The Best Astarion Quotes and Banter in Baldur’s Gate 3

Originally published on April 2, 2026. This article discusses 10 of the best quotations and lines of banter from companion Astarion Ancunín in the video game Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Who doesn’t love a sassy, quippy vampire? From Buffy’s bad boy Spike to the humorous housemates of What We Do in the Shadows, there’s something undeniably alluring about a bloodsucker whose bark is just as full of attitude as their bite. (Bonus points if they have an accent!)

Astarion Ancunín is one of the companions that can accompany your Tav on your journey through the Baldur’s Gate 3 video game. He’s best known for his sharp fangs and sharper wit. A bit of a whiner, his attitude disguises an insecure and eventually loyal ally if you progress through his personal quest The Pale Elf. Or you can annoy him with your choices, leading to a whole host of other snarky conversations and even the potential for him to abandon your team.

With over 170 hours of cinematics in the game, which are impossible to discover in only a single playthrough, it’s a hard task to pick just a few favorite moments. Still, adventurers all across Faerûn have uncovered many incredible lines of dialogue and banter from Astarion — ranging from the heartfelt to the hilarious, and even including a few famous Dungeons & Dragons name drops!

10 of Astarion’s best quotes in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• “This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it.”
• “It’s not you, you understand. It’s me. I have standards.”
• “Oh good, puns. Because clowns aren’t enough of a horror already.”
• “I was right there!”
• “You’re right. I can be better than him, but I’m not above enjoying this.”
• “I can’t even tell if any of you are acting strange because you’ve been replaced or because this group is full of weirdos!”
• “I’ve been dead in the ground for long enough. It’s time to try living again.”
• “Hardly. There’s also gold, sex, revenge — quite the list, really. But failing any of those, I will always settle for shallow praise.”
• “I’m not afraid. Not of you, not of your darkness. I’m not going anywhere.”
• His secret references to Drizzt Do’Urden and Strahd von Zarovich.

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“This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it.”

• Triggers in Act 1 and potentially in Act 3
• Can be heard after letting Astarion bite you for the first time in a long rest cutscene

Most players knew Astarion was a vampire before recruiting him to their party. For a select few, this is a genuine plot twist first revealed during a long rest. One night at camp, the vampire spawn will attempt to drink from your unconscious character and you have several options. These include resisting and giving in, which can even lead to your accidental death if you don’t stop him soon enough.

If you let him drink your blood and stop him before he drains you entirely — and you don’t threaten to kill him or run him out of camp for discovering the truth — then he’ll thank you for this first step in accepting him as he is.

This moment gets even more thematic resonance if you eventually defeat his tormentor Cazador Szarr and choose not to help Astarion ascend to true vampire status, instead releasing him from his bondage. After confessing his frustrations and fears about his newfound freedom, he’ll repeat the line with heartfelt earnestness towards the player.

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“It’s not you, you understand. It’s me. I have standards.”

• Triggers in Act 1 and represents a failure to romance Astarion
• Can be heard primarily during the tiefling camp celebration when you approach a party member for intimacy

Love hurts! Astarion left quite a few players unlucky in love after he rejected their romantic advances. This line perfectly encapsulates the devil-may-care attitude he takes to many Act 1 scenarios, unwilling to let his guard down around you just yet. If you haven’t swayed him sufficiently, he’ll turn you away at the tiefling camp party.

Astarion takes a classic gentle letdown (“It’s not you, it’s me.”) and still manages to inject some of his signature selfish snark into the mix. He “accepts” the fault for the failed relationship because his standards are simply too high. And if you don’t meet that bar, don’t even think about progressing through the romance scenes to follow.

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“Oh good, puns. Because clowns aren’t enough of a horror already.”

• Triggers in Act 3 at the Circus in Rivington
• Players are prompted to send Astarion to the stage with Dribbles the Clown

In Act 3, the party will encounter a carnival called the Circus of the Last Days. In addition to magical beasts, a djinni, and a face-painting mummy, players can meet Dribbles the Clown (sort of). This colorful harlequin isn’t all as he seems, but Astarion is more than ready to judge someone just by their looks and their wordplay.

At some point, Dribbles will call up one of your companions to the stage. Your vampire rogue is none too pleased to be goaded into the performance (and you will actively lose some favor with him if you push him into it). Thankfully, everyone else in the party will be glad you sacrificed Astarion to the pun-geon instead of them.

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“I was right there!”

• Triggers in Act 1 at the Githyanki Creche
• Can be heard if Astarion was killed by the Blood of Lathander lance and then revived by Withers

What in the sweet hells were you thinking, activating that lance? During the Blood of Lathander questline at the Githyanki Creche, you have the opportunity to unlock a rarer dialogue exchange if you play your cards right. And by that, I mean accidentally killing Astarion when the sun-powered lance detonates.

After paying Withers to resurrect your dearly departed companion, Astarion will have some choice words for you. He has multiple reactions based on how you apologize (or don’t), but this entire incident goes down as one of his most bratty, hilarious tantrums, expertly voice acted by Neil Newbon. It’s especially delicious revenge if you let him feed on you at camp until you died and had to be resurrected yourself.

The most famous reaction to this conversation comes if the Tav responds, “I thought the mind flayer parasite protects you from light?” Pick this option and Astarion will say, “Well, apparently there’s a limit. Somewhere between a nice summer’s day and the FULL CONCENTRATED POWER OF THE SUN!”

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“You’re right. I can be better than him, but I’m not above enjoying this.”

