Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Astarion Build [Melee & Ranged]

Here is a detailed guide for the best builds for the noble High Elf Astarion.

Baldur's Gate 3 Best Astarion Build
Baldur's Gate 3 Best Astarion Build

In this guide, we will explore the abilities of a special high elf and dive into the possible best build for Astarion, the tricks master. We will focus on a Pure Rogue class build along with melee and ranged playstyles, bringing out hidden monsters in Astarion. Our version of Baldurs Gate 3 Best Astarion Build include:

  • Best Pure Rogue Build.
  • Best Melee Build
  • Best Ranged Build.                                                                         

Key Takeaways

  • Astarion can be built as a ranged or melee character.
  • Astarion’s role in the party is usually that of a Perceptionist.
  • The Theif subclass is the best for Astarion for a melee playstyle.
  • The Assasin subclass is the best for Astarion if you prefer a ranged playstyle.

Astarion’s Features

Usually, the best build for Astarion is focused on targeting abilities that benefit from dexterity to maximize his effectiveness and gain the most use out of it.
As a High Elf, Astarion has the following features

  • Darkvision
  • Fey Ancestry
  • Keen Senses
  • Proficiency in Longsword, Shortsword, Longbow, and Shortbow

Ability Score

Astorian is racially a High elf and belongs to the Rogue class; below is an overview of the recommended Ability Point distribution.

StatsPoints
Strength 8
Dexterity 17
Constitution 14
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 14
Charisma12

Astarion

Astarion is usually built as a melee or ranged character; this guide will focus on the best build for Astarion and the respective subclasses, skills, and items that should be used for both playstyles.

In this table, we provide an overview of the subclass, skills, weapons, and armor for both builds for Astarion:

PlaystyleRecommended SubclassWeaponsArmorSkillsFeats
MeleeThiefShortswords

Rapiers
Light ArmorPerception

Acrobatics
Dual-Wielder

Ability Improvement: Dexterity

Lucky

Ability Improvement: Dexterity
RangedAssasinShortbows

Longbows

Heavy-Crossbow
Light ArmorAcrobatics

Deception

Sleight of Hand

Perception
Sharpshooter

Ability Improvement: Dexterity

Skilled

Lucky
EitherThiefAs per your playstyleLight ArmorPerception

Acrobatics
Ability Improvement: Dexterity

Resilient: Wisdom

Lucky

Ability Improvement: Dexterity

Our best astarion build for Baldurs Gate 3 is a Pure Rogue class. Usually, Astarion serves as a very good perception in your party, and this build will maximize his utility in that role. Maintaining that in view, we will provide the best build as a pure Rogue class character. Regardless of your playstyle choice, the table will provide a summarized choice selection for both:

LevelClass to levelSubclasses,Feats and Skills to choose
Level 2RogueAstarion will gain cunning actions providing him with a bonus action which can be used to perform Dash, Disengage or Hide action.
Level 3RogueAt this level you get to choose a subclass.
Select the Thief subclass if you are playing as a melee
Select the Assasin subclass if you are playing as ranged
Level 4RogueHere we get to choose a feat here:
For a melee build Improve his Ability Score and increase his Dexterity and Intelligence or choose the Duel Wielder feat

For a ranged build: Choose the Sharpshooter feat
Level 5RogueAt this level you will gain the Uncanny Dodge feature which will reduce the damage of the incoming attack by 50% improving Astarion's survivability
Level 6RogueAt this level you get to add a bonus to skills for these we recommend Deception and Perception, however Deception can be replaced with Acrobatics.
Level 7RogueAt this level you gain access to the Evasion feature which allows Astarion to dodge certain skills increasing Astarions survivability
Level 8RogueAt this level we get access to another feat, if you have opted perviously for the Sharpshooter feat or Dual Wielder, you can opt to increase the Ability score of Dexterity by 2,
In case you have previously chosen to imrpove your Ability score choose Sharshooter for a ranged build or Dual Wielder for a Melee build
Level 9RogueAt this level Astarion will gain the Supreme Sneak feature as a result of choosing the thief subclass.
In case of having chosen Assasin you will gain Infiltration expertiese
Level 10RogueFor Melee build
Improve Ability score and maximize your Dexterity

For Ranged build
Pick the Skilled feat and improve Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand skills

Another option for ranged is to go with the Resilient feat and choose Resilient: Wisdom
Level 11RogueAt this level you gain the Reliable Talent feature
Level 12RoguePick the Lucky feat regardless of your build

Recommended Subclass For Melee Build

At level 3, the player can choose from three subclasses: Thief, Arcane Trickster, and Assasin. Astarion benefits the most from the Thief subclass, which is recommended for him for a melee build. 

thief subclass
Thief Subclass

 In the table below, we provide a summary of this subclass:

SubclassFeatures and Action provided Benefits
ThiefFast Hands

Second Story Work

Supreme Sneak
Ability to pick locks

Disarm traps

Move stealthily

Gain multiple bonus actions in combat
  • Fast Hands: This will allow Astarion to perform a bonus action, such as an additional offhand attack.
  • Second Story Work: Reduces fall damage by half, which can be crucial while exploring.
  • Supreme Sneak: This action will make you invisible.

