Astral Tadpole; how does it work exactly? SPOILERS

[White Rider]

EDIT:

There's a lot of confusion surrounding the Astral tadpole and what it gives you, and whether there is a difference in what it gives you if it is the first tadpole you use before any normal ones.

Thanks to @TheLuckyAce for testing this. Guy happened to have a save file near there to do some testing.


It definitely seems like there isn't a benefit to waiting.

1.It unlocks the tier 3 powers,
2.It gives Fly regardless of whether you use it before any other tadpoles or if you've used normal ones.
3.It refunds you for any tier 1 powers you've activated and gives you any tier one powers you didn't already have.

Publicado originalmente por TheLuckyAce:

Tadpoles used with 23 in inventory
0 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
1 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
2
3
4
5 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
6 - 22 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + chosen T2 + Fly

I've just updated the wiki pages for the astral tadpole and the illithid powers to clarify our findings as the information that was on the wiki was incorrect.

[=DeadShot=]

Publicado originalmente por White Rider:

Publicado originalmente por =DeadShot=:

So far astral tadpole
1. Unlocks Tier 3 ilithid powers
2. Gives TIer 1 ilithid powers for free
3. Gives Fly for free
4. Refunds any Tier 1 ilithid power you have unlocked for the character you use it before using the astral tadpole
5. You can use that astral tadpole on yourself and probably all party members if you pass the checks and you use open your mind to it(outside Jaehera and Halsin that are not infected)
6. You become half ilithid
7. Doesn't lock out of any ending
In total it is perfectly made by the Emperor to slippery slope your companion and you into becoming ilithids.

If this is accurate, the main benefit of waiting and using the astral tadpole before using any others is it unlocks fly for free.

The other things like point refunds only matters if you've used other tadpoles before.

I'm not sure it's worth waiting if that is the case. At worst you'd be wasting 1 tadpole on unlocking Fly yourself if you used other tadpoles before.


Anyone else got any info?

If anyone has a save at that part of the game to test things it would really help

Fly is tier 3 iltihid power. So you cannot unlock before.
As how it works in the game to be able to unlock a power you need to unlock at least 1 nearby power before hand.
The tadpole is nice because you can use it to give all your companions(minus Jaeheria and Halsin) Tier 1 ilithid powers for free. Also fly.
With no downside than a minor approval hit that can be managed.

[cfehunter]

I believe you get fly regardless of when you use it.
So you may as well use it immediately and get all of the powers, the only negative side effects are the aesthetics. It makes your characters look like they're rotting from the inside.

[=DeadShot=]

Publicado originalmente por cfehunter:

I believe you get fly regardless of when you use it.
So you may as well use it immediately and get all of the powers, the only negative side effects are the aesthetics. It makes your characters look like they're rotting from the inside.

And companion hit on approval rating. Both when you use it on yourself and when you convince them to use it on themselves. I didn't test with Minithara (but I presume she would approve of it).

[TheLuckyAce]

I've tested it for the fun - it consumed all tadpole glasses I had in my inventory (not used a single one so far and stacked them all in my inv.) so I could enable all but one Power (seems that I missed some taddy's on my way) and added some extra powers like Fly...

But you get the dirty blackeye look :D so... reload... for my second playthrough I will use this ^^

[White Rider]

Publicado originalmente por =DeadShot=:

Publicado originalmente por White Rider:

If this is accurate, the main benefit of waiting and using the astral tadpole before using any others is it unlocks fly for free.

The other things like point refunds only matters if you've used other tadpoles before.

I'm not sure it's worth waiting if that is the case. At worst you'd be wasting 1 tadpole on unlocking Fly yourself if you used other tadpoles before.


Anyone else got any info?

If anyone has a save at that part of the game to test things it would really help

Fly is tier 3 iltihid power. So you cannot unlock before.
As how it works in the game to be able to unlock a power you need to unlock at least 1 nearby power before hand.
The tadpole is nice because you can use it to give all your companions(minus Jaeheria and Halsin) Tier 1 ilithid powers for free. Also fly.
With no downside than a minor approval hit that can be managed.

Yeah I know Fly is a tier three. What I mean here is if you used other tadpoles first (and assuming the astral tadpole only gives fly if it's the first tadpole you use) then you would need to manually unlock fly yourself, thus technically wasting 1 tadpole overall.

