There’s a lot to love about Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Astarion—the perfectly coiffed hair, the bloodthirsty battle prowess, the seemingly never-ending supply of quips and insults. A character is only as good as their voice actor, though, and it’s Neil Newbon’s Game Award-winning performance that truly makes Astarion shine.
Now that Baldur’s Gate 3 has been out for five months, players who have been onboard since release have likely finished the game (sometimes multiple times over). It’s a gratifying, exhilarating accomplishment to be certain, but one that leaves a distinctly Astarion-shaped hole in your heart once the credits roll and you realize there’s no more journeying to be done with the pale elf himself.
Thankfully, though, there’s still a way for Astarion fans to get their Baldur’s Gate 3 fix, even if you’ve already finished the game yourself, with Astarion actor Neil Newbon’s live Baldur’s Gate 3 playthroughs. For the past four months, Newbon has been live-streaming his ongoing playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3—and it’s utterly, utterly chaotic. Filmed in the style of YouTube LetsPlay videos and streamed live on Twitch (onscreen chat and all), Neil Newbon has been tearing his way through act one of Baldur’s Gate 3 with the help of writer/director Tom DeVille and a revolving door of BG3-related guests.
Affectionately titled “No Big Neil”, the playthrough series follows Newbon as Bow’ee, a wood elf druid who’s “a couple of crayons short of a box” and DeVille as Asra, a nonbinary tiefling paladin perpetually and inadvertently breaking their oath while trying to keep up with Bow’ee and her shenanigans. It’s a highly comedic, energetic stream that harnesses Newbon’s comedic instincts.
The only rule? That Astarion remains in the party at all times, lest viewers be robbed of their resident vampire rogue.
In addition to marveling at the chaos that unfolds with Astarion, Bow’ee, and Asra as they slowly but surely make their way towards Baldur’s Gate (Newbon and DeVille have just reached the Githyanki Creche, and have plenty of game left to stream), loyal viewers of No Big Neil can also expect Q&As with voice actors with whom Nebwbon worked on Baldur’s Gate 3, including Tim Downie (Gale), Devora Wilde (Lae’zel) and Samantha Béart (Karlach).
Beyond delivering an endless stream of quote-able voice lines as Astarion, Newbon also worked on Baldur’s Gate 3 as a performance director, and playthroughs that feature Baldur’s Gate 3 actors often include insights into the process of recording for and developing the game—all on top of the typical playthrough shenanigans.
But even in episodes that don’t feature a familiar face (or rather, voice) guest starring, Neil Newbon’s Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough is consistently one of the most entertaining, insightful, and uplifting streams out there. Not only does Newbon channel plenty of cheeky, chaotic Astarion energy into his combat and interactions with the world, but having Astarion in the party at all times helps further reveal the depth of affection Newbon has for the character.
Whether it’s an anecdote from filming sparked by an Astarion idle voice line triggering or Newbon simply laughing at an in-game interaction, it’s clear that Newbon loves Astarion just as much (if not more) as the fans do. His passion for the character extends to the game as a whole—it’s gratifying to see that even performers as experienced in the world of gaming as Newbon can still marvel at the scope of Baldur’s Gate 3 and how dizzying of an accomplishment the game really is.
Regardless of whether you’ve beaten the game ten times over and uncovered every nook and cranny of Baldur’s Gate or you’re making your way through the Underdark for the first time, tuning into Neil Newbon’s live Baldur’s Gate 3 Twitch streams is a must for any BG3 fan.
(featured image: Larian)
