Best Astarion Build for BG3 - Updated For 2026✅

Welcome to the Best Astarion Build for BG3 (Thief Subclass). Thieves are the undisputed masters of the battlefield’s clock. By unlocking Fast Hands at Level 3, Astarion gains an unparalleled second Bonus Action, allowing him to attack, dash, and hide all in a single turn.

This makes the Rogue Thief one of the most versatile builds in the game, capable of delivering lethal burst damage while remaining completely untouchable.

Table of Contents for the BG3 Astarion Build:

Astarion Build – First Steps
Astarion Build Starting Point (Level 1)
Astarion Build Leveling Progression
Astarion Best Equipment
1. Early-Game Astarion Gear
2. Best Astarion Gear (Late-Game)
Astarion Build Extra Info

For more Rogue builds, visit our BG3 Rogue Builds page or explore the complete BG3 Builds Database. We also have an optimized BG3 Astarion Build. You can also check out our BG3 Builds Tier List to see which builds perform best.

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Astarion Thief Rogue Build:

Strengths

MULTIPLE ATTACKS PER TURN
INSANE MOBILITY
HIGH BURST DAMAGE
HIT & RUN/STEALTH
MASTER INFILTRATOR
VAMPIRE SYNERGY
FALL DAMAGE RESISTANCE

Weaknesses

GLAS CANNON
WEAK AOE DAMAGE

BG3 Astarion Build Overview

Here we will have general overview of our Astarion build for BG3, such as the basics of the Rogue class and Thief subclass, and how to recruit and respec Astarion. If you already know all of that, it’s best to skip this section.

Rogue Class Summary

Rogues are the main “stealth” class in Baldur’s Gate 3. While other classes can stealth, none encourage and reward this playstyle as much as the Rogue.

Skill Expertise

You can choose some Skills that you are Proficient in and become an expert at those Skills, doubling your Proficiency Bonus.
This allows you to be extremely good at, for example, Sleight of Hand and Acrobatics (two of the most important Dexterity Skills) right from the start of the game.

Sneak Attacks

If you have Advantage against a target, you can perform a Sneak Attack.
This is more likely to hit and deals lots of bonus damage, with the bonus damage increasing as you level up.
This allows you to deal crazy damage and even OTK some enemies at the start of combat.

Cunning Actions

You can perform Dash, Disengage and Hide with a Bonus Action instead of a full Action.
This allows you to get a lot more done in a turn.

Uncanny Dodge and Evasion

Unlocked at Levels 5 and 7, respectively.
These allow you to negate a large portion of damage from attacks, making the Rogue more durable than you would expect.

Thief Subclass

The Thief subclass is especially adept at sneaking around, and it can use two Bonus Actions per turn. This makes for a perfect synergy with the Rogue’s Cunning Actions, allowing you to make a sneak attack and then retreat into the shadows on the same turn.

Here are the most important features of the Thief:

Fast Hands

You gain an extra Bonus Action.
Allows for more complex combos every single turn.
This doesn’t sound very exciting, but it is one of the most overpowered perks in the game.

Second-Story Work

You gain Resistance to falling damage.
This allows you to play more offensively on high ground without fear of getting pushed or pulled down.

Supreme Sneak

Blend into the environment so completely that you become Invisible.
You can use this once per Short Rest.

Overall, the Astarion Thief Rogue combo has one of the best “Multiple Actions per turn” movesets. Thanks to all his bonus actions, he can defeat high-priority targets before they even get a chance to take a turn!

How to unlock Astarion in BG3

Astarion can be recruited very early in Baldur’s Gate 3. Almost immediately after you crash with the Nautiloid ship at the beach. You can find Astarion here on the map. All you really need to do is head northwest of where you start on the Ravaged Beach.

When you approach Astarion, you have three options.

Easily. Stand back. (Best option)
Kill it yourself – you look capable enough.
Leave.

