Should You Use Illithid Powers in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)? Answered

Baldur’s Gate 3 is host to a wide variety of options when it comes to how you approach situations, but the use of Illithid powers is especially interesting. Through the Mind Flayer parasite in your brain, you can read the minds of others and manipulate them as you see fit. Given the game punishes certain choices though, you might be asking yourself: Should you use the Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3, or do they come back to bite you?

We’ve got an answer, but be warned: There are some hefty *Spoilers Ahead* for the main story.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Illithid Powers Consequences, Explained

While there are consequences for using the Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3, they aren’t as deadly or immediate as you might think.

In particular, you won’t be punished for the use of the Mind Flayer tadpoles in smaller dialogue interactions. At most, you might get some scary indicators that their influence on you is growing or that a party member disapproves of your actions. Past that though, you won’t be locked into a specific ending for mild use of these special skills.

What does lock you in is making the decision to fully give into their influence, and using every parasite you come across to unlock more abilities. After a certain point, this will open up the choice to become a partial and eventually full Mind Flayer. This causes your character’s mind and being to be erased by your new desires as a Mind Flayer, albeit in exchange for powers that can stop the game’s primary antagonist.

Is There a Warning When You Use the Illithid Parasite Abilities too Much?

With this in mind, there are steps you can take to make sure you don’t go too far down the path of using the Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3.

First and foremost, don’t take in too many of the parasites. While the game does present plenty to you through both side quests and the main questline, you shouldn’t use every single one you come across unless you’re itching to become a Mind Flayer. Gauge how many you need to get by with based on your play style, and reserve the use of their powers for situations that call for them.

Likewise, watch out for a warning when you reach a point of no return with them. The game does warn you if you use too many of them or over-rely on their powers, and when you’re about to lock yourself into the ending where you turn into a tentacle-faced manipulator. If you get this notification, carefully consider whether or not it’s the ending you want. Then, adjust course or commit to your choices appropriately.

Hopefully this helps you decide whether or not to use Illithid Powers in Baldur’s Gate 3. We’ve got plenty of other guides too, so take a look at them down below if you’re in need of advice or info for other topics.