@@kapitainein Minthara is a true sapiosexual. She loves you for your mind, and once you get the highly advanced mind of an illithid, she loves you even more for it lol
The dialogue is really clever actually. Amazing writing. His "gratitude" for being able to ascend thanks to you really drives home the player choice. You did the evil, he became fully evil, don't be surprised he's evil to you too. Neil giving an amazing performance. As usual, still you can't praise him enough lol
@@yuripiIIedhe is a vampire...or Vampire Spawn. His soul is pretty much the same. In the game he wants you to have power...he wants you to take over the cult. I see no difference in his motivations as the Vampire Ascended.
I killed one full vampire when I wasn’t Illithid, and that vampire had hundreds of years to perfect his powers, imagine how quickly I could kill a newly Ascended Vampire. Asterion would be dead from the sheer disrespect. I can understand not wanting to be partners anymore, but the complete audacity he displays here would 10000% make me kill him.
In the same aspects, Cazador did not have the luxury of knowing what he was up against. Astarion however, he knows exactly what you're capable of. He's even shared minds with you multiple times throughout your journey together. Knows how you fight, what you hold true and dear, knows what angers and elates you. He knows that he may need a different approach against you.
fair. However, so would I, and if I ever did a run where he'd become ascended, just know that that would be my Dark urge run with Slayer form, Volo eye, Displacer beast form, as well as all of my new illithid powers. I'd drive him back to the shadows and be sure to kill any spawn he seems willing to create, especially any he gains any sliver of affection towards. As a matter of fact, I would do everything in my power to hurt him worse than anything Cazador ever did to him for hurting me after everything I did for him. Might even let him build a new relationship just to rip them apart right in front of him. But...that wouldn't happen since I would never ascend him unless pure Dark Urge :p@@Polomance862
@@Polomance862the Tav know him too,even he if ascension change him in a way the Tav can’t fully understand either do the ceramophosis,just like the game mention the ilithit reason following multiple contemporary paths, even ascended,a vampire is subject to linear thinking.
this is why i'm only letting astarion ascend on my evil durge route. can't think of anything more evil than to give him a taste of freedom and then rip it away.
As a spawn, he still rejects you but he is *much* nicer about it. Going on how you two can be friends and he just can’t get it past it for now at least
I believe he rejects the player because they remind him of himself at his worst (At least, that's what he claims), either that or he's really superficial which isn't exactly strange or unexpected from Astarion. A man who whores himself out to you because you're strong, goes to confront Cazador with the intention of ascending himself, and hooks up with Laezel who's probably the second strongest person residing in the camp to keep his cute tush well protected by someone who'd step in front of a bus for him. I love this character, a true Rogue, chaotic neutral, and can go either (Or any) way.
I think the only person that does not mention for a single moment that you turned is Gale. He asks you to marry him regardless if you turn or not. Thats probably because he is not really keen to have kids and he has a thing for other worldy creatures XD
@@oszaszi Fair enough lol, I used to skip her a lot. Although, I do generally recruit her on both evil and good runs nowadays, because she comes with 5 tadpole powers pre-unlocked and the completely OP bonus action "soul-branding" at no cost.
And that's when you learn what ascended brain tastes like. I *fucking made you*, Astarion. Oh look, all of your gear belongs to someone else now. Now go stand in that patch of fire until you have 1hp left, I'll be right with you.
That's when you learn from the narrator that he really is just a smooth brain himbo eheh He's still gonna rule over the Gate though😌💃 so I'm wondering how dumber everyone else's his ahah maybe his manipulation game just gets invincible with all that new acquired power 💅
@@akaededeval374Eh even if he is an Ascendant Vampire literally random adventuring party go beat Tiamat ass all the time. Give it a few years and he will get slay by randos in the D&D world.
@@maddie4834 Yeah, I really hate that no matter what you do, no matter your choices, you can't avoid someone turning. It's utter BS and I wish someone would make a mod so you don't have to. I know you can just take the easy way out and have Orpheus do it, but that's not the best outcome, either.
This is my complaint entirely. I'm on my first playthrough and I want to save everyone cuz carlock is like a big sister to my tav whose romancing Astarion. So no Helen Way is she taking the squid powers Plus she's not quite that selfless despite her good lean. She'd rather sacrifice Orpheus though she would be extremely torn about it because of lazelle and her people but out of the terrible choices all around that she is provided with considering that the emperor would eat orpheus's brain anyway it's either give the emperor or the stones or have Orpheus change for me because I am not letting Gail blow himself up. My Tav would have been butter to Gale after he grew on me , I hated him at first , But Astarian got to her first with that rogueish charm
Exactly. I let him ascend once and was so disgusted by his behavior that I sat in front of my computer, seething, playing along his stupid game, let him turn me so I could gain immortality and then I CRUSHED him at the end, dominating the brain. I had a hard time during this one particular evil Durge playthrough, and the only thing I really enjoyed was fooling Astarion into letting him think I would be his obedient consort after discovering how much of an asshole he turns into after Ascension and then stomping on him at the very end. "What in the hells are you DOING!?" Being salty, my love. Being salty.
Oh my God......that is THE worst blow to the heart I've had from this game. He'll remember the hero you WERE?! He's giving you A CHANCE TO BE USEFUL?! Once someone he loved, now just a *SLIMY, GROTESQUE, FREAK?!?!* And the worst part? He "owes it to you" for "making him perfect". Losing himself completely......turning into the monster he loathed all his life.......everything he has become.........is YOUR FAULT. Excuse me while I sweep up the pieces of my shattered heart.....
Thank you for having bigger text saying what you chose to say. As someone who watches a lot of TH-cam on my phone, I always struggle when watching a BG3 video. Its appreciated.
The more I watch of Ascended Astarion the more I want to Divine Smite him, but no ordinary smite, a smite that could shatter a god's body, straight to Toril's core.
Astarion has some flaws and superficiality really is one of them. I read somewhere that Astarion doesn't care about looks, but I think that's not true. A lot of his compliments revolve around physical beauty, he takes great pride in his own beauty, he tried to focus on beautiful victims at the beginning, until he didn't care anymore. It's not just ascended Astarion, this version is just worse, since Ascension amplifies all of his bad characteristics. But in a way he was always superficial. At least spawn Astarion tries to deal with mindflayer Tav, since his love is not suffocated by arrogance and narcissism. But even then he is repulsed by the fact that Tav is not "beautiful" anymore.
I think its a bit unfair to call Spawn Ast superficial for not being immediately super sexually attracted to a tentacle monster 😭 half-orcs and a lot of Gith face options aren't exactly the prettiest flowers in the yard either but he falls in love with them all the same and will tell them he's deeply attracted to them. At least he still loves Tav as a person enough to try and doesn't immediately drop them like Ascended Ast. Frankly, it's only realistic to be a bit tentative about it, it would be a huge adjustment for anyone, let alone someone with as much baggage as he has around intimacy. Anyone who claims it wouldn't give them pause at all if their partner were to transform into a completely inhuman-looking tentacle creature is liar, i'm so sorry.
@@primrosett Even spawn Astarion focuses on physical beauty a lot. That doesn't mean he's focusing on what we as players might find beautiful, but it doesn't matter if he's a spawn or the Vampire Ascended - his compliments revolve a lot around beauty and physical attractiveness and it's also one of the things his self-perception focuses on. I find him quite superficial to be honest, ascended or not. Yes, of course he can be sweet and loving and caring, but it doesn't change the fact that physical beauty means a great deal to him. It fits his rather decadent character. He's not just a cuddly, misunderstood little puppy, he has his flaws, too.
As I said elsewhere, it's not fair to criticise Astarion for breaking up with illithid Tav, because illithids are not the person they emerge from; they're wholly new beings, even if they may inherit the memories of the one they emerged from. Iirc illithid Tav even gets a line that says they "feel who they were slowly slipping away". So illithid Tav is no longer the Tav Astarion loved.
