Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General A Theory

It would then make the most sense for him to fully transform into a powerful https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vampiric_mind_flayer before this presence takes possession of his new immortal body.

Confirmed scrapped. This was one of the earliest things they talked about at the beginning of EA.

Something that got me thinking that won't really solve any burning questions outside the EA, but is quite interesting and explains the curious Shadowheart dialogue in which she and our character talk about hearing the Dreamer on the Nautiloid and her being called a beautiful weapon, implying that we're supposed to hear the Dreamer on the Nautiloid.

Until now I thought it's something outside the scope of EA that will get implemented later because both our character and Shadowheart mention hearing the Dreamer on the Nautiloid, but we never actually do during the gameplay sequence. Or so I thought until I stopped dismissing the opening cinematic and character creation. Usually intro cinematics are just there for eye candy title drop and the character creation is just a gameplay mechanic to make a character, but that is not the case with Baldur's Gate. It is very deliberate in what it does and uses these aspects to start the storytelling. So the game's actual lore does not begin the moment we gain control of our character, but in fact the moment the opening cinematic starts, as it's showing events that are happening in real time to the point we gain control of our character.

It starts with the Absolute mindflayers who already took over the Nautiloid and killed the original mindflayer crew, while Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Tav are already imprisoned, possibly Gale too, moments prior to being violated by the Absolute tadpole. And as soon as the tadpole enters our heads, the screen fades to black (character creation acting as a dream) and we immediately hear the Dreamer asking us "Who are you?" and "Who do you dream of at night?". So from the very moment of insertion, we actually dream and hear the Dreamer on the Nautiloid precisely because Shadowheart was present with the artifact, so the Dreamer was able to intervene and put the tadpoles into stasis and use them as a way to communicate with us.

Then she does the same for Astarion, Wyll and Mizora who are kidnapped in Baldur's Gate and then Karlach who gets onboard in Avernus. And this is all happening during the cinematic and prior to waking up. So I love how they are mixing actual cinematics and the character creation to tell a story cohesively, with the cinematic being the actual event happening in real time while the character creation is acting as a dream when we pass out in the middle of it, because the Dreamer can only communicate while we are unconscious. So Shadowheart is actually referencing the character creation menu and making it a piece of lore, which is pretty cool.

Now the fascinating thing is; everyone who had the tadpole inserted while Shadowheart was onboard, did not get enthralled and instead had dreams, even survived the crash. While everyone else who was already implanted prior to Shadowheart coming onboard, ended up enthralled and dead later. This leads me to believe that we were not actually specifically chosen, but were simply lucky by being at the right place at the right time thanks to Shadowheart's artifact which reaches out passively to everyone around it, but the Dreamer can only intervene and save the person if it is present during the insertion of the tadpole to permanently put it in stasis in its infancy, otherwise it becomes too late. So I find it cute that Shadowheart feels indebted to us for saving her life when she is actually the one who saved everyone by stealing the artifact, she's just not aware of it yet and I hope this comes into play later during the story, especially between her and Lae'zel to end their rivalry.

This also makes me believe that Lae'zel and Astarion will have Queen Vlaakith and Cazador speaking to them during character creation, while Shadowheart might be called a beautiful weapon if she is selected. It would be such cool little details to see.

I think the tadpoles are supposed to be in stasis, otherwise how are all the True-Souls not turning into Mind-Flayers.

I haven't been on board for the Mind-Flayer civil war part of the theory, but if the 'weapon' does block out the Absolute's control, than it might be that its arrival on the ship broke her control over one or more of the Mind-Flayers causing them to fight amongst themselves.

If you do enough of the Dreamer's scenes she'll call you a weapon too, I think Shadowheart might just have had a more involved character creation than we do. It would be an interesting wrinkle if every character in our group arrived, or was implanted, after Shadowheart, it might change around a little the sequence of events.

Are we certain Astarion and Wyll were taken from BG? That seems like it would be a significant event.

I'm pretty sure that is answered by digging into the brains of True Souls and even Flind the Gnoll Warlord, where we see visions of them all being taken to Moonrise Towers and infected with a tadpole, which then binds the individual to the Absolute through a special magical ritual and them being unaware of the tadpole. So the tadpole on its own doesn't prevent enthrallment and ceremorphosis, it needs to undergo a special magical ritual once the host is infected in order to become a True Soul. Also if you look at True Souls, none of them experience pain or discomfort from its psyonic advantages.

The Dreamer (artifact) however managed to stop this on its own without the ritual by placing it in stasis, but at the expense of us being aware of it and it hurting us if we overuse it because it is not dormant. The tadpole is also actively fighting against the Dreamer and trying to kill her, because the Dreamer is preventing it from fulfilling its purpose. Remember that it tried to ceremorphosize and made us very sick, but the Dreamer stopped it. Which is why the Dreamer is also very insulted if you act ungrateful and accuse her of trying to kill you.

As for the civil war theory, the reason why I believe it's a civil war between Absolute mindflayers and regular mindflayers is because the cinematic shows some of them already dead and the Mindflayer who infected us looking at their corpse in a dismissive sort of way, before the Githyanki even arrive. Also the enthralled people on the Nautiloid are wearing the Absolute necklace, yet they lost their minds, which leads me to believe the Absolute party invaded the Nautiloid and the psyonic skirmish between the two caused them to go insane. Because the mindflayer itself serves the Absolute (found out later during Ragzlin's interrogation) and they don't attack their own followers. So the only ones who could have done it were other mindflayers.

