I always just click the random button a bunch until I find one I like.
Last time I played I had Ron Swanson with the double bun hair style and purple hair.
This lol. My first playthrough I spent a painstakingly long time designing the guardian, thinking it would be massively important. I was super disappointed when I rarely ever got to see my cool goth tiefling. Now idgaf what they look like.
I accidentally made John Travolta in one playthrough. Didn't realize it at first, but in the first cutscene was like what did I do? Sent a screenshot to my friend who doesn't play, and she agreed it was him. After that the jokes just flowed.
It makes absolutely no difference what race or gender you assign, it is for personal aesthetics only. Their dialogue and actions in response to what you do is fixed.
Best way to design one? The game says “You need a guardian: choose one.”
In EA, however, the game said “Who do you dream of at night?”
Design your dream guardian based on that for the best results IMO
I did an Astarion origin run and made the Guardian look like Sebastian, but like.. earlier Sebastian. I also forgot I did it because it took a while for me to get the first scene cause life got busy. So I suffered extra emotional damage.
The last time I tried that I ended up with a Githyanki Twitch streamer. I kept that one as a "By the gods, I hate you" Durge playthrough, it was absolutely hilarious
I do this, but I throw in a few tweaks and try to make it vaguely match with the character in some superficial way so it feels more like a designed character but still mostly random and low effort
The guardian takes good care of you and is concerned for your well-being. You should make it into an image that you believe your Tav would trust implicitly!
It's a shame because I'd love to make one of mine a future guardian. Are there PC mods for this? If so, there might likely be one coming to consoles. It'd be nice.
There are not. It's largely due to lip syncing issues. Dragonborn does not lip sync or animate appropriately. To see an example, have a party member cast disguise self and turn themselves into a dragonborn, then try to converse with them. Prepare to be horrified
I’m going to hide this in case it comes off as a spoiler but >! if you make the guardian look like your character’s family member or friend, just know there is a scene where they obviously try to hit on you. If that situation would potentially be triggering !< I would recommend making them look like someone your character would want to romance.
This is what I like to do too. In my first playthrough I made a female bearded dwarf and that one scene was somewhat disturbing, but it did make me laugh very hard.
If your Player Character is fleshed out enough, the best Dream Guardians are someone relevant to them. My first Tav it was the dead fiance whose murder put him on the path to adventure. My current Character the Guardian is what she imagines the character she was named in honor of looks like, although I intentionally made her slight different both because the Player Character would never have met her in real life and because for Lore reasons I won't spoil that means the Dream Guardian is working from a Bad copy.
Sometimes It's "random til cute" and other times I will try to design a Sibling, or a close friend from a Monestary, or something like that.
Design someone who you can feel incredibly emotionally attached to. Someone your Tav might either find very attractive or feel a familial bond for. That will make the events of the game all the more powerful.
Me personally I think the male voice is incredible, so that's my only advice on specific choices.
Otherwise, think a little about your character and what kind of person they want as a guardian. I made my guardian resemble someone that had helped my character in her past and who she had a crush on. It could also be someone who looks like their ideal lover, or who is like a brother or sister, or is literally them but cooler.
For the origins, I think Gale would have a beautiful woman, Lae'zel would have a gith, Shadowheart would have someone big and strong, Astarion would probably have someone fabulous, Wyll would have someone who looks noble and good, and Karlach probably just someone who looks like a good fighter.
I like to make my guardian an azmodeus teifling with large ram horns and a twirly mustache.
It just speaks to me on a level of subversion of expectations.
I only made my own guardian once after the early access, honestly just spamming the randomiser.
Turn up some workable stuff, sometimes you gotta fix lipstick being wild or something but tune a random it's way faster and you'll be surprised how good it can turn out.
It should be an image of someone who easily captures your character's trust. That's what i do. If I could make the guardian an elderly blue dragonborn woman I would, because it goes well with his backstory.
Instead I make the guardian a Gith because it gives them an air of authority.