And there’s nothing wrong with having preferences. Stop making it seem like it’s a bad thing, or superficial when it’s perfectly natural, animalistic even. Moreover, he can love anyone of any race, except Ilithids and sorry to say, but I do get it. I’d be unable to desire, and especially fully trust such a creature, regardless of who they were before. Most people in DnD hate and fear Ilithids. Tentacle monsters are a kink, not everyone can deal with that. Also, have you considered that it is a phobia, a fear from his own painful and horrific transformation? Remember how he reacts if you offer him the Alpha tadpole.
This only confirms me. I never became a Mindflayer and now i never will. I never let Astarion ascend and now i never will. It feels like he loses all of his remaining humanity
Yep-I did it once for the romance scene, but I couldn't stand what he turned into as the Ascendant (I'm spawn Astarion all the way). Anyhow, all the information from the dungeon like Vellioth's skull tells the player that Astarion will end up being Cazador 2.0 and turn into his worst self if you help him ascend. I don't know how Larian could've created bigger warning signs about what kind of person Astarion will turn into if he ascends, heh.
@@AtreiyaN7 yeah, i could really imagine my character having a bright moment, thinking it could be her in the cell instead of Sebastian. So she talked Astarion out of ascension in the end. The grave date is so rewarding. The first time he said he loved her, i was like “WTF? I think i just broke Astarion.”. :D I just wish we could find a day walker ring for him or something. He would have earned it as a reward for breaking the circle of 200 years abuse
@@MoonsongReverb Yeah, it would be nice. On the plus side, he's happy at the Patch 5 reunion party no matter what you choose (I did the freed spawn ending + Underdark).
I made sure each time a Cazador option appeared I would use it against him. 😂 I did Both a play through ascending him, one with break up and the other being us together through the epilogue.
Quite hypocritical given that both lost their souls for the sake of becoming more powerful and would both be classified as monsters, but what else was there to be expected of Ascended Astarion.
Holy shit that's brutal. I'm very surprised that Astarion haters never bring it up during discussions. I've seen so many posts both on twitter and reddit but this is never mentioned for some reason.
Boy was a small sliver away from straight up getting murked after the denounciation of even being friends, and that final line would absolutely guarantee Astarion's death if the option was there if we were allowed it. I am so never going to ascend Astarion if this is how he'd treat anybody with that background and loving, even a Mindflayer. Ascension must be worse than becoming a Mindflayer, because at least they always have empathy and respect(unless they eat nothing but bandits and criminals like The Emperor.). I wouldn't give a damn if anybody was a tentacle'd freak or not, that's not only NOT his city(the party allowed Astarion to grow the way he did), but he wouldn't have made it anywhere if it weren't for Tav/Durge. He should treat him with respect until it's very obvious that the old Tav is gone. I so wish you can have the option to kill Astarion in this for the sheer audacity coming out of him.
What if Larian Studios decide to give an option - 'Eat the brains' in the dialogue option in an update? I wonder how many people would actually go through with it.🤔
Both Spawn and Ascended Astarion reject Illithid Tav - which is entirely valid tbh, tentacles are not for everyone - but Spawn shows appreciation for the character as a person. He is actually polite about it, and in the epilogue even expresses some wistfulness about what could have been if Tav didn't undergo ceremorphosis. Ascended, on the other hand, does this - from the get-go he suggests that you'll "lurk below" - thinking of you as both physically and metaphorically beneath him - and that you should be grateful for the opportunity he is oh-so-generously giving you to be a tool for him to use. Even his 'gratitude' for helping him with the ascension is shallow and mocking! If Ascended still loved Tav in the slightest (AS A PERSON, LEAVING THE MIND FLAYER PIECE OUT OF IT) then he would have a respectful and graceful rejection like Spawn Astarion does. Ascended Astarion does not love Tav, even if they stay normal (just try asking for your freedom - which he still hasn't given you after 6 months - during the epilogue party!) because he doesn't want a partner, he wants things: **pretty** possessions, trophies, and tools. The minute you're not something that he can either own or use, you are less than nothing. Post-note: **I do not hate on AA fans**! I have gone Ascension in certain playthroughs because which version to go with depends entirely on the roleplaying of that specific character. If an AA fan recognizes that Ascended is the controlling and (thematically speaking) repeat-the-cycle-of-abuse route and they're just here to enjoy their gothic horror romance, more dark vampiric power to them! 😄The only ones I take any level of issue with are the "he still respects me and will free me and would never ever do anything that could hurt me in any way" people. I know there's no point trying to convince them, but Jesus it is obnoxious to see them being so loud when they are so frustratingly media illiterate.
Tbf, he's just being honest. Still an absolute prick in his handling of it, but I can't guarantee personally that I'd still love a monstrosity like that. I'd probably try to out of guilt and obligation and remaining feelings, but those would dry up inevitably. There's young love and idealism, but that can't maintain a relationship through every hardship. No one is perfect and completely selfless to tolerate such a situation without even a grimace, realistically. Unless you're Gale.
Yeah, i understand where he's coming from. I know people said gale is super romantic for accepting illithid tav, but imo that's another case of him being too devoted and not seeing that illithid tav is.., well, not the tav they used to be (i know it's still a controversial issue whether tav is "erased" or not). And I speak as someone who love gale so much. As for AA, i think the problem here is him being so high and mighty, and dare to chase tav away just like that.
Grotesque, slimey, soulless creature- Astarion is only saying what everyone else is thinking. It'd be better to just die a Hero than to "live" in this state. In a world where resurrection is a possibility, losing yourself in such an alien way is the most final of fates. Forever more yoy woll be just that, a Mindflayer. Gone is the person you were, overwritten by the monstrosity you've become.
I don't know why you then romance Astarion in the first place. He is a red flag from the start, and his Spawn romance is just as toxic, only with YOU as the abuser because you both gaslight him and take away his choice.
(Slight BG2 spoilers ahead) And this is why he will never be Ascended in my good guy playthroughs. Astarion can handle a little sunlight for a bit while my Tav drags his ass to Amn and heals him at the Temple of Amaunator just like the OG!Bhaalspawn did with their own love interest. (Granted there were reasons why Amaunator, at the time a dead power, did that but shush.) We can use that time to find a way to un-tadpole Tav.
Ah... I will not only take away my LI's choice, but I will also force them to completely change for me because I don't like them the way they are now. Now that's a true, healthy love.
@@Deadpan_Snarker Given that Ascended Astarion is just continuing the cycle of abuse that's kinda rich. And also a funny answer given that this was a post made for fun and not to be taken seriously.
@@spottedslash4256 "B-but he is tortured for 200 years guys, it's not his fault!!" or something along the line lol other than his sarcastic personality that is sometimes "funny", he's literally the WORST companion in the game (no insult toward VA ofc)
@@beexxxyYES! Finally someone that is not a blind person about Astarion's shitty personality, it can be kind of hypocritical of me, I like Astarion's history development, but I know myself very well to know that if I lived and knew him personally, I'd would throw hands with him and I put a stake on his heart. He is irritating as fuck. Since the start, it doesn't matter if he's ascended or not, he ALWAYS WAS AND WILL BE ASSHOLE WITHOUT MOTIVATIONS.
People who defend Ascended Astarion to the death make me laugh. They look for justifications by all means to show that he is not bad and that he does love you, when this is clearly not the case. He just uses you and that's it, it doesn't improve anything, on the contrary it makes it worse and this video is the proof of that. But anyway, people are blind and those types of people love toxic relationships in real life. Then when things go wrong, they walk around crying in the corners about their misfortune and wondering why things are going so badly for them.
I think you're reading a little too deep into this with that second paragraph, dude. This is a fictional character. Just we like a toxic romance involving an elven vampire doesn't mean we'd let this shit slide IRL. Very big difference between videogames and real life.
