In our BG3 Astarion Ascend & Cazador Choices guide, we are going to walk you through the different choices you will be faced with in this quest, including whether you should let Astarion ascend or not and whether you should kill the spawn. There really is no happy ending, but you can minimize the overall suffering. Obviously, there will be some spoilers from here on out, so consider yourselves duly warned.

BG3 Let Astarion Ascend or Not Choice

If you let Astarion ascend in BG3 or Baldur’s Gate 3, every other vampire (including Cazador) is going to explode. Everyone in your party, including the generally ambivalent Lae’zel, is going to greatly disapprove of this choice. The general visuals of the proceedings also seem to strongly indicate that this wasn’t the “good” way to go. As for Astarion, he will receive a new ability called Ascendant Bite, all his unarmed attacks will do necrotic damage, and he’ll have the power of Gaseous Form. He can turn into mist, basically. And that’s your lot.

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If you persuade Astarion to not ascend (by either telling him it will kill all the spawn or that it will consume him) you will get access to the options in the next section. Astarion will still murder Cazador, but he will also stay the lovable scamp he was until now. Plus, everyone in your party will approve, and even Astarion will thank you later on. You’ll even get +5 Affection Points.

One thing you must avoid at all costs in the BG3 Astarion ascend or not choice is refusing to help Astarion at all. He will suffer a mental breakdown, slaughter Cazador very messily, and permanently leave your party. This is arguably even worse than the ascension.

BG3 Release or Kill Prisoners Choice

The choice of whether you want to release or kill the prisoners in BG3, or the spawn or whatever you want to call them, happens after you persuade Astarion to not ascend. If you let them go, they will go into the Underdark and the rest of Cazador’s children will take care of them. The only person who will be upset by this is Ulma from the Gur Tribe. She will soften a little once she learns that the spawn are actually Gur children.

The other option will really tick off everyone except Ulma, and even she will get mad once she realizes who the spawn are. However, if you stay silent and let Astarion do the talking, Ulma will understand that what you’ve done is technically a kindness. The Gur will stand with you in the final battle if you go this route.