‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Is Officially Revealing Astarion’s Untold Story at NYCC

6 days ago 11

Astarion from 'Baldur's Gate 3' in a purple coat, in front of trees

Published Aug 20, 2026, 4:47 PM EDT

Hannah has been writing about horror, sci-fi, and all things nerdy since 2021. At Collider, she covers news and conducts interviews, along with contributing features that dive deep into genre storytelling and why it works. If there’s something lurking in the shadows, she’s probably already writing about it if she's not too busy watching a tape from her VHS collection.

Astarion may have escaped Cazador's palace, defeated an Elder Brain, and potentially found something resembling a happy ending, but Neil Newbon isn't finished with everyone's favorite vampire spawn just yet. Three years after Baldur's Gate 3 became a phenomenon, Newbon is returning to the world of Astarion for a special event devoted entirely to the character's life before players met him.

We already know that Astarion's story is expanding beyond Larian Studios' RPG with Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion, the upcoming official prequel novel from award-winning author T. Kingfisher. Now, Newbon and Kingfisher are coming together to dig even deeper into that story, giving fans a rare opportunity to hear from both the actor who helped define Astarion and the author tasked with exploring a part of his life the game only allowed us to glimpse.

New York Comic Con has revealed "Before Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion's Untold Story," a panel taking place Thursday, October 8 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. Newbon will join Kingfisher for a conversation celebrating Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion, with Collider's Maggie Lovitt moderating the discussion. More importantly for anyone who has spent the last three years analyzing every scrap of Astarion lore they can find, the conversation will specifically delve into his "untold past." According to the official description, Kingfisher and Newbon will explore both Astarion's history and the creative process behind bringing one of Baldur's Gate 3's most complicated characters "from screen to page."

Neil Newbon and T. Kingfisher Are Talking All Things Astarion at NYCC

Newbon's perspective on Astarion is something fans have adored from him for years. His performance is inseparable from the character players came to know in Baldur's Gate 3, right down to Astarion's mannerisms, humor, vulnerability, and carefully constructed persona. Pairing him with Kingfisher creates an opportunity to explore how that characterization informs a story set before the version of Astarion we encounter aboard the Nautiloid. There are still enormous stretches of Astarion's history that Baldur's Gate 3 leaves deliberately unexplored, particularly when it comes to the nearly two centuries he spent under Cazador's control. The upcoming novel already promises to fill in some of those blanks, but the NYCC conversation could offer our best look yet at how Kingfisher approached expanding a character whose story has become so important to players.

"Before Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion's Untold Story" takes place October 8 at New York Comic Con.