Baldur’s Gate 3 Guardian – who is it, where to find them, and choices in BG3

Players have been flocking to the D&D world of Faerûn since the game’ left Early Access’s release. After a lengthy character creation process, fans often wonder why they have to design yet another character. This second character is going to be your personal Guardian. And while picking one of the origin characters saves you from making a custom one, you still have to create a Guardian. While they aren’t a bodyguard per se, we’ll tell you what role this character plays in the campaign. Read on to find out everything about the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3 – if you’re okay with mild spoilers.

When do you meet the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3?

The Guardian starts as a manifestation in your dreams related to the Illithid tadpole in your head. You can meet them in your dreams as long as you start using your Illithid Wisdom power in conversations. Whether it is a manipulative entity or a benevolent one is up to you to decide. Early in the first Act, a long rest will let you meet this character. This will usually happen around the time you reach the Druid Grove.

They instruct you not to remove the tadpole from your head. It’s a rather suspicious introduction, especially with the character standing in a mystical field of asteroids and stars. They insist that the character has the power to control the parasite and save the world. A flashback or a vivid conjuration shows us that it was them who protected us during the Nautiloid crash.

How to find the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3

This character shows up in your dream cutscenes several times, so take long rests to see them. The Guardian asks you to use the parasite’s power to save the world. It’s a sketchy premise, one that asks you to trade your humanity for sweet Mind Flayer-based Illithid Powers. Before you think you’re the special one, all companions note that they had visits from their Guardians too.

Upon your next meeting with the Guardian, you learn a bit more about them. They tell you that they are stuck in the dream-like location you always meet them in where they are constantly attacked because they stole magic from an unknown entity. You also find out that the reason your parasite hasn’t turned you into a Mind Flayer is because they are preventing it, thanks to them having previously been infected and gaining immunity.

Act 1 also exposes the player to the Absolute, a supposed divine entity worshipped by the goblins (seemingly at first). Considering that their three leaders also have these parasites in their brains, it’s not a stretch to consider this deception on a massive scale. Or is it a different power altogether? The game’s narrative will hopefully have those answers for us. Uncovering the Guardian’s identity and curing your party of the Mind Flayer parasites definitely plays a big role in Baldur’s Gate 3.

A second dream builds on the same case the Guardian makes: embrace the tadpole’s powers. They explain that The Absolute is using the tadpoles to control the cult’s leaders. These leaders can supposedly be turned into mind flayers. The Guardian says they can protect the player from this transformation. There’s some more dialogue that basically points to this important character stealing powerful magic from an entity that wants it back. It’s a murky affair wrought with uncertainty.

There’s a third dream as well that tempts you into giving in to the urge. While it can seem inconsequential, this character plays a big role in the final segment of BG3. You will eventually meet face-to-face with the Guardian – as early as Act 1. This can be done by visiting the Githyanki Creche in the Mountain Pass and speaking with the Inquisitor. If you miss this interaction, the next opportunity will present itself at the very end of Act 2.

Can you romance the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Considering that you can customize this character (also known as the Dream Visitor), it makes sense to have a romance route as they plunder both your mind and your heart. There’s a lot more that you will learn about this character in Act 3, the final act of the game. Learn more about it in our Baldur’s Gate 3 romance guide.

✓ Spoiler alert

Later on, you’ll discover that the Guardian is a Mind Flayer who calls themselves the Emperor. And yes, you can romance them in either their Mind Flayer or Guardian form as a one-off fling. The reactions of your party are priceless! And there’s also an achievement linked to this deed.

Should you listen to the Guardian in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Leaning into the tadpole’s machinations lets you use Illithid Wisdom to make certain dice rolls easier. It also grants you Illithid powers that can be used in combat. This also goes for companions that travel with you from one quest to another – if you make them agree to use more tadpoles. The Guardian grants mastery over the Illithid abilities from the parasite, but at a cost. You can enhance these abilities by consuming Illithid parasites and specimens that you find during your time in Faerun. However, at a later point in the game, you will be faced with a choice. This could result in total transformation into a Mind Flayer, and the DC for the roll is higher the more parasites you’ve consumed up until that point. In addition, at a certain point in the game, you do get the choice to kill the Guardian or spare them. Your choices in dream sequences do affect the story later on.

✓ But who is the Guardian? Spoilers!

As you uncover more about the Guardian and their relation to the mystical artifact you carry, you will learn that they are an entity known as the Emperor. In fact, the Emperor is a Mind Flayer of none other than Balduran himself, the founder of Baldur’s Gate. The game’s culminating point reveals even more about the Emperor’s history and plot, which will have you make some tough moral choices.

If you fancy buffs like Illithid Powers, check out the Baldur’s Gate 3 feats that characters can unlock at level 4. And here’s what we thought about the game in our Baldur’s Gate 3 review.