Baldur's Gate 3 - Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen Locations Guide

Baldur's Gate 3 is a hit with fans and critics alike, boasting an incredibly high Metacritic score of 96, making it one of 2023's highest-rated games, and one of the highest-scoring PC games of all time. But as great as it is, people still have hot takes, and thousands of fans have flocked to Reddit to share their own.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a pretty cool selection of companions for you to choose from, each with their own unique charms and quirks that makes travelling around with them and watching them interact with each other an absolute joy. However, a certain blunt Githyanki has caused somewhat of a stir on social media this past week, as some believe Lae'zal's status as the game's least popular companion is because female characters are held to a much higher standard than male ones.

After a while, existing purely as a host comprised of distilled cosmic horror and existential dread isn’t good enough in Baldur’s Gate 3. It doesn’t matter that you’ve gained messiah-like dominion over vast swathes of the current population – you need more. More power, more tadpoles, and more funky abilities. 

Baldur's Gate III is arguably the game of the summer, and it isn't even out on consoles yet. Developer Larian Studios has taken a "it'll be out when it's ready" approach to releasing the game on various platforms. After becoming an instant hit on Windows when it came out of early access earlier this month, Baldur's Gate III will land on PlayStation 5 and macOS on September 6th. The exact Xbox release date is still unclear, but Larian has finally confirmed the massive RPG will come to Microsoft's consoles later this year.

Throughout Baldur's Gate 3, you will spend time with a strange skeleton at camp. He's called Withers, and not much is known about him other than the fact he can respec your class and summon the dead to fight for you. But given his scene at the end of the game and the tomb you find him in, there's clearly more to Withers than meets the eye.

If there was ever a place that didn’t need more gloom, it’s Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Underdark. Between Baldur Gate 3‘s numerous monsters, the exploding fungi, and the pitch-black lake, the fantasy RPG game’s underground realm doesn’t scream holiday destination. So, naturally, that’s where miserable Mancunian presenter Karl Pilkington has been sent. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s no secret that Baldur’s Gate 3 is overflowing with content. Every corner is filled with a secret side quest that’s pretty easy to miss. After all, platinum-ing the game would take no less than 200 hours. Still, with the excitement of all the new mechanics, characters, and world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and start skipping content.

Not everything in Baldur’s Gate is entirely true, and you might learn this while reading Baldur’s Mouth as you’re exploring Baldur’s Gate 3. The city’s newspaper likes to embellish some details, especially if a story is particularly good. During the final act of Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s a character named Estra Stir who you can speak with, and it turns out she’s a journalist for the Baldur’s Mouth.

Karlach is one of the few companion characters you can find while playing Baldur’s Gate 3. Shortly after meeting her, you’ll discover that an infernal engine has gone into her chest, replacing her heart. It’s a device that can only function in Avernus, and she’s trying her best to repair it throughout your campaign. However, she has few options available, and it looks like the deck is stacked against her.

Here's where you can find Xur this weekend and what the Agent of the Nine has for sale.

I finally jumped into Baldur's Gate 3 yesterday and it's kick-started my desire to play through the campaign with multiple characters. The game feels like it's missing one perspective though - what if I don't want to remove the mind flayer parasite? What if I want it to take over from the get-go and start absolute chaos?

By Adi Robertson, a senior tech and policy editor focused on VR, online platforms, and free expression. Adi has covered video games, biohacking, and more for The Verge since 2011.