Astarion can greatly benefit from these as the additional action provided by Fast Hands can be used to attack or perform a stealth action such as hiding. Similarly, you can jump from higher areas while taking minimum damage while exploring the map. Last but not least, Supreme Sneak is a beneficial action, and Astarion can perform a stealth attack and then use Supreme Sneak to become invisible, hence avoiding damage.

Astarion Level Up
Astarion Level Up

Skills For Melee Build

Skills represent a character’s abilities and which actions they can perform more effectively. A character’s skills determine their proficiency in performing certain actions. Thus, the character’s playstyle relies on their particular skills. The best skills for Astarion for a melee build, which complement and synergize well with his overall character class, include:

SkillAbility Attribute
PerceptionWisdom
DeceptionCharisma
AcrobaticsDexterity
Sleight of handDexterity
StealthDexterity

 
Astarion, being a rogue, has proficiency in many skills, including Stealth, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Perception, Deception, Performance, and Persuasion.
However, the skills that improve with Dexterity are Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, and Stealth. Increasing your Dexterity will improve your proficiency in these skills if chosen.

Another set of most beneficial skills is Perception and Deception, which scale with Wisdom and Charisma, respectively.

  • Perception is a must-have for Asation as it increases awareness of your environment, allowing you to locate traps and secrets effectively, perfectly fitting Astarion.
  • Similarly, Acrobatics grants you stability while falling and prevents slipping on surfaces, while Stealth enables you to move past enemies undetected or sneak up opponents to attack 
  • Sleight of Hand affects your thieving skills, including picking locks, doors, and other similar actions. 
  • Deception is useful for dialogues; you can avoid Deception altogether if you do not care about excelling in them.

Best Feats

The table below provides the recommended feats you should choose for Baldurs Gate 3 Best Astarion Build if you prefer a melee build playstyle.

LevelFeat
Level 4Dual Wielder
Level 8Improve Ability Score: Dexterity (+2)
Level 10Improve Ability Score: Dexterity (+2)
Level 12Lucky
  • The Dual wielder feat is a must as it will allow you to wield two weapons, enabling you to maximize your damage output. This is especially useful when you are multiclassing with the Fighter class. 
  • Improving the Ability score of Dexterity twice to a maximum of 20 is crucial for damage output, as Astarion’s proficiency lies in weapons that scale best with Dexterity. 
  • Lastly, the Lucky Feat will allow you to reroll enemy attacks and gain an advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

Best Weapons & Armor

The table below provides the best armor and weapon items for Astarion for a Melee build.

SlotItemItem Skill/Benefit
HeadHaste HelmSmooth Start: At the start of combat, the wearer gains Momentum for 3 turns.
Dexterity Saving Throws +1
BootsDisintegrating Night Walkers Night Walker: Prevents from becoming Enwebbed, Entangled, or Ensnared and slipping on grease or ice
Misty Step: This spell allows you to teleport to an empty location that is visible
ChestFaded Drow Studded Leather Armor / Drow Studded Leather ArmorNA/+1 Stealth
Weapon 1RapierFlourish: Feint an attack to throw enemy off-guard
Piercing Strike: Chance to Inflict gaping wounds
Weakening Strike: Weak attack with a possibility to inflict weak grip
Off-hand weaponRapier/Shortsowrd +1Flourish
Piercing Strike
Weakening Strike

 
Since Astarion’s Ability score is centered around Dexterity, he must be wielding two Finesse weapons. Finesse’s weapons will enable Astarion to utilize Dexterity as his attack modifier, improving Astarion’s damage and accuracy.

Astarion must have a good weapon equipped in his offhand, as it significantly affects his damage output due to the bonus action available.
It is best to equip Astarion with light armor due to his proficiency in light armor and magic items that improve mobility and stealth.

