The Illithid tadpole is one of the main features of Baldur’s Gate 3, with players having the opportunity to learn more about the thing inside their heads. As your journey through Act 1 and 2 goes, you learn more about it, and, of course, get access to Tadpole powers once you reach certain long rest milestones. With the powers of the Illithid Empire at your disposal, it is leading players to question if there are any consequences for using the Illithid Powers. For those concerned about whether there are issues, or any outcomes, we shall discuss as much in this guide.
Exploring Potential Illithid Powers Consequences in BG3¶
(1 of 2) While there are no obvious Illithid Power COnsequences, each party member has their own opinion on the matter.Lae’Zel for one is not a fan, thanks to her Githyanki origin.
While there are no obvious Illithid Power COnsequences, each party member has their own opinion on the matter.Lae’Zel for one is not a fan, thanks to her Githyanki origin. (left), Astarion, on the other hand, is more than eager to gain the powers of the Illithid, with his reasons are yours to explore. (right)
To get the big picture out of the way, there doesn’t seem to be any major repercussions regarding the storyline or the direction the game takes you in. So, if you intend to play the game in a particular way, and dip your toes in powers, then you are free to do so.
However, there are some minor consequences for using them. The consequences of using them are particularly related to party conflict issues. For example, when you first get access to the tadpoles in the jar, and can begin accessing them, you will be able to spend them on the Illithid Powers. As soon as that feature becomes accessible, you may notice some party drama unfold. During the first moment, characters like 
Astarion are very much interested in using these powers for their own strengths. If your character is role-playing that way too, you can get Astarion’s approval. Yet if you go too far and tell him it’s all yours and they are not for sharing, then, Astarion will disapprove of it. Meanwhile, other characters, especially early on, are very much adamant on you not using them, like 
Lae’zel. Other characters are in the middle, and you can chat with them individually to see their thoughts and feelings on the Illithid Powers and their perceived consequences and issues with them.
The same is continuously said throughout the game until you can begin converting people your way by convincing them it is not worth it. Or, you can convince them to use them, or at least be okay with you using them.
When you move into Act 3, you get an important choice to make. You have the option of going that little further on the Illithid Powers. Again, this is another important decision, as you can lose relations with the party again, or when you speak to each one individually, you have even more opportunities to convince them otherwise, with neutral, positive, or negative approvals to come. There are also some potential minor changes to come too. We won’t spoil what they are, but, if you’re interested in knowing, then you can check out our evolve or not page, which you can do at the very start of Act 3
As for any important narrative changes, we will be sure to mention them on this page if we encounter them. At the momentum, the author of this page is running an evil Illithid power user, and there does appear to be any consequences for their actions using these powers other than the aforementioned relationship alterations. So, we think it is safe to say there are no other narrative changes to come, but it’s a warning that we are still not entirely sure with all the thousands of ending variations Larian said exist.
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