One of the earliest companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 and a potential love interest to boot, Astarion has some secrets to his name. Spend a few nights with him as a companion, and players will unlock a unique encounter where Astarion attempts to bite their character.
Players might be hesitant to allow Astarion to bite them as the ramifications of this would be unclear at this point. And stopping the bite also seems daunting as it might result in you losing him as a companion.
Updated by Hamza Haq on August 26, 2023: The article has been updated with fresh links to align with the latest articles on Baldur’s Gate 3.
What Happens When Astarion Bites You?
In one of the first few nights, when you set up camp for a long rest, a cutscene will play, and you’ll see your favorite half-elf rogue, Astarion, standing on top of you and lunging at your throat to sink his fangs in your throat. This will always result in you waking up and being given a chance to either allow Astarion to bite you or stop him in his tracks.
If you allow the bite, Astarion will sink his teeth into your neck and suck the blood out of you. This will trigger a saving throw on your character that if you fail, you end up dead. You’ll then have to use a Revivify scroll to re-enter the world of the living.
Allowing the bite results in the following outcomes:
- Happy status on Astarion for a short while afterward. (+1 to attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks)
- Bloodless status on the main character. This status will be cleared on the next long rest with full supplies. (-1 to attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks)
- Astarion unlocks Vampire Bite.
You will not turn into a vampire. Astarion’s nighttime bite doesn’t have that ability.
Stopping the bite results in some lost favor from Astarion, and he doesn’t unlock Vampire Bite (he can still unlock it later).
Should You Allow The Bite
If you don’t allow the bite to happen, you will lose a little bit of favor with Astarion but nothing irrecoverable. While Astarion would appreciate it if you let him bite you, he is not too unhappy if he ends up being stopped.
It is important to note that bite or no bite, you can still keep Astarion as a companion and a potential love interest. He will not leave and stay with the party no matter what happens in this encounter. And if you’re feeling really guilty, you can easily earn back the lost favor by killing some Gur randomly the next time you’re out adventuring. Look for the text on the top left that says “Astarion Approves” to increase his approval rating.