What happens if I let Astarion ascend and kill Cazador in Baldur's Gate 3?
Letting Astarion ascend and killing Cazador in Baldur's Gate 3 is a significant story moment that has lasting consequences for Astarion's character and your relationship with him. This choice occurs during Astarion's personal quest, "The Pale Elf," which culminates in a confrontation with Cazador Szarr, the vampire lord who turned Astarion into a spawn. To achieve this outcome, you must make specific choices during the quest and navigate the mechanics of the game carefully.
First, to trigger Astarion's personal quest, you need to recruit him early in the game. Astarion can be found near the Nautiloid crash site in Act 1. Once recruited, you must build a positive relationship with him by making choices that align with his personality, such as favoring deception, cruelty, or self-interest. Astarion's approval is crucial for unlocking his personal quest and ensuring he trusts you enough to share his backstory. As you progress through the game, you will eventually reach Act 3, where the confrontation with Cazador takes place.
In Act 3, you will learn about Cazador's ritual, which involves sacrificing thousands of vampire spawn, including Astarion, to ascend to a higher form of vampirism. When you confront Cazador in his palace, you will have the opportunity to either stop the ritual or allow Astarion to take Cazador's place and ascend. To let Astarion ascend, you must support his decision to complete the ritual. This involves defeating Cazador in combat and then allowing Astarion to perform the ritual on Cazador's corpse.
The combat encounter with Cazador is challenging, as he is a powerful vampire lord surrounded by vampire spawn and other minions. To succeed, you should prepare your party with radiant damage spells and weapons, as vampires are vulnerable to radiant damage. Additionally, you should focus on crowd control to manage the numerous enemies in the room. Spells like Hold Person or Silence can be effective in neutralizing threats. Astarion himself can be a valuable asset in this fight, especially if he has been built as a rogue or fighter with high damage output.
Once Cazador is defeated, Astarion will have the option to perform the ritual. If you choose to support his decision, he will ascend, gaining immense power and becoming a full vampire lord. This transformation changes his personality, making him more arrogant and power-hungry. While he will remain loyal to you, his newfound power will alter your relationship, and he may become more domineering and less empathetic.
There are several important considerations to keep in mind when making this choice. First, allowing Astarion to ascend has moral implications, as the ritual involves the sacrifice of thousands of innocent vampire spawn. If you value a more ethical approach, you may choose to stop the ritual instead. Additionally, ascending Astarion locks you out of other potential outcomes for his character, such as helping him find redemption or breaking free from Cazador's influence.
A common mistake to avoid is failing to prepare adequately for the fight with Cazador. His minions can overwhelm your party if you are not careful, so it is essential to have a balanced party composition and use strategic positioning to your advantage. Another mistake is not considering the long-term consequences of Astarion's ascension. While it grants him significant power, it also changes his personality and may lead to conflicts within your party.
Advanced techniques for this encounter include using environmental hazards to your advantage, such as pushing enemies into chasms or using area-of-effect spells to damage multiple foes at once. Additionally, you can optimize Astarion's build by focusing on abilities that enhance his damage output, such as Sneak Attack for rogues or Action Surge for fighters.
In terms of D&D 5E rules, vampires like Cazador have specific weaknesses and resistances that you can exploit. For example, vampires are vulnerable to radiant damage and cannot regenerate health if they take radiant damage. They also have resistance to necrotic damage and non-magical weapons, so it is important to use magical weapons or spells to deal effective damage.
In conclusion, letting Astarion ascend and killing Cazador is a complex decision that requires careful consideration of both the immediate combat challenges and the long-term story consequences. By preparing your party, making strategic choices, and understanding the mechanics involved, you can achieve this outcome and shape Astarion's fate in Baldur's Gate 3.
First, to trigger Astarion's personal quest, you need to recruit him early in the game. Astarion can be found near the Nautiloid crash site in Act 1. Once recruited, you must build a positive relationship with him by making choices that align with his personality, such as favoring deception, cruelty, or self-interest. Astarion's approval is crucial for unlocking his personal quest and ensuring he trusts you enough to share his backstory. As you progress through the game, you will eventually reach Act 3, where the confrontation with Cazador takes place.
In Act 3, you will learn about Cazador's ritual, which involves sacrificing thousands of vampire spawn, including Astarion, to ascend to a higher form of vampirism. When you confront Cazador in his palace, you will have the opportunity to either stop the ritual or allow Astarion to take Cazador's place and ascend. To let Astarion ascend, you must support his decision to complete the ritual. This involves defeating Cazador in combat and then allowing Astarion to perform the ritual on Cazador's corpse.
The combat encounter with Cazador is challenging, as he is a powerful vampire lord surrounded by vampire spawn and other minions. To succeed, you should prepare your party with radiant damage spells and weapons, as vampires are vulnerable to radiant damage. Additionally, you should focus on crowd control to manage the numerous enemies in the room. Spells like Hold Person or Silence can be effective in neutralizing threats. Astarion himself can be a valuable asset in this fight, especially if he has been built as a rogue or fighter with high damage output.
Once Cazador is defeated, Astarion will have the option to perform the ritual. If you choose to support his decision, he will ascend, gaining immense power and becoming a full vampire lord. This transformation changes his personality, making him more arrogant and power-hungry. While he will remain loyal to you, his newfound power will alter your relationship, and he may become more domineering and less empathetic.
There are several important considerations to keep in mind when making this choice. First, allowing Astarion to ascend has moral implications, as the ritual involves the sacrifice of thousands of innocent vampire spawn. If you value a more ethical approach, you may choose to stop the ritual instead. Additionally, ascending Astarion locks you out of other potential outcomes for his character, such as helping him find redemption or breaking free from Cazador's influence.
A common mistake to avoid is failing to prepare adequately for the fight with Cazador. His minions can overwhelm your party if you are not careful, so it is essential to have a balanced party composition and use strategic positioning to your advantage. Another mistake is not considering the long-term consequences of Astarion's ascension. While it grants him significant power, it also changes his personality and may lead to conflicts within your party.
Advanced techniques for this encounter include using environmental hazards to your advantage, such as pushing enemies into chasms or using area-of-effect spells to damage multiple foes at once. Additionally, you can optimize Astarion's build by focusing on abilities that enhance his damage output, such as Sneak Attack for rogues or Action Surge for fighters.
In terms of D&D 5E rules, vampires like Cazador have specific weaknesses and resistances that you can exploit. For example, vampires are vulnerable to radiant damage and cannot regenerate health if they take radiant damage. They also have resistance to necrotic damage and non-magical weapons, so it is important to use magical weapons or spells to deal effective damage.
In conclusion, letting Astarion ascend and killing Cazador is a complex decision that requires careful consideration of both the immediate combat challenges and the long-term story consequences. By preparing your party, making strategic choices, and understanding the mechanics involved, you can achieve this outcome and shape Astarion's fate in Baldur's Gate 3.