At that time I was thinking: "Ah Cazador, if you knew about their community of fans where I am... and we discussed theories and our affection for him... we would calmly break you into all possible alternative universes"
"Excuse me? You aren't even in the Top 3 of his biggest fears, those would be breaking a nail, getting his clothes bloody and wasting a perfectly good bear, in that order."
Cazador was quite young when turned. He has a youthful body. His voice should reflect that one quality. It does reflect his pomposity very well though. Or the pomposity is a careful cover for something else. Wouldn't know for what in that case though.
@@velinas_ I mean you can argue that for Astarion as well, he was a 39 year old elf when he was turned, he should look a lot younger than he does, but I mean, his face actor is in his 40s, and if you've ever seen the Astarion mods where they make him look younger it's just weird hearing that voice coming from someone who looks about 19. That may well be what they were doing with Cazador too.
@@bearhugzfam649 That reminds me that they smoothed out Astarion's and Gale's models for some reason. I heard there are problems for some folks like the line joining the neck and body being visible. Also, you're quick. Hi, again.
The way Cazador says “he will be MINE” is almost EXACTLY how Astarion says “you’re MINE” if you tried breaking up with him after ascension. Not sure if it’s intentional on the actors’ part but such details are AMAZING 😭
Others have pointed out that Astarion and Casador are very similar. Similar clothes, same idle animation, and yes, same way of speaking. Let's not try snd think too hard on that
Of course it's intended. Ascended Astarion is a mirror image of Cazador and the cycle of abuse continuing, you will step into his footsteps of the new abused.
It's intended. Asc Astarion will perpetuate the cycle of abuse he suffered under. He mentions wishing he could keep cazadors skull like cazador did his master. Then spawn astarion mentions that spawn killing their masters is a "tale as old as time" and that he's grateful he doesn't have any.
Well, what you expect? He sacrifices his soul to merge with his and 707 others, so he would have all the power and personality qualities, even bad ones in him. It's a massive sacrifice Astarion has to make, if he is to take that power.
I think what’s fascinating about this exchange is how it shows us all the ways Cazador knows Astarion keenly and intimately, save for the small, pivotal way he does not - the belief that Astarion was incapable of change, that he was capable of being more.
Well, for ascended Astarion, Cazador was right. I always imagine Cazador laughing from wherever he went to (where do vampires go after death anyway? Fugue Plane?) at ascended Astarion, cackling that Astarion would always be under his influence. So it makes sense that the revs threw that option in as a bad ending for him, with one (who was involved with writing his story) even saying that if you ascend him, it's basically because you don't view him as much more than a sexual object, just like Cazador.
@@GabrielleduVent Agreed. Ascended Astarion is fun and interesting to play around with, but I think the dialogue and writing makes it pretty clear there’s a personal tragedy at work there unless you were doing a corruption run. Cazador wins even as he loses.
I'd say this game's one obvious flaw is Tav's utter lack of facial expressions. There's the blank look Tav has in this scene, and then the "narrows eyes, crosses arms, widens stance" one. It's really weird if your Tav is in love with Astarion to just be standing there like " :) " while his slave master is calling him a piece of garbage.
I honestly usually prefer the poker face on protagonists. Unfortunately, Tav has a tendency to pick a wrong expression as his default for any given conversation. (I still remember facepalming from him looking all cute and sweetly at the murder tribunal, ffs).
@@dinosaurbThat's exactly why I prefer a voiced protag...especially considering how often the PC has way off facial expressions. I'd rather have the wrong voice tone than facial expression- I'd at least feel like my character was actually present in the scene. lol
Nah, Tav is just smiling because they're imagining the glorious pile of beaten pulp they're gonna turn this asshole into as soon as he finishes his yapping.
@@dinosaurb some parts though are pretty well done, obvious scenes of course like how your Tav smiles when he is shown a hamster, or at romance sequences. But overall yes, the Tav expressions often make scenes goofy or just make you feel like your character isnt even there mentally 😂
The worst part is that he really is right. Astarion really doesn't know anything outside of him and Tav. Just a few weeks of abuse can completely ruin a person, let alone years, let alone 200 years. This is not something that gets out of your head easily. I've heard people say it's weird how much Astarion talks about Cazador in previous acts, but to me it makes so much sense. Of course he's thinking about Cazador, for multiple reasons, for 200 years, the mighty and scary Cazador was his everything, and even when Astarion escapes, that power is still looming over him. Hell, I still sometimes can't shut up about my own abuser. I remmeber the things they like,d they disliked, what made them laugh, what made them sad and it's at the back of my head at all times, even though it's been years since I saw then last time. You can escape your abuser physically, but escaping them mentally is an awful, long and painful process. And missing them, missing the abuse, is the worst thing on earth. Because it's the devil that you know and that you're used to, and perhaps you feel like you even deserve to be treated any other way. And it's so easy to just switch one abuser for another (well, Astarion's lucky if Tav has pure intentions, but my man's dependent personality disorder is RAGING), or come back to your old abuser. Or to become an abuser yourself, even if you don't mean to and even if you don't strictly do the same things as were done to you. That's why I love Astarion so deeply, he's really wonderfully written and portrays the abuse victim experience so well it actually hurts.
Yeah I mean 200 years is a lot. People can kick the bucket from just a month or less of horrible abuse and Astarion suffered for 200 years, it's even more f'd up that he couldn't die or Cazador wouldn't let him through mind control. There was no way out of that black hole of madness, no wonder Astarion is such a mess when you first meet him. In fact he does... exceptionally well for someone who went through something like this.
"What is family but the monsters we are obliged to love." Bruh. I had a whole stance of defense and ready anger, especially for him calling him family. But that is the most disturbingly accurate sentence I have ever heard. Major applause to whoever came up with that line
It definitely struck deep for me. I'm very distant with my father, mostly by my own choice. But every now and then he'll do something that hurts me in a way that's only possible if some tiny party of me still cares about him. I've surrounded myself with better people. But being able to choose your own family doesn't make what Cazador said any less true. Hells, just look at Astarion and Petras. Clearly the only thing binding them together was Cazador's tortures. They despised each other, and meeting him as origin Astarion gives you even more dialogue options admitting that Astarion was an awful brother. But despite their past, their animosity towards each other, and the twisted definition of siblings forced upon them, Astarion still trusts Petras enough to lead the other spawn in the Underdark. And Petras will go with the rest of his siblings to watch over them. You don't trust someone's half-baked plan like that without some tiny part of you still caring.
Oh, I cannot imagine his "children" listening to Cazador for 100s of years. 3 minutes was already too much for me. But it works for the character. You want him to go poof.
@@candidbayproductions 100%, it quite literally is just that. they specified that pretty early on with Astarion mentioning that the tadpole allows him to not be compelled by Cazador anymore. that's why he's not initially keen about getting rid of the tadpole, just wants to control it so he can remain "free"
I'm actually impressed by the writing of his dialogue here. I was expecting to really hate him, especially because of how cringe he is when Astarion is there, but to be honest he actually knows Astarion really freaking well. He knows him far better than you do as the player, and it shows.
