WARNING: This following contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.
While the game is still in early access, Baldur's Gate 3's Patch Four is the gift that keeps on giving. The sound files datamined by YouTuber Chubblot include over 42 minutes of new Astarion lines, including a dialogue tree about the taste of each party member's blood. Astarion is a vampire spawn with a newly found appetite for humanoid blood, and he plans to enjoy his snacks.
However, Astarion's comments aren't just hilarious; they can also be used to learn more about your companions' true natures. To Astarion, blood is unique, and the taste varies depending on the donor's nature and experience. He also has some preconceptions about the potential taste of some companions that might not be as delicious as he thought -- or even edible at all. Don't judge a snack by its wrapping.
"There you are. I was just thinking about you, and that delicious moment we shared the other night."
"A pity. You are tastier than you know, and you were my first."
"I admit I got curious. Cazador fed me bugs and rats, and when you're used to drinking from a sewer, even plonk is a marked improvement."
"It obviously put me off your neck, but now I can't help but wonder how others taste."
The player character can choose to let Astarion snack on them on two occasions. While he keeps his description vague to suit any backstory, his opinion depends on his relationship with the player, varying from "Delicious" to "Plonk."
"Shadowheart? I have no idea. How do you think our little enigma would taste?"
"Take Shadowheart, for example. She strikes me as having a heavy, enigmatic flavour. Vintage port on two legs."
The sound files never confirm whether Astarion bit or skipped the group's Cleric, but he imagines that her flavor is as mysterious as she acts. "Port," the term he uses for her, is a sweet dessert wine from Portugal. If the player character chooses to romance Shadowheart, Astarion will also mock their relationship as "Very sweet. Not what I would call passionate or interesting, but sweet."
"But the Gith? What in the hells would she taste like?"
"Mmmh, a meal that would put up a fight! An adventurous choice."
When the party discovers that Astarion is a vampire, Lae'zel is quite accepting, but also incredibly menacing. If the player keeps both Astarion and Lae'zel in their party, at one point Lae'zel will threaten Astarion. He will be delighted, saying, "Oh, I so do like spicy food."
"Take Wyll, for example -- a man of the people. Very palatable, like a sweet cider."
"Interesting. Personally, I found that he tastes a little too sweet."
Wyll wasn't quite what Astarion had in mind. Before Patch 4, Shadowheart would ask Astarion who would he bite, if he could bite anyone. He answered Wyll, because Wyll is righteous, fast and strong -- Astarion was already salivating. However, behind all the bravado and pact-with-a-devil backstory, it seems like Wyll is truly the best person of the entire party. Wyll's actions back up Astarion's taste test. If the player sides with the cult of the Absolute, going full Chaotic Evil, Wyll will leave the party and never return.
"He strikes me as someone whose blood is rich, refined, like well-aged brandy."
"I'm all too familiar with Gale's blood, unfortunately. I can't recommend it."
A clear case of a gilded ruin, Gale has a secret or two of his own. These have negatively affected his flavor, although almost nobody could tell at first glance. If Astarion bites Gale, he will almost choke on the wizard's toxic blood; if he doesn't, Gale will still issue a fair warning, saying, "I taste absolutely awful."
0 Comments