In a life decision I’d call both “self-care” and “plunging headfirst into a state of degeneration,” I’ve decided to call Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3.
This may not come as a surprise, as the title is already known as a milestone in role-playing games. But I don’t play the game just for the story-rich and complicated world or the carefully crafted co-op elements. Oh no, no, no. I play because of a silver haired elf. I saw so many thirst drops from Astarion on TikTok that I had no choice but to dip my toes in the pool Baldur’s Gate 3sultry romance.
In Baldur’s gate 3, players meet a variety of party members who can be romanced. One of the options is Astarion, a high-elf Rogue with softly tousled waves and a sharp look in his eyes. For the most part, he uses trickery and trickery to solve challenges. The first time he appears in the game, Astarion tricks you by asking for help and then pulls a knife at you. He’s elusive, shady, and an outright liar at times, but he also has a softer side. Apparently everyone on the internet is so obsessed with him that social media platforms like TikTok are filled to the brim with clips.
(Ed. remark: Some of these clips contain spoilers for scenes with Astarion.)
In the story of the game, Astarion uses his charms to get his way. Real life is no different, where players have fallen in love with the sometimes cocky character. I started seeing simple compilation videos showcasing some of his more charming moments, like when he says, “Now just tell me I’m pretty and we can call it a day.”
But as it goes with TikTok, you like one video and it can unearth a whole flood. Suddenly I found myself being subjected enjoying the cat-and-mouse chase of Astarion’s romance. I especially appreciated this moment where the player character makes him beg and in response Astarion calls them a “cheeky little pup”. Only the basic clip of him say this has over 725k views on TikTok.
We don’t learn until later that Astarion is actually a vampire. Cue all the sexy bloodsucking scenes.
Here are some extra clips that convinced me to play the game.
This game supposedly has 174 hours of cutscenes, and judging by my social media feeds, every single one of them features Astarion. At the time of publication, the Astarion tag only already has more than 56 million views. The stream of clips goes on and on and many of these videos trickled right onto my For You page. After a certain point, a girl has no choice but to give in to the temptation and drink the tempting blood that Baldur’s Gate 3.