I think I figured out the Mind Flayer Parasite plot.

[Maverick]

I am just guessing here but based on contextual clues from the gameplay and the intro video I believe I know why the Ceremorphosis or Mind Flayer transformation is not as devastating to the player characters as it usually is in the lore.

First off in the lore the tadpole has to be in the brine pool for 10 years before it is ready for implantation. At that point they are quite large and are inserted into the ear canal (NOT THE EYE) where they will kill the host after 24 hours. The transformation into a Mind Flayer is complete in 7 days.

In the game the Mind Flayer piloting the Nautiloid is alone on the ship. He looks at the other dead Mind Flayer with disapointment. One of his captives also happens to be a Githyanki which leads me to believe that the other Mindflayer fell recently in the battle where that Githyanki female was captured. Githyanki are otherwise a rare race in Faerun and would unlikely be in a normal group of captives from a Mind Flayer raid. The other Githyanki that are attacking on the dragons are very likely affiliated with her story. Regardless the important thing here is that the Mind Flayer is recently alone and that he is moving with hesitation like he is burdened by what he is about to do. He opens the brine pool and pulls out tiny tadpoles. Now if you look at any artwork for Ceremorphosis implantation you will see that traditionally the tadpoles are depicted as rather large which is why they can only enter the ear canal. He also chooses to have the tadpole enter the eye of the host which is a non-typical site for infecting a host.

This leads me to believe that the Mind Flayer knew he was being hunted and was desperatly trying to infect as many hosts as possible to rebuild the colonies Mind Flayer numbers before his potential demise. This is also why he likely raided that settlement in the video for more hosts. More importantly the Tadpoles being used where too young so the process is not working out how they normally would. ie. In the eye instead of the ear and the fact that the hosts did not immediatly die when they broke camp the next day. A mature tadpole would have begun eating the brain painfully and immediatly which has obviously not happened here. So in BG3 I believe that due to the tadpoles being too younge for implantation the player characters are going to have much more time before transformation than is typical. The tadpoles could potentially require years to reach maturity before killing the host though likely it will be months in game for dramatic purposes. The tadpole parasite is currently maturing in the host without damaging the brain as is typical and the characters are acquiring some of it's psychic abilities as a defense mechanism to protect the parasite and host until it is ready to change. So the main plot will be a desperate bid to try and reverse the infected condition that is according to lore ireversable outside of ressurection magic. This time limit will be a major theme driving the player group to action.

Any thoughts?

[marv]

I think despite choices and securing more time through magic or miracles or whatever, ultimately the player becomes an Illithid, but the process is messed up because they're still looking like whatever race they were, with the powers and cravings of an Illithid. These cravings will act as a separate kind of corruption counter that doesn't necessarily react to your character's alignment. Break the will of others through sheer psionic force, devour brains for power, etc. These lead your body to becoming more and more of a squid until - well its too far gone.

[rusty_dragon]

Man, it's Baldur's Gate, not Divinity game.
Baldur's Gate was dark horrifying and brutal.
Good chances you would die from ceremorphosis. Unless you secretly want to.. become a Mind Flayer.

[rusty_dragon]

As for the eye instead of the ear.. Ear is how real mind eating parasites infect.

In DnD it's eye.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2009864249

[sick duck]

Originally posted by rusty_dragon:

Man, it's Baldur's Gate, not Divinity game.
Baldur's Gate was dark horrifying and brutal.

What do you think of how the magisters treated prisoners in DoS 2?

[eRe4s3r]

Would be curious how they implement that, because the spell to cure it is expensive, and your average cleric in the boonies definitely does not have it ;) You'd have to go to a major temple for that to get magically healed.. and if you don't after 24hrs you are dead-dead, no revive possible.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by Joseph:

What do you think of how the magisters treated prisoners in DoS 2?

DOS2 had a very dark world but told their story with a lighthearted atmosphere, so it was easy to overlook. If there's one criticism I have, it's that I wish the gameplay felt as dark as the world.

