Baldur's Gate 3 Spin Off Book Removed Astarion's Racism At WOTC's Behest

Astarion Book Author Says WOTC Wanted The Gur Removed, Which Has Huge Implications For His Backstory Published Aug 20, 2026, 7:41 AM EDT You've heard about judging a book by its cover, but now I introduce you to the concept of judging a book by Reddit leaks that may or may not be accurate. Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion by T. Kingfisher isn't out until October, but early copies have gotten into the hands of some readers, meaning spoilers are being shared everywhere - as well as some "spoilers" that may have just been fabricated. Discourse ensues; you know the drill with fandom. But the detail we're focusing on today isn't speculation, as it comes directly from Kingfisher herself. According to the author, Wizards of the Coast objected to her mentioning the Gur as part of Astarion's backstory, which in turn removes one of the major faults he has in the game. WOTC Seeming Wants To Remove The Gur From Astarion's Backstory In Baldur's Gate 3 As a quick reminder: in Baldur's Gate 3, Astarion tells you he is a magistrate. This is somewhat true, as he was a magistrate before he was turned into a vampire. He tells you that he was killed by people who were not happy with a ruling he made. You later find out he was killed by the Gur, nomadic monster hunters whom he is previously shown to be racist towards. Don't just take my word for it - there is a dialogue option where you call his language "racist", and the Gur in question explains how Astarion is parroting negative stereotypes he's heard many times before. Combine all of that, and many take this to mean that Astarion made an unjust ruling against the Gur, which is why they attacked him. Now, it sounds like Wizards of the Coast wants that part of his backstory ignored entirely. Apparently, the new book omits this, and Kingfisher explains why. "That was a WOTC request. They want to get away from the Gur thing specifically," the author said on Bluesky. She repeats this in another reply: "I’d had it as the Gur originally, but they’re trying to get away from that." In another reply, she shares the reason she was given: "The explanation I got was that the Gur came across as Romany-stereotype coded and that had not been their intent." Indeed, the Gur are undeniably inspired by the Romani people, as well as other groups like Irish Travellers. In Baldur's Gate 3, that is evident through the fact that they are nomadic and stereotyped as thieves, tricksters, and overall, untrustworthy criminals. The Gur are never shown to actually be like this, and are instead shown to be a close-knit family that hunts monsters. Perhaps WOTC just wants to play it safe by removing a group that could be written as a poor allegory for nomadic communities, or at worst, offensive to those very groups. However, in doing so, it removes a major part of Astarion's backstory, along with much of the nuance that came with it. Ultimately, Astarion's writing is an antidote to the "perfect victim" trope. Both before and after being abused by Cazador, he has many, many faults - which are only exacerbated by trauma. Maybe WOTC wanted to avoid the perception of suggesting Astarion "deserved" the abuse for being racist to the Gur, but I would like to think it trusts its audience more than that. It would also undo much of Astarion's growth, as his path to healing in the game involves working with the Gur to right his wrongs, while also acknowledging his own victimhood. As for the rest of Kingfisher's book, we will have to wait until it's in our hands to judge it properly. Which you should do, please. No book is written to be read through a plot synopsis, and it's a damning indictment of where we're at to see so many doing so already. It is just a shame to see WOTC roll back on some of the nuance in Astarion's backstory. Released August 3, 2023 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0 Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op Cross-Platform Play Full