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Baldurs Gate 3 Astral Touched Tadpole 3

Should you evolve in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Brain worms.

As you reach the end of Act 2, things really start falling into place for your confused character in Baldur’s Gate 3. The Guardian reveals themselves to be a Mind Flayer looking to destroy the Absolute, with your help, of course. With the use of the Astral Touched Tadpole they offer you, you can evolve into a Half-Illithid. The choice to evolve is a tricky one as it comes with both its upsides and downsides, as all things do in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Should you evolve in BG3?

Of course, a lot of people aren’t going to like you becoming one of the dreaded Mind Flayers, even if it is only a little bit. There are arguments for and against evolving into a Half-Illithid in Baldur’s Gate 3. Personally, I say do it. The benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Should you evolve in Baldur's Gate 3?

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Evolve

You get a whole new appearance with dark eyes, and your face will be covered with black veins. I think that’s pretty cool. I never really went in for the handsome protagonist look.

The main reason for evolving to Half-Illithid is the access to a whole new tadpole skill tree. You will be able to unlock the beast form, new charisma abilities, and a huge number of powerful spells. The bonuses to your character are fantastic and will make you much more powerful every time you use a tadpole.

Don’t evolve in Baldur’s Gate 3

The main downside for deciding against the choice to evolve in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the disapproval of your teammates. None of them will like it, and you will have to earn back their favor after making the choice. You also look really weird.

Not taking the option to evolve will put you on the path to a truly good Baldur’s Gate playthrough, but you also miss out on a lot of really cool powers. Apart from the slight changes, using the Astral Touched Tadpole will have no effect on your ending in the game.


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Author
Image of Leo Gillick
Leo Gillick
Leo is a Freelance Writer for PC Invasion. He has a degree in English Literature and Film Studies and more hours buried into videogames than he cares to admit. He has worked extensively in the Videogame and Travel writing industry but, as they say, get a job doing something you love and you'll never work a day in your life. He uses his writing as a means to support indefinite global travel with the current five year plan seeing him through Latin America.