What is the Guardian & how to find them in Baldur's Gate 3

If you are interested in learning about the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3, we have got you covered. Baldur's Gate 3 presents players with a multitude of customization options in the character creation screen, such as their race, class, gender, and more.

However, another key aspect of the character creator is the Guardian, a customizable character that doesn’t have much explanation behind it when you initially start your adventure in the Forgotten Realms.

So, here is everything you need to know about the Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3, including how to find them once you're in the game.

Who is the Guardian?

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After spending way too much time developing your character, Baldur's Gate 3 kindly asks you to design a Guardian. Just like with the player-character customisation, the Guardian can be customized, though this is strictly its physical appearance, not its class, etc.

The Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3 serves the narrative more than anything, first appearing in the player's dreams after your second or third long rest at camp.

The Guardian is a special NPC that you will interact with during some cutscenes over the course of the story, who helps you by stopping the tadpole in your brain from transforming you into a mind flayer.

They recommend that the player enhance their psionic abilities by consuming more parasites – something the player will quickly be introduced to depending on their actions.

With the game still fresh after release, we still don't know exactly what role the Guardian ultimately plays, and whether they will become a playable character at some point later in the story, but from our limited encounters with them, they seem like an important character.

How to find the Guardian?

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To find the Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3, you will need to trigger their appearance by following a few steps. They will appear to you during a Long Rest once you begin using your Illithid abilities, which are denoted by the [Illithid] tag during conversations.

A good place to use these abilities is the Goblin Camp, west of the Emerald Grove, as many of the goblins can be controlled by your powers.

Once you use your Illithid abilities, start a Long Rest back in your Camp, and there is a chance you may trigger the cutscene where the Guardian speaks to you. After this, they will appear during some of your Long Rests, though you don't need to keep using Illithid powers. 

That's our full explanation of who the Guardian is in Baldur's Gate 3, along with how to find them for the first time.

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