Disagree ...
Controling Mind Flayer technology via Psyonics makes perfect narrative sense ...
If you dont want to use your tadpole, you dont have to ... but you dont get Shadowheart in final tutorial fight.
This new era of demanding all rewards, while refusing to do what it takes discuist me. :-/
Then why doesn't the ceremorphosis pod require that you use the tadpole in order to use it? Or even better, why doesn't the transponder (the control panel of the ship) require that you use the tadpole? Seems like those things are more important to guard than some random prisoner. Forcing the player to use the tadpole to free Shadowheart isn't genius, it's a cheap solution to something that is not a problem at all. There are more organic ways of promoting the tadpoles rather than locking out a companion in the beginning.
Shadowheart is a special prisoner. She is carrying the Gith weapon. So, special security is called for.
This is just 1 potential explanation.
And I disagree. It solves the problem of, "No one is NOT freeing Shadowheart. We've made it too easy.". It also solves the problem of "No one is tempted ever by the tadpole. If we want people to seriously be tempted, we may need to do things to seriously tempt players."
As Fylimar said: If the midnflayers knew about the artifact, then why the hell would they not take it of her and store it somewhere safe. It's not a compelling reason for locking her away. If Larian want to tempt people with the tadpole, simply have the tadpole give the player character more power as the tadpole should be an easy route to power (boons such as ability score improvements would really tempt people), don't lock a companion away during the tutorial. Or worse have there be a detrimental effect for releasing Shadowheart, as every time we use the tadpole, the stronger it grows.
If I recall her story correctly (assuming she wasen't lying) She got the artifact elsewhere and THEN got captured by the ship.. so as far as we know the Mindflayers don't know about the artifact yet. So far this is all one big set of circumstances happening one after another.. the group getting captured... then going to avernus while being in pursuit by the githyanki.. from what I also know the Gith ARE in fact in pursuit of the artifact. Both the Gith and the Absolute forces are after the artifact. Then you crash near the old temple to Jerghal wich apparently was waiting for you.
Its also possible there is no consequence for using the tadpole past a certain treshold at the end of the day freeing SH or not is up to the player.. alot of people are speculating now out of meta gaming from some of the stuff we have found out so far.
From what I can tell us being able to resist the absolute was due by SH's very presence with the artifact wich could be dumb luck or some planning from one god or another combined with her memory issues ect its one big mystery wich im intrigued to solve. I won't over indulge in using the tadpole myself but im certainly not doing a yay or nay playthrough until I have beaten the game at least once.
