It’s common in the online community ofBaldur’s Gate 3to refer to custom characters as Tav, and that is even the default name once you make a new character in the game. Players might wonder why this name has been chosen and what’s the meaning behind it. To begin with, does it have one?
Origin characters have their own unique names, and theDark Urge is typically shortened to Durge, but the reason and meaning behind the name Tav is not as clear as other characters you can play in the game. Let’s learn more about this mystery and find a conclusion.
The Origins Of Tav
Once you finish the game and get to the credits screen, you can see the voice actors of custom player characters being credited for the role ofTadpole Adventurer’s Voice. Tav is an abbreviation for this title.
This might seem like the obvious answer to the name’s origins, but knowing more about the development and history of Baldur’s Gate 3, this title might’ve been chosen in a way, so its abbreviation would spell out Tav.
During the early development of Baldur’s Gate 3,Gustavwas the internal project name for the game at Larian Studios. This name was chosen after the CEO Swen Vincke’s dog, Gustav, and was later shortened to Tav as the default name for custom player characters.
The name Gustav might be more familiar to modders who delve deep into the game files, but there are also Easter eggs in the game that mention the name.
In one letter of correspondence between Lenore, the owner of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark, andLorroakan, the master of Ramazith’s Tower and Sorcerous Sundries, we can see them mentioning a necromancer called Gustavchen, referencing the game’s secret name and Swen Vincke’s dog.
Tav was chosen as the custom character’s default name, after the CEO’s dog’s name. Considering how popular Swen Vincle is among the fan base of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Larian Studios, this fact can only make the name more appealing if players are having trouble coming up with an original name for their next character.