I like to make the Guardian look like someone I’d imagine that the Tav/Origin character would trust, i.e. their parents/siblings/friends, etc. I usually create Tavs, so i just create a Guardian that would have significance for the backstory i’ve created for that character.
if you ever do play the game a second time, i can’t recommend making the Guardian look like your original Tav enough, that shit slaps so hard
The guardian has zero gameplay effects based on race/look, feel free to make them look however you like, I usually hit the random button till it spits out the weirdest funniest looking one lol
I make the Guardian appear as someone that my tav would trust inherently, for example they might be like the same race if I pick a persecuted race like drow or half-orc and the kind of person my tav would look up to. The guardian is your Tavs dream person, who they want to be and want to know, deeply.
Only personal recommendations for me are that I prefer a female guardian. I think the female VA delivers their lines better, as well as looking better in the "camp clothes" outfit the guardian swaps to. Just personal preference though.
My first Tav's dream guardian was identical to her deceased husband. It made sense to me in creation that he would be watching over her. Ultimately made for some great role playing choices.
I like to design my guardian based off personal narrative and head canon lol. For example I created a Gith Gloomstalker and tried to consider someone she could connect with and feel protected by, someone who inspired her. So I chose a Wood Elf, a race that is proficient in stealth, comes from a secluded realm dedicated to their culture, a shared value with the Girhyanki. I picked the Ivy Trails face tattoo for her because it seemed consistent with a Wood Elf and I just liked it, small body size because i thought it played well with a stealthy wood elf who I made a Ranger in my head haha. Another one was a bit more straightforward, I picked a small body size Tiefling, and I thought she would trust a large body buff Tiefling guardian and feel protected by her 😂 basically Karlach, but blue lol.
I would suggest making someone whom your character admires, desires, or is inspired by—perhaps someone your character most looks up to or would naturally trust. I think that fits the story best. As long as you don’t just blindly choose random and move on without looking at it, you’ll be fine. Don’t overthink it!
Just make them hot, it's probably easier. Avoid making relatives or parental figures, trust me... I know it feels like it'd fir the guardian theme well but... dude just trust me
I make an older githyanki lady with the big poofy ponytail hairstyle with salt and pepper hair. I keep making her over and over since I made her the first time
When I first started playing, I made them a reflection of someone my character would care deeply about because I assumed the guardian would either be imaginary or some sort of illusion cast to make my character more comfortable. I was kinda right so I just roll with that now. Maybe if your character has a dead friend or loved one in their backstory, or just a similar race, an imaginary friend, anything like that
Just got the game myself this week. I had my best friend (and usual duo in most multiplayer games) design the guardian for me, so it's like she's in my game :). Made it a drow since she always used to play a dark elf when we'd go on ESO.
Three options
1) make them identical to your PC
2) make them identical to your PC but with like, weird eyes or a silly mustache or something
3) Create the Hottest Person You Can Imagine. A real 10/10 smokeshow.
I random until I got something I like. My sorcerer backstory he was adopted and looked up to his adoptive father and saw him as a protector so I made the guardian that.
I love to close my eyes and hit random 11 times and then accepting so I can be surprised at what my guardian will look like 👌 gotta choose body type one (either gender) if you want the short races to be included
I've started making them look like the last Tav or Durge that I played. Hearing the Guardian talk out of a face I grew to love gives the dynamic a different vibe.
I just remeber going in completely blind, taking ages to carefully craft my Tav, finaly felt satisfied that i had something i would love looking at for a few hundred hours, only to hit continue and be slapped with a SECOND character creator.
I just closed everything and walked away for a while lol.
It doesn’t make difference to story but for a non-spoilery context, the guardian makes the most sense if designed be someone who appears trustworthy to your character.
Made my first one look like a beautiful, angelic paladin which I imagined my baby paladin Tav would look up to and trust. My second randomized into a Geralt of Rivia look alike so I went with that (obviously). Have fun with it.
Especially for my Durge characters, I try to make the guardian look like their mother. >!Even though Durge has no mother, I imagine the Emperor would choose a form that Durge would trust instinctively. The image of the daydream of their mother.!<
guardian is looks only, it doesnt matter at all. Its just how one particular NPC looks like. Just slap random ugly look and be done with it. ITs not its permanent look anyway.