@@Stellina-takeheartCazador’s body model is actually unique tho, back when the patch is having a quite bug which made me able to place my character near him, while his body is type 2 but he’s as tall as Minsc’s body type
I love how this dialogue shows that ascended Astarion is nothing more than another Cazador. From the tone, to words he uses - it is all so similar. Ascended Astarion never breaks the cycle of abuse, he continues and possibly makes it even worse.
Apparently the Tav can find notes in Cazadors old chamber from when he was a spawn, indicating he was once like Astarion, a slave wanting to escape and be free. Which makes sense as it follows DnD lore, where a full vampire lose their soul
Post-ritual with spawn Astarion (I think the morning after), when you talk to him, you get the option to tell him that in the ritual chamber he seemed unrecognizable, like a whole different person to which Astarion will respond that for a moment he wanted to be like Cazador and have all that power. He will even admit that Cazador had left his marks on him in more ways than one. So Ascended Astarion behaving like Cazador makes sense. He didn't come to the realization that he can be much more than a paranoid, power-hungry creature.
@@prinsauce to bad that's factually untrue. That's my one problem with the forced arc of 'cycle of abuse'. Just because he wants power doesn't mean he's like Cazador, just because he took an opportunity to get it when it landed in his lap does not IN ANY WAY equal the deliberation of seeking out those people and the unnecessary cruelty that Cazador sought to inflict on others. He only needed one night out of Astarion's 200 years to carve the scars for his ritual. There is no reason for anything else that was inflicted on the spawn. To suggest that because Astarion (rightly) suggest that killing the spawn is necessary and it might as well serve a purpose in no way equals what his master did. In fact, even when he's still high off of the whole situation, he even speaks of creating... I think it was a mist? to protect his children. In his assentation, before he has even gotten to the point he can protect others, he's already planning to do so. Compare that to the man that tortured them unnecessarily, and say with a straight face he's continuing the cycle. People who push this narrative want to live in a fantasy land, where you can have some who goes through what Astarion did, get their 'fix broken man' itch scratched, but not have to actually deal with the fact that, when you choose to help someone that has gone through what he has, it will have to be on his time. Yes, boundaries need to be set, but it can't be expected to be like... okay I'm going to commit to helping you through this, but I expect you to be super nice, and know how to conduct yourself even though I know you have no idea to do it, because I just want to feel good about helping you, not deal with the anger, and the s*** that is going to come with it. If you know your partner was beaten and abused as a child, and then he/she yells at the kids, you remind them of the boundaries and help them see that they are going to far, because their sense of what is appropriate is off due to their past. You don't trivialize what happened to them by suggesting just because they yelled they are the same as the person that viciously beat them their whole lives.
@@saribeepo.o5111 I did not mean it in the sense that Astarion becomes evil like Cazador. Astarion himself believes, for right or for wrong, that if HE sacrifices the spawn and ascends, it's a better outcome than Cazador doing it. What I meant was that Astarion wants all that power so that no one can hurt him. Besides that, he wants to be able to get away with doing whatever he wants because he thinks being powerful equals being untouchable. THAT is why he says he wanted to become like Cazador, not the turning into a cruel sadistic monster part.
For the "nowhere is safe" line Cazador looks directly to camera. He is looking directly at the player not Tav. Looks like this is the only time he does that. Is that Larians subtle way of letting us players know we can break Astarion just as badly as Cazador can? And that he isn't necessarily safe in our hands either with the things we can put him through with our choices.
Perhaps, good insight. It could also be his way of reminding us that no matter what happens to Cazador he will always be a part of Astarion as his maker.
Thanks for posting this! I was enlightening to see Cazador and see more of his personality beyond evil vampire lord. You got a little of it in the brief interaction with Astarion at the start. Its so cool they included more interactions. I'm also pleasantly surprised Cazador recognizes that Tav is the only person other person Astarion knows and has sway over him.
Have you explored all the rooms? I recall there's info on his background and that Cazador used to be in Astarion's place with his predecessor. You'll have to find that guy's skull, iirc? If my memory's right, then that makes Astarion breaking off that cycle all the heavier of an impact because it's also a chain and a foreshadowing of what he would become if he followed the ritual.
I had a bug where I got this dialogue and Astarion was RIGHT BEHIND ME, staring at Cazador as he talked as if the pale elf wasn't there 🤣 I found it very telling of his character that he assumed that my druid had power over Astarion just because she was "following on his heels". Had a friend point out to me that technically, Cazador is correct because loving someone does give them a degree of power over you: a horrible person will take that power and ruin you while a good person will take that power and uplift you.
Very wise and true words about loving someone. thanks for your comments. Hope you were also able to see Astarion's dialogue with Cazador. I think it is some of the best in the game.
@Stellina-takeheart I was able to see Astarion's too, which made it funny because I persuaded Cazador that I would bring Astarion and had taken maybe 3 or 4 steps after ending the conversation and his dialogue with Astarion triggered.
@nootnewt9323 Were you playing as a taller or shorter character model? I ask because of the humor of the situation if your character is shorter because it's not like he can't see Astarion behind a shorter body type, which I played with my druid
The moment he said your time with Astarion is coming to an end he just solidified his fate. 🙏 You aint takin my man, and now for even implying, i'm gonna take your head.
Love the Blood of Lathander on your back lmfao. 😂 Tav: Oh you wanna go? You wanna go Cassarole? Do it then. Make my day. I've been meaning to see this baby in action since I got it.
Had that weapon on someone once when I walked up to chat with the freed vampire children in the sewers... I reloaded that save near instantaneously. >.>
@@valkyrie-randgris Ooops, yeah that is a problem. Gotta love the detail devs went to though. My Tav had it on when we went to the flophouse to speak to Astarions siblings, they kept disappearing and wouldn't talk to us lol. At first I was like wtf, and then it (pun intended) dawned on me why.
@@mrsgamer9218 Oui! Cleric is a fun one too! I just took immense pleasure in smiting him for 250 in the first turn and left him prone for the next one 🤣 I like to imagine that in that moment he got humbled real fast
I just had warlock tav, Asty, and Karlach huddled inside Sharty's spirit guardians. Tav threw some counterspells and hellish rebukes, Karly got angry and threw Nyrulna a few times, Asty went pew pew with his lil crossbows and we just had an orb of sunlight chillin. It was too easy.
