Baldur’s Gate III – Mindflayer Parasite locations and how illithid powers work

Baldur’s Gate III – Mindflayer Parasite locations and how illithid powers work

So, you’ve just got your hands on your very first Mindflayer Parasite, huh? Awesome! This little bugger is your ticket to some wicked illithid powers. You’ll bump into this joyride depending on where you wander off to first, and it’s a wild ride from there! Oh, and did I mention the three goblin bigwigs are each packing one of these beauties? This kinda puts a spin on the whole ‘save the Emerald Grove’ dilemma, doesn’t it?

After you’ve slurped down your first parasite, get ready for a cool cutscene that’ll show off your shiny new skill tree. You can bring this baby up by hitting B or clicking on the little button left of the minimap. Each Parasite you snag unlocks a sick new illithid power, and you’ve got five to start off with. Get more, and you’ll see the neighboring powers unlock.

Now, the stuff you can see right away? That’s 16 solid powers. And then there are ten more hiding in the shadows. But hey, catch more parasites and they’ll come out to play! Let’s get a load of the powers you can start messing with:

1. Charm: Use your brain bug’s mojo to charm an enemy attacking you, keeping them off your back until their next turn.
2. Concentrated Blast: Drop this spell while you’re focusing on another. If your target’s doing the same, you hand out damage equal to what they got.
3. Perilous Stakes: Boost a creature’s healing abilities when they attack, but this also opens them up to more damage.
4. Stage Fright: Give your target’s Attack Rolls a disadvantage, and dish out Psychic damage each time they whiff.
5. Ability Drain: Lower a target’s ability by one when making an Attack Roll. The knocked-down ability is the one they used for the attack.
6. Luck of the Far Realms: Turn a successful Attack Roll into a glorious Critical Hit.
7. Displace: Inflict 1-8 extra Psychic damage on creatures that take a tumble because of you.
8. Repulsor: Deal 2-12 damage and shove anything within a 6-meter radius.
9. Cull the Weak: When you cut down a creature’s hit points, the ones nearby take 1-4 Psychic damage.
10. Psionic Backlash: Dish out 1d4 Psychic damage per level of a spell cast by an enemy within 9 meters as a knee-jerk reaction.
11. Favorable Beginnings: Get a bonus equal to your Proficiency Bonus on the first Attack Roll or Ability Check against any target.
12. Force Tunnel: Charge forward, shoving objects and creatures in your path 4 meters away.
13. Shield of Thralls: Whip up a spicy shield around you or a buddy, giving the lucky one 10 extra hit points.
14. Illithid Persuasion: Use your connection to the parasite to make the Absolute’s cultists dance to your tune.
15. Transfuse Health: Halve your remaining hit points to patch up a target for the same amount.
16. Psionic Overload: Deal more Psychic damage with your attacks, but get a Psychic slap each turn.

Want to know something cool? Head over to Ghustil Stornugoss in the Infirmary and he’ll tell you about the Zaith’isk in Creche Y’llek. It’s tucked under the Rosymorn Monastery in the Mountain Pass. Hop inside the machine and pass a bunch of checks to get your hands on the Awakened character feature. This neat trick lets you use all your Illithid Powers as a bonus action! But remember, your parasite is here to stay, no matter what happens.