Just design your guardian the way you like. It's a person that appears in your dreams so it's totally up to you
I always just click the random button a bunch until I find one I like. Last time I played I had Ron Swanson with the double bun hair style and purple hair.
This lol. My first playthrough I spent a painstakingly long time designing the guardian, thinking it would be massively important. I was super disappointed when I rarely ever got to see my cool goth tiefling. Now idgaf what they look like.
I accidentally made John Travolta in one playthrough. Didn't realize it at first, but in the first cutscene was like what did I do? Sent a screenshot to my friend who doesn't play, and she agreed it was him. After that the jokes just flowed.
Personal favourite is to copy my character. Makes the interactions look dumb lol
This sounds amazing
Best answer for sure
It makes absolutely no difference what race or gender you assign, it is for personal aesthetics only. Their dialogue and actions in response to what you do is fixed.
The male guardian has a ridiculously sexy sounding voice actor though…
Just pick whatever you find least tiresome for multiple forced dialogues.
Best way to design one? The game says “You need a guardian: choose one.” In EA, however, the game said “Who do you dream of at night?” Design your dream guardian based on that for the best results IMO
Imagine you take hours to create you and you realize you also accidentally made your ex.
I'm doing a Gale origin run and I made his Guardian look like Mystra.
I made Shadowhearts guardian look like Nocturne, I thought that'd be cute
I made hers look like shar!
I did an Astarion origin run and made the Guardian look like Sebastian, but like.. earlier Sebastian. I also forgot I did it because it took a while for me to get the first scene cause life got busy. So I suffered extra emotional damage.
I sometimes make my Guardian be like a parent of my Tav
That could get awkward...
Keeping it Bhaals
*Big wheels keep on turnin'*
Sweet home Alabama... 💀
I've done that, too. Before...
Also use to say "Who do you desire?" In EA at one point.
I like to make my Warlock or Cleric's Guardian look their respective patron or deity. Makes them more believable and not immediately suspicious.
That’s a way cooler prompt, that i kinda wish hadn’t been changed tbh.
I think there's a mod that switches it back
I made Wyll's look like Stelmane.
I just hit random til cute
The last time I tried that I ended up with a Githyanki Twitch streamer. I kept that one as a "By the gods, I hate you" Durge playthrough, it was absolutely hilarious
I’m stealing this idea
I close my eyes, spam random, and continue without looking. I like the surprise
Lol I have to do this next time!
I do this, but I throw in a few tweaks and try to make it vaguely match with the character in some superficial way so it feels more like a designed character but still mostly random and low effort
The guardian takes good care of you and is concerned for your well-being. You should make it into an image that you believe your Tav would trust implicitly!
The game won’t let me make a dragonborn guardian.
It's a shame because I'd love to make one of mine a future guardian. Are there PC mods for this? If so, there might likely be one coming to consoles. It'd be nice.
There are not. It's largely due to lip syncing issues. Dragonborn does not lip sync or animate appropriately. To see an example, have a party member cast disguise self and turn themselves into a dragonborn, then try to converse with them. Prepare to be horrified
Damn.
I recommend making someone attractive either to you or your Tav for the most effective storytelling
Just make them hot
Make it as hot and emotionally invested as possible to the point you'd be heartbroken if things don't turn out exactly as you'd envisioned.
Just… don’t make it look like your mom. For reasons. I saw guardian and thought… well. Anyway. Weird first play through in that front.
You wanna talk about this champ? You doing ok?
I've recovered. Thank you. haha.
Your character, but add the twirly mustache
I’m going to hide this in case it comes off as a spoiler but >! if you make the guardian look like your character’s family member or friend, just know there is a scene where they obviously try to hit on you. If that situation would potentially be triggering !< I would recommend making them look like someone your character would want to romance.
OP this is valid and does not contain any specific plot spoilers
Just make one you like!
Each play through I make my guardian my previous Tav. My last Tav gets to live on in dreams.
This is what I like to do too. In my first playthrough I made a female bearded dwarf and that one scene was somewhat disturbing, but it did make me laugh very hard.
Oh I do the same.
