making a Baldur's Gate 3 custom character is unprecedented in the video game space, only rivaled by a tabletop Dungeons & Dragons game with a very patient DM. However, the choices don't end with character creation. The character a player ends up with might turn out totally different from the one they started with, depending on the opportunities they take throughout the game.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]
There is a vampire-adjacent character in Baldur's Gate 3 - the high elf rogue Astarion. Astarion is an interesting, multifaceted character, so it's tempting to follow him down his dark path. However, whether it's actually possible to become a vampire in Baldur's Gate 3 is a more complicated question.
Is It Possible To Become A Vampire In Baldur's Gate 3?
Ascended Astarion Is The Only Way To Play As A Vampire
It is possible to turn Astarion into a vampire, but not the main player character - at least, not fully. Fairly early in the game's campaign, Astarion will startle the player-controlled character during a long rest with a bite on the neck, but as it turns out, he's only a vampire spawn, not a full-fledged vampire.
This is effectively the Baldur's Gate 3 equivalent to a thrall: he's controlled by a master vampire, and may be able to become one himself if he drinks that master's blood. As a non-vampire himself, Astarion doesn't have the ability to turn people completely, either, but that all changes in one very specific path in the game.
During "The Pale Elf" quest, upon killing his former master, Cazador Szarr, Astarion will be granted the choice to finally ascend to full vampire status. However, in order to do so, Astarion must complete the same ritual that made him a thrall, but this time to his master.
After helping Astarion see the symbols on his own back, he violently carves the special characters into Cazador, completing the ritual and finally ascending into a full vampire. This, in turn, destroys everyone in the vampire coven, including Cazador himself, as Astarion absorbs their power.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Find (& Beat) Cazador
Cazador is the former vampire master of Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3 who you can find and beat in Act 3 to help your companion gain ascended powers.
Cazador is a powerful vampire known from prior entries in Baldur's Gate, so once the ritual is complete, Astarion becomes an equivalent master vampire with a more powerful bite, and the ability to turn into mist. He also becomes more romantically possessive, and, if the player character asks him nicely, will turn them into a vampire spawn, too.
Upon another long rest, the ascended Astarion will give the player-controlled character the opportunity to turn into a vampire spawn by drinking a drop of his blood. While this will grant them access to the basic Vampiric Bite ability, they'll be much weaker than Astarion.
There may be specific prerequisites to Astarion offering the player character a chance at becoming a vampire spawn, as romancing and having a good relationship with him help secure the option's availability.
How To Turn Astarion Into A Vampire In Baldur's Gate 3
Completing Astarion's Personal Quest
The easiest way to play as a vampire is to agree to a deal with Raphael to learn the meaning of the symbols etched into his back early on, or run into some of his fellow thralls at Fraygo's Flophouse in Rivington. Either way, this will advance his quest, directing the party to enter Szarr Palace.
After either fighting or schmoozing their way past the guards, the party must scour Szarr Palace for two items: a Kozakuran Dictionary to read Cazador's sigils, and a Signet Ring to open his doors. Once they've collected both, they can descend to the site of the ritual. The party must kill Cazador in order to let Astarion ascend; this is by no means an easy fight, but at level 12 in Baldur's Gate 3, it's certainly doable.
Szarr Palace is also the location of Victoria, a Baldur's Gate 3 secret who can be used to eliminate some of the toughest bosses in the game - Cazador included - without even touching them.
Finally, Astarion is faced with the choice to either ascend or walk away. The choice is up to the player, but ascension is the only way to become a full vampire.
Astarion's sole bloodsucking ability is Vampiric Bite. It takes the form of a piercing attack, which deals 2d4 damage to its target, and heals Astarion for 2d4 HP. This bite gets upgraded to Ascended Bite, with 6d6 damage and healing, upon Astarion ascending into full-fledged vampire status. He also obtains Cazador's Mist ability. It's the closest players can get to becoming a master vampire.
Other Ways To (Sort Of) Become A Vampire In Baldur's Gate 3
Recruiting Astarion & Stealing Ethel's Potion
If the player is okay with not becoming a vampire themselves but still wants one in their party, the next best thing is to recruit Astarion as a companion. He can be found after the introductory sequence of Baldur's Gate 3 when the Nautiloid airship crashes on a beach. Players simply need to wander westward from the landing site, where Astarion will call to them from a line of trees.
Approach him, and he'll hold the player character at knifepoint. However, fighting back can result in Astarion becoming unavailable for recruitment, or even worse, dying outright. Players will have to resist the urge to strike back at Astarion until their respective brain-implanted Illithid Tadpoles allow them to communicate telepathically.
Astarion will then the team, and, during one of their first few nights at camp together, will treat the player character to a rude awakening by trying to suck their blood while they sleep. Allowing him to continue risks the player character dying, but don't worry - there are two opportunities to stop Astarion before he goes too far. Even if the player character does die, they can immediately be revived by a party member.