@@kayleighbrown459 I don't know if you realize it, but tastes, even fictitious ones, are a reflection of our inner self.It's something involuntary, the fact of getting so hooked on a fictional character says enough. I like the characters and all that, but I don't see the point of justifying a fictional character. Enjoy it for what it is and that's it.
@@bibliotecaprohibida It's a reflection on what we enjoy indulging in, not what we'd do in real life. If it were a reflection on our inner selves, every horror fan would be a sociopath, every gamer who enjoys GTA would would harness a secret wand to rob and murder and everyone who listens to horror core should logically be on a watch list. It's consequence free indulgence. A toy. A game. It's not that deep.
look, you're not wrong but..... there's only so much one can do to get them to see outside themselves while whatever personal thing they're wrestling with still looms over them. I don't like how hard people will cape for Ascended Asshole. I also don't like how harsh critics are toward those people. the apologists aren't going to learn by us forgetting how we ourselves used to be. and we who think we've moved on often need reminding that we have a lot farther to go. judgment isn't going to help things from either side. what will help is those of us who recognize the patterns doing what we can with the people whose material, personal conditions we are in a position to change. when we're not in such a position...... honestly, just let them yell, without yelling back. do the best you can with the people you can reach, and that will get around to the people you can't reach.
@@kayleighbrown459it’s one thing to enjoy role playing with someone like Ascended Astarion, it’s another to IRL justify his actions and behavior when DND lore says that he’s now Lawfully Evil like a regular Vampire. I had my character romance and ascend him and even broke up with him for fun and story telling, but I would never come online to justify or defend his actions. He’s not the same Astarion from before, his feelings towards us change and not for the better. I’m not against having fun with a evil cold hearted character, but defending him and his actions is what I find weird, have fun and romance him, but don’t bend Lore to make him what he’s not in your head cannon.
Lol i ascended Astarion partly because he got me that +2 strength potion from that freaky drow, and i looked at as my tav thanking him for helping me achieve powermaxxer status
It's so funny and tragic but tbh I understand Astarion. I never played this game but I have fallen into the rabbit hole of BG3 content on YT and if I understand correctly Mindflyer IS NOT Tav he knew and loved but a disgusting parasite that KILLED Tav he knew and loved. If my ex-soon to be consort turned into this I would kill them in the act of kindness and mercy. The ultimate act of showing loyalty and respect to my lover as I don't believe anyone would really like to exist as this depraved squid. Mindflyer may steal the body and some mannerism of a host but they will never be them so they don't deserve any kindness and especially they don't get to be loved as nothing happened.
That's only if they're linked to an elder brain. There are plenty instances of mindflayer creatures retaining their consciousness. Alhoons are example are proficient in arcane arts, and can ascend to lichdom. They are more like wizards than the rest of their race and more easily break the chains of an elder brain. Hell one of the greatest netherese wizards outside karsus got pissed when Mystra put a cap on magic and got rid of 10th, 11th, and 12th lvl spells. So he went and intentionally became an elder brain, to perfect psionics instead of mastering the weave. Because psionics didn't have a god over its domain like magic/the weave did. It's rare but there are instances of coherent, unique mindflayers with more than just memories of a past life.
@@Loganz0 I am not well verse in the faerun lore, but doesn't this "consciousness" is the parasite? So it's like the parasite *thinks* they're still the host. I read somewhere that in dnd lore becoming a mindflayer doesn't mean you lose your soul, but withers said that it does.
@@kozhcaelum8495its seems to be all over the place lorewise with the state of hosts souls whether its normalish death, soul completly destroyed or some fuse/change happens to it. But mechanics wise it seems to strongly imply that soul destroyed or somehow mutilated: True ressurection creates new body the char - restrictions are the char didnt die from old age, soul is willing and wasnt dead for over 200 y. If you kill infected char in a way that also kills tadpole, then you can true ressurect him as himself and tadpole free. After ceremorphosis if you kill resulting mindflayer and try to ressurect original char you will fail. At this point you would need wish or didvine intervention t bring that original char by reality bending.
oh lawd not another "is the mindflayer still tav or is it just the parasite with tav's memories" debate! at this point, i've read so many excellent points from each side of the matter that it honest to god should just be left up to personal interpretation. i've spent months reading people's opinions on this matter and there really is no "right" or "wrong" answer.
Yet people got the message and blown achievement lmao. I am on my first playthrough so I do not have this and I do not plan on it unless I do special run for it
True. My Tav had so much hopes for living together forever as Astarion had turned her into a vampire spawn as well. She then waited for six months, six months to take revenge on ascendant Astarion 😅.
I mean… you chose to become a soulless brain eater with tentacles 😂 I also would not have wanted Astarion to turn into a squid, because that wouldn’t be him anymore. The tadpole eats your brain and you die, it just retains your memories and some of your personality, which you lose over time. No fun for anyone!
Well, not soulless or not fully. If you did the new ending with patch 5. Papa withers confirms in his party that mindflayers should have no soul, but somehow, you are different, there is something in you that is missing from others. So its canon that we are not fully like other mindless creatures.
@@oszaszi there might be something of you (and maybe your soul?) left, but it doesn’t seem like much and the game is pretty clear that it won’t last. Withers says you have “something of a spirit” remaining. If Orpheus becomes illithid, he mentions that he wants to die before his soul is fully gone. If the MC transforms, the narrator tells you that whatever self you still possess is “quickly ebbing away” and in the epilogue you can actively eat your friends if you lose a constitution throw 😂 I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s a good end for anyone. Except maybe Karlach.
@@grymmoire Orpheus mentions he wants to die but then you can convince him not to. He has a letter for you, that seemingly looks quite all right after supposedly a longer period of time. Since you read the letter during the party. So, I would say, the game is not very well established on this. Also could be because Orpheus has the magic that can defeat illithid, so he can control it much easier. By DnD lore they should be soulless for sure. But BG3 has some lore ambiguity in some parts. Which I honestly dont mind. We all know that the "by design" good ending is : Spawn Astarion, Human Gale who gave the crown to Mystra, Selunite Shadowheart, Laezel can be either with her people or in Faerun, Orpheus going home to liberate, Karlach and Wyll together in Avernus. Minsc and Jaheira just being Minsc and Jaheira. Dark Urge not giving into daddy and being saved by Withers, and Tav to turn Mindflayer cause thats what a goody two shoes Tav would do. But I feel that they gave us a lot of options for other kinda "good endings" like you can still remain yourself and turn Orpheus a mindflayer instead then convince him not to kill himself and to look after the story of his people. Regardless, mindflayer Tav is probably the ending most "perfect good" players would do.
@@oszaszi sacrificing yourself to become a mind flayer, a fate we spend the entire game trying to avoid, is not a great ending for the MC imo. But it is one of many endings, and one that someone else might enjoy. I’m not trying to convince anyone lol. The beauty of BG3 is that each person can build their own narrative for the experience they want out of the game, and all the paths the player can take are much more complex than good or bad. But maybe I feel that way because I would never prescribe myself to a ‘perfect good’ playthrough anyways, it sounds a little too boring 😂
@@stephenjenkins7971 Sadly this goes with Relationships in RL too. Some People date Assholes, and Narcissist all the time and are shocked when there treated like dirt.