Yeah that hit a cord cause I learned NO I FUCKING DO NOT and cut all contact years ago. I'm gonna help astarion do the same, but with more literal cutting~
I gotta say, after hearing this, i really appreciate his VA more😂 The first time i saw him i did get the dracula vibes (from his looks). But when he spoke i couldnt really take him seriously and was like: "Wait... He is just an angry twink"😂😂😂 It was even MORE funny when i realised that he is the same VA of the Pidgeon General in the Post Office (which i talked to first). I always imagined the bloody pidgeon when talking to him😂😂😂
Bro, I actually love Cazador's voice. Was expecting a serious dark lord, and instead we got a petulent dickhead. As soon as you hear it, you just know the game is outright telling you, "he's a piece of shit, kill him." 😂
I mean didn't expect him to sound like this from Astarions little tid bits and hints but it checks out. When he said mine I shivered. I was like ick. 😂
I like how they didn’t make him very intimidating. To us, we barely know him, he just comes off as some creepy and pathetic loser. But to Astarion, the way he makes him sound so terrifying and powerful, it really shows how differently how people view their abusers, and why they are so afraid to escape alone. 🥺🥺
1:37 damn, you can really see where Astarion gets his 'haha, ugh no' mannerisms from, it's the exact same energy and delivery. Learned behaviour from his evil shitty vampire daddy.
Cazador is quite a tragic figure, if you read his thoughts while in the coffin. He's a victim of perpetuated abuse, which is why it's important to save Astarion from the cycle.
@@Stellina-takeheart The game is too big to play it over and over to seek the thousands of small new pieces. That is why such videos are a nice thing. I don't have to wonder or waste my time on "what if" :) and there are a lot of "what ifs" in BG3 :D.
I wish we'd had the option, after he's crawling on the ground defeated but still alive, to make him a deal. "I have an offer for you, Cazador...allow Astarion to drink from you freely, and I will let you live. Then you'll be free to mark one of your other unfortunate children for your little ritual". Cazador is such a pathetic loser he'll do it to spare his own life. After Astarion has had his fill, I will then turn to walk to the door "He's all yours, Astarion". When Cazador snivels "But we made a deal", I will say "I said *I* wouldn't kill you. That agreement was between you and I, and I am leaving".
I had a VERY similar idea as well. "Our deal was I would let you live if you willingly let Astarion drink from you. I never said anything about ASTARION letting you live." Its a little surprising seeing someone come up with the same idea, but also really fun!
Astarion would still end up Ascendant-y that way though. True vampires lose their souls after the change. Maybe not immediately, but slowly over time. Spawn keep parts of themselves, maybe not a whole soul, but they are more human than a true vampire
@@AimW1107 I'm curious, for Cazador to take Astarion's place in the ritual wouldn't he have to have a soul? or at least some of it left. And he has been a true Vampire for over 200 years.
Thanks for sharing. Never heard these lines before, since he always has to come along for this part in my games! But I would say that this dialogue is much better than the silly "2-cent cheap enemy" one Cazador gives you if Astarion is there.. This is much more in depth.. Damn, now I'm tempted to do this too! :P
Thank you for taking the time and energy to do all these scenes that I would've otherwise never seen! Your videos are so well-cut and your Tav is beautiful :)
I find it unfortunate that he is infinitely more intimidating here. He actually resembles the cruelty and evil you come to expect, but if you bring Astarion, which most players will, you get very brief dialogue from him that, at least in my opinion, does not meet the expectation of threatening that I expected. He may have benefitted with more direct presence earlier in Act 3 rather than only appearing in his boss arena. Maybe showing up to our camp to intimidate or attempt to steal Astarion himself. Something other than the brief window he was present. :/
A good point. As a player of Curse of Strahd (D&D tabletop campaign) the story there benefits hugely if the DM makes the local vampire lord well... Lord over his lands and actually be present at places from time to time. Nothing shook me more as a first time player than having the main villain waltzing about and talking to people in the village while I was still a level 2-3 character. He was not some entombed crypt creature. He was **there** and the could **go places** and he **choose not to kill us at first sight because he was getting to know us to best make use of us later** . The power play just really works.
You know what. Baldur's Gate (the city) would hugely benefit from having an explorable night cycle. Different businesses open. Different people on the streets. Different quests and risks to be mindful of.
The worst part is that, if you never finish astarions quest, its exactly what he'll do. If you romance him without finishing his quest bit defeating BBEG your options are a) go back and confront cazador b) go back and confront cazador tomorrow c) sure if you want we can try to hide ill do whatever you want but we will have to confront him eventually or d) break up with him which is straight cruel (but this one too has a unique dialogue...) Whatever you do, one way or another Astarion will have to return to cazador and he knows.
I saw comments from videos of Astarion about how they hated how pompous he spoke. Hearing Cazador speak, you can hear the resemblance. Astarion was groomed to be the way he was for 200 years, so anyone who complains about how Astarion acts and HAS played the game confuse me.
He reminds me SO much of Hojo from FF7, from his slimy old man vibes to the way he treats his ""family"". Even their voices feel similar to me. (Which isn't a bad thing by the way, I love noticing the ~parallels~)
Its something subtle, and i know its not just in the chamber below the palace, but i love how larian kept appropriate echoing in. Especially in this instance where its really quiet; makes when npcs raise there voices that much more immersive and in some cases chilling.
This storyline shakes me to my core. Every so often, Cazador says something familiar or Astarion voices my thoughts. Its fantasy, but there are themes that are true to life for anyone who has been put in a situation where they dont belong to themselves.
The best strategy is to get the toxin and have Astarion play dead at the start of the battle. You get this dialogue everytime. Then Astarion wakes up and kicks Cazador’s ass without being thrown into the ritual. It’s a much easier battle and Astarion gets to do his thing at the end.
@@imhae07 it’s not breaking the game it’s upstairs in cazadors mansion where there is a dead body with a note saying he was going to use the potion to trick cazador into thinking he was dead. Turns out he drank the real poison and died so you’re supposed to get the hint that the fake poison is on his desk and give it to Astarion for the ritual. It’s a literal on purpose thing out there for that reason.
Wow this guy's va is good! Cazador as a villain is pretty imposing and impressive, but his voice actor really sells the whole bit. Very grandfather-y too, now that I think about it. Which makes me want to shove a stake through his chest more after knowing what he's done to Astarion
Fucking damn. I've never been in an abusive relationship, but I read about them a lot and study psychology because I love it, and the writers nailed this so perfectly that listening to this creature talk was making my skin crawl. Also yeah, big props to the voice actor too.
Cazador is literally White Diamond but darkness-themed. “Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?” Edit: Also the shape of the eyebrows of the both of them 😂
i saw some people on the comments spotting similarities between the acting for cazador and the acting for ascended astarion and wondering if it's on purpose so since astarion's actor was a performance director for some of cazador's actor's sessions then i think we can safely say he got involved closely enough with cazador's actor's performance to use it for it's own performance (he talked about it a little bit in his twitch streams but i think it's probably also in some interviews)
2:00 Okay call me crazy... but the way he says "You and Me" putting the player's character BEFORE himself, and then says "US"... [Larian let my durge romance cazador i beg you, ascended astarion can step aside]
I'm somehow still impressed that he kind of want to actually sacrifice Astarion, given how much he likes tormenting him and how terribly possessive he sounds, one would think he would keep it up for the rest of eternity, like we all know Leon's is his favorite spawn but Astarion is his favorite victim and he never tires of abusing him in any way he can, yet still gonna kill him and send his soul to hell to be tortured for eternity. I also imagine an alternate universe where Cazador actually makes his 7 favored spawns true vampires alongside him but he still binds them to his will completely anyway because of a modification he made to the contract so now he can torture his spawns with even more ideas at all time of the day since they can all go in the sun and eat real food, so he has 7 true vampires who are still bound to him as if they were still spawns but they all go in the sun and eat food and it gets even harder for them somehow, because now Cazador can make their lives even more hell despite their new powers and conditions, so they are still powerful and helpless and the idea that they will still be that way for eternity completely breaks them in spirit entirely. If someone wants to make a fic out of this be my guest, I'm no author but if someone wants ideas, here's one.
