Baldur’s Gate 3: Illithid powers explained

Rishov Mukherjee
A screenshot from the game Baldur's Gate 3

Illithid power is a hidden skill tree in Baldur’s Gate 3, adding some really powerful psychic abilities to your arsenal. However, obtaining Illitid powers can be complicated, and here’s a guide on what it does and how to get them.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a deep RPG that is filled with secrets for you to find. One such secret that you can come across is Illithid powers. These are special but hidden abilities within the game that you need to actively hunt if you want to obtain them.

These powers are directly connected to your character’s brain and you need to let certain parasites take over your mind if you wish to harness them. Even though it sounds scary, these powers are worth the effort and you will not regret them.

So, here’s a handy guide on how to obtain Illithid powers and what they do in the game.

A screenshot of a Mind Flayer in Baldur's Gate 3

How to obtain Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Illithid powers, as mentioned previously, are hidden. In order to activate them, you will need to find the Illithid tadpole. There are various locations where you can obtain them, including people whose minds have already been infected, jars, and even brines.

In order to unlock these Illithid powers, you need to use the tadpole parasite. Once you obtain that, you can one of the Illithid powers which will be presented to you in the form of a skill tree. In the final release of the game, all Illithid powers will be usable by every class.

Every Illithid Power in Baldur’s Gate 3

The list of every Illithid power that you can obtain in Baldur’s Gate 3 is provided below:

Power Description
Favorable Beginnings The first Attack Roll or Ability Check will grant you a Proficiency Bonus
Charm Charm an enemy and prevent them from attacking you
Luck of the Far Realms A successful Attack Roll changes into a Critical Hit
Perilous Stakes You will invest a creature who will be vulnerable to all attacks but will heal upon launching one.
Shield of Thralls Create a shield that can consume damage upto 10 hit points
Concentrated Blast Launch a powerful blast on an enemy. In order to cast this spell, you must have your concentration on another one.
Ability Drain A target’s ability is reduced by 1 whenever you make an Attack Roll

The reduced Ability must be the same as the Attack Roll

Force Tunnel Push all objects 4m away from you
Stage Fright Enemies will be filled with an overwhelming sense of Fear. Enemies will miss Attack Rolls and receive 2d6 Psychic damage whenever they do.
Survival Instinct A creature gets infused by Psionic Force. This creature will heal for 3d4 upon receiving a Fatal blow instead of going down.
Absorb Intellect Create a shield that can consume damage up to 10 hit points
Black Hole Gain the power to teleport to tadpole-inflicted creatures
Fracture Psyche Reduce the defense of a target
Mind Sanctuary Create a nexus and take actions and bonus actions within it.
Mind Blast Release a conical wave of Psychic energy and stun targets
Illithid Expertise Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation senses are deepened
Displacer Beast Shape Absorn an enemy’s intellect, reduce their intelligence for 1 turn, and self-heal for 5 turns.
Repulsor Gain the ability to knockback creatures while dealing 2d6 Force damage
Freecast Remove the cost for spell slots, charges, and other resources for your next turn.
Fly Gain the ability to fly to a location
Displace Any creature who suffers fall damage after getting hit will take 1-8 Psychic damage
Psionic Backlash Deal 1d4 Psychic damage whenever an enemy in 9m casts a spell
Transfuse Health Sacrifice your health and heal another target.
Cull of the Weak When you reduce the health of a creature below your maximum evolved Illithid power, it will die and also deal 1-4 Psychic damage in an area.
Psionic Dominance If an enemy casts a spell within 18m of your radius and it has lower or equal Proficiency as yours then it will get nullified.

This concludes our guide for Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you found it informative, please look into some of our other guides at Dexerto.

Best Sorcerer build | Best Bard build | Best Rogue build | Best Fighter build | Best Ranger build | Best Barbarian build | Best Druid build | Best Warlock build | Best Wizard build | Baldur’s Gate 3: What’s the max level cap? | Best Baldur’s Gate 3 classes tier list | How to revive characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 | Can you multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3 | Baldur’s Gate 3 Soul Coins: How to get them & what they are | Baldur’s Gate 3: Fastest ways to get XP & level up | Baldur’s Gate 3: How to respec your character | Baldur’s Gate 3 Karmic Dice: What are they?