When you select the second or the third option, he will try to ambush you and slit your throat. Don’t worry it won’t come to that. The first option will also lead Astarion to attack you. However, you won’t have to deal with some checks to get his knife away from your throat.

Either way, the tadpole will connect you and clear things up. After all the talking, you can decide to recruit Astarion into your group.

Why (and How to) Respec Astarion

To follow this build guide precisely, you will need to respec Astarion.

It is up to you when you do this, but I recommend getting it done by the time you reach Level 4.

Here is a quick tutorial in case you don’t know how to respec characters in BG3:

Step 1: Unlock Withers (The Dank Crypt)

You need the NPC Withers to change classes. Find him early in Act 1:

Withers Location: Inside the Dank Crypt.
Access: Enter via the Chapel Entrance or the hole in the floor near the bandits.
The Secret Room: Find the Skull Lever to open the secret door to gain access to the Dank Crypt.
The Sarcophagus: Interact with the large coffin to wake Withers. He will now appear in your camp.

Step 2: The Respec Process

Once Withers is at your camp, follow these steps:

Switch Character: Ensure you are controlling Astarion (not your main character).
Talk to Withers: Select “Can you help me change my class?”
Cost: 100 Gold.
Class: Rogue

Note: This will reset Astarion’s stats, allowing you to change anything except his Background and appearance. Choose the Rogue class, then proceed with the per-level guidelines later in the guide.

BG3 Astarion Build At Level 1

In this section, we will explain the starting situation of the Astarion Build. You must go to Withers like explained above and respec. This allows us to optimize Astarion better.

You don’t actually need to change your class, but doing this will also allow you to change the ability point distribution of Astarion as if he was new character.

Race Info

Astarion is a High Elf, which gives him access to some extra bonuses:

Proficiency

Proficiency with Longswords, Shortswords, Longbows and Shortbows.

Darkvision

Lets you see in the dark, removing combat penalties that would normally apply in dark areas.

Fey Ancestry

You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed.
Immunity to being put to sleep by magic.

Perception

Perception allows you to choose one Cantrip from the Wizard list to learn, regardless of your class.
Important: The Cantrip is cast with Intelligence (Wizards main stat).
- Therefore, make sure to select a non-damage Cantrip, because our Intelligence modifier isn’t high.
Select a utility cantrip like Mage Hand.

Abilities

With the respec in mind, let’s distribute the Ability points optimally.

Bolded Abilities are essential. The others can be adjusted if you want.

Strength – 10 Points

Improves jump distance and carry weight.

Dexterity – 16 Points

Primary Stat.
Boosts Damage, AC, and Dex-based skills.

Constitution – 14 Points

Increases Max HP.

Intelligence – 10 Points

Not very important for this build.

Wisdom – 12 Points

Boosts Perception and saves against Mind Control.

Charisma – 14 Points

Improves Dialogue dice rolls.

Ability	Points	Why it matters
Strength	10	Mostly for jump distance and carry weight.
Dexterity	16	Primary Stat. Boosts Damage, AC, and Dex-based skills.
Constitution	14	Increases HP.
Intelligence	10	Not very important.
Wisdom	12	Boosts Perception and saves against Mind Control.
Charisma	14	Improves Dialogue dice rolls.

Tips:

Dexterity improves your Weapon Attacks, Armour Class and your Dexterity-based skills (Including Stealth, which makes hiding easier, and Sleight of Hand, which makes lockpicking easier).

Constitution improves your HP and should always be at least 14.

Charisma improves dialogue dice rolls. This isn’t mandatory. If you have already a character that has high Charisma, you can put more points into another stat.

Skills

Astarion is locked into the Charlatan Background, which gives automatic Proficiency with the Deception and Sleight of Hand Skills. For his remaining choices, we focus on maximizing his high Dexterity and utility.

We chose the following Proficiencies:

Proficiencies

Acrobatics

Increases resistance to being shoved and reduces falling damage.
This is the superior choice over Athletics, as it scales with Astarion’s high Dexterity.

