Haven't played the DLC yet either. Was gonna get it at launch, but other games got in the way, and I just finished Another Crab's Treasure, a soulslike. Still probably gonna try out BG3 first 😶🌫️
Oh yeah, I remember being surprised and lightly disappointed by Astel showing up again because it instantly made the original encounter much less special.
However, it's up there as my favorite boss fight next to the Ancient Spirit, so I was still somewhat in awe at it. The music is amazing