Baldur’s Gate 3 players stunned by multiple Guardian revelations: “My mind was blown”
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 players are discussing their shock at the true identity of the main character’s mysterious Guardian and their importance to the game’s lore.
Upon starting a new game in Baldur’s Gate 3, players are tasked with creating their character – or selecting one of the pre-made Origin characters – and customizing the mysterious Dream Guardian who visits them in their sleep.
Over the course of the game, you’ll learn more about your Guardian, with a particularly big revelation coming at the start of Act 3.
However, as some fans are still learning, that’s not the end of the Guardian plot twists.
Note, spoilers for the Dream Guardian and the Emperor’s true identities to follow.
Baldur’s Gate 3 players shocked by the Emperor’s true identity
Act 3 reveals that your Guardian is actually a mindflayer called the Emperor, who disguised himself to interact with the party.
That’s a pretty big twist already – one that has some players feeling like they’ve been catfished. However, if you play through Act 3 and make it through the Wyrmway, there’s an even bigger revelation to be found.
Upon reaching the undead dragon Ansur, it’s revealed that he has a history with the Emperor from before he became a mindflayer. Ansur even calls the Emperor by his original name: Balduran.
If that name seems familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen statues of Balduran throughout the game. Also, the game’s titular city is named after this legendary figure.
This second revelation certainly shocked many players, with a meme shared by Reddit user PythonEntusiast summing up the situation pretty perfectly.
The post had other players sharing their reactions to the character’s true identity and the tragic backstory between Balduran and Ansur.
“That shit made me haaaaaate him, not bc of the manipulation (but it did contribute) but bc he chose to let go of everything and everyone, including himself, to be a ghaik glazer,” said one commenter.
“Dude’s a Russian nesting doll of hidden identities,” joked another.
Whether or not you find the Emperor at all sympathetic, it’s safe to say few Baldur’s Gate 3 players expected the character to secretly be such an important historical figure within Faerûn’s lore.