Stealth

The bread and butter of the Rogue.
Higher Stealth ensures you remain undetected in enemy vision cones, allowing for constant Sneak Attacks.

Intimidation

Essential for aggressive dialogue (Needs Charisma at 14 like we selected).
Tip: If Astarion isn’t your party leader, swap this for Insight to spot when NPCs are lying.

Persuasion

Critical for smooth-talking your way through encounters (Needs Charisma at 14 like we selected).
If Astarion isn’t handling conversations, swap this for Investigation to find hidden details.

We’ll also choose the following Expertise:

Expertise

Acrobatics

This will make Astarion even more resistant to being pushed around, which can be a lifesaver.

Sleight of Hand

This will make tasks like lockpicking and pickpocketing easier.

Now that we’ve explained the starting point of the BG3 Astarion build, we will move onto a step-by-step leveling guide.

BG3 Astarion Build Leveling Guide (2-12)

We will now walk you through the process of leveling up Astarion. Note that the Rogue & Thief is a very linear class and subclass combo in terms of progression. While it offers fewer complex branching choices than other classes, every level gained adds raw power and unmatched reliability to your kit.

Early-Game Leveling Process (2-4)

In this section, we will summarise what you gain at each level up on the BG3 Astarion Build, as well as any recommendations for choices to make when leveling up. We’ll start with the earlier parts of the game, levels 2-4.

Level 2

At Level 2, we gain three very important new Bonus Actions:

Bonus Actions

Cunning Action: Dash

Double your Movement Speed this turn.

Cunning Action: Disengage

Focus on retreating safely. Moving won’t provoke Attack of Opportunity.

Cunning Action: Hide

Allows you to Hide using a Bonus Action.

Pro Tip: While other classes can perform these abilities, doing so consumes a normal Action rather than a Bonus Action. This effectively means that the Rogue can Dash or Disengage on the same turn that they attack, while other classes cannot.

Level 3

At Level 3, the build becomes more powerful. You will unlock the Thief subclass and see a significant jump in your damage output.

At Level 3, Astarion gains an additional 1d6 for Sneak Attack Bonus Damage, meaning Sneak Attacks will now do between 2 and 12 bonus damage (instead of 1-6), depending on the damage roll.

Subclass Selection

You also need to choose the subclass. We are using the Thief subclass for this Astarion Build.

The Thief Class gets an extra Bonus Action each turn (which is especially nice in combination with the Cunning Actions above).

The defining feature of this build is Fast Hands, which grants Astarion a permanent additional Bonus Action every turn.

This transforms how you play:

The “Assassin” Combo

Attack from stealth, then use your two Bonus Actions to Hide and Dash back to safety.

The “Attacker” Combo

Perform your main attack, then follow up with two Off-hand attacks for massive burst damage.

The “Survivor” Combo

Use a Bonus Action to drink a potion or use Vampiric Bite, and still have a Bonus Action left to disengage.

The Thief also gets a 50% Resistance to Falling Damage, which isn’t especially important but can occasionally be useful.

Level 4

At Level 4, we have to choose a Feat for the BG3 Astarion Build. Feats are strong passive effects that can enable a certain build idea or give a stat buff to increase damage or survivability.

Feat: Ability Improvement
Recommendation: Put both points into Dexterity.
Result: Astarion reaches 18 Dexterity. This will improve your weapon attacks and make your Rogue better at most stealth-related actions, including sneaking and lockpicking.

Mid-Game Leveling Process (5-8)

We’ll now look at the mid-game levels for our Astarion Build, covering levels 5-8.

Level 5

Level 5 provides a massive boost to both Astarion’s lethality and his survivability. He becomes significantly harder to kill while his attacks grow even more potent.

Uncanny Dodge Passive

This is your most important defensive tool.
As a Reaction, Astarion will now automatically halve the damage of an incoming attack once per round.

The Result: Even if a boss lands a heavy hit, Astarion can shrug off 50% of the damage

Additionally, your Proficiency Bonus is increased from +2 to +3, meaning you’ll now get a +3 bonus when rolling for skills that you’re Proficient with.

You also get another Sneak Attack Die, so your Sneak Bonus Damage can now roll up to 18.

Level 6

At Level 6, there aren’t many choices to make.

All you need to do is choose two additional Skills to gain Expertise with.

I recommend choosing the following:

Stealth

If you didn’t pick this at Level 1, get it now.
It makes “vanishing” in front of enemies nearly guaranteed.

Deception

Perfect for talking your way out of trouble or manipulating NPCs.

Level 7

At Level 7, Astarion will gain an additional sneak attack damage die, meaning your bonus damage potential from stealth will now be 4-24.

New Passive: Evasion

Astarion is now incredibly difficult to hit with spells that require a Dexterity Saving Throw.
Success: If you pass the save, you take zero damage (instead of half).
Failure: If you fail the save, you only take half damage.

Level 8

At Level 8, you’ll get to choose another Feat for your Astarion Build.

Feat: Ability Improvement
Recommendation: Put both points into Dexterity.
Result: Astarion reaches 20 Dexterity. This will improve your weapon attacks and make your Rogue better at most stealth-related actions, including sneaking and lockpicking.

Late-Game Leveling Process (9-12)

Finally, let’s look at the end-game leveling up, covering levels 9-12.

Level 9

At Level 9, Astarion’s Proficiency Bonus is improved to +4. This means you now have a +4 bonus added to rolls for any skills you are Proficient at (or Attack Rolls using weapons you’re Proficient with). This bonus always applies unless you roll a 1 (Critical Fail/Miss).

You gain another Sneak Attack Die here too, meaning your attacks from stealth will now deal 5-30 bonus damage.

New Ability: Supreme Sneak

Spend an Action to become Invisible for up to 10 turns.

Level 10

Unlike other classes, the Rogue gets to choose an extra Feat at Level 10.

Feat: Savage Attacker
Roll your damage dice twice whenever you make a melee attack and use the highest of the two results.
This will considerably improve Astarion’s average damage output with melee attacks.

Level 11

At Level 11, you’ll gain another Sneak Attack Die, giving your attacks from stealth a possible 6-36 bonus damage.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t already, you should do your best to use the Thief’s extra Bonus Action and Cunning Actions to sneak as much as possible in combat, as the potential damage bonuses from stealth are getting really strong, and if you’re not utilising them, you’re missing out!

New Passive: Reliable Talent

This guarantees that rolls with any of your Proficient Skills will be at least 10.
If you roll below a 10, the value is increased to 10.
This means you can no longer Critically Fail when rolling for skills that you have Proficiency with.

Note that this only applies to Skills, not weapons, so you can still roll below 10 when attacking with a weapon you’re Proficient with.

Level 12

If you’ve reached this point, then you have finished leveling up your BG3 Astarion Build. Congratulations!

At Level 12, you’ll get to choose one more Feat for Astarion.

We got all of the most important Feats already – the last choice is up to you. Pick one of the two recommended below:

Alert

Gain a +5 bonus to Initiative and become immune to being Surprised.
This virtually guarantees Astarion acts first in every fight, allowing you to delete a key enemy before they even move.

Mobile

Increases your movement speed and lets you evade “Opportunity Attacks” after making a melee strike.
Perfect for a true “Hit & Run” playstyle.

Optional, but you could also go with a Multiclass spec at level 12.

Multiclass – Fighter

Taking one level of Fighter at Level 12 of Astarion’s Build provides immediate combat advantages that a Feat cannot match:

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls you make with ranged Weapons.

Second Wind

Gain a self-heal that uses a Bonus Action, perfect for a Thief who has actions to spare.

Astarion Thief Build Equipment for Baldur’s Gate 3

Below is the recommended Equipment setup for this Astarion Thief Build in Baldur’s Gate 3. We have split the equipment into an early-game and late-game section, to ensure you can make use of this build regardless of how far into the game you are.

Don’t worry if your equipment doesn’t exactly match what is listed here. The build still works fine if some pieces of equipment are different. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different combinations, too.

Early-Game

Early-game equipment can be obtained in Act I and the earlier parts of Act II. Try to get as many pieces as possible. If you miss some, don’t worry too much about it.

Slot	Item	Effects	Location
Head	Haste Helm	3m extra Movement Speed for the first 3 turns of combat +1 to Dexterity Saving Throws	In a wooden chest next to a cart, by the Blighted Village Waypoint
Cloak	Cloak of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Chest	Spidersilk Armour	+1 to Stealth Checks Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws	Dropped by Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum
Gloves	Gloves of Thievery	Advantage on Sleight of Hand checks	Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout
Boots	Disintegrating Night Walkers	Misty Step spell Immunity to Entangled, Enwebbed and Ensnared Cannot slip on Grease or Ice	Looted from True Soul Nere in the Grymforge
Necklace	Amulet of Misty Step	Cast Misty Step, allowing you to teleport. You can replace this item when you get the Night Walker boots	Found in a chest in the Defiled Temple
Ring 1	Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands	Grants the Invisibility Spell	Loot from the dead deep gnomes being thrown into the water in Grymforge.
Ring 2	Smuggler’s Ring	+2 to Stealth and Sleight of Hand, but -1 to Charisma	Looted from a skeleton hidden in the bush, at Risen road in Act I.
Melee Mainhand	Shortsword of First Blood	Deals up to 8 bonus damage against full health enemies	Looted from an executed Deep Gnome in the Underdark
Melee Offhand	Hunter’s Dagger	Chance to Rupture the enemy for 3 turns Ruptured enemies take damage when moving	Sold by Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum
Ranged	Hand Crossbow +1 (Dual Wield)	A decent ranged weapon that can be dual-wielded If your race gives Proficiency with Longbows, that’s also a good alternative	Sold by Derryth Bonecloak in the Myconid Colony.

Head: Haste Helm

3m extra Movement Speed for the first 3 turns of combat.
+1 to Dexterity Saving Throws.

Location: In a wooden chest next to a cart, by the Blighted Village Waypoint.

Cloak: Cloak of Protection

+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws.

Location: Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn.

Chest: Spidersilk Armour

+1 to Stealth Checks.
Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws.

Location: Dropped by Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum.

Gloves: Gloves of Thievery

Advantage on Sleight of Hand checks

Location: Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout.

Boots: Disintegrating Night Walkers

Misty Step spell.
Immunity to Entangled, Enwebbed, and Ensnared.
Cannot slip on Grease or Ice.

Location: Looted from True Soul Nere in the Grymforge.

Necklace: Amulet of Misty Step

Cast Misty Step, allowing you to teleport.
You can replace this item when you get the Night Walker boots.

Location: Found in a chest in the Defiled Temple.

Ring 1: Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands

Grants the Invisibility Spell.

Location: Loot from the dead deep gnomes being thrown into the water in Grymforge.

Ring 2: Smuggler’s Ring

+2 to Stealth and Sleight of Hand, but -1 to Charisma.

Location: Looted from a skeleton hidden in the bush, at Risen road in Act I.

Melee Mainhand: Shortsword of First Blood

Deals up to 8 bonus damage against full health enemies

Location: Looted from an executed Deep Gnome in the Underdark

Melee Offhand: Hunter’s Dagger

Chance to Rupture the enemy for 3 turns
Ruptured enemies take damage when moving

Location: Sold by Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum

Ranged: Hand Crossbow +1 (Dual Wield)

A decent ranged weapon that can be dual-wielded
If your race gives Proficiency with Longbows, that’s also a good alternative

Location: Sold by Derryth Bonecloak in the Myconid Colony.

Late-Game

Late-game equipment is available in Act III and the latter parts of Act II. However, sometimes items from the early-game section remain powerful enough to be carried into late-game as you will see here.

Slot	Item	Effects	Location
Head	Mask of Soul Perception	+2 to Attack Rolls, Initiative Rolls and Perception Checks Cast Detect Thoughts once per Short Rest	In a locked Gilded Chest in Helsik’s room
Cloak	Shade-Slayer Cloak	While Hiding, the number needed to roll a Critical Hit is reduced by 1. Can stack with similar effects	Sold by Sticky Dondo in the Guildhall, Lower City Sewers.
Chest	Bhaalist Armour	+2 to Initiative Enemies within 2m become Vulnerable to Piercing Damage, unless they are Resistant or Immune to it.	Sold by Echo of Abazigal in the Murder Tribunal, if you become an Unholy Assassin
Gloves	Gloves of Thievery	Advantage on Sleight of Hand checks	Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout
Boots	Helldusk Boots	Hellcrawler Bonus Action – Teleport and deal Fire Damage You cannot be forcibly moved by enemy Spells or Actions You ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain When you fail a Saving Throw, you can use your Reaction to succeed it instead	Found in a locked gilded chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress.
Necklace	Fey Semblence Amulet	Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma Saving Throws	Complete the Avenge the Hag Survivors quest in Act III.
Ring 1	Ring of Regeneration	Heals you for 1d4 HP at the beginning of each turn	Sold inside Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur’s Gate’s Lower City.
Ring 2	Killer’s Sweetheart	The first time you kill a creature each Long Rest, your next attack will be a guaranteed Critical Hit.	Found on the top level of the stone structure in the Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar, Act II.
Melee Mainhand	Crimson Mischief	Deals 1d4 bonus Necrotic Damage Deals 1d4 bonus Piercing Damage to enemies who are half health or lower Making an attack with Advantage deals 7 bonus Piercing damage (main-hand only) Attacking with your off-hand weapon adds your Ability Modifier to the damage of the attack (off-hand only)	Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone.
Melee Offhand	Bloodthirst	The number needed to roll a Critical Hit is reduced by 1 +1 Armour Class (off-hand only) Bound Weapon – Cannot be knocked out of your hand When an attacker misses you, you may retaliate and gain True Strike (off-hand only) Creatures hit with this weapon get Vulnerability to Piercing Damage (main-hand only)	Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone.
Ranged	Hellfire Hand Crossbow + another Hand Crossbow	Can cast Scorching Ray once per Short Rest You can inflict Burning by attacking while Hiding or Invisible Combine it with any other Hand Crossbow to dual-wield them	Dropped by Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar.

Head: Mask of Soul Perception

+2 to Attack Rolls, Initiative Rolls and Perception Checks.
Cast Detect Thoughts once per Short Rest.

Location: In a locked Gilded Chest in Helsik’s room.

Cloak: Shade-Slayer Cloak

While Hiding, the number needed to roll a Critical Hit is reduced by 1.
Can stack with similar effects.

Location: Sold by Sticky Dondo in the Guildhall, Lower City Sewers.

Chest: Bhaalist Armour

+2 to Initiative.
Enemies within 2m become Vulnerable to Piercing Damage, unless they are Resistant or Immune to it.

Location: Sold by Echo of Abazigal in the Murder Tribunal (Bhaalist Crypt), if you become an Unholy Assassin.

Gloves: Gloves of Thievery

Advantage on Sleight of Hand checks.

Location: Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout.

Boots: Helldusk Boots

Hellcrawler Bonus Action – Teleport and deal Fire Damage.
You cannot be forcibly moved by enemy Spells or Actions.
You ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain.
When you fail a Saving Throw, you can use your Reaction to succeed it instead.

Location: Found in a locked gilded chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress.

Necklace: Fey Semblence Amulet

Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws.

Location: Complete the Avenge the Hag Survivors quest in Act III.

Ring 1: Ring of Regeneration

Heals you for 1d4 HP at the beginning of each turn.

Location: Sold inside Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur’s Gate’s Lower City. If Rolan/Lorroakan are alive: Purchase from the vendor. If Lorroakan is dead: Pickpocket from Rolan in Ramazith’s Tower (do this immediately, as it may disappear from his inventory later).

Ring 2: Killer’s Sweetheart

The first time you kill a creature each Long Rest, your next attack will be a guaranteed Critical Hit.

Location: Found on the top level of the stone structure in the Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar, Act II.

Melee Mainhand: Crimson Mischief

Deals 1d4 bonus Necrotic Damage.
Deals 1d4 bonus Piercing Damage to enemies who are half health or lower.
Making an attack with Advantage deals 7 bonus Piercing damage (main-hand only).
Attacking with your off-hand weapon adds your Ability Modifier to the damage of the attack (off-hand only).

Location: Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone.

Melee Offhand: Bloodthirst

The number needed to roll a Critical Hit is reduced by 1.
+1 Armour Class (off-hand only).
Bound Weapon – Cannot be knocked out of your hand.
When an attacker misses you, you may retaliate and gain True Strike (off-hand only).
Creatures hit with this weapon get Vulnerability to Piercing Damage (main-hand only).

Location: Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone.

Ranged: Hellfire Hand Crossbow + another Hand Crossbow

Can cast Scorching Ray once per Short Rest.
You can inflict Burning by attacking while Hiding or Invisible.
Combine it with any other Hand Crossbow to dual-wield them.

Location: Dropped by Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar.

IMPORTANT: Weapon Slotting Strategy

How you equip Orin’s blades depends entirely on your choice regarding the Bhaalist Armour:

With Bhaalist Armour

Slot Crimson Mischief (Main-Hand) and Bloodthirst (Off-Hand).
This is the highest DPS setup; the armor provides a constant damage-doubling aura, while your main hand deals +7 bonus damage on every strike with Advantage.

Without Bhaalist Armour

SlotBloodthirst (Main-Hand) and Mischief (Off-Hand).
Since you lack the armor’s aura, you must hit enemies with your main weapon first to “trigger” their Piercing Vulnerability before following up with your off-hand strikes.

Astarion Build Extra Info

Here is some additional information, tips and tricks to help you get the most out of this BG3 Astarion Build.

Best BG3 Astarion Build Tips & Tricks

The Thief is easy to build but requires tactical precision to master. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can try out.

1. Chase the Sneak Attack

Never settle for a basic attack. You need Advantage or an adjacent ally to trigger your massive Sneak Attack damage.

The “Vanishing” Loop:

Use your main Action to attack.
Then use one of your two Bonus Actions to Cunning Action: Hide.
You’ll reset your Stealth and guarantee Advantage for the next turn.

2. Respect the Opportunity Attack

In close quarters, Astarion is a “glass cannon.” If an enemy sees you moving through their range, they will strike.

Correctly Disengaging:

If you aren’t using the Mobile Feat, use one of your extra Bonus Actions to Cunning Action: Disengage before repositioning.
It’s better to lose one off-hand attack than to lose half your HP to a reaction.

3. Never Waste a Bonus Action

Don’t let your extra Bonus Action go to waste. If you don’t need to Hide or Dash, use it to:

Apply Poisons or Coatings to your blades.
Do anything to not waste any actions.

Best Party Composition for Astarion

Astarion has a Neutral Evil moral alignment at the start of the game (with a bit of a Chaotic Evil lean in some situations). While you can use any party composition with Astarion, you’ll have an easier time with characters who match up with his alignment.

This leaves the following four options as the most obvious choices:

The Dark Urge (Chaotic Evil)

The Dark Urge is only available if chosen as your origin character at the start of the game. Unlike other Origins, Dark Urge is fully customisable. Astarion finds the Dark Urge’s violent outbursts to be morbidly amusing, and the two characters can find common ground regardless of which Dark Urge path you choose to take.

Lae’zel (Lawful Evil)

Lae’zel has some funny interactions with Astarion early in the game, and her violent tendencies fit quite well with Astarion’s evil alignment.

Shadowheart (Neutral Evil or True Neutral)

Shadowheart starts the game with a very neutral alignment, and can be influenced towards a good or evil alignment based on the player’s choices. As such, she can get on quite well with Astarion. Just keep in mind that while Astarion doesn’t care about pointless acts of violence in most cases, Shadowheart is less keen on such displays, especially against defenceless opponents.

Minthara (Lawful Evil)

Minthara can be recruited in Act II if she survives Act I (for this, you need to side with her and attack the Druid Grove, then avoid conflict with her in the aftermath). As a Lolth-Sworn Drow, she has perhaps the most evil inclination of any recruitable character in BG3. However, she isn’t comically evil; she is simply from a culture with a very strict hierarchy where violence and repression of the weak are normal behaviour. Since they both lean towards the evil side, Astarion and Minthara usually get along well.

Astarion Build Best Potions

Potion of Speed

The Potion of Speed is arguably the most powerful potion in Baldur’s Gate 3. It doubles your Movement Speed and gives you an extra Action each turn.

One drawback of this potion is that when it expires, your character will be Lethargic for one turn, unable to move or take any Actions. So you should be careful not to have your character stranded in a dangerous position when the potion runs out!

You can craft the Potion of Speed in the alchemy menu by combining Ashes of Hyena Ear with any Salt. Create ashes, salts and other alchemy concentrates by combining three of the same ingredients together – for example, combining three Hyena Ears will create Ashes of Hyena Ear.

Hyena Ears can normally be looted from either Hyenas or Gnolls. You can find a lot of them around the Risen Road in Act I, for a good supply of them, which should last you a while.

Elixir of Bloodlust

You can combine this with the Elixir of Bloodlust. Elixirs and Potions can be stacked with each other, but you can only have one Elixir active at a time. Potions tend to expire after a few turns, whereas Elixirs last until your next Long Rest, unless you drink a different Elixir in the meantime.

The Elixir of Bloodlust grants your character another Action when you kill an enemy. This effect can only trigger once per turn. Combined with the Potion of Speed, this gives you two additional attacks if you defeat an enemy on your turn.

It can be crafted by combining Ashes of Worg Fang with any Salt. Worg Fangs are looted from Worgs, the beasts usually kept by Goblins.

This is an OP alchemy combo that you can use to turbocharge the Rogue’s damage output in tough fights!

Astarion Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Illithid Powers are unlocked later in BG3 when you learn more about Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. By eating Jars of Mind Flayer Parasites, you gain one point. This is another optional skill tree that you can get access to if you want. Here are some of the best Illithid Powers for the BG3 Astarion Build:

Mind Blast

A conal blast of Psychic Damage that can also stun several targets at once.
If your party is outnumbered by several advancing enemies, then Mind Blast can help to swing things back in your favour.

Cull the Weak

When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 Psychic Damage to nearby enemies.
This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.

Fly

This can be used to reach hard-to-reach places or change positions in combat.

Mind Sanctuary

This creates an area that allows all within to use Actions and Bonus Actions interchangeably.
This typically means you can deal more damage, since you can use your Bonus Action as a normal Action.
However, enemies who are inside the area will also enjoy its benefits.
Be careful with your placement so that your party gets buffed by the Mind Sanctuary and not the enemies!

Psionic Backlash

This is a top-tier Reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3.
It allows you to deal Psychic Damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell.
This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell.
The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.

Best Astarion Build for BG3 – Updated For 2026✅