He's so funny!! 😂 "Grotesque Freak!" Hahahahaha. ... He's got a point though.. unless you are into Octopus like The Deep (from The Boys) is.. I wouldn't be able to be in a physical relationship either.. let alone sexual one... Hahahaha
The choice is already been made. Only an Ascendant Astarion speaks to Tav like that. But Larian Studios, in future might give that an option for you to punish him for speaking like that, who knows 🙂
I completely understand why hes not attracted. You chose to turn into a monster, you arent Tav anymore. Imagine falling in love with someone, all those promises and sweet nothings. Then as time goes on you watch them turn into a literal monster. Not just a vampire, who may just suck blood and be the same person. No they are turned into a literal otherworldy being. Yet it has its memories and believes it to be your ex lover. It sits there and tries to convince you that it is them and that they are the same person, yet you know that no, they arent. In the end you turned into a power hungry monster, so he did too. Couldnt put these two through it. Said yes for some lithid powers then started avoiding all the bad influences to avoid tenticalication or whatever
Ascend Astarion as Shadowheart make Astarion jump to his death from Baldur's Gate Kill Boss Profit Uninstall Have your PC crash because the game is so large to remove
This makes me feel so much better about the run I'm about to do where I'm going to hand astarion over to Gur, beacuse why would I ever help such a grotesque vampiric freak 😂
Emperor: "Careful, you're going to make a mind flayer cry" lol He also breaks up with you if he did not ascend... which is rather understandable, I'd say. Mind flayers aren't the person they used to be; that person died the moment they underwent ceremorphosis. The mind flayer may inherit the memories (and, consequently, bits of the personality) of the person they emerged from, but they're not that person. So it's not unreasonable for Astarion (and I guess Shadowheart and Halsin, as I heard they do the same) to break up with the being born of the husk of the person he once loved.
So let me get this straight, even though ascended astarion isn’t soulless (even though some claim he is, larian confirmed he is still himself) people hate him for it. But literally a soulless mindflayer monster is fine..?? I don’t blame him for not wanting to be with an actual monster that wants to eat him.
@@kapitainein thank you! To be clear my comments are purely for the sake of discussion as there is so much to unpack here. I love both of Asty’s paths, and see them both as the subjectively ‘good’ outcome entirely dependent on what alignment you play as and your personal preferences. I see a lot of varying takes on both so I like to discuss my thoughts.
Brb, gonna pick some shattered heart... 💔 I love Ascended Astarion (also Spawn Astarion, but prefered Ascended), but I will move to love Gale because of this scene 😢💜
What else would you expect by following the exact same path of Cazador? A vampire who just sacrificed thousands - even kids - just for power...but deep inside has a heart of gold?
Come on...players choosing Ascend version of Astarion, then choosing to become a mind flayer ( a lot of different option)...and you are waiting for what? I am sure your transformation crushed his heart too.
80% I always stab astarion after he tried to bite me, hell even in my good playthrough, i just cant stand him in good or bad playthrough, the evil companion i always bring are minthara/gale, laezel and Shadowheart. Hes such a coward/cunning evil, he doesn't need a reason to kill if he wants to kill hes just killing everyone, even minthara ask you why you helped her kill all the druids, even laezel said herself he wont stand for chaos but astarion he doesn't need reason, and i absolutely love neils work for astarion, how he really made me hate him so much shows how perfect he is at his work. And after watching these i just can bring astarion anymore i guess im on my 6th playthrough atm and when he try to bite me i just stab him again I guess.
idk why people are head over heels for astarion apart from laezel he is probably the most immoral companion he even tried to kick yenna off my camp a young girl with no where to go,the only reason i keep him around is cuz he is strong nd usfull,i havent finished the game but m gonna try to get a redemtion sort of story for him if possible.
Astarion would not love me as a worm and ill never forget that
minthara would
@@jessikautumn *Minthara approves* 🙂
Ascended Astarion at least, as far as I know. Do not tell me about Spawn Astarion yet.
Top shelf comment there! 🫡👍
@@kapitainein Minthara is a true sapiosexual. She loves you for your mind, and once you get the highly advanced mind of an illithid, she loves you even more for it lol
Would you love me if I was a worm?
Astarion: No.
Withers: No!
Gale : Yes
The passion he puts into calling Tav a grotesque freak, my god...
I tried to rewind in game just to look at his expression. The performance is astonishing.
He's right kek
Neil hit every aspect of this performance out of the park
It's disturbing, how much he enjoys to humilating other people, even his ex-lover 😓
@@mona-elf Not Really. He's a Vampire. There very Carnal creatures.
Meanwhile Gale’s biggest freakout is if the wedding caterers can provide fresh enough brains for the occasion
"The worst thing he can say is no."
Him:
The dialogue is really clever actually. Amazing writing. His "gratitude" for being able to ascend thanks to you really drives home the player choice. You did the evil, he became fully evil, don't be surprised he's evil to you too.
Neil giving an amazing performance. As usual, still you can't praise him enough lol
Also in the lore the ritual to ascend literally corrupts your soul. So even if Astarion truly loved you before ascension, he’s incapable of that now.
@@kalbarnes2494larian confirmed that his soul was not corrupted
@@yuripiIIedhe is a vampire...or Vampire Spawn. His soul is pretty much the same. In the game he wants you to have power...he wants you to take over the cult. I see no difference in his motivations as the Vampire Ascended.
@@CuteGallifreyian yup ! meaning his soul is still there
I killed one full vampire when I wasn’t Illithid, and that vampire had hundreds of years to perfect his powers, imagine how quickly I could kill a newly Ascended Vampire. Asterion would be dead from the sheer disrespect. I can understand not wanting to be partners anymore, but the complete audacity he displays here would 10000% make me kill him.
oh boy 😂
In the same aspects, Cazador did not have the luxury of knowing what he was up against. Astarion however, he knows exactly what you're capable of. He's even shared minds with you multiple times throughout your journey together. Knows how you fight, what you hold true and dear, knows what angers and elates you. He knows that he may need a different approach against you.
fair. However, so would I, and if I ever did a run where he'd become ascended, just know that that would be my Dark urge run with Slayer form, Volo eye, Displacer beast form, as well as all of my new illithid powers. I'd drive him back to the shadows and be sure to kill any spawn he seems willing to create, especially any he gains any sliver of affection towards. As a matter of fact, I would do everything in my power to hurt him worse than anything Cazador ever did to him for hurting me after everything I did for him. Might even let him build a new relationship just to rip them apart right in front of him.
But...that wouldn't happen since I would never ascend him unless pure Dark Urge :p@@Polomance862
@@Polomance862the Tav know him too,even he if ascension change him in a way the Tav can’t fully understand either do the ceramophosis,just like the game mention the ilithit reason following multiple contemporary paths, even ascended,a vampire is subject to linear thinking.
this is why i'm only letting astarion ascend on my evil durge route. can't think of anything more evil than to give him a taste of freedom and then rip it away.
As a spawn, he still rejects you but he is *much* nicer about it. Going on how you two can be friends and he just can’t get it past it for now at least
I believe he rejects the player because they remind him of himself at his worst (At least, that's what he claims), either that or he's really superficial which isn't exactly strange or unexpected from Astarion.
A man who whores himself out to you because you're strong, goes to confront Cazador with the intention of ascending himself, and hooks up with Laezel who's probably the second strongest person residing in the camp to keep his cute tush well protected by someone who'd step in front of a bus for him.
I love this character, a true Rogue, chaotic neutral, and can go either (Or any) way.
I think the only person that does not mention for a single moment that you turned is Gale. He asks you to marry him regardless if you turn or not. Thats probably because he is not really keen to have kids and he has a thing for other worldy creatures XD
Minthara actually quite enjoys that you embraced power, and then immediately moves past it.
@@lightshadow3683 awww, one day I will sucseffully recruit her XD but i even killed her on my evil plays cause I wanted the wormies.
@@oszaszi Sigma chad
@@oszaszi Fair enough lol, I used to skip her a lot.
Although, I do generally recruit her on both evil and good runs nowadays, because she comes with 5 tadpole powers pre-unlocked and the completely OP bonus action "soul-branding" at no cost.
@@lightshadow3683 well thats good to know.
And that's when you learn what ascended brain tastes like.
I *fucking made you*, Astarion. Oh look, all of your gear belongs to someone else now.