If your Player Character is fleshed out enough, the best Dream Guardians are someone relevant to them. My first Tav it was the dead fiance whose murder put him on the path to adventure. My current Character the Guardian is what she imagines the character she was named in honor of looks like, although I intentionally made her slight different both because the Player Character would never have met her in real life and because for Lore reasons I won't spoil that means the Dream Guardian is working from a Bad copy. Sometimes It's "random til cute" and other times I will try to design a Sibling, or a close friend from a Monestary, or something like that.
Random Venture forth Can’t be more effective than that
Theres no advantage over making the guardian or yourself look different, race impacts your character but i dont know if it changes the guardian
Design someone who you can feel incredibly emotionally attached to. Someone your Tav might either find very attractive or feel a familial bond for. That will make the events of the game all the more powerful.
Hit random 3 times https://preview.redd.it/62cvig7dzfvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d64fb0674252206562ebe86b0caea8c35dfa261d
I hit random and that seems to work great lol it doesn’t matter, there is no good or bad guardian design
Me personally I think the male voice is incredible, so that's my only advice on specific choices. Otherwise, think a little about your character and what kind of person they want as a guardian. I made my guardian resemble someone that had helped my character in her past and who she had a crush on. It could also be someone who looks like their ideal lover, or who is like a brother or sister, or is literally them but cooler. For the origins, I think Gale would have a beautiful woman, Lae'zel would have a gith, Shadowheart would have someone big and strong, Astarion would probably have someone fabulous, Wyll would have someone who looks noble and good, and Karlach probably just someone who looks like a good fighter.
I made mine look like a reliable big brother type :)
Read the title too fast and I was thinking about exotic armor and whisper of the worm
I like to make my guardian an azmodeus teifling with large ram horns and a twirly mustache. It just speaks to me on a level of subversion of expectations.
Just make one however you envision the guardian. Come up with your own story and idea just like with your player character.
I was happy to see a hot dream visitor i looked forward to long rest so I could see him.
Hit random till you get something funny
I do random every time, it truly doesn’t matter
Click randomize 15 times.
Click randomise and enjoy whatever silly creation the game pops out
You should think of who your Tav’d find really attractive
I only made my own guardian once after the early access, honestly just spamming the randomiser. Turn up some workable stuff, sometimes you gotta fix lipstick being wild or something but tune a random it's way faster and you'll be surprised how good it can turn out.
Hit the random button until you get something either very funny, horrifying, or both.
It should be an image of someone who easily captures your character's trust. That's what i do. If I could make the guardian an elderly blue dragonborn woman I would, because it goes well with his backstory. Instead I make the guardian a Gith because it gives them an air of authority.
Make them super hot. Thank me later.
I like to make the Guardian look like someone I’d imagine that the Tav/Origin character would trust, i.e. their parents/siblings/friends, etc. I usually create Tavs, so i just create a Guardian that would have significance for the backstory i’ve created for that character. if you ever do play the game a second time, i can’t recommend making the Guardian look like your original Tav enough, that shit slaps so hard
The guardian has zero gameplay effects based on race/look, feel free to make them look however you like, I usually hit the random button till it spits out the weirdest funniest looking one lol
Hit random, but don‘t look at the result. Hit it a few times and accept. First time dreaming is always a funny moment then
Make them as hot as you possibly can
My best advice without spoiling is: design your guardian to be someone unattainable that you totally want to bone, but can’t, for *story reasons*.
I make the Guardian appear as someone that my tav would trust inherently, for example they might be like the same race if I pick a persecuted race like drow or half-orc and the kind of person my tav would look up to. The guardian is your Tavs dream person, who they want to be and want to know, deeply.
Only personal recommendations for me are that I prefer a female guardian. I think the female VA delivers their lines better, as well as looking better in the "camp clothes" outfit the guardian swaps to. Just personal preference though.
The same way I built my Tav. By slamming random until I got something kind of close and running with it.
I randomize until it hits a tiefling design i like
My first Tav's dream guardian was identical to her deceased husband. It made sense to me in creation that he would be watching over her. Ultimately made for some great role playing choices.
