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Players who choose the Mountain Pass route near the tail end of the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3, will eventually find a Githyanki Creche, where the party can follow a lead on how to remove the Illithid parasite swimming in their brains. The process involves a Zaith’isk, a suspicious device that’s supposedly designed for tadpole extraction.
Here, Baldur’s Gate 3 players will be presented with a choice: will they enter the purification pod, or should they let Lae’zel have the honor? This may not seem like an important decision, but the choice players make here can have major consequences for the rest of the playthrough. Here’s what happens in this encounter.
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Updated on December 27, 2024 by Marc Santos: The Zaith’isk is a Githyanki contraption that supposedly cures those who are suffering from a Mind Flayer Tadpole, but in a more reality, it won’t be enough to solve the problem plaguing the player and the party. Using the Zaith’isk results in whoever’s sitting on it getting either a useful Illithid buff or a nasty stat penalty. We’ve updated this guide to include how to get that positive buff and if it’s worth getting at all..
Should Lae’zel Use the Zaith’isk In Baldur’s Gate 3?
The short answer is: probably not. Lae’zel has been insistent on visiting the Creche ever since the start of the game, so letting her use the Zaith’isk would seem like the obvious choice. The reason why players shouldn’t do this is that using the Zaith’isk on anyone will actually inflict a permanent debuff on them, and it’s going to be especially brutal to Lae’zel.
Once Lae’zel sits on the Zaith’isk, the machine will start violently “purifying” her of the tadpole. Players get three chances to convince her that the Zaith’isk is doing the complete opposite. The problem here is that the skill checks needed to pull Lae’zel out of the operation all have Difficulty Classes of 30, making them almost impossible to win against if players aren’t the smoothest of talkers in Faerun.
Regardless of what happens, Lae’zel will survive the operation. Even the option to sit back and watch or goad her into giving in will result in her survival. The main kicker is that she will then have a permanent -2 penalty to all ability scores.
Should You Use The Zaith’isk In Baldur’s Gate 3?
If players use the Zaith’isk themselves, Lae’zel will disapprove but yield to the decision. The same operation will commence but this time, the skill checks will be somewhat easier. Certain classes like Warlocks can use special options that will lower the DCs of these checks, further increasing the chances of success. Still, failure will result in the debuff afflicting the character, so make sure to save before attempting this.
Alternatively, players can just skip this step altogether. Instead of going to the infirmary, head to the commander’s room and try to gain an audience with the inquisitor. Players won’t be able to proceed with Lae’zel’s companion quest normally this way, but they’ll still be able to reach the Blood of Lathander after they deal with the inquisitor deeper into the facility.
The Zaith’Isk Buff
If you do end up passing all the skill checks during the Zaith’Isk event, you’ll actually gain the following buff on your character sheet:
- Awakened: All Illithid powers can be used as Bonus Actions.
Whoever enters the Zaith’isk and overcomes all the skill checks can get the buff, but the risk of getting that -2 stat penalty is still very real. As mentioned, you can get Lae’zel to enter the Zaith’isk first by volunteering to go first yourself. Alternatively, you can back out of the Zaith’isk and then let another companion take your place.
If you end up getting debuffed and don’t want to redo everything all over again, you can remove the debuff by consuming tadpoles. If it doesn’t get removed after eating a tadpole, try unlocking a new Illithid Power or two.
The Awakened buff is an extremely powerful effect if you’re going for a build that uses the best Illithid powers in BG3. Extra Actions are great in general, and if your Extra Action for a turn is as impactful as Cull The Weak or Freecast, you’ll be in for an awesome time.
