Guardian

Guardian are masked bird-people knights of the Winged Kingdom who serve as protectors of Minor Erdtrees and the Erdtree. They appear across areas tied to the Erdtree and are notable frontline defenders that use swordspears carved from the hard wood of ancient trees. Budding branches and roots grow from their backs; these botanical features both identify their link to the Erdtree and alter their behavior in variant forms.

Guardians fight with a swordspear and a shield, favoring defensive positions where they can absorb damage and hold ground. Their combat repertoire includes guarded advances and a charging thrust that disperses a cloud of poison on impact. Full Bloom Guardians display blood-red flowers on their backs that mark the waning of their pact: they can sprout additional flowers to restore health and reinforce their weapons with large roots, producing much heavier, more damaging attacks. Putrid Guardians appear in Scarlet Rot–infected regions and have withered roots instead of blooms; their attacks and drops are otherwise similar to standard Guardians.

Guardians are described as former squad leaders wounded in wars that imperiled their nation, willing to sacrifice themselves to shield their comrades. They entered an ancient death pact with the Erdtree to be renewed with eternal life; as the pact ages, their botanical transformation progresses until they themselves begin to become trees.

• Drops common to Guardian variants include the Guardian's Swordspear, Guardian Mask, Guardian Garb (or Garb (Full Bloom) for the Full Bloom variant), Guardian Bracers, Guardian Greaves, and the Tarnished Golden Sunflower. Drop rates on common equipment items are low (armor pieces around 1.5%–5%, swordspear 2%).
• Combat tips: treat Guardians as durable frontline foes—break their guard with strong guard‑piercing strikes or guard‑breaking skills, bait and punish their charging poison thrust, and interrupt Full Bloom Guardians when they attempt to grow flowers to prevent on‑the‑spot healing. Poison resistance reduces the effectiveness of their charge.
• Visual and lore details: their blades bear a spiral motif and many wear a gold medallion showing a smiling eight-pointed sun with swirling flames. The Full Bloom variant also drops a Golden Centipede in addition to the standard loot table.

Three named variants appear in the field: Guardian, Putrid Guardian, and Guardian (Full Bloom). Each variant retains the swordspear-and-shield archetype but differs in visual cues and special abilities tied to their botanical condition.