After defeating Cazador and rescuing Astarion repeatedly to prevent him from getting consumed by this would-be vampire lord, there are two ways Astarion’s Pale Elf Companion Quest can end. Astarion feels he went through a lot of trouble to free himself of Cazador’s shackles.
Thanks to his efforts, Astarion will never have to give in to Cazador’s torture, ultimately setting him free from his spawn status. The power behind this ritual beckons him. With a Vampire Lord’s power, he will have never need to fear anyone again—but is going through the ritual worth it?
Should Astarion Complete Cazador’s Ritual in Baldur’s Gate 3?
After you’ve confronted Cazador underneath Szarr Palace and freed Astarion, Astarion can complete Cazador’s ritual to become a super vampire or be talked out of it. Though that sentence might be oversimplifying matters. Like all choices in BG3, there are pros and cons when deciding what to do with Astarion during the ritual.
If Astarion Completes the Ritual
To complete Cazador’s vampire lord ritual, Astarion would have to sacrifice all the spawn in the ritual room, the cells outside, and, potentially, thousands and thousands more. This would mean Gur‘s quest to Investigate Cazador’s Palace in BG3 would be counted as a failure, and the Gur tribe would become another enemy.
Additionally, story-wise, choosing to let Astarion finish the ritual obliterates any progress toward a redemption path he might have made during all three acts. Of course, this choice sounds inviting if you’re going for an evil playthrough.
However, on the mechanical side of things, Astarion will gain some nice perks upon completing the ritual and becoming a Vampire Ascendant, including
- a +1d10 Necrotic damage bonus to weapon and unarmed attack rolls.
- Ascendant Bite bonus action: 6d6 healing and 6d6 Necrotic damage.
- Misty Escape bonus action: transform into a mist cloud that is hard to damage and can fit in small openings.
- gain Astarion as an ally for the Gather Your Allies quest.
If Astarion Doesn’t Complete the Ritual
If Astarion is persuaded not to complete the ritual, he will accept that there is a better future for him, and sacrificing all those lives is not worth it. He will stay in the party, albeit with no enhanced stats or extra skills. Preventing Astarion from completing the Vampire Lord ritual sets him on a good path. You will soon notice he starts approving “good” choices instead of “bad” ones.
However, not sacrificing all those lives during the ritual also means letting loose thousands of vampire spawn on the world. And those vampire spawn are all so very hungry. You can convince most of them to go down into the Underdark away from most humans and thereby limiting their dangerous impulses, but you have no real control over them. And either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve now introduced an army of blood-sucking creatures into Faerun.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Prevent Astarion From Completing the Ritual in The Pale Elf
The options during this cutscene are a bit tricky. Refusing to help Astarion altogether will cause him to leave the party forever and wish that you die screaming, literally. And if you choose to interrupt Astarion’s ritual after he has already started it, you’ll end up having to fight and kill him.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Fans Desperately Hope to “Fix” Astarion When Full Game Releases
So to stop Astarion from completing the ritual and prevent him from leaving the party, choose the following dialogue options:
- If I help you complete the ritual, it will kill all these people.
- (PERSUASION) I want you to live a life you’re proud of. You can’t be proud of this.
You’ll have to pass a DC18 Persuasion check, but these choices will make Astarion realize he’s better than Cazador—although that doesn’t prevent him from giving the guy multiple stabs before leaving in all his shirtless glory.
