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All Baldur's Gate 3 Bernard commands and rewards

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Every command you can give to the Construct Bernard in the Arcane Tower in BG3.

Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3
(Image credit: Larian Studios)
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Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3 is a robot you find at the Arcane Tower in the Underdark. You can give him commands to perform set actions, but you need to find these commands first and work out what they do. With five commands for Bernard to find across the tower in BG3, I'll explain where to find them, what they do, and what the rewards are if you're willing to fight and destroy Bernard.

All commands and rewards for Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3

Giving Bernard instructions in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

There are five commands you can give Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3, found throughout the Arcane Tower written on pieces of paper by its previous owner, Lenore. Here's all of them and what they do:

  • 'Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?'
    • You must give this command first when dialogue begins. It makes Bernard friendly and allows you to then speak to him.
  • 'The silence stretches on - I'm all alone. / Please, can I hold your hands, for just a while?'
    • Bernard offers to give you a hug. This doesn't actually do anything but it might make you feel better on the inside.
  • 'How can I trust? How will I ever know? / How can I show myself, the darkest me?'
    • After saying this Bernard will walk over to a table and places the Guiding Light magic ring on it for you to take. When equipped this ring allows the wearer to cast the Light cantrip at any time.
  • 'These empty sheets are all that's left of you. / The last of all the thoughtless gifts you gave.'
    • Bernard gives you a Scroll of Prayer of Healing.
  • 'There is a light in every living thing. / It's crawling t'wards the surface to survive.'
    • Bernard and all nearby Animated Armor NPC constructs turn hostile. At this point there's no way to pacify them again and it's a fight to the death.

Bernard isn't sentient and doesn't understand anything except these commands so it has to be given these specific instructions in Baldur's Gate 3. If you try to engage it in regular dialogue it'll just responding blankly .

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If you chose to kill Bernard it drops the Scroll and Ring mentioned above (if it hasn't given them to you already) as well as his weapon, the Light of Creation - a magic Glaive that does an extra 1D6 Lightning Damage on every hit, but has a chance to stun any wielder that isn't a construct for one round. Considering there are no characters you can play as who are constructs, expect the occasional shock.

Where to find all command phrases for Bernard

Finding commands for Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

You can find all the command phrases for Bernard in the Arcane Tower. That is broken into five levels assuming you include the open roof, and count the basement with the generator and attached elevator platform as one. I've arranged them in descending order below, with what book/document you need to find at each level for a new command phrase.

  1. Rooftop/Bernard (highest level): Patched Parchment on Eastern table (These empty sheets are all that's left of you./Scroll of Prayer of Healing command)
  2. Bedroom: Torn Out paper on East side of elevator shaft (The silence stretches on - I'm all alone/Hug command) and The Roads to Darkness book in Southeast corner ('Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?'/Bernard pacify command)
  3. Entrance level/Turrets: Dusty Book on lectern against Northern wall (There is a light in every living thing/Bernard turns hostile command)
  4. Lab/Mushroom Garden: Threadbare Book on shelf on Western wall (How can I trust? How will I ever know?/Guiding Light magic ring command)
  5. Basement/Generator/Garden (lowest level): No command found at this level.

How to beat Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3

Fighting Bernard in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

If you want to beat Bernard in combat, here some tips and pointers to help you:

  1. Bernard is resistant to slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, fire, lightning, psychic and poison damage.
  2. As a being of metal, he has a high AC, so try and use saving throw attacks to get him.
  3. Pushing him (or any other construct) off the tower is a great way to do high damage - plus even if he doesn't die, you can finish him off later.
  4. Powered by magic, Bernard can be incapacitated if you throw a Baldur's Gate 3 Sussur Bloom at his feet.
  5. Bernard and the Armor constructs lack many powerful ranged attacks, so keep your distance where possible.
  6. Lightning Damage is something the constructs use a lot, so any resistance to it you can summon will help immensely.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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