Astarion’s quest, A Pale Elf, reaches its climax during the third act of Baldur’s Gate 3. There, you’ll meet his creator, a vampire lord who’s out for power. Our guide discusses the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador’s Palace and Cazador’s Dungeon objectives, as well as the endings of this quest chain. Likewise, please be aware that this article contains spoilers.
How to Clear Cazador’s Palace and Cazador’s Dungeon in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador’s Palace objective is in the Lower City. You’ll find the entrance, the Szarr Palace South Tower, near the Lower City waypoint. The coordinates are X:-68; Y:-53.
Do note that there’s a camp event at night where some of Cazador’s thralls attempt to kidnap Astarion, and you’ll have no choice but to defeat them. The thralls that you defeat will simply vanish, though we don’t know if this event has any bearing in the upcoming battle. In any case, enter the tower and pass the dialogue checks to avoid fighting the guards. You should then find yourself in Cazador’s Palace.
The entrance to Cazador’s lair is near the Lower City waypoint.
How to Open the Sinister Door in Cazador’s Palace
Our objective in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador’s Palace is to unlock the Sinister Door. You need two things:
- Kozakuran Dictionary
- In the lower area, there’s a room with a corpse that emanates necrotic magic. Use Fly or Misty Step to avoid taking damage, and check the dresser to get the Kozakuran Dictionary. Read it with any character to memorize the chant.
- A chest in this room also has the Helmet of Grit – If you have 50% HP or less, you gain one more bonus action; +1 Dexterity saving throw.
- Szarr Family Ring
- Also in the lower area, you’ll find a door to the kennels. Pass the Perception check and talk to Godey the skeleton.
- Succeed in the next Charisma-based dialogue checks and he’ll give you the Szarr Family Ring.
Return to the Sinister Door and interact with it. Your character will automatically place the ring inside and recite the chant. Once the door is unlocked, you’ll have to battle several werewolves and their animal allies. After the bout, ride the elevator down to the depths.
Try to minimize the necrotic damage that you take while attempting to get the Kozakuran Dictionary.
What to Do in Cazador’s Dungeon
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador’s Dungeon only has a few chambers:
- The one to the left can be unsealed by using the Szarr Family Ring. You can pass the Wisdom checks to learn about the ancient vampire, Velioth. You’ll also receive a scroll that tells you of the ritual that Cazador is planning. It reveals that becoming a Vampire Ascendant will also cause the deaths of 7,000 spawn.
- In the main corridor, you’ll notice a doorway that leads to a chasm. There’s another path down below, but we suggest avoiding it for now. That’s because you’ll have a hard time getting back up, and the locked door has a DC30 check. Even if you open it, it’ll lead to the sewers, and it’s going to be a hassle to return to the dungeon.
- Still, if you do check out the aforementioned spot later, you’ll find the Pelorsun Blade – 8-18 piercing and radiant damage; attack rolls have advantage against undead; +1 weapon enchantment.
- When you’re ready, go through the main doorway in the initial corridor. You’ll see several caged spawn, all of whom want to be released from eternal servitude.
Don’t bother using Feather Fall or Fly to get down, since it’ll be a chore to get back up or to return to this dungeon from the sewers. Just focus on the boss in the main chamber for now.
Cazador Boss Fight
The large chamber beyond leads to the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador boss fight. Make no mistake: this battle will be tough if you just attempt a straight up confrontation. That’s why it’s better to do a bit of cheesing. Here’s the gist:
- The arena is fairly small, and is in the middle of a chasm. You’ll battle not just the boss, but his werewolf and bat minions.
- Several thralls are entrapped via magical runes. Cazador’s HP and necrotic damage are buffed while he’s feeding on them.
- The boss has Sunlight Hypersensitivity, which means he takes 20 radiant damage if he starts his turn in sunlight. He also has a disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks while under the sun’s glare.
