#what does astarion have. cazador has nothing to do with the main plot of the game.

[devotedlystrangewizard]

hey can we talk about how astarion, despite having the least connection to the main plot of bg3, still has the most content of all the companions

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - big jump sideways

I’ve been sick all weekend with a big cold, so I’ve pretty much only been drinking hot liquids and playing BG3. For HOURS. Somehow, it feels like I’m still not that much farther into the main plot - I just feel like I’ve gotten farther sideways, and completed a million little sidequests that don’t really have to do with anything, though it’s all been super fun. In the spirit of completing a million little tangents, here’s a million random notes. (lots of little spoilers)

Hey I read a thing… I had always assumed, always always, and I think I’m not the only one that assumed, that the city shown in the beginning cinematic being attacked by the nautiloid was Baldur’s Gate. Apparently it’s not. Apparently it’s a different but nearby city called Yartar. I mean that does make more sense - the question always was, how did Astarion get taken by the nautiloid in the middle of the day, did the nautiloid break through the walls of Cazador’s palace? But then why would Cazador write in a journal that he didn’t know what happened to Astarion and he went missing during a hunt? So I guess that’s why. I don’t think it’s very clear that the city isn’t Baldur’s Gate.

So first and foremost: I finally got Minsc. I was fully expecting to just leave him permanently at my camp for the rest of the game like I’ve done with Jaheria and Halsin. Like sure, he’s funny, but I’m HALFWAY THROUGH ACT 3, I don’t have the time to get attached to a brand new companion! I couldn’t even connect with Halsin really, and I met him in act 1. Especially not a ranger, who, I dunno. Maybe I don’t play very good, but it just seems to me that for everything a ranger can do, I have a different companion that can already do it, but better.

But he was really funny, so funny, like, making me burst out loud laughing at every other line. I checked found out that if you respec him, he still keeps the ability to summon Boo, so I changed him to a barbarian (basically taking Karlach’s place… sorry Mama K) which I feel matches his character better anyways, and somehow, suddenly, he is now my second favourite companion, after Astarion. Did not see that coming. He’s hilarious, love him, love his dialogue, love Matt Mercer, love Boo, love how Boo launches himself straight into enemy’s faces.

He has funny things to say about all the other companions - he doesn’t like Gale because Gale uses words that are too fancy, and Tara scares Boo. He’s jealous of Halsin because Halsin beat him at arm wrestling. He has nice things to say about Wyll and Shadowheart and Karlach. (sadly Lae’zel is still kidnapped so he hasn’t met her yet) Oddly though - he has nothing to say about Astarion. He simply says, Boo told him not to gossip about people behind their backs, and he feels he should also be careful what he says to Astarion’s face. It’s a bit weird - he usually has nice cute dialogue with Astarion as we’re walking around. Oh well.

Every single thing Minsc has to say is hilarious, and I’m really glad I went through the giant pain in the ass of getting him. Out of all the companions I have, he’s the one that approves of the choices I make in my specific playstyle the most. Like, Astarion is still complaining whenever I give money to people (dude we literally have more money than the bank has in its vaults, we can give a little out), Wyll complains when I do sneaky things, Lae’zel complains when I talk my way out of fights, etc etc etc, but Minsc man, me and him are just vibing, he approves of all my choices.

I am also glad because in the last fight, I got to whack Roah Moonglow. I’ve had my eye on her ever since we had the nice casual chat about slave trade back in act 1: nice to finally have the chance to smack her down.

I found Ethel! I had actually *totally forgotten* where she appears in act 3, and I had no idea she had anything to do with the missing kid, so I was COMPLETELY SURPRISED by that reveal. Grisly started talking about Lorna NEVER having a daughter and I was like… what the fuck is going on here? I was just at her house, she has books and toys all over the place. Then she’s asking me to KILL Lorna. What? Is this… is this Orin??? Feels like something Orin would say??? And then her voice changed and it alllll snapped into place, all the bizarre things, all the mind altering, of fucking course it’s Ethel, of course. Best bad guy reveal, wow. Ethel is my favourite antagonist in this game, I just love how awful she is. I also like how Astarion might complain about me jumping in to help sometimes, but something about Ethel must really freak him out, because he ALWAYS gives approval when I throw down with her. After finally getting rid of Ethel in a VERY annoying fight, Mayrina finally decided to let her poor husband’s corpse rest, and I’m sure her and Kled will eventually have a very cute happily ever after. (why are the hobgoblins so cute in this game?)

Araj Oblodra isn’t here for me, because I didn’t give her my blood in act 2. I know Astarion has some really nice things to say in your defense, but back in act 2, my durge was worried that whatever was wrong with him could be transmitted or otherwise contained within his blood somehow, and he didn’t want to it give to some creepy drow lady from a house that my tav knows is sketchy, so he kept his blood to himself. So instead, her shop is closed by order of Lord Gortash due to safety violations, lol.

