Throughout the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll have to make decisions that affect the story’s development or your relationship with certain characters, as is the case in any quality RPG game.
One of the decisions you’ll have to make in Baldur’s Gate 3 is letting companion Astarion drink your blood or not. After you recruit Astarion, he’ll eventually try to drink your blood at the campsite in a cutscene. It’s up to you to let Astarion drink your blood or not.
If you’re unsure if you should let Astarion drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3 and don’t care for spoilers, here’s what happens depending on your choice.
What happens if you allow Astarion to bite you and drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3?
If you let Astarion drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3, your approval rating with Astarion will increase, and it will be easier for your character to engage in a romance with him later in the game.
Letting Astarion drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3 will also give Astarion the Vampire Bite action. Here’s what this combat action does:
- Astarion drinks the blood of a creature and regains 2d4 hit points. Whoever is targeted will take 2d4 Piercing damage.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 romance guide: All romanceable companions and how to woo them
If you let Astarion drink too much of your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3, it can lead to your character’s death. The odds of this happening are low, though, as you’ll be able to stop him from drinking your blood twice. You’ll do a die roll to pass those checks, and if you succeed, you’ll only take a bit of damage.
If you don’t stop Astarion from drinking your blood in those two opportunities, your character will die, and you’ll take control of another party member. Don’t worry, though; your character won’t be gone for good, as you can use a Scroll of Revivify to bring them back to life with one HP.
Do you get any ailments or buffs for letting Astarion drink your blood?
If you let Astarion drink your blood, your character will gain a status ailment, or debuff, called Bloodless. This means that your character will get the following:
- Minus one in Attack Rolls.
- Minus one in Saving Throws.
- Minus one in Ability Checks.
Does Astarian get any ailments or buffs for drinking your blood?
If Astarion drinks your blood, he will get a Happy status effect and gain the following the next day:
- Plus one in Attack Rolls.
- Plus one in Saving Throws.
- Plus one in Ability Checks.
How long do the status effects and ailments last?
The status ailment you receive and the status effect Astarion gets will last until your next long rest. You can then let Astarion drink your blood again, or he can fend for himself.
Do you turn into a Vampire if you let Astarion bite you?
No, you do not turn into a vampire if Astarion bites you. Put plainly, Astarion is not a full vampire, he is a vampire spawn. Therefore, he does not have the power to turn you into a vampire or a vampire spawn. At most, you gain a nasty stat, Bloodless, and at best, you gain Astarion’s approval along with Vampire Bite.
What happens if you don’t let Astarion drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3?
If Astarion doesn’t drink your blood in Baldur’s Gate 3, your approval rating with him will go down. Players were worried that Astarion would die if he didn’t drink their blood, but don’t worry because that isn’t possible.
Should you not allow Astarion to drink your blood, he’ll hunt a wild animal, drink its blood instead, and unlock the Vampire Bite action either way.
What happens if you try to Stake Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Being a walking blood bag may not appeal to some, so you can choose to stake Astarion in BG3. But before you can stake him, you must pass a Strength check, and you’ll need to roll a 14 or higher.
If you pass the Strength check, you will pick up a stake and stab him through the heart. And like most creatures stabbed through the heart, Astarion will die.
The odd thing about this is that a cutscene will play, and you’ll go back to sleep as if nothing happened, and you’ll wake up with him still dead beside you. Your companions won’t seem all too sad about it, either. Brutal.
Decision time: Should you let Astarion drink your blood in BG3?
Whether you should let Astarion drink your blood in BG3 boils down to personal preference, whether he’s someone you want to romance, or if you want to buff your Rogue. I chose to let Astarion drink my blood because, as a Rogue, he is often the first to attack in BG3’s turn-based combat, and I want him to have as much of an advantage as possible.
The downside is losing one point in Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, and Ability Checks. But if you have equipment that can boost your abilities, you won’t notice it as much. And you can always switch to another character if you need to perform certain ability checks.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Best romance options in BG3, ranked
Ultimately, it’s really up to you and your plans for Astarion that will determine whether you should let him drink your blood or get a stake through the heart.
