Baldur’s Gate 3 players shocked one NPC is avoided at all costs

Baldur’s Gate 3 players can’t believe others avoid Bernard, a Construct NPC who guards the Underdark’s Arcane Tower.

Players who explore the Arcane Tower in Act One will meet Bernard on the top floor. The Construct guardian will only attack under certain circumstances, but, due to the difficulty of the fight, many players have decided to skip the encounter completely.

Redditor JLapak counts as one such Baldur’s Gate 3 player, claiming Bernard’s is the only battle they avoided during their Honour Mode run. The user explained in part, “Just fought him in Tactician for the first time, and YIKES am I glad I skipped him in Honor; he just about took me apart.”

While several people in the comments agreed that leaving Bernard alone on harder difficulties is a smart choice, many others questioned the need to fight him at all. It’s possible to encounter the Construct and walk away from him on a friendly note; Bernard’s known to give out hugs, too.

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One popular comment under the post notes, “…you don’t even have to fight him when you meet him. Just read some of the books. He can even hug you.”

Someone who’s played Baldur’s Gate 3 four times added, “Me just sitting here like ‘wait, people fight Bernard?'”

To make nice with Bernard, players must find command phrases written on documents scattered around Arcane Tower. Answering each of his questions with the correct answer will turn him passive, thus avoiding a fight.

However, those who do face off against Bernard will have to best him in regular combat. One person in the Reddit thread suggested planting Sussur Flowers near the smaller robots to shut them down.

From there, it’s a matter of drawing Bernard to the building’s edge, so Wyll can shoot him with an Eldritch Blast that knocks him off the ledge.