You’ll encounter several choices as you prepare to make your way through Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3. One of these decisions is given to you by the Emperor, who offers to evolve you using a special tadpole he’s had hidden away.
The Emperor reveals his identity to you shortly after he’s attacked inside the artifact. You’ll have to protect him and his prisoner. How you react to the reveal of his identity may vary, but regardless of how you treat him, he offers you a deal where you can take a step closer down the path of becoming an Illthid. The choice is an important one, and it’s an option your party members will remember. We’ll be breaking down if you should or should accept the Emperor’s offer to evolve you in Baldur’s Gate 3 and what happens if you do, unlocking more Illthid powers
Should you let the Emperor evolve you in BG3?
When it comes down to choosing if your character should accept the evolution, usually, don’t do it during your first playthrough of BG3. Accepting the evolution transforms your character’s face, bringing them one step closer to becoming an Illithid. This is not the final choice of forcing your character to become an Illithid, but they are leaning closer to it, and it does change their appearance. If you’d like to avoid the appearance changes, that’s another reason not to accept the transformation.
Although they gain fantastic powers, especially if you’ve already received the base Illithid Powers during your BG3 playthrough by consuming the tadpoles, this choice brings you closer to completing the evolution path. The result could mean you give up what you’ve been building with your custom or origin character. Because of the limited options for your character’s ending, I typically advise players not to succumb to the evolution on their first playthrough. Wait until a second playthrough to see the results of these choices, and get the ending you’ve been steadily working toward.
For my first playthrough of BG3, I had my character rejecting and not using the tadpoles throughout the game. Whenever they discovered a tadpole, I’d release the power and not accept it, avoiding the Illithid abilities you get as you acquire more tadpoles throughout the game.
This was a different story during the second playthrough, and I went out of my way to find as many tadpoles as possible to absorb the powers. It was a dramatically different playthrough as I gave in to the temptations of these powers, and it provided me with more options for every encounter. For those who are looking for an easier time completing the game, using the tadpoles is an excellent idea, regardless of what class you have for your character.
While accepting the Emperor’s transformation is not the final nail to condemn you to becoming an Illithid in BG3, it brings you one step closer. For any player who has already been consuming tadpoles in your playthrough, accepting this evolution is a good idea to unlock the more powerful Illithid powers. In addition, you can begin speaking to other party members and potentially convert them in the same process, giving them added abilities if they accept your persuasion skills as you draw closer to your final confrontation against the Netherbrain.
What happens if you let the Emperor evolve you in BG3?
If you accept the Emperor’s tadpole and the Evolution he offers, you will go through a massive change that will last the rest of the game, and the Astral-Touched tadpole will give you access to higher-tier Illithid Powers.
Accepting the Astral-Touched tadpole will cause your character to grow visible black veins across your face and body, which is a downside if you love how your character looks. This is one of the first of several setbacks you can’t undo after making this decision. And the majority of your party will also disapprove of your decision. This can make it more difficult to interact with several of them as you continue through Act 3 of BG3, especially if you’re trying to romance other characters. However, party members Gale and Astarion approve of this choice, while Shadowheart is against the decision.
Should you open your mind to the tadpole or consume it?
You can also reject the tadpole initially but keep it in your inventory. Once it is in your inventory, you can choose to consume the tadpole at any point in the future, and there are two options: you can either open your mind to the tadpole or eat it.
If you accept the tadpole and evolve, you can either open your mind to it or consume it. By consuming it, you will be the only one who can access the higher-tier Illithid Powers.
However, if you open your mind to the tadpole, you can urge others to enhance their Illithid powers by similarly accepting the advanced tadpole. If you want to convert other party members to join you, we advise you not to eat it, despite it being a funny reaction from the Emperor after you do so. You can save your game to see what happens and then reload it to select opening your mind to the creature.
All Illithid abilities gained from the Astral-Touched tadpole
By accepting the Astral-Touched tadpole, you will evolve and gain access to 10 third-tier Illithid Powers. These are unique and powerful abilities that will change the rest of your playthrough.
| Name | Description | Type | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absorb Intellect | Eat your enemy’s intellect. This will lower their Intelligence by one every turn and heal your wounds for 1d8 for five turns. | – Action – 30ft – Can be used again after a Short Rest |
Perilous Stakes |
| Black Hole | You will create a point of gravity so intense that it pulls in all nearby enemies and has the potential to Slow them. | – Action – 60ft – Intelligence Save – Can be used again after a Short Rest |
Displace |
| Displacer Beast Shape | You will transform into a displacer beast that can Displace itself and your enemies. It also has 85 hit points. In this form, you will gain the attributes of a displacer beast, but you’ll still have your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. But you will revert to your original form when your displacer beast form drops to zero hit points. | – Action – Can be used again after a Long Rest |
Stage Fright |
| Fracture Psyche | You can invade the mind of your target and disrupt their defenses. The targeted person’s Armour Class is reduced by one. If they die while their psyche is fractured, you can cast Shatter Psyche on a different target. | – Action – 30ft – Intelligence Save – Can be used again after a Short Rest |
Ability Drain |
| Freecast | Your spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your following action or spell will be removed. | – Passive – Can be used again after a Short Rest |
Shield of Thralls |
| Fly | You can fly to a targeted position, which is like a permanent flying ability. | – Action | No prerequisites. This unlocks immediately after you’ve accepted the tadpole. |
| Illithid Expertise | Your sense of self deepens, meaning you’ll gain Expertise in Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation Checks. | – Passive | Luck of the Far Realms |
| Mind Blast | You will emit a wave of psychic energy, 4d8+5, that can potentially Stun all targets within the wave. | – Action – 47ft – Intelligence Save – Can be used again after a Long Rest |
Cull the Weak |
| Mind Sanctuary | You will create a magical nexus that allows all within it to take actions and bonus actions from one to the other. | – Action – 30ft – Can be used again after a Long Rest |
Psionic Backlash |
| Psionic Dominance | If an enemy within 60 ft targets you with a spell of a Level equal to or lower than your Proficiency Bonus, you can use your reaction to cancel the spell. | – Passive | Charm |
Others Asked
What choices does a player have when creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Players can choose their character’s race, class, subclass, abilities, proficiencies, and background when creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3.
What are some class changes suggested by players for different characters in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Players suggested changing Astarion into a Bard, Karlach into a Monk or an Eldritch Knight, and Shadowheart into a Light Cleric.
Can a player’s character’s appearance be permanently changed after starting Baldur’s Gate 3?
No, after starting Baldur’s Gate 3, a player’s character’s appearance cannot be permanently changed.
