Baldur’s Gate 3: Character Crown Icon Explained

Every BG3 patch introduces peculiar new features with various purposes and benefits. One example is a small crown icon that, although it has no direct gameplay impacts, catches the eye almost immediately.

Here’s what the character portrait crown icon is in Baldur’s Gate 3.

What is the Character Portrait Crown Icon in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?

Baldur’s Gate 3’s fourth patch introduced the crown icon on your character’s portrait to distinguish between your starting avatar character and others in your party. This crown on your portrait appears regardless of whether you started as a custom or Origin character.

Upon hovering over the crown icon, you’ll spot the “Avatar” label, indicating this is the character you began your playthrough with. In a multiplayer game, the crown appears above the party leader.

While this crown doesn’t directly influence gameplay, it can help differentiate between your starting character and a custom hireling or players in a multiplayer game. For example, if your character has high charisma and persuasive skills, the crown can help you remember this and pick them the next time you enter dialogue with an NPC. Similarly, if your character is stealthy, it can remind you to use them the next time you’re tasked with sneaking past a group of enemies.

Aside from this, there are no substantial benefits or downsides to the crown icon, as it doesn’t give any buffs or debuffs to your avatar character. The crown is the only addition to your portrait and mainly reminds you who your starting character is or who is your multiplayer game’s party leader.

Considering Baldur’s Gate 3’s fourth patch also introduced hireling appearance customization while recruiting, it may be a blessing to have this, especially if you stop playing for a few months and return, only to forget which of your custom characters is your starting one.

Want to dive deeper into builds for one of BG3’s Origin characters? Check out the best Shadowheart builds in Baldur’s Gate 3, or click the game tag below to browse our growing article list.