Baldur's Gate 3 hosts a myriad of moral questions and choices to consider. With your mind filled with the influence of a tadpole whose purpose you know not, you'll be tempted to use its extraordinary powers to fulfill your own greedy desires. Illithid powers hold a promise of power few feats can compete with.
But unlocking these powers might come with consequences. That's the takeaway from Baldur's Gate: our actions have consequences. But how much of a consequence is there, and will the powers offered outperform the consequences suffered? And how do you find the key to unlocking these powers' full potential?
This guide is currently under construction and will be constantly updated with the new launch as new information is released.
How To Unlock The Illithid Powers
In the Early Access, the Illithid Powers are unlocked by selecting "Illithid [Wisdom]" choices during dialogue encounters.
After selecting these choices twice, a dream cutscene will play, and you'll walk away from your midnight revelations with new powers.
However, this method has changed to unlock these powers by collecting the Illithid tadpoles from other infected NPCs via the item "Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen."
Collecting them does not necessarily mean that you use them, however, and does not appear to have any negative consequences.
Known carriers of Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen include:
- Edowin
- Priestess Gut
- Dror Ragzlin
- All infected recruitable companions (Shadowheart, Minthara, Astarion, etc.)
At the top right of your screen and above the minimap is a red parasite icon. Clicking this will open the skill tree for Illithid Powers.
You can unlock Illithid Powers by spending your Parasite Specimens to "evolve an area of your mind."
All Illithid Powers
Illithid Powers come in many shapes and forms, and some may be class specific.
In addition, every power will operate vastly different from the other, so you'll want to pay attention to both description and the types of action they cost.
Chains | Power Name | Class | Action Type | Cost (in Parasites) | Requires | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class-Specific | Aberrant Shape | Druid | Action | (Free) | -- | Assume the shape of a Mind Flayer. |
Endless Rage | Barbarian | Bonus Action | (Free) | -- | When raging, activate to deal 1d4 additional damage when attacking in exchange for 1d4 psychic damage taken. Prevents early end of Rage. | |
Force Tunnel | Ranger | Action | (Free) | -- | Charge forward 9m and push back enemies in the way 4m. | |
Fracture Psyche | Fighter | Action | (Free) | -- | Reduce the target's Armor Class by 1. | |
Horrific Visage | Sorcerer | Action | (Free) | -- | Regain 2 Sorcery Points and deal 1d4 extra Psychic damage per turn for 3 turns. | |
Inkblot | Rogue | Bonus Action | (Free) | -- | Create a dark Fog Cloud and immediately attempt to Hide. Ranged attacks cannot be made in or out of the cloud. | |
Reflective Shell | Wizard | Bonus Action | (Free) | -- | Reflect all projectiles back to their origin. Doesn't affect creatures that use don't Sight to attack or can see through illusions. | |
Stage Fright | Bard | Action | (Free) | -- | On a failed Wisdom save, all targets within a 6m radius have Disadvantage on attack rolls. Each time they miss, they take 2d6 Psychic damage. It lasts 3 turns or until the target succeeds an attack roll. | |
Supernatural Attraction | Warlock | Bonus Action | (Free) | -- | Teleport up to 18m to another infected creature. | |
Survival Instinct | Cleric | Bonus Action | (Free) | -- | When a creature hits 0HP, they regain 3d4HP instead of falling unconscious. | |
Omeluum Quest | Repulsor | Any | Action | (Free; Speak to Omeluum) | -- | All nearby creatures are dealt 2d6 and pushed back 6m on a failed Strength save. On a successful save, they take half damage and stay put. |
Right Brain | Favorable Beginnings | Any | Passive | 1 | ?? | First attack roll or ability check made against any target in combat gains a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus. |
Charm | Any | Reaction | 1 | Favorable Beginnings | Charm a creature that makes an attack roll against you, preventing them from attacking you until their next turn. | |
Luck of the Far Realms | Any | Passive | 1 | Favorable Beginnings | When you succeed on an attack roll, choose to make it a Critical. | |
Psionic Overload | Any | Action | 1 | ?? | Deal an extra 1d4 Psychic damage with weapon attacks in exchange for taking 1d4 Psychic damage per turn. | |
Ability Drain | Any | Passive | 1 | ?? | When you make an attack roll, reduce the target's corresponding ability by 1 (once per turn). | |
Left Brain | Stage Fright | Any | Action | 1 | ?? | On a failed Wisdom save, all targets within a 6m radius have Disadvantage on attack rolls. Each time they miss, they take 2d6 Psychic damage. It lasts 3 turns or until the target succeeds an attack roll. |
Perilous Stakes | Any | Action | 1 | ?? | In exchange for making a creature Vulnerable to all damage types, the affected creature gains 2d8 HP back when succeeding on an attack roll. | |
Shield of Thralls | Any | Action | 1 | ?? | Conjure a volatile shield that gives the affected creature 10 temporary hit points. | |
Concentrated Blast | Any | Action | 1 | ?? | Deal 3d6 Psychic damage against a foe while concentrating on a spell and then break concentration after. |