[Muted Kobold]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by Joseph:

What do you think of how the magisters treated prisoners in DoS 2?

DOS2 had a very dark world but told their story with a lighthearted atmosphere, so it was easy to overlook. If there's one criticism I have, it's that I wish the gameplay felt as dark as the world.

... I..... am not entirely sure how the ♥♥♥♥ you make gameplay feel dark. But I think you are confusing Fantasy and Dark Fantasy with Grimdark (Warhammer)

[rusty_dragon]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by Joseph:

What do you think of how the magisters treated prisoners in DoS 2?

DOS2 had a very dark world but told their story with a lighthearted atmosphere, so it was easy to overlook. If there's one criticism I have, it's that I wish the gameplay felt as dark as the world.

Fun fact is original Baldur's Gate games did similar trick. It's dark, but you have cheesy stuff going on. But if it's Baldur's Gate, it's ok.
When it's Original Sin it's bad. Thankfully it's called Baldur's Gate 3 now.

On a serious note, Larian wanted to take a rest from DOS, and make more serious game this time. We'll see how it'll end up.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by Dargon:

Imagine being half mindflayer cause of the rushed process. That kind of power while still retaining most of your humanity would be crazy.

There is a 'half Illithid' type race in the 2E 'Illithiad', basically people who only underwent a partial transformation and retain much of their original personality. Thus, it would appear to be canonically possible.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by Leo The Schrodinger's Cat:

... I..... am not entirely sure how the ♥♥♥♥ you make gameplay feel dark. But I think you are confusing Fantasy and Dark Fantasy with Grimdark (Warhammer)

Look at 'Dragon Age' and 'Dragon Age: Awakening' - both had a very dark atmosphere (especially 'Awakening') and lots of lore to back that up. 'Dragon Age 2', however, was set in the same wold, with equally disturbing lore, but the gameplay felt a lot more casual and light-hearted even in some of its darkest moments.

What I'm saying is I'd like something closer to the somber and forboding atmosphere 'Awakening' was shooting for than what we got with DA2.

[rusty_dragon]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by Leo The Schrodinger's Cat:

... I..... am not entirely sure how the ♥♥♥♥ you make gameplay feel dark. But I think you are confusing Fantasy and Dark Fantasy with Grimdark (Warhammer)

Look at 'Dragon Age' and 'Dragon Age: Awakening' - both had a very dark atmosphere (especially 'Awakening') and lots of lore to back that up. 'Dragon Age 2', however, was set in the same wold, with equally disturbing lore, but the gameplay felt a lot more casual and light-hearted even in some of its darkest moments.

What I'm saying is I'd like something closer to the somber and forboding atmosphere 'Awakening' was shooting for than what we got with DA2.

Dragon Age. Dark Atmosphere.
Pff
A ketchup blood dark fantasy that is totally unbelievable.

No offence here, but I can't call it dark fantasy, sorry.

[Maverick]

Originally posted by rusty_dragon:

As for the eye instead of the ear.. Ear is how real mind eating parasites infect.

In DnD it's eye.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2009864249

I have seen that photo a lot in my image searches but reading everything I can find I have not seen a reference to entering the eye. I think that may just be an artists rendition because it looks scarier then it going in the ear. I am not perfect though so maybe I missed something?

[sick duck]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by Joseph:

What do you think of how the magisters treated prisoners in DoS 2?

DOS2 had a very dark world but told their story with a lighthearted atmosphere, so it was easy to overlook. If there's one criticism I have, it's that I wish the gameplay felt as dark as the world.

Is learning new abilities and getting to know people by killing them, removing their head from their shoulders and eating it dark enough for you?