As for Astarion and Wyll, Astarion himself says that he was saved from Cazador by being snatched away from him. Since Cazador lives in Baldur's Gate and Astarion is a slave kept in a cellar feeding on rats, it gives me no reason to believe he was taken from anywhere else. Same for Wyll who is the legend of the Gate. The only one I don't know where he was taken from is Gale. He can be with us initially already or taken from Baldur's Gate too.

Yes, everyone being 'finished' at Moonrise is pretty clear, but I think that 'finishing' is just having their minds wiped of the implantation, maybe with some Absolute stuff put in to make them fanatics. Mind-Flayers don't have tadpoles, so whatever influence we're positing the Absolute has over the tadpoles, it follows that she might have some influence on the Illithids, one that the Dreamer can mess with. Using the Illithid powers is what starts the ceremorphosis process, and we're told pretty directly whenever we do, that the entity in our minds feels sated or content, we also loose something of ourselves. So I think that it means that the statsis isn't total, it's just slowed the process that using the tadpole accelerates, or possibly while using the tadpole, the stasis ends before being put back up.

Part of the theory, is that as we become more psionically active, our telepathic link to the entity in the box becomes stronger, leading to our more and more involved dreams.

As for the intro, to me when he looks at the bodies of the fallen Mind-Flayer, I don't read any expression, except the normal alien and unknowable one that I would expect from beings of cosmic horror.

Because I don't think that the Absolute is ready to reveal herself so dramatically, If indeed Astarion was taken from BG, it must have been done more subtly than a giant tentacle ship snatching people in the streets. This might mean that Cazador is more directly involved with the Absolute. If that writing on his back is Absolute or artifact related, then maybe he wasn't kidnapped at all and it was just a hand-off.

I'm going back over this thread to see how this theory stands up to the new information we're getting.

With the dreamer being transitioned to the guardian, I think the idea that the dreamer isn't the manifestation of the tadpole holds up.

It leaves me wondering if the guardian is actually the sentience in the artifact though. Preparing for the reckoning and all.

Hmm. If we meet the guardian on the road in act II, in the physical world, then... I'm not sure.

The guardian in the fextralife scene dream scene said she "stole" the power that was keeping the character safe. That everyone else would transform in a moment when the command was given.

So, just a few points:

1. There is actually a screenshot on one fextralife video where the guardian actually says "You will not become a mind flayer. Not while I'm around. I'll protect you". It looks like an early scene too

2. Someone definitely confirmed, though |I can't remember who, that the visions are now removed from tadpole use. I'll have a check if I can find it

3. People have datamined about the gith artefact, but I'd rather not post that stuff because none of it may even be relevant

4. A curious quote that actually *is* in Ea. If you speak with the dead illithid in the goblin camp and ask what the gith were after it says: "They want the ones from the ship, darkness and sun, barely contained". Very interesting, sounds like the Sharrans, but why sun? Or is there something else?

I've been avoiding spoilers a little, but I'm surprised we're going to be meeting our 'guardian' in the flesh now. I think that puts the possible Gith angle to rest, but it does raise some questions about why our guardian wants us free of the Absolute, but also wants us to destroy the world. So we may have another party yet to be revealed.

Theoretically the artifact may be Zariel, shes a good match for darkness and sun she also like manipulating mortals into becoming her weapons

The artifact is specified as a Githyanki artifact. How does that fit in with the various theories?

Gith are extradimesnional raiders who have connections to the hells

To the extent that they'd fashion some kind device that's directly related to Zariel?

Potentially. They have an alliance with tiamant, and there's an implication the first vlakith sacrificed gith to the hills

This is related to why the original theory had the artifact being the prison Gith is kept in after her journey into Hell. The artifact is Gith, but also seems Infernal.

The fact Lazel and shadowheart are both basically unskippable and found in the tutorial points to some connection here

This would be some truly excellent news, it would make things much more interesting (in my playthroughs, at any rate, since I tend to leave that thing alone).

A lot of good theories here. It will be fun to see first hand what clues present themselves.



As far as the parasite conundrum goes: "Am I limiting myself by not using parasite powers?".


It's completely optional "but all decisions come with consequences".

First Larian said that they wanted to to feel more like they were progressing each level.

If tour comfortable with the 5e system, then you will be just fine without the powers.


Second it really comes down to if you want a clean conscience play-through or you want a dark story.

Remember that Sven and his team desperately want you to try evil, and will reward you for doing so (your choice).

Personally I think Sven Vincke is ultimately the real antagonist of this story and I don't need his gifts (my choice).

Same with Dark Urge powers. Hard pass.

I have started dark play-throughs in other games and I quickly abort, but that's just me. Just not "fun" at all.

What I've gathered from the last PFH and everybody's reaction to it, especially those with extra info and/or content to share is that we're going to be gobsmacked on release. It will a different game than we played in EA, and all bets are off. And part of me thinks the artifact is immune from that because obviously they shared so little in EA, but I can't help but assume as the time has passed, the relationship between the artifact and the story has changed for the writers

If we didn't know it was a Gith artifact, I would have guessed from the look that it might be this artifact: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Shadowstar