Now go stand in that patch of fire until you have 1hp left, I'll be right with you.
That's when you learn from the narrator that he really is just a smooth brain himbo eheh
He's still gonna rule over the Gate though😌💃 so I'm wondering how dumber everyone else's his ahah maybe his manipulation game just gets invincible with all that new acquired power 💅
@@akaededeval374what?
@@akaededeval374Eh even if he is an Ascendant Vampire literally random adventuring party go beat Tiamat ass all the time. Give it a few years and he will get slay by randos in the D&D world.
Do you have that option? Cuz I REALLY want that to be an option.
i could never let my tav turn into mindflayer so god bless people who show us these scenes 😁
🙏
Yea same especially when you spend time to make them hot
It’s so worth it though, to spare anyone else the fate of
@@maddie4834 Yeah, I really hate that no matter what you do, no matter your choices, you can't avoid someone turning. It's utter BS and I wish someone would make a mod so you don't have to.
I know you can just take the easy way out and have Orpheus do it, but that's not the best outcome, either.
This is my complaint entirely. I'm on my first playthrough and I want to save everyone cuz carlock is like a big sister to my tav whose romancing Astarion. So no Helen Way is she taking the squid powers Plus she's not quite that selfless despite her good lean. She'd rather sacrifice Orpheus though she would be extremely torn about it because of lazelle and her people but out of the terrible choices all around that she is provided with considering that the emperor would eat orpheus's brain anyway it's either give the emperor or the stones or have Orpheus change for me because I am not letting Gail blow himself up. My Tav would have been butter to Gale after he grew on me , I hated him at first , But Astarian got to her first with that rogueish charm
“Reloads save” enjoy your freedom until I dominant the absolute
Heyyyy 😄
Exactly. I let him ascend once and was so disgusted by his behavior that I sat in front of my computer, seething, playing along his stupid game, let him turn me so I could gain immortality and then I CRUSHED him at the end, dominating the brain. I had a hard time during this one particular evil Durge playthrough, and the only thing I really enjoyed was fooling Astarion into letting him think I would be his obedient consort after discovering how much of an asshole he turns into after Ascension and then stomping on him at the very end. "What in the hells are you DOING!?" Being salty, my love. Being salty.
Shake shake. Mmmmm soo tasty@@kitmonroe
The only way I would accept the ascended arse.
Oh my God......that is THE worst blow to the heart I've had from this game. He'll remember the hero you WERE?! He's giving you A CHANCE TO BE USEFUL?! Once someone he loved, now just a *SLIMY, GROTESQUE, FREAK?!?!*
And the worst part? He "owes it to you" for "making him perfect". Losing himself completely......turning into the monster he loathed all his life.......everything he has become.........is YOUR FAULT.
Excuse me while I sweep up the pieces of my shattered heart.....
Felt the same way while witnessing this scene. 🙁
Well, well, well... if it isn't the consequences of your actions.
Astarion's right, by the way.
"Your new empire?!"
dude...the "now get the hells out of my city" kills it. Like he finally shows his true self, holy shiet, he is HORRIBLE xD
thank you for uploading
Thank you for having bigger text saying what you chose to say. As someone who watches a lot of TH-cam on my phone, I always struggle when watching a BG3 video. Its appreciated.
The more I watch of Ascended Astarion the more I want to Divine Smite him, but no ordinary smite, a smite that could shatter a god's body, straight to Toril's core.
Omg 😅
Astarion has some flaws and superficiality really is one of them. I read somewhere that Astarion doesn't care about looks, but I think that's not true. A lot of his compliments revolve around physical beauty, he takes great pride in his own beauty, he tried to focus on beautiful victims at the beginning, until he didn't care anymore. It's not just ascended Astarion, this version is just worse, since Ascension amplifies all of his bad characteristics. But in a way he was always superficial. At least spawn Astarion tries to deal with mindflayer Tav, since his love is not suffocated by arrogance and narcissism. But even then he is repulsed by the fact that Tav is not "beautiful" anymore.
Well said👍
I think its a bit unfair to call Spawn Ast superficial for not being immediately super sexually attracted to a tentacle monster 😭 half-orcs and a lot of Gith face options aren't exactly the prettiest flowers in the yard either but he falls in love with them all the same and will tell them he's deeply attracted to them. At least he still loves Tav as a person enough to try and doesn't immediately drop them like Ascended Ast. Frankly, it's only realistic to be a bit tentative about it, it would be a huge adjustment for anyone, let alone someone with as much baggage as he has around intimacy. Anyone who claims it wouldn't give them pause at all if their partner were to transform into a completely inhuman-looking tentacle creature is liar, i'm so sorry.
@@primrosett Even spawn Astarion focuses on physical beauty a lot. That doesn't mean he's focusing on what we as players might find beautiful, but it doesn't matter if he's a spawn or the Vampire Ascended - his compliments revolve a lot around beauty and physical attractiveness and it's also one of the things his self-perception focuses on. I find him quite superficial to be honest, ascended or not. Yes, of course he can be sweet and loving and caring, but it doesn't change the fact that physical beauty means a great deal to him. It fits his rather decadent character. He's not just a cuddly, misunderstood little puppy, he has his flaws, too.
As I said elsewhere, it's not fair to criticise Astarion for breaking up with illithid Tav, because illithids are not the person they emerge from; they're wholly new beings, even if they may inherit the memories of the one they emerged from. Iirc illithid Tav even gets a line that says they "feel who they were slowly slipping away".
So illithid Tav is no longer the Tav Astarion loved.
And there’s nothing wrong with having preferences. Stop making it seem like it’s a bad thing, or superficial when it’s perfectly natural, animalistic even.
Moreover, he can love anyone of any race, except Ilithids and sorry to say, but I do get it. I’d be unable to desire, and especially fully trust such a creature, regardless of who they were before. Most people in DnD hate and fear Ilithids.
Tentacle monsters are a kink, not everyone can deal with that.
Also, have you considered that it is a phobia, a fear from his own painful and horrific transformation?
Remember how he reacts if you offer him the Alpha tadpole.
Compared to Gale who like ayo lets get married mr tentacles dekarious
The truth of "would you love me is I was a worm"
Oh my God 😅
*if
Fuck autocorrect 💀
My response is
"Sorry withers but I have to ruin your party, we made a monster"
Interesting... hmm🤔
''but you said that you will still love me if i was a worm''
he said worm, nor grotesque freak mindflayer 🙈
@@domiwren
This comment feels like it came from Astarion's alt account with the contempt put into it 💀😂
Now I see why a death happened at the party, so Withers has to throw you out
😂
This only confirms me. I never became a Mindflayer and now i never will. I never let Astarion ascend and now i never will. It feels like he loses all of his remaining humanity
He kind of just becomes a new Cazador
Yep-I did it once for the romance scene, but I couldn't stand what he turned into as the Ascendant (I'm spawn Astarion all the way). Anyhow, all the information from the dungeon like Vellioth's skull tells the player that Astarion will end up being Cazador 2.0 and turn into his worst self if you help him ascend. I don't know how Larian could've created bigger warning signs about what kind of person Astarion will turn into if he ascends, heh.
@@AtreiyaN7 yeah, i could really imagine my character having a bright moment, thinking it could be her in the cell instead of Sebastian. So she talked Astarion out of ascension in the end. The grave date is so rewarding. The first time he said he loved her, i was like “WTF? I think i just broke Astarion.”. :D
I just wish we could find a day walker ring for him or something. He would have earned it as a reward for breaking the circle of 200 years abuse
Even if he remains a spawn he still puts the relationship on pause if you become a mindflayer
@@MoonsongReverb Yeah, it would be nice. On the plus side, he's happy at the Patch 5 reunion party no matter what you choose (I did the freed spawn ending + Underdark).
Mmmm... Ascended Vampire Brain...