• Triggers in Act 3 during the climax of the Cazador Szarr conflict

Astarion’s relationship with his sire Cazador Szarr is a complicated one. The choices presented to him and your Tav throughout the narrative are difficult to navigate morally. You’ll have chances to help Astarion kill his abuser and break the cycle of violence, help him ascend into the same evil patterns of his predecessor, or even let Cazador sacrifice your companion for his nefarious purposes (though we wouldn’t recommend that one).

This dialogue encapsulates Astarion’s struggle and his own desire not to always take the moral high ground in every instance. He is a bit of a bad boy, after all. Still, breaking the vampire lord’s hold on thousands of victims offers Astarion a chance at redemption. It doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy the taste of revenge at the same time.

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“I can’t even tell if any of you are acting strange because you’ve been replaced or because this group is full of weirdos!”

• Triggers in Act 3 after the party has encountered Orin the Red

Over the course of your adventure, you’ll encounter plenty of strange individuals. Some of them will even join your party! From “God’s favorite princess” with amnesia Shadowheart to the literally too-hot-to-handle Karlach, you’ve got a mix of big, bold, bizarre personalities sharing this mindflayer tadpole journey with you. Everyone’s problems are unique and, in the grand scheme of things, pretty weird.

Of course, by Act 3, the party has also grown a lot closer to one another, coming to accept (or at least tolerate) the idiosyncrasies of eating magic items, dealing with devils, and even keeping a miniature giant space hamster around. Throw in the terror of changeling Orin the Red and her doppelgangers, and suddenly you’re not sure who in your party has been replaced by a shapeshifter. Astarion’s words are as affectionate as they are fearful — the Bhaal worshippers who can wear your face are nothing to laugh at.

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“I’m not afraid. Not of you, not of your darkness. I’m not going anywhere.”

• Triggers in Act 3 of a Dark Urge playthrough
• Can be heard specifically if the player has successfully romanced Astarion up to this point

For players giving into their dark urges, there’s the, well, Dark Urge playthrough. This alternate take on the main Baldur’s Gate 3 story is accompanied by many more unique interactions with your companions, given your character’s complicated history. The Dark Urge (also called Durge) grapples with their evil nature and can either give in or resist, although it’s always present in some form.

If choosing to romance Astarion while playing as the Durge, you’ll find your two characters share a lot in common. Progress far enough through the romance and in Act 3, the vampire rogue will affirm that he is devoted to you despite your past essentially as murder incarnate. It’s a touching scene that adds dimension to the option of romancing Astarion, who is himself deeply insecure about what Cazador turned him into.

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“Hardly. There’s also gold, sex, revenge — quite the list, really. But failing any of those, I will always settle for shallow praise.”

• Triggers in Act 1 if you find Astarion looking at himself in the mirror at camp
• Have your Tav question if all he wants from you is shallow praise

Most people know the vampire lore that they cannot see their own reflections. This weakness is the subject of a small camp interaction when you come across Astarion trying to observe himself in a hand mirror, to no avail. As he explains his predicament, you’re given a few different options on how to reassure (or worry) him about his appearance. When you choose to reflect on Astarion’s true desires, he’ll give you this list of what he wants most out of others.

In Act 1, he’s still deeply afraid of letting his guard down around you. This is a perfect example of his charmingly flippant style. He’s a bit of a hedonist, but realizes he has to rely on you and others for information about himself — his appearance, his scars, all of it. But until he’s ready to be vulnerable, he’ll accept you satiating his vanity.

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“I’ve been dead in the ground for long enough. It’s time to try living again.”

• Triggers in Act 3 upon completion of the Pale Elf questline
• Only occurs if Astarion was not ascended to true vampire status through the ritual
• The scene can end in romance or platonic companionship

Is it possible to give the dead new life? Well, aside from paying Withers some serious gold to bring back accidentally-obliterated teammates, you can. On the first long rest after defeating Cazador and not ascending his spawn, Astarion will take your character to a graveyard. Here, he reveals the spot where he woke up undead nearly 200 years ago.

It’s a vulnerable, tender moment where he thanks you for giving him a new chance at life. He’s no longer afraid of his master and he admits he looks forward to what the future brings. Of course, if you’ve been romancing him and done all the necessary steps, you’ll then have the option to get intimate on his grave — Mary Shelley, eat your husband’s calcified heart out. Otherwise, you can choose to just sit side by side with him through the night, waiting for a new day to break.

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Astarion makes rare references to Drizzt Do’Urden and Strahd von Zarovich.

• When clicking on his screen icon while he’s in the party, Astarion can make reference to actual figures from D&D lore.
• One secret line triggers about Drizzt Do’Urden, the famous drow ranger known throughout the Sword Coast.
• Another secret line references Strahd von Zarovich, another famous vampire in Forgotten Realms lore.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is simply packed to the gills with interactions, hidden scenes, and other impressive attention to detail. Given that it takes place within the lore of the Forgotten Realms, and specifically in Faerûn, players will find many references to actual Dungeons & Dragons entities, organizations, and locations.

Astarion, being a posh, long-lived, and well-to-do sort, has definitely been around the Sword Coast in his day (though mostly kept enslaved in Baldur’s Gate city by Cazador after his vampiric turn). Fans have discovered two fun interactions that come from interacting with Astarion’s player icon within your party.

“Drizzt Do’Urden? More like Drizzt Don’t-Urden. No, no, no, that’s not funny.”

“Strahd wouldn’t put up with this shit.”

These hidden bits of dialogue are a real treat for devoted D&D players. They have no bearing on the plot, but further flesh out Astarion’s awareness of the world around him. It makes the Faerûn setting feel more alive, and make a good “I got that reference!” moment for those keeping a keen ear out.

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