[Muted Kobold]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by Leo The Schrodinger's Cat:

... I..... am not entirely sure how the ♥♥♥♥ you make gameplay feel dark. But I think you are confusing Fantasy and Dark Fantasy with Grimdark (Warhammer)

Look at 'Dragon Age' and 'Dragon Age: Awakening' - both had a very dark atmosphere (especially 'Awakening') and lots of lore to back that up. 'Dragon Age 2', however, was set in the same wold, with equally disturbing lore, but the gameplay felt a lot more casual and light-hearted even in some of its darkest moments.

What I'm saying is I'd like something closer to the somber and forboding atmosphere 'Awakening' was shooting for than what we got with DA2.

Baulder's Gate did not really have an atmosphere that was dark. Just a dark-ish story. Outside of the story, most of the world was pretty much unaware of the ♥♥♥♥ that was happening. And the only element that effected people's lives was the iron crisis where your weapons would break for no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reason.

I'm also still not sure what you mean. The gameplay for both Dragon Ages were pretty simple, and were pretty much the same. Where Dragon Age 2 made substantial improvements so it wasn't as wonky. Similar to the difference between Witcher 1 and Witcher 2.

I might see what you mean with Dragon Age 1. But the result isn't actually part of the gameplay. Just the scenes of the fights. Dragon Age 1 had more frantic fights, and fights in poorly lit places with big ass enemies. And if I remember correctly, there was a war or some ♥♥♥♥ in Dragon Age 1 that you kinda sort of fought in... or at least through the wreckage of.

The same logic with Baulder's Gate 1 and 2. Baulder's Gate 1 and 2 had some areas you could explore on your own time where you're just walking right into a cave full of bodies and spiders. Or a cave filled with cultist or some ♥♥♥♥. A random ass bridge with a demon on it. And the fog of war system. The only way you can really say that the gameplay for Baulder's Gate was truely dark... was because most of the colors were saturated for technical reasons.

Logically... Divinity Origional Sin would be far darker. There's far more dead bodies littering the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ place. There's a tainted ocean filled with void creatures and knocked over caravans. There's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ village that had been completely destroyed by the void. An entire town that had been ransacked and burned to the ground by the ministry looking for ONE source user. All the ♥♥♥♥ Baracus Rex did. The torment the Ice Dragon suffered because he loved a witch. Morality is grayed, because while the ♥♥♥♥ the Ministry does is quite evil, there are some people who genuinely believe they are doing the right thing and have no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ clue what twisted ♥♥♥♥ is happening behind closed doors - and if they did... they still have to question if it's a good sacrifice given the damage void creatures do. Not to mention the personal hell most companions live? Lets not forget that a few party members are quite ready to backstab you to become gods. The gods you worship tell you to kill your friends. And if you're playing with other players... it suddenly becomes a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ free for all, where you need to kill your own people and take the divinity to do what? You didn't really fix the world. And to even get to that point... you must do two of four things.

1. Eat the heart of a void monster.
2. Absorb the souls and lives of a ♥♥♥♥ load of innocent farmers in a ritual.
3. Completely irradicate all of the woodland life in the local area. Not only snuffing out life in the forest... but also completely cutting off a major foo source from the village.
4. Do some funky ♥♥♥♥ with demons, because ♥♥♥♥ you.

And to keep that power up? You're consuming people's souls... irreversibly destroying them forever. No after life. Just oblivion.

The only reason why people call Divinity silly is because the game is more colorful. Characters aren't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and moaning about everything. And the game tries its damned hardest to not jam it in your face, when all of the ♥♥♥♥ happening has been going on for so long, it's seen as normal

[rusty_dragon]

Originally posted by Maverick:

Originally posted by rusty_dragon:

As for the eye instead of the ear.. Ear is how real mind eating parasites infect.

In DnD it's eye.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2009864249

I have seen that photo a lot in my image searches but reading everything I can find I have not seen a reference to entering the eye. I think that may just be an artists rendition because it looks scarier then it going in the ear. I am not perfect though so maybe I missed something?

It's an official illustration from WotC sourcebook.

Wizards RPG Team (2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 71–81. ISBN 978-0786966011.