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Oct 10, 2023

Baldur's Gate 3: High

Embracing your inner Illithid is risky in Baldur's Gate 3, but in taking that risk, you gain vast amounts of power for very little effort. After a while, existing purely as a host comprised of

Embracing your inner Illithid is risky in Baldur's Gate 3, but in taking that risk, you gain vast amounts of power for very little effort.

After a while, existing purely as a host comprised of distilled cosmic horror and existential dread isn’t good enough in Baldur’s Gate 3. It doesn’t matter that you’ve gained messiah-like dominion over vast swathes of the current population – you need more. More power, more tadpoles, and more funky abilities.

Thankfully, the good stuff is just around the corner – assuming you consider 40 hours of playtime and two Acts to be a single neverending corner. Tackle that, and you’re golden. Infinite power is within your grasp, you only have to reach out your creepy tentacle hand (tentacle hand not required) and take it. This guide will walk you through how, and what rewards await.

If you want information on regular Illithid Powers, you are sadly in the wrong place. Shimmy on over to our Illithid Powers Guide to fill your bonce with enough knowledge to make a Mind Flayer blush.

More Baldur’s Gate 3 content:

5 Best Magic Items In Act 1 | Owlbear Companion | Perfect Pickpocket Guide | Oathbreaker Paladin Subclass | How To Cure Gale

Unlike regular Illithid Powers, high-tier powers are locked away until much later in the game. They don’t come quite so naturally and you are going to have to make a pretty serious decision (multiple times potentially).

You will need to complete Act 2, which of course means you need to get through the General Thorm at Moonrise Towers. Once you’ve done that, you will be instructed to go to Baldur’s Gate. On the way, you will be ambushed by Githyanki from the Astral Plane which eventually leads you to The Emperor, a particularly powerful Mind Flayer.

Defend The Emperor and he will offer you an ancient tadpole that will enhance your latent Illithid powers. Heck, it will transform you into something altogether different – a hybrid. These powers are far more powerful, but you will never be the same again. Are those powers worth it? Absolutely.

Anyone who has been infected by a Mind Flayer tadpole is capable of transforming into a Half-Illithid. Naturally, characters who were never infected, like Halsin, cannot gain any Illithid powers – high-tier included.

The following characters can transform:

That’s all we have for Baldur’s Gate 3 for now. Be sure to check out our other guides and lists for more Baldur’s Gate content.

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