Baldur's Gate 3 - True Soul And Illithid Wisdom Guide

The Baldur's Gate 3 True Soul mechanic involves the use of Illithid Wisdom. With it, you'll start listening more to the voices in your head, leading to easy skill checks in dialogue sequences. Our guide discusses what this feature entails early in the campaign.

How to Become a True Soul by Using Illithid Wisdom in Baldur's Gate 3

To become a Baldur's Gate 3 True Soul, you'll need to use Illithid Wisdom in specific dialogue conversations at least seven times. This concept is made known to you during the prologue aboard the Nautiloid. A Mindflayer puts a tadpole in your character's eye, and it slowly burrows in their head. Naturally, the main quest tasks you with getting rid of it.

How to Use Illithid Wisdom

Still, there are key instances when a dialogue option appears, allowing you to choose the Baldur's Gate 3 Illithid Wisdom response. Selecting this bypasses other skill checks and, with a ridiculously low requirement for dice rolls, you'll pretty much succeed.

However, Illithid Wisdom can only be used after a long rest--short rests and partial rests don't count. An animation showing a red brand will imply that you can use Illithid Wisdom on the NPC. However, if you haven't done a long rest yet, it will simply say that your power is "silent" or "dormant." As such, you'll either need seven Camp Supplies, or have enough food to reach a value of 40 (which is equivalent to a single Camp Supply) each rest.

The Rewards Along the Way: Dreamlover and Illithid Powers

These are the rewards and quirks that you get as you try to become a True Soul in Baldur's Gate 3:

• Dreamlover - There are multiple sequences involving the Dreamlover, an NPC that you make during character creation. It's the personification of the tadpole's schemes and whims.
• Illithid Powers - After the first dream sequence with the Dreamlover at camp, you'll gain newfound Illithid Powers, dark spells that emphasize the use of psychic abilities.
• True Soul - Upon using Illithid Wisdom for the seventh time, the dialogue option will be replaced by True Soul. Selecting it automatically leads to a successful check (dice rolls aren't needed anymore).
• Future Interactions - As of the time of this writing, we still don't know if there are long-term ramifications for using Illithid Wisdom often or becoming a True Soul. Lore-wise, it implies being corrupted and turning into a Mindflayer, though we've yet to see that during early access.

Dialogues and Instances Where You Can Use Illithid Wisdom

Below, we've listed the key conversations where you'll be able to use Illithid Wisdom. There are certainly more, though we've focused on those that you can encounter just a couple of hours into the campaign.

Nautiloid: Save Shadowheart

You can save Shadowheart aboard the Nautiloid by entering a nearby room and grabbing a key off a corpse. In turn, this can be used to open an ornate chest near her pod. However, when you interact with the control panel next to her, it'll also require you to use Illithid Wisdom.

Wilderness: Brynna

The next chance you'll get to use Illithid Wisdom in Baldur's Gate 3 is upon reaching the Wilderness/Druid Grove. After the battle between the Tiefling defenders and Goblin scouts, you can head west to encounter Brynna, along with her pal, as well as a dead novice of the Absolute. Saying that you escaped the Nautiloid or that you're not the True Soul will lead to a battle. However, you can try the Medicine dialogue or the Illithid Wisdom option. The two can also be convinced to help you during the fight against the Owlbear.

Do note that you can only have this conversation sequence while the two novices are examining their dead friend. If you already spot them and you do a long rest, they'll leave that location.

Druid Grove and Camp: Wyll and Lae'zel

Once you head inside the Druid Grove, you'll meet your Warlock companion, Wyll, who's training some kids. You can use Illithid Wisdom on him.

Likewise, assuming you've already used Illithid Wisdom twice, you can head to your camp (i.e., click on the long rest button or open the world map by pressing the "M" key to select it). A cutscene will play, whereby Lae'zel will attempt to slice your throat. There are multiple responses that you can try here, including Illithid Wisdom.

Blighted Village: Goblins

The Blighted Village is just west of the stone bridge near where you encountered Brynna. Enter it and a Goblin will warn you. Illithid Wisdom can be used on her.

Further onward, you should see some Goblins that are having fun with a Gnome (he's stuck to a windmill). The dialogue option lets you avoid paying or fighting them.

Goblin Camp: More Goblins

Once you arrive at the Goblin Camp, you'll notice multiple instances where you'll be able to use the Baldur's Gate 3 Illithid Wisdom option:

• Goblin Camp entrance - Use this, otherwise you'll either need to pick Deception or smear poop on your face (we're not joking).
• Campfire - Next, you'll notice the Bard, Volo, who's turned into an unwilling entertainer. The NPC near the open fire (where Dwarf meat is being roasted) is named Tracker Klagga. You can use Illithid Wisdom on this NPC.
• Goblin Camp waypoint - There's an NPC named Crusher who's right next to the Goblin Camp fast travel point.

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Shattered Sanctum: Even More Goblins

By now, you've likely gotten the Baldur's Gate 3 True Soul option. Still, there are more conversations where Illithid Wisdom appears as a choice, if ever you weren't able to use it earlier:

• Shattered Sanctum entrance - Head past the Ogre guard and through the double doors. You can convince the guard here.
• Volo's guard - Volo the Bard will be imprisoned in a small room. You can opt for the Illithid Wisdom option so the guard leaves him alone.
• Halsin's guards - Keep going northeast in the Shattered Sanctum. Eventually, you'll see a ladder that takes you to Minthara. Instead of climbing it, go through the doors leading to the Worg Pens. There's a bear trapped inside a cell. You can use Illithid Wisdom or other replies to free the bear. If you attack and defeat all the guards here, it's revealed that the bear is the Druid Halsin.

And that's all you need to know about the Baldur's Gate 3 True Soul and Illithid Wisdom mechanic. There are certainly other interactions, such as after you've beaten either the Tieflings or the Goblins.

Still, with the full game set to release on August 3, there are bound to be more changes and additions. We'll have a massive guides hub soon, so stay tuned.