Astarion is one of the first companions you can add to your party or play as an Origin character in Baldur’s Gate 3. As a vampire, he can bite enemies on command. But he can also bite his own companions. And their funny reactions are definitely worth the small nibble.
How can you bite your party members? Once you know about Astarion’s true nature as a vampire, the “Bite” action appears on his action hotbar. With this, you can bite a desired target once per short rest – the hit rate is 100%.
The victim takes two W4 piercing damage, while Astarion gains two W4 hit points and receives the buff “Happy”. This gives him +1 on attribute checks and saving throws. The counterpart, on the other hand, gets the debuff “Bloodless” and receives -1 on the aforementioned things. Buff and debuff last until the next long rest.
Whether regular face-offs for blood-sucking in the camp help you charm Astarion can be read in our Romance Guide:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Romance Guide for all companions – How to end up with your companions
Important for all who let Astarion regularly prey on their character: “Bloodless” can be healed with spells like “Lesser Restoration” and “Lay on Hands”.
“Bite” also works outside of combat and with your party members. However, since not every one of your companions reacts positively, we recommend a quick save with F5 before you throw yourselves at their neck.
From “inappropriate” to poisoning – how your companions react to the bite
How do the fellow inhabitants react? Very differently. Warlock Wyll comments on the action dryly with “inappropriate”. Lae’zel also does not find the action particularly good and ends it with an annoyed “enough!” A bite on Karlach’s neck, however, puts Astarion directly on fire, which she then amusingly comments: “What did you expect?”
When Shadowheart first learns of Astarion’s nature, she jokingly suggests putting a bell on him. However, when you bite her, she noticeably annoyed remarks that you are on the same side.
In a conversation with Astarion, you can also find out how he thinks the other companions taste. However, at least with Gale, he’s pretty off:
Astarion suspects Gale’s blood would surely be like a good brandy. However, if you bite the wizard from Waterdeep, Astarion receives the “poisoned” debuff and complains that Gale tastes like bile. The latter reprimands the vampire and dryly requests to be asked next time.
However, caution is advised: If you lay hands on dog Scratch or the owlbear cub with Astarion, all of your comrades see that as an immediate declaration of war. Weapons are drawn, initiative is rolled!
Of course, the other companions also react accordingly entertaining. For spoiler reasons, we have only presented the Origin characters here. In a TikTok video from l3earfat, you can see the reactions of the presented as well as a handful of other companions that appear later in the game.
Have you already “snacked through the group” with Astarion? How did your favorite companions react to the ambush? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
If you want to know what buff Astarion can give you through his biting, read on here:
