Best Astarion build guide in Baldur's Gate 3

Aside from being able to select the build of your created character, Baldur's Gate 3 also offers complete freedom in choosing the build of each of your companions. This allows you to create a good balance between each party member as they level up. A stable team can be achieved by choosing the best build for each member of it. This is essential in surviving battles and accomplishing quests throughout the game.

One character that you can meet and recruit in Baldur's Gate 3 is Astarion. He is a mysterious High-elf Rogue with a compelling questline. As a companion, he can provide great damage in combat and is extremely versatile outside of it.

Choosing the right setup for him might be difficult due to the plethora of options. If you are struggling with this, this BG3 guide will help you make the best Astarion build.

Best build for Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3

Astarion's stats in Baldur's Gate 3 make him one of the most dexterous characters, as he starts out with seventeen points of Dexterity. This companion is well-balanced in his other stats as well, but he suffers from having low Strength, at only eight points.

In combat, his main weapon is his Sneak Attack, which allows him to deal extra damage to enemies when an ally is within melee range of them or every time he has Advantage when on the attack. Outside of fighting, he is one of the best options for sneaking around and disarming traps or picking locks.

Choosing the best build for Astarion will depend on these qualities. That said, here are his best subclasses.

Best subclass for Astarion

The Rogue class has three options for subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3. Upon reaching the third one, its members can choose among Arcane Trickster, Assassin, and Thief. While Astarion does lack spell-casting abilities, he won't need them since you should have Gale or Shadowheart to fulfill the caster role.

Assassin sounds tempting, but the best subclass for this unit is actually the Thief. By choosing this option, Astarion will gain the features Fast Hands and Second-Story Work. The former grants you an extra Bonus Action, while the latter gives you resistance to falling damage.

Take note that when you reached level two, you gained Cunning Action — which turns hiding, dashing, and disengaging into a bonus action for Rogues. With a character like Astarion, this means that you can use Fast Hands or Second-Story Work twice in a single turn.

An example of a great combination that can be achieved with two bonus actions would be to attack with a melee weapon and use Cunning Action to disengage. Then, run before using Hide with the second Bonus Action to set up a potential Sneak Attack on Astarion's next turn.

This is just one example, and there are other good combinations you can try, including using an item as a Bonus Action.

Upon reaching level nine in Baldur's Gate 3, the Thief subclass also grants the feature Supreme Sneak, which provides invisibility to Astarion when used.

Feats or Ability Score Increase

Aside from being granted subclass features at the third and ninth levels, Astarion can choose a Feat or to increase his ability score at levels four, eight, and twelve. And, thanks to a feature that's exclusive to Rogues in Baldur's Gate 3, he can pick up another Feat at level ten. Here are the best options for your High-elf Rogue companion:

Level four: Take an Ability Improvement and add one to both strength and Dexterity
Level eight: Pick up the Athlete Feat and increase your Strength which should now be at ten. This also increases your jump distance by 50% and reduces the movement cost of getting up from falling Prone
Level ten: Choose the Defensive Duelist Feat so that every time Astarion is attacked while he has a Finesse Weapon equipped, he can add his Proficiency Bonus to his Armor Class making him harder to hit.
Level twelve: Take two more points of Dexterity which should now bring you to 20

Best equipment for Astarion

While it might be tempting to give him Medium Armor for increased AC, the Light one is still the best option for Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3. Having this item equipped adds his Dexterity Modifier to his AC, which can match some Medium Armors. Moreover, using this gear does not impose a disadvantage on Stealth Rolls.

As for Astarion's weapons, make sure to use Finesse weapons such as a Rapier. This will allow him to take advantage of the Defensive Duelist feat, further increasing his defensive capabilities.

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FAQs on best Astarion build

What is the best class for Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3?

The arcane trickster would be the best subclass for Astarion and is likely also his canon class in the game.

What is a good multiclass for Astarion?

If you wish to make your Astarion a sustained damage dealer, then selecting the Fighter 5 or Ranger 5 subclass for him can be ideal.

What is the best ability improvement for Astarion?

During his final level, Astarion gets Evsaion, which allows him to survive when up against deadly spells. It would be suitable to improve Perception and Deception to pair with it.