BG3 tadpole elixir is a mysterious potion that grants psionic powers but also endangers your mind. This guide covers everything about the tadpole elixir in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Table of Contents
What is the Tadpole Elixir?
The tadpole elixir is a unique potion made from the tadpole infecting the player character. Consuming it confers:
- Increased susceptibility to psionic damage and control effects
- Higher chance of experiencing psionic hallucinations and psychosis
It also replaces any existing elixir effects and advances the tadpole infection. The elixir essentially enhances your psionic abilities at the cost of mental stability.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Imposter in Camp Guide
How to Get the Tadpole Elixir
You cannot purchase the tadpole elixir. It must be crafted at a station by combining:
- Sublime Tongue of Madness
- Any Essence
- Any Ashes
The elixir can also appear as random loot in places like:
- The Druid Grove
- The Goblin Camp
- The Underdark
- The Githzerai Outpost
Check these areas thoroughly to find tadpole elixir drops. Or craft your own with the recipe above.
Effects of the Tadpole Elixir
The main effects of the tadpole elixir are:
- Psionic Weakness: More vulnerable to psionic damage and control effects.
- Psionic Enrichment: Higher chance of hallucinations, nightmares, and psychosis.
Other possible side effects include headaches, nausea, confusion, personality changes, and more. Drinking multiple elixirs exacerbates the effects.
The elixir also quickens the tadpole ceremorphosis, bringing you closer to transformation.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Crystalline Lens Guide
Is the Tadpole Elixir Safe to Drink?
No, the tadpole elixir is extremely unsafe to drink. The mental effects are dangerous and addictive.
The elixir can easily drive you insane or turn you into an illithid slave. There are no benefits worth the risks. Avoid drinking it unless you’re ready to handle the consequences.
How to Remove the Tadpole Elixir
There is currently no way to remove the tadpole elixir after drinking it. The effects last 12 hours and do not dispel.
The only way to eliminate the elixir’s effects is to cure your tadpole infection completely. This involves removing the tadpole through methods yet undiscovered.
Some possibilities include convincing a mind flayer, using a purging artifact, or completing an esoteric ritual. But the exact cure is unknown.
What Happens if You Don’t Remove the Elixir
If you don’t cure your tadpole infection, the elixir’s effects remain and strengthen over time. This allows the tadpole to slowly take over your mind and transform you into an illithid.
Letting the infection progress will erode your psyche and leave you a mindless thrall of the mind flayers. You must find a way to remove the tadpole before this happens.
Can You Cure the Tadpole Infection?
It seems possible to cure the tadpole infection through methods like:
- Earning a mind flayer’s trust to remove it
- Finding a legendary purging artifact
- Discovering the right ritual or alchemical formula
The full game may reveal a definitive way to cleanse ceremorphosis. But for now, ridding yourself of the tadpole is key to removing the elixir’s effects.
Where to Find the Tadpole Elixir
The tadpole elixir can randomly appear in these Early Access locations:
- The Druid Grove – Check containers and rooms.
- The Goblin Camp – May be carried by goblins.
- The Underdark – Search luminous flora and fungi.
- The Githzerai Outpost – Carried by gith patrols possibly.
Certain enemies like phase spiders and githyanki also have a small chance to drop the elixir when defeated.
Finally, craft your own with the recipe if you have the ingredients.
What the Elixir Does to You
Drinking the tadpole elixir causes:
- Increased vulnerability to psionic attacks and control
- Higher chance of hallucinations, psychosis, and madness
- Harsh side effects like headaches, nausea, and fatigue
- Quickening of the tadpole infection’s ceremorphic effects
- Potential loss of sanity or transformation into an illithid
The elixir is extremely potent and unpredictable. Use caution when handling it in any capacity.
Can You Sell the Elixir to Merchants?
No, merchants will not purchase the tadpole elixir from you. It cannot be sold, only found as loot or crafted.
Do not expect to profit from the elixir. Vendors refuse to deal in such a dangerous substance.
How Long the Elixir Lasts
A single dose of the tadpole elixir lasts around 12 hours. But repeatedly using the elixir extends its effects and hastens the tadpole infection permanently over time.
To completely negate the elixir, you must deal with the root tadpole infection somehow. Otherwise, traces of the elixir’s influence remain within your psyche.
Removing the Elixir Without Killing the Tadpole
Unfortunately, there is no current way to remove the elixir without eliminating the tadpole entirely.
Trying to control the tadpole rather than excise it leaves you at risk. For now, removing the elixir requires removing the tadpole through death or other means.
Future updates may introduce an alternative method. But at present, the tadpole must be dealt with to rid yourself of the elixir. Tread carefully in your handling of this dangerous substance.
Key Takeaways
In summary:
- The tadpole elixir grants psionic powers at the cost of mental stability
- Consuming the elixir is extremely dangerous in most situations
- The elixir causes vulnerability to psionic attacks and hallucinations
- It quickens progression of the tadpole ceremorphosis
- There is no way to remove the elixir once drunk besides curing infection
- Letting the infection progress allows the tadpole to transform you
- Avoid drinking the elixir unless you’re certain of the risks
- Seek safer methods to expand your psionic abilities instead
The tadpole elixir is a formidable but unpredictable tool whose use warrants exceptional care and wisdom. Understand its risks fully before partaking of its formidable power.
FAQ – August 18, 2023
What is the tadpole elixir in BG3?
A potion made from the tadpole parasite that grants psionic powers but mental instability and quicker infection progression.
How do I get the tadpole elixir in BG3?
Craft it from required ingredients or find it as random loot in areas like the Druid Grove and Goblin Camp.
What are the effects of the tadpole elixir in BG3?
Psionic weakness, increased hallucinations, faster tadpole infection growth leading to ceremorphosis.
Is the tadpole elixir safe to drink in BG3?
No, it is extremely dangerous and can drive you insane or transform you into a mind flayer.
How to remove the tadpole elixir in BG3?
Currently, it cannot be removed. The effects fade after 12 hours but the infection remains.
What happens if I don’t remove the tadpole elixir in BG3?
The tadpole infection progresses quicker, eroding your mind and turning you into an illithid thrall.
Can I cure the tadpole infection in BG3?
Possibly by convincing a mind flayer, using an artifact, or discovering the right ritual. The full cure is not yet known.
Where can I find the tadpole elixir in BG3?
The Druid Grove, Goblin Camp, Underdark, and Githzerai Outpost hold possible elixir drops.
What does the tadpole elixir do to you in BG3?
Makes you vulnerable to psionics, causes hallucinations/insanity, advances infection leading to ceremorphosis.
Can I sell the tadpole elixir to a merchant in BG3?
No, merchants will not buy the tadpole elixir under any circumstances.
What are the side effects of the tadpole elixir in BG3?
Headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, confusion, psychosis, personality changes, and more.
How long does the tadpole elixir last in BG3?
12 hours normally, but repeated use extends duration and infection progression indefinitely.
Can I get rid of the tadpole elixir in BG3 without killing it?
No, currently the elixir cannot be removed without eliminating the tadpole infection entirely.
The tadpole elixir is a complex substance that warrants careful handling and study in Baldur’s Gate 3. Its psionic blessings come at the cost of ceremorphic curse – a profound danger few properly respect in their lust for power.
This guide provides the requisite knowledge to navigate the elixir’s twin potentials with wisdom. Understand fully the minds-eye it opens and abyss it reveals. Wield its gifts only through mastery of its risks. For the tadpole’s true power lies not in what it offers, but what it unleashes within yourself.