Sweet... sweet brain (non creased version)
He's talking some mad shit for someone in tentacle range
😂
I couldn't love something like that too but damn that's straight up monstrosity.
Okay Cazador 2.0
I made sure each time a Cazador option appeared I would use it against him. 😂 I did Both a play through ascending him, one with break up and the other being us together through the epilogue.
I lost it at the tears screenshot at the end bruh.
Oh 😅
"Would you love me if I was a worm?"
That's so painful 😖 it hurts 😭
It hurts real bad. 🥺
Man's making crits on my heart
Astarion: Now get the hells out of my city!
Tav's heart: *critical hit*
honestly? he's kinda got a point against mindflayers, even if he's actualy beeing heartless in part
Quite hypocritical given that both lost their souls for the sake of becoming more powerful and would both be classified as monsters, but what else was there to be expected of Ascended Astarion.
Lookism all the way.
I think tav lose his soul to save every one while asterion just did it for the power
Astrion will still love you as a dark urge slayer but tentacles is where he draws the line?!
@@DESTROYER-xm1vt he'd even love you as a bear but somehow tentacles is his limit🤷♂️
Astarion becoming true vampire corrupts him and amplified his bad qualities. It’s not the same Astarion.
Holy shit that's brutal. I'm very surprised that Astarion haters never bring it up during discussions. I've seen so many posts both on twitter and reddit but this is never mentioned for some reason.
This is a grey-area🙂
Boy was a small sliver away from straight up getting murked after the denounciation of even being friends, and that final line would absolutely guarantee Astarion's death if the option was there if we were allowed it.
I am so never going to ascend Astarion if this is how he'd treat anybody with that background and loving, even a Mindflayer. Ascension must be worse than becoming a Mindflayer, because at least they always have empathy and respect(unless they eat nothing but bandits and criminals like The Emperor.). I wouldn't give a damn if anybody was a tentacle'd freak or not, that's not only NOT his city(the party allowed Astarion to grow the way he did), but he wouldn't have made it anywhere if it weren't for Tav/Durge. He should treat him with respect until it's very obvious that the old Tav is gone.
I so wish you can have the option to kill Astarion in this for the sheer audacity coming out of him.
What if Larian Studios decide to give an option - 'Eat the brains' in the dialogue option in an update? I wonder how many people would actually go through with it.🤔
I would, ascended Astarion is a dick!!!
Ascended Astarion sounds like Raphael, he seeing you more as a tool than a friend. He have become hungry for power. 😢
We love him/hate him for all the same reason. Sometimes I wonder how Neil Newbon gave life to the lines 🙂
Dude the fact that the actors did all if this 😂
This is bonkers i swear 😂😅
That final screen shot OH MY GAAAAHHHD 😂😂😂😂
Tav - 'about to rain down tonight 😭'
Both Spawn and Ascended Astarion reject Illithid Tav - which is entirely valid tbh, tentacles are not for everyone - but Spawn shows appreciation for the character as a person. He is actually polite about it, and in the epilogue even expresses some wistfulness about what could have been if Tav didn't undergo ceremorphosis. Ascended, on the other hand, does this - from the get-go he suggests that you'll "lurk below" - thinking of you as both physically and metaphorically beneath him - and that you should be grateful for the opportunity he is oh-so-generously giving you to be a tool for him to use. Even his 'gratitude' for helping him with the ascension is shallow and mocking! If Ascended still loved Tav in the slightest (AS A PERSON, LEAVING THE MIND FLAYER PIECE OUT OF IT) then he would have a respectful and graceful rejection like Spawn Astarion does. Ascended Astarion does not love Tav, even if they stay normal (just try asking for your freedom - which he still hasn't given you after 6 months - during the epilogue party!) because he doesn't want a partner, he wants things: **pretty** possessions, trophies, and tools. The minute you're not something that he can either own or use, you are less than nothing.
Post-note: **I do not hate on AA fans**! I have gone Ascension in certain playthroughs because which version to go with depends entirely on the roleplaying of that specific character. If an AA fan recognizes that Ascended is the controlling and (thematically speaking) repeat-the-cycle-of-abuse route and they're just here to enjoy their gothic horror romance, more dark vampiric power to them! 😄The only ones I take any level of issue with are the "he still respects me and will free me and would never ever do anything that could hurt me in any way" people. I know there's no point trying to convince them, but Jesus it is obnoxious to see them being so loud when they are so frustratingly media illiterate.
Damn... though, to be fair I'd 100% dump Tentacle Tav too.. probably not as harshly as Astarion lol.
i KNEW ascended astarion never loved you!... doesn't make it hurt any less tho =(
Ascended Astarion's cutting words are sharper than a Bard's vicious mockery.
Well, I wonder whose brain is going to get eaten first in the prologue...
I can't 😅
"the mechanics alone..." Someone's never had their Mind Blown
When she asks if you would love her even if she was a worm
Tbf, he's just being honest. Still an absolute prick in his handling of it, but I can't guarantee personally that I'd still love a monstrosity like that. I'd probably try to out of guilt and obligation and remaining feelings, but those would dry up inevitably. There's young love and idealism, but that can't maintain a relationship through every hardship. No one is perfect and completely selfless to tolerate such a situation without even a grimace, realistically. Unless you're Gale.
Yeah, i understand where he's coming from. I know people said gale is super romantic for accepting illithid tav, but imo that's another case of him being too devoted and not seeing that illithid tav is.., well, not the tav they used to be (i know it's still a controversial issue whether tav is "erased" or not). And I speak as someone who love gale so much.
As for AA, i think the problem here is him being so high and mighty, and dare to chase tav away just like that.
@@kozhcaelum8495 I agree
The problem is how he handled the whole situation, his attitude here says that he doesn't see Tav as a person anymore. He's being a self centered dick
He is heartless here but I don't blame him, Tav looks horrible lol 😂 ngl if my lover turned into an octopus/squid monster, I'd run for the hills
Imagine it gave you an option to consume his brain for that
That would be sick 😅
You actually get the option at the epilogue I saw a clip of it. You can eat his brain but withers kicks you out for it
now i understand why girls as: would you love me if i turned into a worm...clearly he would not...and that hurtsXD
Grotesque, slimey, soulless creature- Astarion is only saying what everyone else is thinking. It'd be better to just die a Hero than to "live" in this state. In a world where resurrection is a possibility, losing yourself in such an alien way is the most final of fates. Forever more yoy woll be just that, a Mindflayer. Gone is the person you were, overwritten by the monstrosity you've become.
GALE LIKES MY SLIMY HEAD🥺
Slimy 😅.
@@kapitainein what
Ascended Astarion reminds me of my abusive ex ❤ so just another reminder to never ascend him or romance an ascended Astarion
I am very sorry you had to go through such a phase. Keep well :)
I don't know why you then romance Astarion in the first place. He is a red flag from the start, and his Spawn romance is just as toxic, only with YOU as the abuser because you both gaslight him and take away his choice.
@@Deadpan_Snarker Because I wanted to experience his romance and not romance Gale for the umpteenth time
Kinda hypocritical of your part.
@@vitoriamachado17004 girl what that wasn't criticism, its a personal preference 😭 but sure i'll tell that to my trauma and therapist
Can't blame him, for all he knows, that cloaca has a beak in it or some shit.
and this is why I will never become a mindflayer...oh hell noooooooooooooo
Tav getting to try vampire brains sounds amazing
Haha😆
WELL. At least he's not shallow.
My guys called them a grotesque freak with his full chest lmfao... damn callous af
(Slight BG2 spoilers ahead)
And this is why he will never be Ascended in my good guy playthroughs. Astarion can handle a little sunlight for a bit while my Tav drags his ass to Amn and heals him at the Temple of Amaunator just like the OG!Bhaalspawn did with their own love interest. (Granted there were reasons why Amaunator, at the time a dead power, did that but shush.) We can use that time to find a way to un-tadpole Tav.
