Players who choose the Mountain Pass route near the tail end of the first act of Baldur's Gate 3, will eventually find a Githyanki Creche, where the party can follow a lead on how to remove the Illithid parasite swimming in their brains. The process involves a Zaith'isk, a suspicious device that's supposedly designed for tadpole extraction.

Here, Baldur's Gate 3 players will be presented with a choice: will they enter the purification pod, or should they let Lae'zel have the honor? This may not seem like an important decision, but the choice players make here can have major consequences for the rest of the playthrough. Here's what happens in this encounter.

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Updated on April 29, by Nahda Nabiilah: The Zaith'isk is a Githyanki contraption that supposedly cures those who are suffering from a Mind Flayer Tadpole. The machine can be found deep inside the Infirmary of Creche Y'llek in the Mountain Pass. Once you speak with the doctor there, it's possible to let Lae'zel use the machine first instead of the players, if she tags along with Tav to the infirmary. The fate of whether Tav or Lae'zel goes into the Zaith'isk first all lies in the players' hands.

Should Lae'zel Use the Zaith'isk In Baldur's Gate 3?

The short answer is: probably not. Lae'zel has been insistent on visiting the Creche ever since the start of the game, so letting her use the Zaith'isk would seem like the obvious choice. The reason why players shouldn't do this is that using the Zaith'isk on anyone will actually inflict a permanent debuff on them, and it's going to be especially brutal to Lae'zel.

Once Lae'zel sits on the Zaith'isk, the machine will start violently "purifying" her of the tadpole. Players get three chances to convince her that the Zaith'isk is doing the complete opposite. The problem here is that the skill checks needed to pull Lae'zel out of the operation all have Difficulty Classes of 30, making them almost impossible to win against if players aren't the smoothest of talkers in Faerun.

Regardless of what happens, Lae'zel will survive the operation. Even the option to sit back and watch or goad her into giving in will result in her survival. The main kicker is that she will then have a permanent -2 penalty to all ability scores.

Should You Use The Zaith'isk In Baldur's Gate 3?

If players use the Zaith'isk themselves, Lae'zel will disapprove but yield to the decision. The same operation will commence but this time, the skill checks will be somewhat easier. Certain classes like Warlocks can use special options that will lower the DCs of these checks, further increasing the chances of success. Still, failure will result in the debuff afflicting the character, so make sure to save before attempting this.

Alternatively, players can just skip this step altogether. Instead of going to the infirmary, head to the commander's room and try to gain an audience with the inquisitor. Players won't be able to proceed with Lae'zel's companion quest normally this way, but they'll still be able to reach the Blood of Lathander after they deal with the inquisitor deeper into the facility.

Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG