Since long before it left early access in August, players have jumped into modding Baldur’s Gate 3, adding everything from 54 new races to new controls. However, one recent modding trend has shed light on one thing: players really, really want Astarion to have a gun.
Earlier this week, Nexus Mods user Palmaman33 uploaded several different gun mods to the site’s Baldur’s Gate 3 section, letting players bring guns to knife (or mace/staff/sword/anything) fights. These guns can be equipped by any character, but in almost every screenshot of these different mods shared by players on X/Twitter, however, the gun wielder always seems to be Astarion.
Normally, Astarion is a hedonistic High Elf Rogue who has a secret vampiric past, but players just haven’t been able to stop replacing his usual default dagger with a gun for some reason, no matter how much chaos he might cause.
who gave this guy a fucking gun i can’t breathe pic.twitter.com/SUbe1yu7CX
— 유미 (@choidaehoons) December 31, 2023
Even the modders themselves seem to also be in on the joke — the majority of gun mods on Nexus Mods, the most popular of which was made by Anxiety The Ork, seem to show off their models by giving them to Astarion (who’s also occasionally adorned with sinister-looking glowing red eyes or a fun little hat) in screenshots and thumbnail images.
i like that they just give astarion a gun pic.twitter.com/BV9cVMUpPP
— ghoul @ brainworms (@ghoulpriince) January 2, 2024
However, thanks to Astarion’s… questionable actions, players have jokingly warned others of the dangers that might ensue by trusting the untrustworthy High Elf with such a lethal weapon.
STOP GIVING ASTARION GUNS SKFJSKKD pic.twitter.com/cZtgrUMP4s
— Somni/Emily (COMMISSIONS OPEN) (@aceforspinaltap) January 3, 2024
“Be careful out there and stay safe, okay?” one player warned on ResetEra.
Astarion might not have a gun in the game without mods, but we still gave Baldur’s Gate 3 a 10 in our review, calling it “a new high-water mark for CRPGs with satisfying combat and excellent writing.” While there’s no way of knowing how many times Astarion has been equipped with a gun, players have also loved romancing Shadowheart and (obviously) petting Scratch, according to stats released by Larian last month.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
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