Best Illithid Powers in BG3 – All Illithid Powers, Ranked

Baldur's Gate 3 has quite a bombastic beginning, what with your character being infected by a Mind Flayer's Tadpole parasite. At first, I only thought about getting the thing out of my character's head as soon as possible, but a bit later into the story, I found out I could get some pretty exciting powers if I only decided to keep it inside my head. But not Illithid Powers are equal, and if you're wondering how they all rank, we made a list to help you decide which to choose.

Best Illithid Powers Tier list in BG3

All Illithid Powers in Baldur's Gate 3, ranked

We ranked all Illithid Powers in Baldur's Gate 3 according to their overall usefulness and value to the character. Tadpoles are a rare and valuable resource used for unlocking each Illithid Power; we took their rarity into account, favoring those powers that can't be obtained in any other way in the game (like Transfuse Health, for example).

All S-tier Illithid Powers in Baldur's Gate 3

• Concentrated Blast: You must be concentrating on another spell to cast this. If the target was concentrating, you heal as much as the damage that was dealt to it. An excellent healing action-type spell.
• Favorable Beginnings: Allows you to gain a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus on the first Attack Roll or Ability Check you make against any target.
• Force Tunnel: Gets you to charge forward, pushing all objects and creatures in your path 4 meters away from you.
• Psionic Overload: Your attacks deal an additional 1-4 Psychic damage, but you take 1-4 Psychic damage every turn.
• Transfuse Health: An excellent healing spell that allows you to sacrifice half your remaining hit points to heal a target for the same amount.

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All A-tier Illithid Powers in BG3

• Ability Drain: Once per turn, the attack reduces that target's corresponding Ability by 1 when you make an Attack Roll; the Ability that is reduced is the same as the one used to make the Attack Roll (for melee weapons, this will usually be Strength, and for ranged weapons, Dexterity).
• Charm: Channel the dark allure of the tadpole to put a Charm on an enemy that attacks you. Doing so prevents them from attacking you until their next turn.
• Cull the Weak: When you bring an enemy down to fewer hit points than your number of evolved Illithid powers, it dies, and all nearby creatures take 1-4 Psychic damage. Excellent for dealing bonus damage to grouped-up enemies.
• Displace: Enemies suffering Falling damage you directly caused will take an additional 1~8 Psychic damage.
• Luck of the Far Realms: When you make a successful Attack Roll against a foe, you can change that hit to become a Critical Hit. I find it works great on all melee-type builds.
• Perilous Stakes: A bit of a gamble, it grants a targeted enemy with a power that heals it when it attacks, but also makes it Vulnerable to all damage. I find this to be excellent against high-immunity tougher enemies.
• Psionic Backlash: When an enemy within the range of 9 meters casts a spell, you can use your reaction to inflict 1d4 Psychic damage to the caster per the spell's level.
• Repulsor: A simple power that uses kinesis to Push any object or creature back 6 meters.
• Shield of Thralls: An excellent Illithid power that will make you a true Mind Flayer! It allows you to conjure a volatile shield around yourself or an ally, granting the target 10 temporary hit points. If these temporary hit points are lost due to incoming damage, the shield bursts and can stun enemies caught nearby.
• Stage Fright: Gives your targets a Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and makes them take 2-12 Psychic damage each time they miss. It lasts for three turns. Targets overcome their Stage Fright early when they pass an Attack Roll.

All B-tier Illithid Powers in BG3

• Black Hole: Allows you to teleport to another tadpole-infected creature. There aren't many of those in the world, making this a B-tier power.
• Displacer Beast Shape: Transforms you into a displacer beast that can Displace itself and enemies. Has 85 hit points. While you take on the attributes of a displacer beast form, you will still maintain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. When your Displacer Beast form drops to 0 hit points, you revert to your original form. Otherwise, the form will disappear after you wake up from long rest.
• Illithid Expertise: Grants you Expertise in Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation Checks.
• Mind Blast: A classic Mind Flayer power that grants you the ability to spew forth a conical wave of psychic energy, possibly Stunning targets within. The stuns last for one turn. Despite being iconic, it's not very useful.
• Mind Sanctuary: Sculpt a magical nexus that allows those within to take actions and bonus actions interchangeably.

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All C-tier Illithid Powers in BG3

• Absorb Intellect: Lower a foe's Intelligence by 1 per turn and heal your wounds for five turns. The 1-8 healing falls off quickly at higher levels.
• Fly: Allows you to fly to a target position within 18 meters range. Nothing that can't be done with a simple Misty Step scroll. Worse, this power is non-transferable, and it costs a valuable tadpole.
• Freecast: Spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your next action or spell are removed. Refreshes itself after a short or long rest.
•  Psionic Dominance: When an enemy within 18 meters targets you with a spell of a level lower than or equal to your Proficiency Bonus, you can use your reaction to nullify the spell. A highly situational power at best.

Looking for more guides to expand your knowledge of the vast world of Baldur's Gate 3? You've come to the right place! Check out BG3 Wizard Build Guide – Best Stats and Subclass and Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Soft Step Trial Guide here on Pro Game Guides!