My playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 honors is coming to an end. I'm skipping a few key storylines in order to survive.

I have a cozy setup that works, and I can't be bothered to wade through Larian's messy inventory system to make carbon copies of party members to other fellow NPCs. I wanted to see Astarion's quest line a second time. Spoilers for Act 3 and Astarion's story quest follow.

Cazador is a bastard. Not only in the sense of how awful he is in Astarion's life, but his boss fights are also a major pain. Skeletal mages who stall the party with spells, hordes of ghouls who paralyze people, and vampires who become even more ferocious if you don't flatten them in a few turns.

In addition, things get a hell of a lot more difficult when Asterion accompanies you on your story quest. The moment the fight begins, he is yawned and bound to the other side of the arena. In a fight where you need as much help as possible, this is a major blow.

Narratively, this is great in a story where you can reload your saves. However, it is a nightmare if you are desperate not to be wiped out and lose your golden dice. Also, if you fight without Asterion, he may (justifiably) be angry at you for stealing his last shot. It also deprives him of one of the most cathartic scenes in the game, the scene that concludes Astarion's beautiful story of escaping abuse by his former master.

So what is a grumpy power gamer to do? I'm sure this isn't the first thing I've discovered, but here's a quick step-by-step list of what I did:

The game shrugs at this point and assumes that since Asterion is there and you are clicking on the casket, he must have been there for the fight Assume that he must have been there for the fight. He appears shirtless and begins Neil Newbon's award-winning performance.

The only drawback is that by doing this you will miss a few key lines of dialogue. First, Astarion has a lot to say as he makes his way through Cazador's lair. Second, there is a wonderful conversation he has with Cazador before the battle begins. Not an ideal way to experience his plot for the first time, but much better than skipping it altogether.

But if everyone's favorite vampire beauty is a member of your honor-mode playthrough and you want to finish his story with as little risk as possible, this strategy will be a veritable lifesaver.