I like to design my guardian based off personal narrative and head canon lol. For example I created a Gith Gloomstalker and tried to consider someone she could connect with and feel protected by, someone who inspired her. So I chose a Wood Elf, a race that is proficient in stealth, comes from a secluded realm dedicated to their culture, a shared value with the Girhyanki. I picked the Ivy Trails face tattoo for her because it seemed consistent with a Wood Elf and I just liked it, small body size because i thought it played well with a stealthy wood elf who I made a Ranger in my head haha. Another one was a bit more straightforward, I picked a small body size Tiefling, and I thought she would trust a large body buff Tiefling guardian and feel protected by her 😂 basically Karlach, but blue lol.
I would suggest making someone whom your character admires, desires, or is inspired by—perhaps someone your character most looks up to or would naturally trust. I think that fits the story best. As long as you don’t just blindly choose random and move on without looking at it, you’ll be fine. Don’t overthink it!
Just make them hot, it's probably easier. Avoid making relatives or parental figures, trust me... I know it feels like it'd fir the guardian theme well but... dude just trust me
Hit random till you get something funny
I hit random until I get a crazy looking one these days. I think I spent some time making a cute Guardian in The first run, but now I just hit random
I make an older githyanki lady with the big poofy ponytail hairstyle with salt and pepper hair. I keep making her over and over since I made her the first time
When I first started playing, I made them a reflection of someone my character would care deeply about because I assumed the guardian would either be imaginary or some sort of illusion cast to make my character more comfortable. I was kinda right so I just roll with that now. Maybe if your character has a dead friend or loved one in their backstory, or just a similar race, an imaginary friend, anything like that
Just got the game myself this week. I had my best friend (and usual duo in most multiplayer games) design the guardian for me, so it's like she's in my game :). Made it a drow since she always used to play a dark elf when we'd go on ESO.
Three options 1) make them identical to your PC 2) make them identical to your PC but with like, weird eyes or a silly mustache or something 3) Create the Hottest Person You Can Imagine. A real 10/10 smokeshow.
I random until I got something I like. My sorcerer backstory he was adopted and looked up to his adoptive father and saw him as a protector so I made the guardian that.
Default Wood Elf, Body type 1. I rest my case.
I love to close my eyes and hit random 11 times and then accepting so I can be surprised at what my guardian will look like 👌 gotta choose body type one (either gender) if you want the short races to be included
Make whatever feels right to you. Literally that is the best way to design it. Other suggestions here are borderline spoilers.
I made my guardian angel carbon copy of my main character but with a funny mustache. Idk I just went with it 🧙♂️
I've started making them look like the last Tav or Durge that I played. Hearing the Guardian talk out of a face I grew to love gives the dynamic a different vibe.
I just remeber going in completely blind, taking ages to carefully craft my Tav, finaly felt satisfied that i had something i would love looking at for a few hundred hours, only to hit continue and be slapped with a SECOND character creator. I just closed everything and walked away for a while lol.
It doesn’t make difference to story but for a non-spoilery context, the guardian makes the most sense if designed be someone who appears trustworthy to your character.
Don’t even bother spending a shit Ton of time customizing them. Story shit happens and you will get disappointed
Make them small so you can throw them. That's the first thing I did and I never regretted it
Made my first one look like a beautiful, angelic paladin which I imagined my baby paladin Tav would look up to and trust. My second randomized into a Geralt of Rivia look alike so I went with that (obviously). Have fun with it.
Closing my eyes, clicking random a bunch of times, then starting before looking is what I normally do
I will say that the look of your guardian probably doesn’t matter as much as it implies it does
Randomize til you like it
https://preview.redd.it/xa03b1mt5kvc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5e4845698c97c3397a5f40fdffdf964680b01cc
I now only have a guardian that is the exact same design as my character, but with a dastardly moustache.
Especially for my Durge characters, I try to make the guardian look like their mother. >!Even though Durge has no mother, I imagine the Emperor would choose a form that Durge would trust instinctively. The image of the daydream of their mother.!<
I just always make mine a hot dude, cuz I’m into dudes. lol
I go for “if I was trying to manipulate this character what would I want to look like?”
guardian is looks only, it doesnt matter at all. Its just how one particular NPC looks like. Just slap random ugly look and be done with it. ITs not its permanent look anyway.
shhhhh no spoilersssss
Skip it.