[KingOfFriedChicken]

Eat it!

[=DeadShot=]

if you use on tier 1 powers you get the tadpole back and the power for free.
if you use on tier 2 powers you don't get anything back but keep the power.
You only get tier 2 and tier 3 refunds with another tadpole when you become a full ilithid.

[=DeadShot=]

Publicado originalmente por KingOfFriedChicken:

Eat it!

Eat is the dumbest way to use it.
If you eat it you get 1 use of the astral tadpole.
If you open your mind to it you get to become half ilithid for all your companions and yourself.

[White Rider]

Publicado originalmente por TheLuckyAce:

I've tested it for the fun - it consumed all tadpole glasses I had in my inventory (not used a single one so far and stacked them all in my inv.) so I could enable all but one Power (seems that I missed some taddy's on my way) and added some extra powers like Fly...

But you get the dirty blackeye look :D so... reload... for my second playthrough I will use this ^^

Do you still have that save file?
This would be perfect to test if you do.

Consuming any tadpole stacks them like that. that's normal.

If you do have the save file still, could you test by eating a regular tadpole first and unlocking ONE power.

take a note of how many points you have overall at this point.

Then use the astral tadpole.

This way we'd be able to see if it gives you fly no matter when you use it, and we'll be able to see if it refunds the one point you spent, along with unlocking the other starter powers.

[TheLuckyAce]

Publicado originalmente por White Rider:

Publicado originalmente por TheLuckyAce:

I've tested it for the fun - it consumed all tadpole glasses I had in my inventory (not used a single one so far and stacked them all in my inv.) so I could enable all but one Power (seems that I missed some taddy's on my way) and added some extra powers like Fly...

But you get the dirty blackeye look :D so... reload... for my second playthrough I will use this ^^

Do you still have that save file?
This would be perfect to test if you do.

Consuming any tadpole stacks them like that. that's normal.

If you do have the save file still, could you test by eating a regular tadpole first and unlocking ONE power.

take a note of how many points you have overall at this point.

Then use the astral tadpole.

This way we'd be able to see if it gives you fly no matter when you use it, and we'll be able to see if it refunds the one point you spent, along with unlocking the other starter powers.

Mh, as I've just reloaded I should have all of them in my Chest at the Camp and 0 unlocks at the moment. So sure, should be possible to do some testings.

[=DeadShot=]

Publicado originalmente por White Rider:

Publicado originalmente por TheLuckyAce:

I've tested it for the fun - it consumed all tadpole glasses I had in my inventory (not used a single one so far and stacked them all in my inv.) so I could enable all but one Power (seems that I missed some taddy's on my way) and added some extra powers like Fly...

But you get the dirty blackeye look :D so... reload... for my second playthrough I will use this ^^

Do you still have that save file?
This would be perfect to test if you do.

Consuming any tadpole stacks them like that. that's normal.

If you do have the save file still, could you test by eating a regular tadpole first and unlocking ONE power.

take a note of how many points you have overall at this point.

Then use the astral tadpole.

This way we'd be able to see if it gives you fly no matter when you use it, and we'll be able to see if it refunds the one point you spent, along with unlocking the other starter powers.

To unlock the half ilithid you have 2 options:
1. Open your mind you it. And you can use to all your companion minus Halsin and Jaheria
2. Consume it. It unlocks for the character that does this. And the astral tadpole is gone. You cannot use it more.
3. You get hit on your reputation with all your companions both when doing for yourself and for convincing them to become themselves half ilithids
4. For companion to use them you need to :
a> convince before hand to use normal ilithid powers
b> convince them to use the astral tadpole.

[Lokki]

You dont get tadpoles back. it just refunds those the transformation would unlock.

[White Rider]

That would be awesome, thank you
Should clear up exactly what it gives you and whether there is actually a benefit to waiting on using it before the others or not

[Rando]

Makes your character ugly in exchange for unlocking the final tier of illithid powers.

[TheLuckyAce]

Tadpoles used with 23 in inventory
0 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
1 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
2
3
4
5 - 23 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + fly
6 - 22 skillpoints, unlocked T1 complete + chosen T2 + Fly

I will now unlock all T2 and do the same and than do a complete unlock all before eating the astral ;)