In Baldur’s Gate 3 you will be confronted with a wealth of difficult decisions during your adventure. One of these decisions concerns Astarion. MeinMMO tells you how to get a permanent strength buff.
Warning: Spoiler: The article contains story spoilers from Act 2 and about Astarion.
Who is Astarion? In Baldur’s Gate 3, Astarion is one of the pre-made origin characters who brings their own story into the game. You meet him for the first time at the beginning of the first act. This pale-skinned high elf rogue is on the run as a spawn of a vampire and served a cruel master.
Astarion is especially characterized by his extraordinary vanity, complacency, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. There is even a possibility to engage in a romantic relationship with him in the game.
Here you can find out more about the best class for beginners in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Force Astarion to drink the blood of a Drow to get a strong buff
Now to the aforementioned decision: You can force Astarion to drink the blood of a Drow to obtain a powerful buff.
What the buff does: You receive a potion of everlasting vitality that permanently increases your strength by +2. Generally, the increase of attributes is limited to 20, but with this potion, you can enhance your strength beyond that value. The buff is particularly useful for classes like Barbarian, Paladin, and Fighter.
What do I need to do to get the buff? In Act 2 at the Towers of Moonrise, you will encounter the Drow merchant Araj Oblodras. She can be easily recognized on the minimap by a merchant symbol.
Araj offers you various potions in exchange for your blood. During the conversation, she realizes that your companion is a vampire spawn. If Astarion is not present and is in your camp, she will still ask for a bloodsucker. Araj will ask you to take her to your camp or to bring Astarion to her.
You can indicate in the conversation that you are the owner of the vampire spawn and protect Astarion. Excitedly, she reveals that she has been fascinated by vampires since childhood. She asks Astarion to drink her blood as a trade for a potion. Astarion refuses. He tells you that Araj’s blood is spoiled and bad – he definitely does not want to drink it.
Here are the options you have:
- You reluctantly force Astarion to drink Araj’s blood to receive the potion of everlasting vitality. However, keep in mind that Astarion will not agree to this and you will lose points with him.
- You do not force Astarion to drink Araj’s blood, but you do not receive the potion either. Astarion will agree with this decision.
The lost approval from Astarion can be regained during the course of the game. He will not leave your group because you forced him to drink blood. However, if you are in a romance with him, this may lead to the end of the relationship. In this case, he will confront you in the camp.
To prevent a breakup, the following dialogue sequence is recommended:
- I hope you are doing well.
- You can always come to me.
- Do you not feel attracted to me?
- How would you like me to see you?
- You are important to me.
- Then hug him.
It is undeniable that through a small moment of heartbreak, you gain a significant advantage. It is undoubtedly a worthwhile decision to force Astarion to drink blood – unless you simply cannot bring yourself to do so. His favor can be regained, and even a relationship at stake with him does not necessarily have to break apart.
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