Once Astarion is sated, he'll gain the Vampiric Bite power as described above. Allowing him to drink the player character's blood does give them some semblance of vampiric power when he's in the party, and that does improve if he later ascends.
Neil Newbon On Being "Incredibly Blessed By Astarion" In Baldur's Gate 3
Neil Newbon discusses playing companion Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3, helping direct his fellow actors, and the game's incredible possibilities.
It's also possible to gain a similar power early in the Baldur's Gate 3 campaign, although only temporarily. In the Druid Grove, the party can seek out a character called Auntie Ethel, an aging healer who claims to have a cure for their brain parasites. They go on to meet her in the Sunlit Wetlands, where she's in a crisis. She's being accused by two brothers, Johl and Demir, of kidnapping their sister, Mayrina.
Players can take either side of this argument, but once they resolve it, Auntie Ethel will return to her teahouse. Players can follow her there to find a captive Mayrina. The ensuing interaction can play out in any number of ways, but almost always ends in a confrontation with Ethel. Once it's resolved, players can search her dwelling to find the potion A Mother's Loathing. This is one of many potions scattered throughout her home - none of their effects are explained, so drinking any of them is a gamble.
A Mother's Loathing is one of the more helpful ones, though, giving whoever drinks it access to the bite action until their next long rest. This functions much the same as the Vampiric Bite move in Baldur's Gate 3, but doesn't include the healing component. Still, players can drink it to get a taste of vampire life.
Should You Let Astarion Bite You In Baldur's Gate 3 & Should Astarion Ascend?
Pros & Cons Of Vampire Astarion
Yes, players should choose to let Astarion bite their characters in Baldur's Gate 3. The inevitable result is that Astarion gains an exceptionally powerful move, and his storyline progresses. To bite or not to bite might seem like more of an impactful decision than it actually is. There is indeed the risk of death, but the risk is small, and the player character can still be revived if Astarion inadvertently kills them.
The benefits of letting Astarion bite the player character greatly outweigh the risks, so there's no reason not to let him go ahead with it. This also enables the player to continue through "The Pale Elf" quest line to eventually make Astarion a master vampire, much more powerful than he was in his original thrall form. Allowing him to ascend is somewhat of a different question. Besides his new powers, the only major thing that changes about Astarion is that he becomes more arrogant and ambitious than ever before. But that's hardly anything new for his character.
However, letting Astarion ascend kills all the other vampire spawn, including the abducted Gur children. The Gur, a nomadic band of hunters, sends the party into Szarr Palace to rescue their children, so they won't be totally happy with this outcome. This also results in a more evil Astarion, whose increased hunger and lust for power could lead to a bad outcome. This may even result in one of BG3's new evil endings, added in Patch 7, being triggered, potentially causing one of the worst possible conclusions to the game. Ascending Astarion is best avoided, except in evil playthroughs.
Some Mods Let You Turn Anyone Into A Vampire In Baldur's Gate 3
Using BG3's New Mod Manager To Become A Vampire
Ascended Astarion is all well and good, but players who want to turn other characters into vampires will need to look elsewhere. This is where mods come in: there are a wealth of Baldur's Gate 3 mods that allow players to turn their characters into vampires.
Become a Vampire, ed to Nexus Mods by Yoseph, is probably the easiest and most feature-complete way to turn any companion into a vampire. This mod adds three different potions to the game - one that turns the consumer into a vampire, one that turns them into a vampire spawn like Astarion, and one that turns them into a vampire ascendant. This gives them the bite attack, but also a series of other abilities and effects based on how vampires play in Dungeons & Dragons.
The vampire stats used for the Become a Vampire mod are based on those of Strahd von Zarovich, a powerful vampire in the Forgotten Realms setting.
This or any equivalent mod ed via the new in-game Baldur's Gate 3 mod manager will work just as well. Besides the ease of installing them directly from the game window, the main benefit of installing mods this way is that they'll eventually be available on consoles as well, allowing players to become vampires no matter what platform they're on. Like with all mods, though, these come with their drawbacks: they may cause bugs in some parts of the game, and if they actually change the player character's race, they may lose some race-specific dialogue options.
Although the player's custom character can't fully become a vampire in vanilla Baldur's Gate 3, it's still possible to experience just a bit of vampire gameplay by letting Astarion drink their blood and later ascend. Mods also open up the options for playable vampirism, even if they should be used sparingly. With the Vampiric Bite ability, Astarion becomes a much more powerful party member, so it's more than worth the risk. However, players should be careful who else they let Astarion bite as they journey through the Forgotten Realms in Baldur's Gate 3.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated for accuracy to better reflect becoming a vampire in Baldur's Gate 3.
Source: Yoseph/Nexus Mods
Baldur's Gate 3
-
- Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- Metascore
- 96
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op
- 1-2 Players
Your comment has not been saved