You have two options for creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3: pick one of the seven Origin characters or make a custom one. If you create a custom character, you’ll reach the name box only to see that the default option is “Tav”. This name isn’t a coincidence; it appears every time you create a new character. To learn more, continue reading to discover who Tav is in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Who is Tav in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?
On the surface, Tav is the default name for a custom, non-Origin character. You can change this name to anything you would like, but if you keep the name, your character will be named “Tav”. This name refers to Baldur’s Gate 3’s original game title, Project Gustav.
Project Gustav originally made its way to the public through a 2018 Divinity: Original Sin documentary when Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke mentioned the project at the end of the video after the credits roll. The project was named after his dog, Gustav, much like Larian Studios was named after his dog Pilar.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s game files also contain multiple .pak files containing the name Gustav, such as Gustav_Video.pak, Gustav_Textures.pak, and simply Gustav.pak. Gustav is also the name you’ll find if you load in a multiplayer campaign instead.
At their core, though, Tav acts as the default name for your single-player custom character, while Gustav is the multiplayer equivalent. Whether you pick these or choose a different name is entirely up to you, as your choice does not impact gameplay or people’s interactions with you.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and soon on Xbox Series X|S. To learn more about the game, check out how to get the Potent Robe in BG3, or click the game tag below to browse our growing article collection!
