If you chose to recruit Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll inevitably hear about one vampire in particular — his “father,” for lack of a better term, Cazador Szarr. He can’t be confronted until you reach the Lower City, at which point you learn that Cazador is seeking to become the “Vampire Ascendant,” and obviously because you’re a good friend and wanna help Astarion out, you find yourself up against a literal monster.
I won’t sugarcoat it, the fight against Cazador — how it’s supposed to happen — is very, very difficult. If you choose to bring Astarion along (but why wouldn’t you?) then Cazador will steal him away, and you’ll be left to fend off an entire coven with only three party members. I won’t say it’s impossible, because I know better than to use that word, but it’s very difficult. But, it doesn’t need to be.
How to cheese the fight against Cazador Szarr
I bet most readers will think I mean simply sparta-kicking him into the abyss and calling it a day, and, as good of an idea as that might be, I am not nearly patient or stubborn enough for that. No, what I mean is: If you prevent the cutscene from happening at all, you can keep Astarion in your party and, with the assistance of a few other crucial abilities, defy the game’s design.
I started the fight by splitting up my party. I put Astarion the furthest back so he wouldn’t risk triggering the cutscene. I then used Shadowheart to cast an AOE spell on Cazador himself. It didn’t matter too much, as he immediately healed prior to the battle beginning, but we were off to the races. I kept Astarion in the back, in fear that he’d trigger the cutscene, and as a result, I could use his sneak attack (ranged) ability, which hits way harder than you’d think.
I relied mostly on my original character and Karlach to deliver the beatdown on Cazador while Shadowheart used AOE and healing spells if needed. Also, using Guardian Spirits on Shadowheart was a miracle unto itself in dealing with the barrage of 1-HP bats that kept spawning, as they’d disintegrate upon contact. If you focus first on beating Cazador, and then his minions, this fight becomes remarkably simple. It’s still not easy, but simple nonetheless.
You also don’t need to completely skip the cutscene, either. Our own Eric Van Allen left Astarion grouped at the top of the stairs and walked the rest of the party down, getting a different cutscene and then bringing Astarion into the fight afterwards. Either way, it keeps your party four members strong and fighting for the battle ahead.
