Has anyone completed a run without using Illithid's influence or powers? (Including freeing shadowHeart from the Mindflayer pod) I started off as a barbarian and used the special dialog option to free Shadowheart and have gone through 2 thirds of Act 1 not having used Illithid influence. So far the narrator had a change in dialog that I noticed when addressing the absolute using Illithid influence on the party when they first cross into the goblin camp. Instead of saying "A power you've used on others before." She says, "a force you never experienced before." I'm in the Creche now and am wondering if I should probably take the tadpoles for the guaranteed crits. If someone can verify nothing special happens under these parameters (Freeing Shadowheart with the Barbarian Strength option and not using Illithid powers or dialogue influence throughout the entirety of the game) I would be content with using the tadpoles regardless of how I feel about them.
I normally free Shadowheart with the tadpole power, but that is not the same as consuming the tadpoles. I never use the tadpoles on my own characters and I never influenced anyone with it, so I don't get, why she would say 'A power, you've used on otehr before' tbh. I only ever use it to open her pod.
I don't think you need the powers to finish the game, I did a lot of playthroughs without ever touching a single tadpole. Nowadays, I give them to Minthara or Astarion, so that those two shut up about tadpole powers.
I like, that you have some consequences now in certain evil endings, but I still would wish for more reacitivity. I mean, Minthara or Astarion look like zombies in act 3, after the astral tadpole thing - someone should react to that.
