The guardians are the protectors of the relics hidden deep within the temples. They are the main enemy the player faces against in Phantom Abyss.

The guardians' purpose is to hinder and kill any adventurer that wanders into the temple before they are able to claim the relic and seal the temple forever. Each temple has its own guardian, which is randomly chosen upon entry. All players exploring the same temple will face the same guardian.

As players progress through a temple, guardians will become more aggresive through stronger or faster attacks or movement. However, guardians will always be inactive on the very first floor of a temple, allowing players to explore at their own pace.

Blessings and curses

Blessings and curses collected during temple exploration—as well as blessings and curses from a chosen whip—may affect the way guardians behave and the rate at which they are angered. Some blessings are capable of completely subduing guardians and some may anger guardians at an increased rate.

Using blessings that calm the guardians will completely prevent them from awakening for the duration of one floor. Every time they are calmed, their attack rate will be reduced slightly^[1]. The Void Whip is able to prevent guardians from spawning throughout the entirety of a temple.