Narcissists don't recognize people as having their own agency. So this tracks really well. Astarion is doing something! So that must mean someone ELSE is controlling him!
This clip is so creepy. Cazador is a true vampire, and appareantly true vampires don't feel love, only obsession. Spawns can feel love... So ultimately Astarion and any other spawns that ascend or turn into a full vampire will be just as cruel.. heartbreaking.
This is the reasonn I never want to ascend Astarion. I may make an alternate file out of curiousity and then delete it, but my game will always end with Spawn Astarion.
Do you not see this sun-looking mace behind me? Not curious about the bright glowing light illuminating me while i look at you monologue in my casual clothes? He was about to get the beating of his long ass life time that he sorely needed many years ago...
I honestly like this guy and i wish we had options to just chit chat with him. I get it hes an evil piece of shit blah blah but hes also a goofball and i could listen to his cartoonish villain voice all day long. Also i find the fact he was once in Astarions position as a spawn very intresting too, wish it was explored a bit more. "Thou think a single year of starvation and seclusion is bad, boy?! Imagine being impaled for a decade! Thou children art so sensitive these days..."
![Astarion slowly falls in love through greetings | Baldur's Gate 3 [Cinematic GMV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q6vIlj2yQsM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
"You presume to know the boy better than I?" Not him challenging Tav to an Astarion-off
lmao, he stands no chance!!
Sounds like my MIL with my husband haha She literally told me she'd be more sad if he died...like what? It's not a competition you loon.
At that time I was thinking: "Ah Cazador, if you knew about their community of fans where I am... and we discussed theories and our affection for him... we would calmly break you into all possible alternative universes"
"Excuse me? You aren't even in the Top 3 of his biggest fears, those would be breaking a nail, getting his clothes bloody and wasting a perfectly good bear, in that order."
@@toolatetothestoryi read this in astarions voice... o my gooood 😅😂😂
I don't get why some people have criticised Cazadors VA. I think he's done a great job and sounds exactly like how he should- a spiteful old creep!
I agree. He has the right combination of hubris and evil.
I thought people had more problems with his looks
Cazador was quite young when turned. He has a youthful body. His voice should reflect that one quality. It does reflect his pomposity very well though. Or the pomposity is a careful cover for something else. Wouldn't know for what in that case though.
@@velinas_ I mean you can argue that for Astarion as well, he was a 39 year old elf when he was turned, he should look a lot younger than he does, but I mean, his face actor is in his 40s, and if you've ever seen the Astarion mods where they make him look younger it's just weird hearing that voice coming from someone who looks about 19. That may well be what they were doing with Cazador too.
@@bearhugzfam649 That reminds me that they smoothed out Astarion's and Gale's models for some reason. I heard there are problems for some folks like the line joining the neck and body being visible.
Also, you're quick. Hi, again.
The way Cazador says “he will be MINE” is almost EXACTLY how Astarion says “you’re MINE” if you tried breaking up with him after ascension. Not sure if it’s intentional on the actors’ part but such details are AMAZING 😭
Others have pointed out that Astarion and Casador are very similar. Similar clothes, same idle animation, and yes, same way of speaking. Let's not try snd think too hard on that
Of course it's intended. Ascended Astarion is a mirror image of Cazador and the cycle of abuse continuing, you will step into his footsteps of the new abused.
It would be cool to see a comparison video of that@@Lizzley_
It's intended. Asc Astarion will perpetuate the cycle of abuse he suffered under. He mentions wishing he could keep cazadors skull like cazador did his master. Then spawn astarion mentions that spawn killing their masters is a "tale as old as time" and that he's grateful he doesn't have any.
Well, what you expect? He sacrifices his soul to merge with his and 707 others, so he would have all the power and personality qualities, even bad ones in him. It's a massive sacrifice Astarion has to make, if he is to take that power.
I think what’s fascinating about this exchange is how it shows us all the ways Cazador knows Astarion keenly and intimately, save for the small, pivotal way he does not - the belief that Astarion was incapable of change, that he was capable of being more.
Well, for ascended Astarion, Cazador was right.
I always imagine Cazador laughing from wherever he went to (where do vampires go after death anyway? Fugue Plane?) at ascended Astarion, cackling that Astarion would always be under his influence. So it makes sense that the revs threw that option in as a bad ending for him, with one (who was involved with writing his story) even saying that if you ascend him, it's basically because you don't view him as much more than a sexual object, just like Cazador.
@@GabrielleduVent Agreed. Ascended Astarion is fun and interesting to play around with, but I think the dialogue and writing makes it pretty clear there’s a personal tragedy at work there unless you were doing a corruption run. Cazador wins even as he loses.
@@veronicashields4405how is he fun to play around with? How vulgar.
@@tiph3802 said "interesting", not "fun". i don't think they were talking about having sex with him.
@@tiph3802??? It’s a game? It’s fun to see how the different pathways characters can go in a story? What else would you do in a game?
I'd say this game's one obvious flaw is Tav's utter lack of facial expressions. There's the blank look Tav has in this scene, and then the "narrows eyes, crosses arms, widens stance" one. It's really weird if your Tav is in love with Astarion to just be standing there like " :) " while his slave master is calling him a piece of garbage.
I honestly usually prefer the poker face on protagonists. Unfortunately, Tav has a tendency to pick a wrong expression as his default for any given conversation. (I still remember facepalming from him looking all cute and sweetly at the murder tribunal, ffs).
@@dinosaurbThat's exactly why I prefer a voiced protag...especially considering how often the PC has way off facial expressions. I'd rather have the wrong voice tone than facial expression- I'd at least feel like my character was actually present in the scene. lol
My tav's safe is always way too expressive, its acfually distracting
Nah, Tav is just smiling because they're imagining the glorious pile of beaten pulp they're gonna turn this asshole into as soon as he finishes his yapping.
