What does Tav mean in Baldur’s Gate 3?

This expansive D&D video game RPG has a ton of terminology that can be confusing for many unfamiliar and new players. Most of these terms come from the D&D 5e rulebook, but others are from Baldur’s Gate 3 itself. Take ‘Tav’, as an example. You may have seen this term pop up randomly online, which can confuse you if you’re unsure of its meaning. Let me explain to you what Tav means in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3): What is Tav?

There’s quite an easy explanation to this word. In Baldur’s Gate 3, Tav is the general name for your custom Origin character. This may also refer to your Dark Urge custom character, but some players just called them ‘Durge’, short for Dark Urge. While you can play a companion as an Origin, the most popular is the custom, which is called Tav online.

Where did this term come from? Well, as soon as you’re done creating your custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3, you then have to name them. In the name box, the name that’s currently there is Tav. Many games place a general name in the box for players who may not care about naming their character. Or perhaps you find it difficult to choose a name, so you just go with what’s already there.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

Related: How to use the Magic Mirror in Baldur’s Gate 3

For this game, it’s Tav. So now online, the easiest way to refer to your custom character is Tav. There have been some theories on where the name came from. But it seems like the true meaning behind Tav comes from Larian Studios’ CEO Swen Vincke’s dog named Gustav.

Apparently in an old Divinity: Original Sin documentary, Vincke stated that Larian Studios’ next project (Baldur’s Gate 3) was called Project Gustav. But Gustav is more of a masculine name, so they probably decided to shorten it to Tav. You learn something new every day!

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Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Steam.