapons, including daggers, rapiers and longswords, as well as longbows and crossbows. Astarion is skilled in acrobatics, deception, perception, performance, persuasion, sleight of hand, and stealth, making him well-suited to several tasks, including picking locks and disarming traps, which are invaluable early on in the game if the player has not also created a rogue character. As a High Elf, he naturally has the ability to cast a Fire Bolt but does not have any other magical abilities. As a vampire spawn, Astarion has a unique Vampire Bite ability which drains an enemy of some of their health and transfers it to Astarion, though this ability is not unlocked until the player finds out that Astarion is a vampire during the story. Depending on the outcome of his personal quest, he may gain an upgraded version of this ability, known as Ascendant Bite, and the power to transform into a cloud of mist.

Appearances

Baldur's Gate 3

Astarion is a High Elf rogue.

Other media

Outside of video games, the character was included on cards for Magic: the Gathering's "Commander Legends: The Battle For Baldur's Gate" set, appearing on both a regular and a special "showcase" card.[5]

Reception

When Baldur's Gate 3 was released, Astarion instantly became a fan-favorite character, with NBC News reporting that videos featuring him had received over half a billion views on TikTok, with fans citing his heartthrob features, sassy quips and enjoyable romance arc as some of their primary reasons for their enjoyment of the character. Additionally, other players stated that they identified with his story as a survivor of trauma and abuse, and considered him a comfort character for those with similar experiences. Discussing reaction to the character, Neil Newbon, Astarion's voice actor, noted “it is incredibly touching to have people come up to me and say, ‘Astarion’s story made me feel seen,’ and that I was not prepared for — that was something, which was amazing and wild and beautiful.”[6]

Astarion is highly regarded among the other party members in Baldur's Gate 3, ranking highly on numerous best character lists. Jessica Fillby of Dexerto placed him in S-tier alongside Karlach and Shadowheart, stating: “it’s hard to resist Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, whether that’s the vampiric charm or the pure charisma he holds. Either way, Astarion is funny, extremely flirtatious, and the right amount of trouble to get any D&D player interested.”[7] Writing for Den of Geek, Matthew Byrd ranked Astarion as the game's fourth best companion, explaining that “Astarion’s story is not only compelling, but it’s one of the few companion stories that are interesting right out of the gate rather than after you’ve invested considerable time into getting to know a character. Astarion’s story is never quite what you think it’s going to be, and I mean that in the best way possible.”[8] Katelyn Mitchell Jewett of GamesRadar+ declared Astarion one of the game's best companions, citing his complex and compelling story, his usefulness as a party member, his romance plotline, and his unique take on the central conflict.”[9] Writing for the same publication, Carrie Talbot praised the characterization of Astarion, and the writing and performance of Rooney and Newbon, for revolutionizing the morality system in roleplaying games.[10]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2023 Golden Joystick Awards Best Supporting Performer Baldur's Gate 3 Won [11]
The Game Awards Best Performance Won [12]
2024 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Character Pending [13]
British Academy Games Awards Performer in a Leading Role Longlisted [14]

References

  1. ↑ Cripe, Michael (October 17, 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion Reveals the Inspiration for His Character [Exclusive]". The Escapist. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ Bellingham, Hope (November 13, 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion actor was "very close to quitting" acting before landing a role in the RPG". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ King, Jade (November 1, 2023). "Neil Newbon On Becoming Astarion In Baldur's Gate 3". The Gamer. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Randall, Harvey (August 17, 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion, Neil Newbon, on acting the truth of trauma as a survivor: 'There's a lot of stuff that came very close to home'". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate Variant Card Image Gallery". Wizards of the Coast. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  6. ↑ Rosenblatt, Kalhan (October 24, 2023). "A 200-year-old sassy vampire from the video game Baldur's Gate 3 is the internet's new boyfriend". NBC News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ Fillby, Jessica (December 22, 2023). "Best Baldur's Gate 3 Companions tier list: Astarion, Shadowheart, Halsin & more". Dexerto. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bryd, Matthew (August 18, 2023). "Best Baldur's Gate 3 Companions: Every Companion Ranked Worst to Best". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ Mitchell Jewett, Katelyn (September 5, 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3: Why Astarion is One of the Best Companions". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ Talbot, Carrie (October 18, 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3 knocked my RPG halo off, and it's all Astarion's fault". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ Gardner, Matt (November 11, 2023). "2023 Golden Joystick Awards: 'Baldur's Gate 3' Wins GOTY, 6 More". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Best Performance". The Game Awards. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "The 60 Best Video Games of 2023". BAFTA. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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