@@dinosaurb some parts though are pretty well done, obvious scenes of course like how your Tav smiles when he is shown a hamster, or at romance sequences. But overall yes, the Tav expressions often make scenes goofy or just make you feel like your character isnt even there mentally 😂
The worst part is that he really is right. Astarion really doesn't know anything outside of him and Tav. Just a few weeks of abuse can completely ruin a person, let alone years, let alone 200 years. This is not something that gets out of your head easily. I've heard people say it's weird how much Astarion talks about Cazador in previous acts, but to me it makes so much sense. Of course he's thinking about Cazador, for multiple reasons, for 200 years, the mighty and scary Cazador was his everything, and even when Astarion escapes, that power is still looming over him. Hell, I still sometimes can't shut up about my own abuser. I remmeber the things they like,d they disliked, what made them laugh, what made them sad and it's at the back of my head at all times, even though it's been years since I saw then last time. You can escape your abuser physically, but escaping them mentally is an awful, long and painful process. And missing them, missing the abuse, is the worst thing on earth. Because it's the devil that you know and that you're used to, and perhaps you feel like you even deserve to be treated any other way. And it's so easy to just switch one abuser for another (well, Astarion's lucky if Tav has pure intentions, but my man's dependent personality disorder is RAGING), or come back to your old abuser. Or to become an abuser yourself, even if you don't mean to and even if you don't strictly do the same things as were done to you. That's why I love Astarion so deeply, he's really wonderfully written and portrays the abuse victim experience so well it actually hurts.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Well said.
Oh wow, you really phrased it well:,). I love Astarion.
This is so well written, I agree and relate, thank you for sharing!❤
Yeah I mean 200 years is a lot. People can kick the bucket from just a month or less of horrible abuse and Astarion suffered for 200 years, it's even more f'd up that he couldn't die or Cazador wouldn't let him through mind control. There was no way out of that black hole of madness, no wonder Astarion is such a mess when you first meet him. In fact he does... exceptionally well for someone who went through something like this.
I romanced Astarion on my resist-Durge playthrough, and now I don't think I can romance anyone but him ever again.
"What is family but the monsters we are obliged to love."
Bruh. I had a whole stance of defense and ready anger, especially for him calling him family. But that is the most disturbingly accurate sentence I have ever heard. Major applause to whoever came up with that line
You are not obligated to love family or anyone. If your family treat you like shit they are not family.
Yes but that is exactly how abusive people would guilt trip you into clinging on to the relationship@@angeliqueplaisance4440
@@angeliqueplaisance4440I used to feel the same way. Now I have no family. Gotta say, sometimes I miss the shit, at least I was a part of something.
It definitely struck deep for me. I'm very distant with my father, mostly by my own choice. But every now and then he'll do something that hurts me in a way that's only possible if some tiny party of me still cares about him. I've surrounded myself with better people. But being able to choose your own family doesn't make what Cazador said any less true.
Hells, just look at Astarion and Petras. Clearly the only thing binding them together was Cazador's tortures. They despised each other, and meeting him as origin Astarion gives you even more dialogue options admitting that Astarion was an awful brother. But despite their past, their animosity towards each other, and the twisted definition of siblings forced upon them, Astarion still trusts Petras enough to lead the other spawn in the Underdark. And Petras will go with the rest of his siblings to watch over them. You don't trust someone's half-baked plan like that without some tiny part of you still caring.
It's such a banger line
The "will be mine" verbiage is chilling.. It is verbatim how ascended Astarion talks to you. Makes me glad I haven't done ascended Astarion.
Oh yikes, you're right. Ew.
it also really reminds me of how Minthara speaks (but she is also clearly not a good person lol)
1d10 necrotic damage on all attacks demands the character assassination of the pretty elf.
@@Ya0w I also agree with this. I’m an Astarion girly through and through
I will never Ascend him. It's disgusting. You either need nerves of steel or to be seriously sick in the head to do it.
Oh, I cannot imagine his "children" listening to Cazador for 100s of years. 3 minutes was already too much for me. But it works for the character. You want him to go poof.
I think there was a lot of supernatural compulsion involved in their obedience.
I think I would actually prefer getting flayed rather than listen to him ramble on
@@candidbayproductions 100%, it quite literally is just that. they specified that pretty early on with Astarion mentioning that the tadpole allows him to not be compelled by Cazador anymore. that's why he's not initially keen about getting rid of the tadpole, just wants to control it so he can remain "free"
Lol, Ive been dealing with clowns like this since Morrowind.
I'm actually impressed by the writing of his dialogue here. I was expecting to really hate him, especially because of how cringe he is when Astarion is there, but to be honest he actually knows Astarion really freaking well. He knows him far better than you do as the player, and it shows.
I like how they made his staff super big so he looks smaller than he actually is.
Yes, looks like he's overcompensating lol
@@Stellina-takeheartguy hates astarion for having a bigger peepee than him 😂
@@Stellina-takeheartCazador’s body model is actually unique tho, back when the patch is having a quite bug which made me able to place my character near him, while his body is type 2 but he’s as tall as Minsc’s body type
I love how this dialogue shows that ascended Astarion is nothing more than another Cazador. From the tone, to words he uses - it is all so similar. Ascended Astarion never breaks the cycle of abuse, he continues and possibly makes it even worse.
Definitely doesn’t break the cycle of power dynamic but definitely doesn’t make the abuse worse.
Apparently the Tav can find notes in Cazadors old chamber from when he was a spawn, indicating he was once like Astarion, a slave wanting to escape and be free.
Which makes sense as it follows DnD lore, where a full vampire lose their soul
Post-ritual with spawn Astarion (I think the morning after), when you talk to him, you get the option to tell him that in the ritual chamber he seemed unrecognizable, like a whole different person to which Astarion will respond that for a moment he wanted to be like Cazador and have all that power. He will even admit that Cazador had left his marks on him in more ways than one. So Ascended Astarion behaving like Cazador makes sense. He didn't come to the realization that he can be much more than a paranoid, power-hungry creature.
@@prinsauce to bad that's factually untrue. That's my one problem with the forced arc of 'cycle of abuse'. Just because he wants power doesn't mean he's like Cazador, just because he took an opportunity to get it when it landed in his lap does not IN ANY WAY equal the deliberation of seeking out those people and the unnecessary cruelty that Cazador sought to inflict on others. He only needed one night out of Astarion's 200 years to carve the scars for his ritual. There is no reason for anything else that was inflicted on the spawn. To suggest that because Astarion (rightly) suggest that killing the spawn is necessary and it might as well serve a purpose in no way equals what his master did. In fact, even when he's still high off of the whole situation, he even speaks of creating... I think it was a mist? to protect his children. In his assentation, before he has even gotten to the point he can protect others, he's already planning to do so. Compare that to the man that tortured them unnecessarily, and say with a straight face he's continuing the cycle.
People who push this narrative want to live in a fantasy land, where you can have some who goes through what Astarion did, get their 'fix broken man' itch scratched, but not have to actually deal with the fact that, when you choose to help someone that has gone through what he has, it will have to be on his time. Yes, boundaries need to be set, but it can't be expected to be like... okay I'm going to commit to helping you through this, but I expect you to be super nice, and know how to conduct yourself even though I know you have no idea to do it, because I just want to feel good about helping you, not deal with the anger, and the s*** that is going to come with it. If you know your partner was beaten and abused as a child, and then he/she yells at the kids, you remind them of the boundaries and help them see that they are going to far, because their sense of what is appropriate is off due to their past. You don't trivialize what happened to them by suggesting just because they yelled they are the same as the person that viciously beat them their whole lives.