I've not played BG2 and I must admit the emotional journey in BG2 must have been a lot. I have to play it 🥲
Ah... I will not only take away my LI's choice, but I will also force them to completely change for me because I don't like them the way they are now. Now that's a true, healthy love.
@@Deadpan_Snarker Given that Ascended Astarion is just continuing the cycle of abuse that's kinda rich. And also a funny answer given that this was a post made for fun and not to be taken seriously.
And that's why you don't ascend Astarion !
Evil character is evil. Surprises other people that he's evil.
Most people love assholes and give shallow to diluted reasons why, til there the ones treated like trash and discarded.
@@spottedslash4256 "B-but he is tortured for 200 years guys, it's not his fault!!" or something along the line lol
other than his sarcastic personality that is sometimes "funny", he's literally the WORST companion in the game (no insult toward VA ofc)
@@beexxxyYES! Finally someone that is not a blind person about Astarion's shitty personality, it can be kind of hypocritical of me, I like Astarion's history development, but I know myself very well to know that if I lived and knew him personally, I'd would throw hands with him and I put a stake on his heart. He is irritating as fuck.
Since the start, it doesn't matter if he's ascended or not, he ALWAYS WAS AND WILL BE ASSHOLE WITHOUT MOTIVATIONS.
People who defend Ascended Astarion to the death make me laugh.
They look for justifications by all means to show that he is not bad and that he does love you, when this is clearly not the case. He just uses you and that's it, it doesn't improve anything, on the contrary it makes it worse and this video is the proof of that.
But anyway, people are blind and those types of people love toxic relationships in real life. Then when things go wrong, they walk around crying in the corners about their misfortune and wondering why things are going so badly for them.
I think you're reading a little too deep into this with that second paragraph, dude. This is a fictional character. Just we like a toxic romance involving an elven vampire doesn't mean we'd let this shit slide IRL.
Very big difference between videogames and real life.
@@kayleighbrown459 I don't know if you realize it, but tastes, even fictitious ones, are a reflection of our inner self.It's something involuntary, the fact of getting so hooked on a fictional character says enough. I like the characters and all that, but I don't see the point of justifying a fictional character. Enjoy it for what it is and that's it.
@@bibliotecaprohibida
It's a reflection on what we enjoy indulging in, not what we'd do in real life. If it were a reflection on our inner selves, every horror fan would be a sociopath, every gamer who enjoys GTA would would harness a secret wand to rob and murder and everyone who listens to horror core should logically be on a watch list.
It's consequence free indulgence. A toy. A game. It's not that deep.
look, you're not wrong but..... there's only so much one can do to get them to see outside themselves while whatever personal thing they're wrestling with still looms over them. I don't like how hard people will cape for Ascended Asshole. I also don't like how harsh critics are toward those people. the apologists aren't going to learn by us forgetting how we ourselves used to be. and we who think we've moved on often need reminding that we have a lot farther to go.
judgment isn't going to help things from either side. what will help is those of us who recognize the patterns doing what we can with the people whose material, personal conditions we are in a position to change. when we're not in such a position...... honestly, just let them yell, without yelling back. do the best you can with the people you can reach, and that will get around to the people you can't reach.
@@kayleighbrown459it’s one thing to enjoy role playing with someone like Ascended Astarion, it’s another to IRL justify his actions and behavior when DND lore says that he’s now Lawfully Evil like a regular Vampire. I had my character romance and ascend him and even broke up with him for fun and story telling, but I would never come online to justify or defend his actions. He’s not the same Astarion from before, his feelings towards us change and not for the better.
I’m not against having fun with a evil cold hearted character, but defending him and his actions is what I find weird, have fun and romance him, but don’t bend Lore to make him what he’s not in your head cannon.
Wow…damn.
At least it does add credit that even ascendant Astarion does care about you when you romance him. Provided you're not a tentacle face ofc.
So can we slip another tadpole behind his eye 🙂 I would not keep my cool with Astarion talking to me like that. We got no soul anyway
Part of why Astarion always gets me that +2 str potion every time.
Lol i ascended Astarion partly because he got me that +2 strength potion from that freaky drow, and i looked at as my tav thanking him for helping me achieve powermaxxer status
LOL
this is the only reason I don't stake him at camp
Using future events you don’t know to just the past. Wow.
It's so funny and tragic but tbh I understand Astarion. I never played this game but I have fallen into the rabbit hole of BG3 content on YT and if I understand correctly Mindflyer IS NOT Tav he knew and loved but a disgusting parasite that KILLED Tav he knew and loved. If my ex-soon to be consort turned into this I would kill them in the act of kindness and mercy. The ultimate act of showing loyalty and respect to my lover as I don't believe anyone would really like to exist as this depraved squid. Mindflyer may steal the body and some mannerism of a host but they will never be them so they don't deserve any kindness and especially they don't get to be loved as nothing happened.
That's only if they're linked to an elder brain. There are plenty instances of mindflayer creatures retaining their consciousness. Alhoons are example are proficient in arcane arts, and can ascend to lichdom. They are more like wizards than the rest of their race and more easily break the chains of an elder brain. Hell one of the greatest netherese wizards outside karsus got pissed when Mystra put a cap on magic and got rid of 10th, 11th, and 12th lvl spells. So he went and intentionally became an elder brain, to perfect psionics instead of mastering the weave. Because psionics didn't have a god over its domain like magic/the weave did. It's rare but there are instances of coherent, unique mindflayers with more than just memories of a past life.
@@Loganz0 I am not well verse in the faerun lore, but doesn't this "consciousness" is the parasite? So it's like the parasite *thinks* they're still the host. I read somewhere that in dnd lore becoming a mindflayer doesn't mean you lose your soul, but withers said that it does.
@@kozhcaelum8495its seems to be all over the place lorewise with the state of hosts souls whether its normalish death, soul completly destroyed or some fuse/change happens to it.
But mechanics wise it seems to strongly imply that soul destroyed or somehow mutilated:
True ressurection creates new body the char - restrictions are the char didnt die from old age, soul is willing and wasnt dead for over 200 y.
If you kill infected char in a way that also kills tadpole, then you can true ressurect him as himself and tadpole free.
After ceremorphosis if you kill resulting mindflayer and try to ressurect original char you will fail. At this point you would need wish or didvine intervention t bring that original char by reality bending.
oh lawd not another "is the mindflayer still tav or is it just the parasite with tav's memories" debate! at this point, i've read so many excellent points from each side of the matter that it honest to god should just be left up to personal interpretation. i've spent months reading people's opinions on this matter and there really is no "right" or "wrong" answer.
Poor squiddy. Astarion is so cruel. :(
Sorry but mindflayers are ick ascended Astarion or not I completely understand 😂
Yet people got the message and blown achievement lmao. I am on my first playthrough so I do not have this and I do not plan on it unless I do special run for it
God damn AI *mind blown achievement *
Umm.. he told you before that he wants you to be you.(if you tell him you will use astral tadpol. So he is right😅
You're mean Astarion T^T After the shit I've gone through to help you
True. My Tav had so much hopes for living together forever as Astarion had turned her into a vampire spawn as well. She then waited for six months, six months to take revenge on ascendant Astarion 😅.
Wow just wow.... To anyone that thinks AA loves you I submit this to them.
I mean… you chose to become a soulless brain eater with tentacles 😂 I also would not have wanted Astarion to turn into a squid, because that wouldn’t be him anymore. The tadpole eats your brain and you die, it just retains your memories and some of your personality, which you lose over time. No fun for anyone!
Well, not soulless or not fully. If you did the new ending with patch 5. Papa withers confirms in his party that mindflayers should have no soul, but somehow, you are different, there is something in you that is missing from others. So its canon that we are not fully like other mindless creatures.