Let’s discover some features of the ranged build for astarion:

Recommended Subclass For Ranged Build

The best subclass for a ranged build for Astarion is the Assasin subclass. This subclass provides the following three features to Astarion.

assasin subclass
Assassin Subclass
SubclassFeatures and Action providedBenefits
AssasinAssassinate: Initiative

Assassinate: Ambush

Assassin's Alacrity

Infiltration Expertiese
Advantage against enemies who haven't moved

Guaranteed critical hits against surprised enemies

Restores action and bonus action at the start of turn

Can change your appearance
  • Assassinate Initiative gives you an Advantage against enemies who haven’t moved yet on the first turn of combat.
  • Assassinate: Ambush guarantees critical hits against surprised enemies.
  • Assassin’s Alacrity: immediately restores your action and bonus action at the start of combat., making Astarion the perfect ambusher.

This best Astarion build for Baldurs Gate 3 aims to optimize Astarion for the highest damage output. Furthermore, the Assasin subclass further compliments the build, resulting in critical hits and high damage output. This is especially effective if Astarion starts the fight first.

Recommended Skills

In the table below, we provided the recommended skills for the best-ranged Astarion build:
 

SkillAbility attribute
AcrobaticsDexterity
Sleight of HandDexterity
PerceptionWisdom
StealthDexterity

 
You may notice that the best skills for Astarion for both ranged and melee builds are almost the same. This is because of his nature as a Rogue class character. Rogue characters benefit most from Dexterity-based skills; therefore, skills with Dexterity as their primary attribute are the most useful. Perception is the only Wisdom-based skill; however, it has enormous utility, and Astarion can greatly benefit from it.

Recommended Feats

 

LevelFeat
Level 4Sharpshooter
Level 8Ability Score Improvement: Dexterity
Level 10 Skilled/Weapon Master/Ability Score Improvement: Dexterity
Level 12Lucky

 
Sharpshooter is a must for your ranged build as it removes the high-ground penalty, meaning that attacking from a lower ground will not reduce your attack roll. Attacking with a ranged weapon in which you have proficiency will increase your damage by +10, albeit at the cost of reducing your attack roll by -5.

Choosing Ability Score Improvement to increase Dexterity is also necessary for increasing your damage output, mainly if you use a short bow or longbow.

Since Astarion is proficient in both longbows and short bows, this would result in a direct increase in damage. Choosing the Lucky feat is also crucial as it allows one to reroll enemy attacks and gain an advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

Lastly, there is a choice for you to choose between Skilled, Weapon Master, or Increase Dexterity and maximize it by choosing the Ability score improvement feat. You can choose the Weapon Master to gain proficiency in heavy crossbows, granting you the Piercing Strike skill for that weapon.

Secondly, if you choose the Skilled feat, you can gain additional proficiency in the skills of your choice and can further improve Astarion’s performance by a huge difference.

Best Weapons & Armor

SlotItemItem Skill/Benefit
HeadShadow of MenzoberranzanShrouded in Shadow: Become Invisible for 2 turns
BootsDisintegrating Night Walkers
or
Acrobat shoes
Night Walker: Prevents from becoming Enwebbed, Entangled, or Ensnared and slipping on grease or ice
Misty Step: This spell allows you to teleport to an empty location that is visible
/
Acrobatics +1
Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws Checks.
ChestTorment Drinker Armor
or
Penumbral Armor
or
Drow Studded leather armor
Bolstering Critical: The wearer gains +15 temporary hitpoints when scoring a critical hit or killing a hostile creature
/
Stealthier: The wearer gains +3 bonus to stealth checks while obscured
/
+1 to Stealth
Weapon 1The JoltshooterElectric Blood: When the wielder deals damage using this weapon, they gain 2 Lightning Charges
Off-hand weaponShort-sword +1 Flourish: Feint an attack to throw enemy off-guard
Piercing Strike: Chance to Inflict gaping wounds
GlovesGloves of ArcheryProvides Proficiency in short bow and longbow while also increasing ranged weapon damage by 2 

For a ranged build, it is best to equip Astarion with your best-ranged weapon; you should prefer a Longbow or a Heavy crossbow. It is also useful to have some melee weapon as a backup; Finesse weapons are optimal in such cases. As for armor, it is best to equip Astarion with light armor since Astarion has proficiency in light armor and will benefit the most from that. 

Choosing armor and gear items that provide mobility and stealth is also optimal, as they perfectly suit his playstyle. Speaking of weapons, players can also consider greatswords if they want to stick with the melee-focused build. 

Focusing on his strengths, this guide provides the utility of knowing the best choices for both Ranged and Melee playstyles. We aimed to cover the current Baldurs Gate 3 Best Astarion Build, and we hope this proved helpful for you. Don’t forget to enjoy trying these amazing builds on the High-Elf.

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