After spending dozens of minutes or potentially even hours working on creating your own customized character in Baldur's Gate 3, players might be surprised to find that they are then tasked with creating a mysterious second character referenced as the Guardian. Fortunately, you don't have to go as in detail with this second character, merely focusing on their appearance rather than their abilities and build. But just who or what is this Guardian? Can they be trusted?
NOTE: There are some spoilers on this page as we discuss how to meet this character and some early conversations you have with them. However, we won't discuss later plot developments.
Who is the Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3?
As I previously mentioned, the Guardian is a mysterious person that you get to customize and create at the start of the game. Oddly enough, you can make the Guardian any race except for Dragonborn for some reason. Why this limitation is in place is yet unknown. Since the choices available in the Guardian character creator are completely cosmetic, it seems very likely that players won't ever actually play as this character themselves.
To be honest, I and the rest of the Windows Central Gaming team don't know all of the details about what the Guardian does as we're still playing through Baldur's Gate 3. However, the following is what we've learned so far.
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The first time you meet the Guardian happens after you use Illithid abilities of the Parasite (the tadpole parasite thing) a few times and then take a long rest in your camp. The Guardian will then appear to talk to you in your dreams on some sort of surreal astral plane. They tell you that they've been watching over you and kept you safe when the Nautiloid crashed. Then they go on to say that if you gain mastery over the parasite you'll be protected from becoming a mind flayer and can even save the world. Shortly thereafter, you'll awake to discover that you and all of your companions had the same dream.
But this brings in a major dilemma and a huge question. Up to this point, we've really been dying to get this tadpole parasite out of us. Can the Guardian be trusted? Are they really here to protect us or are they trying to protect the parasite so it can gain control of us? This will be a conflict you struggle with throughout the course of the plot.
The next time your dreaming leads to a Guardian encounter, they tell you more about themselves. Apparently, they are stuck in this dream-like place and are constantly getting attacked because they stole magic from an enemy who wants it back. They also reveal that the reason they can keep you from being turned into a mind flayer is because they previously got infected. I guess it's like an iocaine powder immunity sort of thing? More information about the Guardian will undoubtedly come to light as the story progresses.
TL;DR — It is currently unclear if the Guardian is a being you can trust. You meet them in your dreams and they tell you they want you to keep the parasite that was put in your head because it will prevent you from becoming a mind flayer. However, this "Guardian" could be lying to you about that. What they really look like or who they really are is likely discovered as you dive deeper into the story.
How do I meet the Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3?
In order to meet the Guardian character you created at the start of the game, you must use the parasite a few times and then take a long rest while at your camp. You'll then have a dream that allows you to speak with the Guardian.
Mysterious being in dream land
It's fun that players get to create another important character for Baldur's Gate 3 without having to worry about their specific abilities and class. That way if you had a difficult time choosing between two races while creating your main avatar you can still create that other character relatively quickly.
We still have a lot to learn about Baldur's Gate 3's Guardian, but this seems to be a very mysterious being who will make various appearances in our dreams throughout the course of the story. Maybe later in the game, we'll get to meet them in their true form. Whether or not they really are an altruistic force that has our best interest at heart is something we'll have to discover for ourselves as the story unfolds.