I found Jaheira’s house. Listening to everyone talking online, I had expected this to be a lot sadder, like, that her children had turned their backs on her and had no respect for her or something. Maybe I misunderstood, because that’s not what I saw here at all. Yes there was some conflict, but honestly I found it more… interesting than sad, because Jaheira’s oldest ward seems she’s like basically a copy of her. I left the house feeling good, not sad. Jaheira’s got a lovely family. And yes it seems like Jaheira made a big mistake in trying to protect them by pushing them away, but… like, that happens, people make mistakes, parents make mistakes, kids get mad, everyone forgave everyone in the end? It was fine. Cute. I wasn’t sure which was the best choice for them - to tell them to protect the refugees, or to tell them to help with healing. Shockingly, absolutely shockingly, there’s no good info online! Crazy I know. I told them to help refugees cause that’s been my tav’s whole thing ever since he stepped foot in the Emerald Grove, I hope that wasn’t a mistake. What I DID find online was a bunch of people bitching about the writing. Look guys, if you don’t like it, just go play Starfield or something and fuck off. A friend of mine kept joking that Bethesda doesn’t even hire writers anymore and I thought it was a joke, but apparently it’s not, they literally do not, and the people who code the quests get to write them.

Let’s see, what else. I found Dammon and his spicy book. I know it wasn’t just a random dev decision to put it there, because the actual book is in his room, and then a note interviewing the author of the book is in a different room of his house, so Dammon is a legit fan, haha. I found a VERY busy graveyard with no less than two fights and no less than two living things buried alive. I paid off the bank and the guy gave me a key to a vault I had already looted. Everything in the sewer is done I think? I found a note that explains why that sleeping tiefling is down there, which no one online mentioned when I was looking it up… does no one actually read the books and notes in this game?... anyways with this mysterious unwakeable tiefling, apparently he’s recently had family or loved ones die as they tried to travel to Baldur’s Gate, and he’s taken the last of his money and bought a schwack of sleeping potions to overdose on. Poor guy.

And I got rid of Mystic Carrion and now the zombie bros are hanging out in his house, I like it. I found Volo and had a fuck of a time figuring out how to save him, since the fire burns away the cart and makes everything explode, and even if you untie him he doesn’t seem to be able to run away in time, arrrrgh Volo.

Volo is at my camp now and had some surprisingly supportive comments to make about my dark urge. HOW did Volo know I’m a Bhaalspawn? I mean it’s not exactly a strict secret, I’ve told a couple people in town, but I’m not ADVERTISING it either. I was a bit disappointed there wasn’t a single dialogue choice to ask how he, of all fucking people on Faerun, who I haven’t even seen since he popped my eye out in act 1, managed to figure out that I am the other chosen Bhaalspawn.

Lastly, speaking of Bhaalspawn, I found and killed Sarevok. What a goddamned pain in the ass that was. I’ve never savescummed so hard before. Every choice I made was the wrong one. Took a lot of reloading to eventually figure out that I should kill the outside guards first cause it’s freaking impossible if they come in to fight with everyone all at once, then do NOT kill the three freaky ladies, instead immobilize that asshole so he can’t hit me and charge up his fucking shitty attack, and smack him with everything I’ve got until he dies, hopefully very soon. Man.

Bringing Minsc along to the fight adds some nice extra dialogue as Sarevok reacts to seeing him again. Bring Minsc AND Jaheria adds even more, but also makes him talk to YOU more about blood and bhaalspawns and whatnot. (but I didn’t bring Jaheira, because I don’t like her in fights, sorry Jaheira) Sarevok was creepy. How unnerving for my resisting tav. I kind of wish there had been more of a buildup to him though.

I found the office of the Society of Brilliance, where they tried once again to buy the gith egg off me. I want to say this again, because it makes me sad that our history classes appear to have failed a lot of people: wanting to take a child and “fix” its “violent nature” by raising it outside the influence of its “brutal” culture was literally and specifically the stated goal of residential schools. Even if they said absolutely nothing about experimentation, their goal should be horrifying, and that’s why. Blurgg and Omeluum seem to be the only sane ones in this entire organization TBH. Blurg’s as nice as always but Omeluum is missing, more to do, oh boy, but that’s ok cause I had to go to the place he’s at anyways.

I had some thoughts about Astarion’s parents, because I see people discussing it / including family in their fics - I personally do not think he had family he was close to. Just in general I do not get that vibe from him at all. Karlach talks about her family, Wyll and Shadowheart we get to MEET their family, Gale talks about his mum, Lae’zel doesn’t have a traditional family but talks about her creche, and Astarion never mentions biological relations once, not once. He mentions his spawn siblings a lot, and it seems like they take the place in his thoughts where a biological family would have been. I feel like any bio relations must either be dead (and maybe the grave is part of a benefits package that came with his government job?) or else (my personal opinion) he did not have a good relationship with them, and was perhaps estranged when he died.

For as much as I got done this weekend, I still have so much more to do: the Steel Foundry, the House of Grief, the House of Hope, the stuff in the basement of Wyrm’s Rock, and the temple of Bhaal which looks like it’s going to be a gigantic pain in my ass, and while I was helping Volo I found a whole new freaking quest about checking out some dead waveservant, whatever the heck that is. I am loving this game, the only reason why I can be so picky is that it’s so good, it’s kept me busy since October and I adore it, I really really do. But, act 3, man. I do wish they had more time to finesse it. I can really see how this would have worked amazingly if Baldur’s Gate had been split into lower city and upper city areas, and removed half the quests and content in this area and spread them out over a second area. More room to breath. I’d like to have more fun exploring random areas, not feeling like every single step I take is unlocking some new thing for my journal. Or even just… tweak the quests so they have something to do with the main plot, so I don’t feel like I’m just doing random errands for ever random citizen.

Oh well! I don’t care. I’m having so much fun regardless.