After spending over two years with tadpoles and dice rolls, Baldur’s Gate 3 fans who jumped on the hype train early might find themselves re-experiencing the game through the eyes of a new challenge. Whether it’s sparked by an ambitious forum idea or the unforgiving stakes of Honour Mode, there’s no shortage of creative ways to keep Larian’s flagship title feeling fresh.
One popular twist to an average Baldur’s Gate 3 run is the so-called “No Illithid Powers” run. This self-imposed challenge requires players to resist the allure of using any mind flayer abilities throughout the entire campaign. It dramatically alters combat strategies and roleplay decisions, but it also reshapes who can and cannot travel alongside you. In fact, by committing to this restriction, players are permanently locked out of recruiting one of the game’s most divisive companions.
If Any Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Deserves to Be a Camp Follower, It's This Act 3 NPC
Baldur's Gate 3's camp companions and followers are a highlight, but one NPC stands out because of her absence.
The ‘No Illithid Powers’ Run Makes Minthara Unrecruitable
For many players, Minthara is an NPC. As the drow paladin who leads the assault on the Emerald Grove, she’s often struck down during Act 1 in the name of protecting the tiefling refugees and druids. On the flip side, siding with the goblins or knocking her out during combat allows Minthara to eventually join the camp as a companion in BG3's Act 2.
But a “No Illithid Powers” run changes the rules entirely. Recruiting Minthara in BG3 hinges on embracing the tadpole’s gifts at least once, and without doing so, she cannot be saved from her scripted fate. Even if one knocks her out rather than kill her, or carefully maneuvers through the goblin camp encounters, the narrative blocks her from ever becoming recruitable. The restriction creates an unusual trade-off: by rejecting mind flayer powers, the player also rejects one of the most unique and morally complicated characters in the game.
Minthara’s Illithid Powers
If recruited, Minthara joins the camp with four Illithid powers. These abilities set her apart from other recruitable companions and make her one of the most versatile party members when it comes to control and survivability. Her powers include:
- Charm: This perk allows a player to Charm an enemy that attacks them, and prevents them from attacking until the next turn.
- Favourable Beginnings: A passive feature that applies a character’s Proficiency Bonus to the first Attack or Ability roll made against an enemy.
- Concentrated Blast: A ranged psychic attack that allows the player to use a Reaction against a caster. It causes 1d4 Psychic damage for every level of the spell it is reacting to.
- Psionic Backlash: Used only when the player is concentrating on a spell. It deals 3d6 Psychic damage to an enemy and can heal for the amount of damage dealt if the target was also concentrating on a spell.
Together, these Illithid powers make Minthara one of the strongest mid- to late-game companions, especially in high-difficulty runs where tactical flexibility can mean the difference between victory and a full party wipe. Most notably and unfortunately, it makes her a perfect recruit for when no one in the party has consumed tadpoles.
The Cost of a Cleaner Conscience
The “No Illithid Powers” challenge is all about restraint. Players deny themselves flashy abilities like Fly or Cull the Weak in exchange for a run that feels morally and thematically consistent with resisting the tadpole. For some, the cost is worth it. For others, losing access to this companion and Minthara's romance path is too steep a price.
Either way, the challenge reinforces one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s greatest strengths: the fact that choice and consequence ripple far beyond a single dialogue option. Even self-imposed rules like this can rewrite the shape of one's adventure, making every run feel personal. So while fans committed to resisting Illithid powers may never see Minthara at camp, that absence becomes part of the story. In a game already packed with consequences, the choice to walk away from her might be the most defining one of all.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.
THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.
A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine.
- Genre(s)
- RPG