@@saribeepo.o5111 I did not mean it in the sense that Astarion becomes evil like Cazador. Astarion himself believes, for right or for wrong, that if HE sacrifices the spawn and ascends, it's a better outcome than Cazador doing it. What I meant was that Astarion wants all that power so that no one can hurt him. Besides that, he wants to be able to get away with doing whatever he wants because he thinks being powerful equals being untouchable. THAT is why he says he wanted to become like Cazador, not the turning into a cruel sadistic monster part.
Tav: “oh man, it’s not every day you see someone just volunteer for an ass-kicking!”
For the "nowhere is safe" line Cazador looks directly to camera. He is looking directly at the player not Tav. Looks like this is the only time he does that. Is that Larians subtle way of letting us players know we can break Astarion just as badly as Cazador can? And that he isn't necessarily safe in our hands either with the things we can put him through with our choices.
Perhaps, good insight. It could also be his way of reminding us that no matter what happens to Cazador he will always be a part of Astarion as his maker.
"Oh, he's probably bricking it."
💀 Why is this option so damn funny to me? Poor baby, but also.. he probably is. 🤣
I love the VA soo so much. First he made me laugh as a pigeon and now he makes me want to punch his face as an evil vampire. Marvelous!!
Thanks for posting this! I was enlightening to see Cazador and see more of his personality beyond evil vampire lord. You got a little of it in the brief interaction with Astarion at the start. Its so cool they included more interactions. I'm also pleasantly surprised Cazador recognizes that Tav is the only person other person Astarion knows and has sway over him.
You're welcome, thank you for your comments.
Have you explored all the rooms? I recall there's info on his background and that Cazador used to be in Astarion's place with his predecessor. You'll have to find that guy's skull, iirc? If my memory's right, then that makes Astarion breaking off that cycle all the heavier of an impact because it's also a chain and a foreshadowing of what he would become if he followed the ritual.
@@oceanicGrimalkin Yes I did find Vellioth's skull with the scroll tucked neatly in his mouth. I'll post a video with his rules soon.
@@Stellina-takeheart Thank you.
@@oceanicGrimalkin I posted a video with Vellioth's Lessons here: ruclips.net/video/rCfeINce1Rg/видео.html hope you enjoy.
I had a bug where I got this dialogue and Astarion was RIGHT BEHIND ME, staring at Cazador as he talked as if the pale elf wasn't there 🤣
I found it very telling of his character that he assumed that my druid had power over Astarion just because she was "following on his heels". Had a friend point out to me that technically, Cazador is correct because loving someone does give them a degree of power over you: a horrible person will take that power and ruin you while a good person will take that power and uplift you.
Very wise and true words about loving someone. thanks for your comments. Hope you were also able to see Astarion's dialogue with Cazador. I think it is some of the best in the game.
@Stellina-takeheart I was able to see Astarion's too, which made it funny because I persuaded Cazador that I would bring Astarion and had taken maybe 3 or 4 steps after ending the conversation and his dialogue with Astarion triggered.
SAME! same thing happened with viconia and shadowheart too lol
Yup same happened to me. He said something about him not being there.
@nootnewt9323 Were you playing as a taller or shorter character model? I ask because of the humor of the situation if your character is shorter because it's not like he can't see Astarion behind a shorter body type, which I played with my druid
I wish, no matter who you romance, that NPCs and other companions would recodnoze and react to your relationship more
Cazador sends CHILLS down my spine and not the fun kind. His VA did an AMAZING JOB.
I have not fought Cazador yet I am not emotionally prepared.
« You presume to know the boy better than I?! »
Yes bro… I can garante you I do! 😅
Damn straight! This guy’s not just a monster, he’s an idiot. Like, puppeteering people does not equal knowing them. 🤦🏻♀️
The moment he said your time with Astarion is coming to an end he just solidified his fate. 🙏 You aint takin my man, and now for even implying, i'm gonna take your head.
absolutely spot on
Love the Blood of Lathander on your back lmfao. 😂
Tav: Oh you wanna go? You wanna go Cassarole? Do it then. Make my day. I've been meaning to see this baby in action since I got it.
My favorite weapon in the game
Had that weapon on someone once when I walked up to chat with the freed vampire children in the sewers... I reloaded that save near instantaneously. >.>
@@valkyrie-randgris Ooops, yeah that is a problem. Gotta love the detail devs went to though. My Tav had it on when we went to the flophouse to speak to Astarions siblings, they kept disappearing and wouldn't talk to us lol. At first I was like wtf, and then it (pun intended) dawned on me why.
I don’t care what anyone says. I LOVE his voice acting lmao. It’s so delightfully over-the-top.
right?? he's a great villain
God this makes me want to load back up as my Paladin *just so i can bash Cazador's sorry ass around that arena one more time*
I had more fun with my cleric tbh 😊
@@mrsgamer9218 Oui! Cleric is a fun one too!
I just took immense pleasure in smiting him for 250 in the first turn and left him prone for the next one 🤣
I like to imagine that in that moment he got humbled real fast
@@Xohaze true. I expected to have a grand fight. But throw some daylight around and some holy humble jumble it was done. Guy is such a joke.
Gods help me, I have that specific save file backed up and have played it through, combat included, like 7 times now on my first play through 🤧
I just had warlock tav, Asty, and Karlach huddled inside Sharty's spirit guardians. Tav threw some counterspells and hellish rebukes, Karly got angry and threw Nyrulna a few times, Asty went pew pew with his lil crossbows and we just had an orb of sunlight chillin. It was too easy.
Dang cazador has a point
What is family if not the monsters we are obliged to love
Nah, family is the monsters we CHOOSE to love
Family is the reason the fates let you pick your friends.
Yeah that hit a cord cause I learned NO I FUCKING DO NOT and cut all contact years ago. I'm gonna help astarion do the same, but with more literal cutting~
Lol I don't - haven't spoken to my mother in 8 years and my dad is on minimal contact. It's so nice lol
@@cinnamonsparrowdesigns almost 8 years for me without my whole family. It's been so nice~
I gotta say, after hearing this, i really appreciate his VA more😂
The first time i saw him i did get the dracula vibes (from his looks). But when he spoke i couldnt really take him seriously and was like: "Wait... He is just an angry twink"😂😂😂
It was even MORE funny when i realised that he is the same VA of the Pidgeon General in the Post Office (which i talked to first). I always imagined the bloody pidgeon when talking to him😂😂😂
Bro, I actually love Cazador's voice. Was expecting a serious dark lord, and instead we got a petulent dickhead. As soon as you hear it, you just know the game is outright telling you, "he's a piece of shit, kill him." 😂
Lol I was thinking of that General Pidgeon and wondering whether the VA are the same, now mistery solved! Thanks 😂
@@sypk2 Youre welcome😂 also, Tara is Ethel😂😂
@@Sacred_Korok69 😂 😂 😂
That pigeon is the last remaining piece of Cazador's birdmanity.