With the above in mind, the best way to beat Cazador is to ungroup your squad and make sure everyone is stealthed. Then, cast the Daylight spell in the center of the arena. Cazador will get scorched, though he’ll also get healed since the fight hasn’t started yet.
While he’s sunlit, move some of your characters with Thunderwave (or similar variants) close enough. Then, have one teammate blast and push them away. Do the same for your other party members until most hostiles have been pushed off the edge.
Also, bear in mind that Cazador will trap Astarion and incapacitate him if he’s within “detection” range. It might be possible to prevent that from happening (i.e. keep Astarion further back when you start the fight).
Cast Daylight in the middle of the arena to ensure the Cazador takes radiant damage throughout the battle.
Dilemma and Endings: Should Astarion Become a Vampire Ascendant
In any case, before you deal the killing blow to Cazador, make sure you have a backup save. Cazador should vanish, since you’re just fighting his projection. His physical form is in the coffin in the middle of the arena. A cutscene should play once you interact with it but, if that doesn’t trigger, you can just reload.
Once you do get the cutscene, it’s time to make an important choice in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cazador’s Dungeon arc. It involves how Astarion deals with unimaginable power within his grasp.
Astarion as a Vampire Ascendant will gain newfound powers.
Prevent Astarion From Starting the Ritual
In the first set of dialogue responses, tell Astarion that going through with the ritual will cause thousands to die. Then, succeed in the Persuasion checks–i.e. “I know you think this will set you free, but it won’t.”
Astarion will understand you completely. He’ll repeatedly stab Cazador to free the other spawn, allowing them to have a chance at redemption. Cazador’s staff will be left on the ground, and you can also decide on what to do with the caged thralls.
Let Astarion Complete the Ritual
You can proceed with the ritual by connecting your thoughts with Astarion’s. He’ll carve the runic symbols on Cazador’s back and turn him into one of the conduits. In the middle of the cutscene, you’re prompted to choose whether to let him complete the ritual or to stop him for good.
If he completes the ritual, all the spawn and thralls will burst into bloody bits. Astarion will also become a Vampire Ascendant. He’ll gain the Ascendant Bite and Gaseous Form abilities, as well as bonus 1-10 necrotic damage for his attacks.
Interrupt Astarion in the Middle of the Ritual
If you stop Astarion in the middle of the ritual, he won’t like it, since he’s already had a taste of unrivaled power. He’ll get pissed off and attack you. You’ll have no other choice but to finish him off. Also, unlike the Minsc recruitment method, switching to non-lethal attacks won’t change the outcome. Knocking out Astarion is the same as killing him.
Alternatively, you can convince him not to be tempted with his lust for power.
Quest Rewards
For your efforts, you’ll receive the following goodies:
- Woe – Added to your inventory after the quest, unless you stopped Astarion in the middle of the ritual. Deals 3-19 bludgeoning and necrotic damage; +1 bonus to spell save DC and spell attack rolls; creatures affected by your spells that fail their saving throws will cause you to get healed for 1-4 HP; +2 weapon enchantment; Blight spell.
- Rhapsody – Looted from Cazador’s remains. Deals 7-14 piercing damage; +1 bonus to attack rolls, damage, and spell save DC for every creature you kill (maximum of +3); chance to inflict bleeding if you hit a creature while you’re hiding or invisible; +1 weapon enchantment.
The Gur Monster Hunters
As you’re about to leave the dungeon, the Gur Tribe, a group of monster hunters, will accost you. They’re looking for the children that were kidnapped by the vampires, and your group is the only one in the area. If Astarion completed the ritual, then they’ll rightfully believe that he’s a monster. You can either fight them or take out Astarion.
Conversely, if you interrupted Astarion’s ritual, thus killing him, then it’s a done deal. Lastly, if you convince Astarion not to go through with the ritual in the first place, then everyone can part peacefully.
Anyway, this completes all the objectives in the Cazador’s Palace and Cazador’s Dungeon areas in Baldur’s Gate 3. And, naturally, this concludes Astarion’s A Pale Elf quest chain.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.
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