The unwritten genius of Neil Newbon created the very best Baldur’s Gate 3 moment

Neil Newbon, who voiced Astarion Baldurs Gate 3created one of BG3‘s most powerful story moments by following his heart and crying (unscripted) after Astarion finally defeated his abuser Cazador Szarr, the creature who turned him into a vampire.

There are countless moments in Baldurs Gate 3 where Newbon truly embraces Astarion’s emotions, and the scene where he finally gets revenge for the centuries of abuse he endured is one that players will consider a “highlight”. And, even more incredibly, if BG3Thomas Mitchells, the film’s voice director, told fans today that the raw screams heard during this scene were not staged at all. Newbon simply felt like this was the defining moment.

Stephen Rooney, the writer who created the character of Astarion, certainly didn’t hold back when it came to his backstory and how he came to be a High Elf vampire spawn. He also didn’t skimp when it came to creating a powerful, dark, and robust character who used his quick-witted sass and humor to mask his pain. As you work through Astarion’s questline, you’ll begin to uncover more about his experiences and discover some of the trauma he went through from being physically and emotionally tortured, mutilated, manipulated, and starved.

When you finally get the scene where he confronts Cazador, you can physically and emotionally see the pain and relief on Astarion’s face. And thanks to Newbon’s impromptu brilliance, you can hear how emotional this moment was for both the character and the actor.

Trigger warning: This clip contains violence and gore. View at your own risk.

While many will say this is just a story, Astartion is just a character, and BG3‘s just a game, most players agree that it isn’t: it’s had a monumental impact on the lives of many fans. Some took to Reddit after the RPG’s voice director shared his Newbon tidbit to express their gratitude to Larian Studios and the story team for creating such a broken character who could finally be freed and break the chains that bound them to their abuser.

By showing Astarion that he is loved and can be loved, many abuse survivors who completed Astarion’s questline found a glimmer of hope for themselves, because they too deserve love. It’s heartbreaking to read the stories in the thread, but it’s incredible to see the support players have given each other and the hope they’ve found thanks to Astarion.

The sheer power of Astarion’s character, thanks to Rooney, and the vulnerability, grief, and rawness we hear from that character through Newbon’s performance is unlike anything many gamers have ever experienced. And, for Newbon at least, it’s also an outlet, one he discussed in an interview about the truth of being a survivor with PC Gamer last year.

Thanks to Astarion, Newbon has become one of the most beloved and recognized voice actors. He more than deserves to win the Golden Joystick Best Supporting Performer awards of 2023 and the Best Performance awards of The Game Awards of 2023. He is also nominated for the BAFTA Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role award in 2024.

There were many memorable Astarion moments, including players ‘accidentally’ killing Astarion. His confrontation with Cazador is considered the best of them all. BG3‘s epic story.