I was surprised by two things
1. Some lines are spoken like Astarion would say them
2. He sounds like my mother and now i feel Astarion!
damn man do you want a hug?
@@ShadowVex_ nah its fine me and my mother are trying to rebuild our relationship! She is actually a caring woman all things considered
@@ZUnknownnn awww that’s nice
I mean didn't expect him to sound like this from Astarions little tid bits and hints but it checks out. When he said mine I shivered. I was like ick. 😂
I like how they didn’t make him very intimidating. To us, we barely know him, he just comes off as some creepy and pathetic loser. But to Astarion, the way he makes him sound so terrifying and powerful, it really shows how differently how people view their abusers, and why they are so afraid to escape alone. 🥺🥺
1:37 damn, you can really see where Astarion gets his 'haha, ugh no' mannerisms from, it's the exact same energy and delivery. Learned behaviour from his evil shitty vampire daddy.
Cazador is quite a tragic figure, if you read his thoughts while in the coffin. He's a victim of perpetuated abuse, which is why it's important to save Astarion from the cycle.
Okay I take back everything I said about cazadors performance and appearance this rocks ahahah va killed it
Thanks for this rare dialog.
my pleasure, glad you enjoyed it.
@@Stellina-takeheart The game is too big to play it over and over to seek the thousands of small new pieces. That is why such videos are a nice thing. I don't have to wonder or waste my time on "what if" :) and there are a lot of "what ifs" in BG3 :D.
The very idea of Astarion waiting at the camp so anxiously waiting for Tav to come back to him, not knowing if she will. God that image hurts
"What is family but the monsters we are obliged to love?" Baller line
I broke this scene and he said this to Astarion AFTER I had already gotten Caz into the coffin lmaoo it was so funny
Astarion has a lot of bugs now (((
Does it continue like this even with yesterday's corrections 11.09.23?@@katiatall
Cazador compared to Lord Harkon from Skyrim is some kind of goth grandfather
Cazador's voice actor killed it
I wish we'd had the option, after he's crawling on the ground defeated but still alive, to make him a deal. "I have an offer for you, Cazador...allow Astarion to drink from you freely, and I will let you live. Then you'll be free to mark one of your other unfortunate children for your little ritual". Cazador is such a pathetic loser he'll do it to spare his own life. After Astarion has had his fill, I will then turn to walk to the door "He's all yours, Astarion". When Cazador snivels "But we made a deal", I will say "I said *I* wouldn't kill you. That agreement was between you and I, and I am leaving".
I had a VERY similar idea as well. "Our deal was I would let you live if you willingly let Astarion drink from you. I never said anything about ASTARION letting you live."
Its a little surprising seeing someone come up with the same idea, but also really fun!
Yes, this would be a fabulous addition!
@@cussundriakneal9904It seems like such a logical option to have =)
Astarion would still end up Ascendant-y that way though. True vampires lose their souls after the change. Maybe not immediately, but slowly over time. Spawn keep parts of themselves, maybe not a whole soul, but they are more human than a true vampire
@@AimW1107 I'm curious, for Cazador to take Astarion's place in the ritual wouldn't he have to have a soul? or at least some of it left. And he has been a true Vampire for over 200 years.
Thanks for sharing. Never heard these lines before, since he always has to come along for this part in my games! But I would say that this dialogue is much better than the silly "2-cent cheap enemy" one Cazador gives you if Astarion is there.. This is much more in depth.. Damn, now I'm tempted to do this too! :P
Bring him with but have him stand back out of the fight room to get this dialog! Maybe that'll work? That's what I plan to do
@@Akalim It worked for me the 1st playthrough, so yes, do that
Damn Cazador's VA did a great job I almost feel bad bc I never give him the chance to actually speak in my playthroughs before kicking his ass.
Thank you for taking the time and energy to do all these scenes that I would've otherwise never seen! Your videos are so well-cut and your Tav is beautiful :)
I'm happy you enjoyed it. Thanks very much
Graham captures the smarmy villain that is Cazador PERFECTLY!!! I really do love his performance.
The Va who voiced Cazador is Grahm Hoadly! I think he did amazingly!
Cazador's actor is amazing
1:06 the delivery with the added reverb is peak.
I find it unfortunate that he is infinitely more intimidating here. He actually resembles the cruelty and evil you come to expect, but if you bring Astarion, which most players will, you get very brief dialogue from him that, at least in my opinion, does not meet the expectation of threatening that I expected.
He may have benefitted with more direct presence earlier in Act 3 rather than only appearing in his boss arena. Maybe showing up to our camp to intimidate or attempt to steal Astarion himself. Something other than the brief window he was present. :/
I agree
A good point. As a player of Curse of Strahd (D&D tabletop campaign) the story there benefits hugely if the DM makes the local vampire lord well... Lord over his lands and actually be present at places from time to time. Nothing shook me more as a first time player than having the main villain waltzing about and talking to people in the village while I was still a level 2-3 character. He was not some entombed crypt creature. He was **there** and the could **go places** and he **choose not to kill us at first sight because he was getting to know us to best make use of us later** . The power play just really works.
You know what. Baldur's Gate (the city) would hugely benefit from having an explorable night cycle. Different businesses open. Different people on the streets. Different quests and risks to be mindful of.
@@ammygamer I agree that would be fantastic and very intimidating.
@@ammygamer absolutely agree. Wish they would add this.
Like others have said, I wish we got a little more of Cazador like this, to really showcase his villainy
The worst part is that, if you never finish astarions quest, its exactly what he'll do. If you romance him without finishing his quest bit defeating BBEG your options are a) go back and confront cazador b) go back and confront cazador tomorrow c) sure if you want we can try to hide ill do whatever you want but we will have to confront him eventually or d) break up with him which is straight cruel (but this one too has a unique dialogue...)
Whatever you do, one way or another Astarion will have to return to cazador and he knows.
Thank you, I had been searching like crazy about what happens if you romance him but don't finish his quest. I had found nothing about it
I saw comments from videos of Astarion about how they hated how pompous he spoke. Hearing Cazador speak, you can hear the resemblance. Astarion was groomed to be the way he was for 200 years, so anyone who complains about how Astarion acts and HAS played the game confuse me.
He reminds me SO much of Hojo from FF7, from his slimy old man vibes to the way he treats his ""family"". Even their voices feel similar to me. (Which isn't a bad thing by the way, I love noticing the ~parallels~)
Cazador sounds like an abusive mother-in-law in a lot of drama's.
I clearly did not expect his voice to sound like that but that make him even more creapy
Cazador is basically explaining what he himself is feeling and has felt. He’s got a pretty cruel past as well. Probably worse
Cazador himself may be nothing but a discount Strahd, but damn do I love his actor and the work he put in. 5 stars all the way around.
Its something subtle, and i know its not just in the chamber below the palace, but i love how larian kept appropriate echoing in. Especially in this instance where its really quiet; makes when npcs raise there voices that much more immersive and in some cases chilling.
This storyline shakes me to my core. Every so often, Cazador says something familiar or Astarion voices my thoughts. Its fantasy, but there are themes that are true to life for anyone who has been put in a situation where they dont belong to themselves.