@@oszaszi there might be something of you (and maybe your soul?) left, but it doesn’t seem like much and the game is pretty clear that it won’t last. Withers says you have “something of a spirit” remaining. If Orpheus becomes illithid, he mentions that he wants to die before his soul is fully gone. If the MC transforms, the narrator tells you that whatever self you still possess is “quickly ebbing away” and in the epilogue you can actively eat your friends if you lose a constitution throw 😂 I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s a good end for anyone. Except maybe Karlach.
@@grymmoire Orpheus mentions he wants to die but then you can convince him not to. He has a letter for you, that seemingly looks quite all right after supposedly a longer period of time. Since you read the letter during the party. So, I would say, the game is not very well established on this. Also could be because Orpheus has the magic that can defeat illithid, so he can control it much easier. By DnD lore they should be soulless for sure. But BG3 has some lore ambiguity in some parts. Which I honestly dont mind. We all know that the "by design" good ending is : Spawn Astarion, Human Gale who gave the crown to Mystra, Selunite Shadowheart, Laezel can be either with her people or in Faerun, Orpheus going home to liberate, Karlach and Wyll together in Avernus. Minsc and Jaheira just being Minsc and Jaheira. Dark Urge not giving into daddy and being saved by Withers, and Tav to turn Mindflayer cause thats what a goody two shoes Tav would do. But I feel that they gave us a lot of options for other kinda "good endings" like you can still remain yourself and turn Orpheus a mindflayer instead then convince him not to kill himself and to look after the story of his people. Regardless, mindflayer Tav is probably the ending most "perfect good" players would do.
@@oszaszi sacrificing yourself to become a mind flayer, a fate we spend the entire game trying to avoid, is not a great ending for the MC imo. But it is one of many endings, and one that someone else might enjoy. I’m not trying to convince anyone lol. The beauty of BG3 is that each person can build their own narrative for the experience they want out of the game, and all the paths the player can take are much more complex than good or bad. But maybe I feel that way because I would never prescribe myself to a ‘perfect good’ playthrough anyways, it sounds a little too boring 😂
life lessen don't be a squid
✨Weaklings✨ the king has SPOKEN💅 now get the hells out of HIS CITY ✋💃
Oh no
@@kapitainein oh yes darling 😏
Idk why everyone is mad at him for not being sexually attracted to tenticles.
This is an RPG where players can do everything horrible but still be mad when it's done to them. Comes with the territory.
@@stephenjenkins7971 Sadly this goes with Relationships in RL too. Some People date Assholes, and Narcissist all the time and are shocked when there treated like dirt.
please tell me there is a posibilty to eat his brain
The developers might come up with such a feature if the community demands it 😅.
Ummm... i would never love my husband if he turned into some slimmy beast either, specially that monster has only the memory of my love
Well then, guess who's catching a fireball in my playthrough?
😂
Does he still break up with you if you aren't a squid?
He'll marry your Tav in a jiffy.
And that's why Astarion is the worst lover
He's so funny!! 😂 "Grotesque Freak!" Hahahahaha. ... He's got a point though.. unless you are into Octopus like The Deep (from The Boys) is.. I wouldn't be able to be in a physical relationship either.. let alone sexual one... Hahahaha
Is there any option to punish him for such things?
The choice is already been made. Only an Ascendant Astarion speaks to Tav like that. But Larian Studios, in future might give that an option for you to punish him for speaking like that, who knows 🙂
Cazadorr won....😢
true
How and when u can become mind flayer
After you free Orpheus from the infernal shackles, there's an option to turn into a mind flayer.
@@kapitainein Free Orpheus? No way! Emperor 4 life!
I completely understand why hes not attracted. You chose to turn into a monster, you arent Tav anymore. Imagine falling in love with someone, all those promises and sweet nothings. Then as time goes on you watch them turn into a literal monster. Not just a vampire, who may just suck blood and be the same person. No they are turned into a literal otherworldy being.
Yet it has its memories and believes it to be your ex lover. It sits there and tries to convince you that it is them and that they are the same person, yet you know that no, they arent.
In the end you turned into a power hungry monster, so he did too.
Couldnt put these two through it. Said yes for some lithid powers then started avoiding all the bad influences to avoid tenticalication or whatever
Were you his spawn before you turned illithid?
Yes.
Ascend Astarion as Shadowheart
make Astarion jump to his death from Baldur's Gate
Kill Boss
Profit
Uninstall
Have your PC crash because the game is so large to remove
This makes me feel so much better about the run I'm about to do where I'm going to hand astarion over to Gur, beacuse why would I ever help such a grotesque vampiric freak 😂
Oh boy.... very few people have done this 😭
Emperor: "Careful, you're going to make a mind flayer cry" lol
He also breaks up with you if he did not ascend... which is rather understandable, I'd say. Mind flayers aren't the person they used to be; that person died the moment they underwent ceremorphosis. The mind flayer may inherit the memories (and, consequently, bits of the personality) of the person they emerged from, but they're not that person.
So it's not unreasonable for Astarion (and I guess Shadowheart and Halsin, as I heard they do the same) to break up with the being born of the husk of the person he once loved.
So let me get this straight, even though ascended astarion isn’t soulless (even though some claim he is, larian confirmed he is still himself) people hate him for it. But literally a soulless mindflayer monster is fine..?? I don’t blame him for not wanting to be with an actual monster that wants to eat him.
Hi, I absolutely love your work 😊
@@kapitainein thank you! To be clear my comments are purely for the sake of discussion as there is so much to unpack here. I love both of Asty’s paths, and see them both as the subjectively ‘good’ outcome entirely dependent on what alignment you play as and your personal preferences. I see a lot of varying takes on both so I like to discuss my thoughts.
Brb, gonna pick some shattered heart... 💔
I love Ascended Astarion (also Spawn Astarion, but prefered Ascended), but I will move to love Gale because of this scene 😢💜
Tav (non-illithid) with Astarion (ascendant vampire) make for a striking couple and there's no mistake about it.
Ascend astarion is Just a asshole, is funny How ruins his character
What else would you expect by following the exact same path of Cazador? A vampire who just sacrificed thousands - even kids - just for power...but deep inside has a heart of gold?
@@moisesfreire6408 i'm not talking Just about his intentions, he Lost All his charm, he become Just a edgy boy after the ritual.
well he literally did a ritual involving devils, its never gonna be good anyway
He's always been an asshole
@@kekekemer9057 in fact, is not a small thing like wyll and mizora
Love AA so will never become a mindflayer - I prefer being a consort ☺️
Come on...players choosing Ascend version of Astarion, then choosing to become a mind flayer ( a lot of different option)...and you are waiting for what?
I am sure your transformation crushed his heart too.
80% I always stab astarion after he tried to bite me, hell even in my good playthrough, i just cant stand him in good or bad playthrough, the evil companion i always bring are minthara/gale, laezel and Shadowheart. Hes such a coward/cunning evil, he doesn't need a reason to kill if he wants to kill hes just killing everyone, even minthara ask you why you helped her kill all the druids, even laezel said herself he wont stand for chaos but astarion he doesn't need reason, and i absolutely love neils work for astarion, how he really made me hate him so much shows how perfect he is at his work. And after watching these i just can bring astarion anymore i guess im on my 6th playthrough atm and when he try to bite me i just stab him again I guess.
No wonder Neil won the best performance award 2023. Astarion is a complicated character to deal with 🙂.
idk why people are head over heels for astarion apart from laezel he is probably the most immoral companion he even tried to kick yenna off my camp a young girl with no where to go,the only reason i keep him around is cuz he is strong nd usfull,i havent finished the game but m gonna try to get a redemtion sort of story for him if possible.
Ну я бы тоже не стал встречаться с каракатицей и не допустил бы чтобы моя возлюбленная пошла на жертву ,становясь ею
gay