In the shadowy realms of Baldur’s Gate 3, players find themselves grappling with the sinister powers bestowed by Mind Flayer tadpoles. As they navigate this treacherous journey, the allure of Illithid powers becomes irresistible—offering both peril and potential. From turning a simple attack into a devastating critical hit to unleashing psychic chaos on unsuspecting foes, these abilities redefine combat strategies and character interactions. Dive into our guide to discover the best Illithid powers that can elevate your gameplay and transform you from a mere adventurer into a formidable force against darkness.
How to unlock Illithid Powers?
To unlock Illithid Powers in Baldur’s Gate 3, players must first acquire Mind Flayer Parasites by defeating specific enemies or interacting with infected NPCs. Each parasite collected allows you to “evolve” your mind, granting access to a skill tree for Illithid Powers. Initially, players can utilize Illithid Wisdom during dialogues to gain insight, but the primary method involves using these parasites to unlock new abilities. As you gather more parasites, you can enhance your powers further, leading to a range of unique abilities that leverage psychic force and influence over others. Remember, the choices made in acquiring and using these powers can impact your relationships with party members and the overall narrative direction of the game.
Remember how you received a parasite from the Mind Flayer in the game prologue? It is precisely this tadpole that gives you the Illithid Powers – psychic abilities to read the thoughts of other characters. You can often use these powers during conversations and interactions with NPCs. Unlock new powers by finding other tadpoles.
At the body of every defeated enemy, who was also infected with the parasite, you will find a tadpole in a jar. When you examine this item in your inventory, a cutscene will start. Choose the dialogue option: “Open your mind to the tadpole” to unlock new Illithid Powers.
You can get the first tadpole in a jar not far from the Owlbear cave in Act 1 of the game, near the corpse of a dwarf killed by the monster. You will also find many tadpoles in the Goblin Camp – each of the 3 leaders will have a parasite in their head. You will also be able to get a few of them in Underdark.
Best Illithid Powers
Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3 represent a unique set of abilities derived from the parasitic tadpoles implanted in characters, granting them formidable psychic capabilities. These powers are categorized into various tiers, with more potent abilities becoming available as players progress through the game. Notable powers include Cull the Weak, which can instantly kill weakened enemies, and Psionic Backlash, allowing characters to retaliate against spellcasters. Players can unlock these abilities by accumulating Illithid Wisdom points and absorbing additional tadpoles, enhancing their combat strategies and offering new ways to manipulate foes in battle. The strategic use of these powers can significantly influence gameplay, making them a crucial aspect of character development in the game.
When you unlock new Illithid Powers, an icon of a tadpole will appear in the upper right corner of the screen next to the minimap. Click on it to see the skill tree. From there you can choose which powers you want to activate. Points are represented by the number of tadpoles you have collected during exploration.
The best Illithid Powers are:
- Favourable Beginings – a Proficiency bonus for Attack Rolls and Ability checks.
- Freecast – removes the cost of the next action or spell. It refreshes after a short or long rest.
- Force Tunnel – a Class Action being a charge, pushing objects and creatures 4m away. Itdoes not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Concentrated Blast – a Class Action dealing 3d6 psychic damage. To use it, the character must be focused on another spell. Additionally, the character regains as much health as the opponent received damage.
- Shield of Thralls – a Class Action that summons an volatile shield protecting you or your allies and grants temporary hit points.
- Cull the Weak – when you reduce an opponent’s hit points to a level below the number of your Illithid Powers, the opponent dies, and the enemies nearby receive 1-4 psychic damage.
- Stage Fright – a Class Action that grants a disadvantage on Attack rolls and deals 2-12 psychic damage each time a target misses.
- Psionic Backlash – when an opponent within a 9m radius casts a spell, you can use this action and inflict psychic damage on them equivalent to 1d4 level of the cast spell.
Remember that not every power can be unlocked at once. As is the case with other skill trees, you first have to unlock previous features to get to the preferred skill.
Which Illithid power is the most versatile
The most versatile Illithid power in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Luck of the Far Realms. This power allows players to turn any successful attack roll into a critical hit once per long rest, making it a game-changer in both combat and strategic scenarios. Its flexibility benefits all character classes, enhancing burst damage potential and enabling devastating combos, especially when paired with abilities that amplify critical hits, such as a Paladin’s Smite.
While other powers like Black Hole and Freecast offer significant advantages in specific situations, Luck of the Far Realms stands out for its broad applicability across various gameplay styles and encounters, solidifying its status as the go-to choice for maximizing damage output and tactical options.
What makes Black Hole the most powerful Illithid power
Black Hole is considered the most powerful Illithid power in Baldur’s Gate 3 due to its exceptional crowd control capabilities and battlefield manipulation. Here are the key features that contribute to its dominance:
Massive Area of Effect
Black Hole creates a gravitational pull within a 9-meter radius, drawing in all nearby enemies while avoiding friendly fire. This ability allows players to control the positioning of enemies effectively, making it easier to set up devastating area-of-effect (AoE) attacks.
Debuffing Enemies
In addition to pulling enemies together, Black Hole can inflict a Slowed condition on them, requiring an Intelligence saving throw. Slowed targets suffer significant penalties:
- Halved movement speed
- Reduced Armor Class (AC) and Dexterity saving throws by 2
- Limited to either an action or a bonus action, but not both
This debuff restricts enemy actions and enhances the effectiveness of subsequent attacks from the player and their allies.
Reusability and Range
After its initial casting, Black Hole can be recast up to five times before requiring a short rest, allowing for multiple uses in a single encounter. The ability has an impressive range of 18 meters, enabling players to target enemies from a distance and manipulate their positioning strategically.
Synergy with Other Abilities
Black Hole works exceptionally well when combined with other abilities or spells. For instance, after gathering enemies into one spot, players can unleash powerful AoE spells like Ice Storm or use consumables such as grenades to maximize damage. This synergy transforms Black Hole into a setup for devastating combos, making it invaluable in challenging battles.
Overall, the combination of crowd control, debuffing potential, reusability, and strategic synergy makes Black Hole a standout choice among Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3.