Homie talks a big game until I slip a piece of garlic with Daylight cast on it in his pocket.
1:45 I don't know if hearing this makes me more proud of Astarion or more resentful of Cazador
The best strategy is to get the toxin and have Astarion play dead at the start of the battle. You get this dialogue everytime. Then Astarion wakes up and kicks Cazador’s ass without being thrown into the ritual. It’s a much easier battle and Astarion gets to do his thing at the end.
You can rescue Astarion during the ritual easily, one turn and he's free. No need to break the game
That's a really clever idea! Could not have thought of it myself, thanks for the tip! 😊
@@imhae07 it’s not breaking the game it’s upstairs in cazadors mansion where there is a dead body with a note saying he was going to use the potion to trick cazador into thinking he was dead. Turns out he drank the real poison and died so you’re supposed to get the hint that the fake poison is on his desk and give it to Astarion for the ritual. It’s a literal on purpose thing out there for that reason.
@@LunaCidnie oh thanks, didn't know that, my bad
Wow this guy's va is good! Cazador as a villain is pretty imposing and impressive, but his voice actor really sells the whole bit. Very grandfather-y too, now that I think about it. Which makes me want to shove a stake through his chest more after knowing what he's done to Astarion
God he’s ear grating. The VA did excellent
Omg is he breaking the 4. Wall when he says "Nowhere is safe"??? He looks like he stares right in our soul
"What is family if not the monsters we're obliged to love" just sucker punched me wtf writers
Fucking damn. I've never been in an abusive relationship, but I read about them a lot and study psychology because I love it, and the writers nailed this so perfectly that listening to this creature talk was making my skin crawl.
Also yeah, big props to the voice actor too.
Such a bratty cat and the way he purrs his words. I love him🥹
Cazador is literally White Diamond but darkness-themed.
“Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?”
Edit: Also the shape of the eyebrows of the both of them 😂
i saw some people on the comments spotting similarities between the acting for cazador and the acting for ascended astarion and wondering if it's on purpose
so since astarion's actor was a performance director for some of cazador's actor's sessions then i think we can safely say he got involved closely enough with cazador's actor's performance to use it for it's own performance
(he talked about it a little bit in his twitch streams but i think it's probably also in some interviews)
2:00
Okay call me crazy...
but the way he says "You and Me" putting the player's character BEFORE himself, and then says "US"...
[Larian let my durge romance cazador i beg you, ascended astarion can step aside]
It feels like two girls gossiping, and I find it fucking hilarious
The voice acting is top tier in this game. Literal performances from every character 🙌🏾 and it’s only matched by the writing.
“What is family, if not monsters we are obliged to love ?”
Cazadork, I’m gonna need you to stop spitting facts
The voice actor did such a good job! All the voice actors in balders gate 3 are just incredible
Curious, thank you for the video
my pleasure, thanks for your comments.
I'm somehow still impressed that he kind of want to actually sacrifice Astarion, given how much he likes tormenting him and how terribly possessive he sounds, one would think he would keep it up for the rest of eternity, like we all know Leon's is his favorite spawn but Astarion is his favorite victim and he never tires of abusing him in any way he can, yet still gonna kill him and send his soul to hell to be tortured for eternity. I also imagine an alternate universe where Cazador actually makes his 7 favored spawns true vampires alongside him but he still binds them to his will completely anyway because of a modification he made to the contract so now he can torture his spawns with even more ideas at all time of the day since they can all go in the sun and eat real food, so he has 7 true vampires who are still bound to him as if they were still spawns but they all go in the sun and eat food and it gets even harder for them somehow, because now Cazador can make their lives even more hell despite their new powers and conditions, so they are still powerful and helpless and the idea that they will still be that way for eternity completely breaks them in spirit entirely. If someone wants to make a fic out of this be my guest, I'm no author but if someone wants ideas, here's one.
"Cahsadahr Saaarhh"
The way he broke the fourth wall when he said, "Nowhere is safe." OMG.
Timestamp?
Narcissists don't recognize people as having their own agency. So this tracks really well. Astarion is doing something! So that must mean someone ELSE is controlling him!
This clip is so creepy. Cazador is a true vampire, and appareantly true vampires don't feel love, only obsession. Spawns can feel love... So ultimately Astarion and any other spawns that ascend or turn into a full vampire will be just as cruel..
heartbreaking.
This is the reasonn I never want to ascend Astarion. I may make an alternate file out of curiousity and then delete it, but my game will always end with Spawn Astarion.
1:16 Cazador looks at the camera as if he is talking to us o.o breaking the 4th wall
Mine bhaalspawn be like 👁️👄👁️. "sure pall"
THE FOURTH WALL BREAK WHEN HE SAYS "NO WHERE IS SAFE"
ngl I wish we met Cazador before the fight. would've been cool to interact with him with / without Astarion outside of the ritual
Yeah, it would have been cool to have had him show up in camp or as the group got closer to the city.
"He's nothing without us!" Definitely time to unalive him again! Astsrion is everything on his own 😤
I actually posted a screenshot of Cazador to my steam account with the caption "I'd like to feed him to a hook horror in the underdark."
"What is family, if not the monsters we are obliged to love?" Shit.......
hahaha holy fuck this unironically activated my fight or flight response
1:37 😂 NO, MR. CAZADOR!
The way he spoke that szarr towards the end, it almost sounded like Tsar
Cazador is givng "boy mom"
Do you not see this sun-looking mace behind me? Not curious about the bright glowing light illuminating me while i look at you monologue in my casual clothes?
He was about to get the beating of his long ass life time that he sorely needed many years ago...
"My name is A Pimp Called Cazador." 😄
I honestly like this guy and i wish we had options to just chit chat with him.
I get it hes an evil piece of shit blah blah but hes also a goofball and i could listen to his cartoonish villain voice all day long.
Also i find the fact he was once in Astarions position as a spawn very intresting too, wish it was explored a bit more.
"Thou think a single year of starvation and seclusion is bad, boy?! Imagine being impaled for a decade! Thou children art so sensitive these days..."
Someone else feels the same aaa. I love him
God I love seeing other Cazador fans🥹 I’m not alone😭💖
Cazador reminds me alot of Elder Scrolls Oblivion villians, the worm king especially
Not me saving my 100 damage scroll of incineration just for old cazz 🥰😍
I never even talked to Cazador. I had Gale fireball him and his goons before round 1 started. Astarion told me enough. As did his house.
Checking his thoughts when he's in the coffin is interesting as well. Bro hates himself but "needs" to be this way, exactly like AA will do.
Something tells me Cazador doesn't know about Withers being able to ressurect us, if he thinks us dying is the end
Delightful meeting in-laws.
When I first heard and saw him I was like he’s pathetic but the more I look and listen the more I like him
Weird that he’d *want* a stake through his chest then, who am I to deny the monster-in-law
This dialogue made me very, veeeeery sad 1:57 😭😭😭💔💔