Remove the Parasite | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki

Remove the Parasite is a Quest in Baldur's Gate 3. Remove the Parasite can be acquired during the Chapter One of the first Act. Completing Remove the Parasite will progress the story forward.

Remove the Parasite Objectives

Find Zorru

• We found Zorru (in druid's cove). Lae'zel will want to speak with him.

Find the Githyanki Crèche

• Lae'zel says that we can be cured at a Githyanki crèche and hopes to find her kin nearby. 
• The Githyanki patrol is on northwest part of area, not far from Waukeen's Rest. However, even if you have Lae'zel in your team, they will likely attack you. You can avoid the fight by hiding the fact that your are infected, and that you were on the Nautiloid, via passing persuasion checks.
• If you do fight them and win, loot their bodies to find an Elaborate Plate. Use it to learn the location of the Crèche.

Rescue the Druid Halsin

• We learned that a powerful Druid named Halsin hasn't returned from an expedition into goblin territory. He might be able to help us. (visit Druid Grove to get the quest)
• The Druid Halsin was researching the parasite. He might be one of the few people who understands our condition - we need to find him.
• A group of adventurers were with Halsin when he disappeared. They might know what happened to him.
• Halsin's research suggests that the parasite is connected to a goblin camp located in an old temple of Selûne.
• Aradin told us the Druid Halsin was either killed or captured by the goblins. The only way to find out for sure is to infiltrate their camp.

Deal with Auntie Ethel

Get Auntie Ethel's help

• We met an eccentric old lady in the grove. She's confident she can remove our parasites and invited us to her teahouse. (She can first be found in Druid Grove, then she will appear in Sunlit Wetlands)
• Things turned violent with Auntie Ethel. She isn't happy with us.
• Aunt Ethel offered to help you remove the parasite in exchange for one of your eyes. However, if you really agree to do so, she will fail to remove it, due to it being tainted by strange shadow magic.

Ask the Goblin Priestess for help

Find the Goblin Priestess

• We learned that a goblin tribe is led by a priestess with powerful magic. Dealing with goblins is risky, but this might be one way to cure ourselves. (in Shattered Sanctum)

Get help from Healer Nettie

Find the Healer Nettie

• When we asked about healing, we were told to look for Nettie in the Inner Sanctum.

Follow Nettie.

• We told Nettie about the parasite. She seemed concerned and asked us to follow her to another room for treatment.
• Nettie tried to poison us, but we managed to talk her out of it. She let us go, but she made us promise to kill ourselves if we started to turn.

Tell Omeluum about the parasite

• When you explore the Underdark, there's a trader at Myconid Colony that finds your situation very interesting. His friend, Omeluum, a mind flayer himself offers to communicate with the larva if you get him the right ingredients.

Accept the Devil's Help

• Rapheal, a devil, will visit you at camp during one of the nights and propose to remove the parasite in your head.

Remove the Parasite Walkthrough

There are multiple clues about how to remove the parasite inside your brains. However, in Early Access, none of these methods can successfully remove the illithid larva in your head. You will have to find other means in the future adventures. (In Early access, there's no time limit for this quest.)

Githyanki Crèche

• If you trust Lae'zel, after saving her in Free Lae'zel, you need to travel to Druid Grove and interrogate a Tiefling named Zorru. He has clues for the Githyanki Crèche. (Let Lae'zel do interrogate may upset other companions, but earn you some of her approval.) You can also find the clue about Githyanki from a tiefling corpse at Blighted Village (with 3 ogres),  use the Speak with Dead spell on it.
• The Githyanki patrol can be found at The Risen Road. However, if you let them know you were on the nautiloid they will accuse you of stealing their sacred weapon and attack, even with Lae'zel on the team. 

Ask Nettie for Help

• If you turn to Nettie, a druid healer at Druid Grove for help, she will instead try to poison and imprison you, to prevent you from turning into a mind flayer. You will have to talk (persuasion checl) your way out of this or fight a way out.

The Goblin Priestess

• 
  At X144, Y441 there are 2 people tending to a dying man. If you tell them you are a survivor from the crushing Nautiloid they will attack, pretend to be the True Soul and you can order them to leave. Observe and crushing the tadpole of that dead man earns you the approvals of your companions. 
• If you saved Goblin Sazza at the makeshift prison (Save the Goblin Sazza), you may travel to Goblin camp and seek help from the Goblin Priestess. Goblin Priestess Gut can be found at Shattered Sanctum, although she claim to be able to heal you. If you let her do her work you will be knocked out and imprisoned in Defiled Temple (You can let Gut mark you in order to use Gloves of Power, but Shadowheart will disapprove this. If you get drugged, you need to pass ACROBATICS or ATHLETICS checks to get free.).

Auntie Ethel

• There's an Old hag lived in Sunlit Wetlands that claims can solve your problem. (Quest Save Mayrina)  She offers to help you remove the parasite in exchange for one of your eyes. (Your companions will disapprove that.) However, if you really agree to do so, she will fail, Due to it been tainted by strange shadow magic. And you gain a permnant debuff.

 Get Help from Druid Halsin

• At Druid Grove, you can get a quest to save Druid Halsin. (Save the refugees) Travel to Goblin Camp, you can find the druid imprisoned in Worg Pens, in the form of a bear. ( To infiltrate the goblin camp, you can have goblin Sazza to vouch for you. (Quest Save the Goblin Sazza) Use the passage on the right of the front gate. (Use jump to reach there). Or, you can try to persuade the goblin garrison, by using the tadpole's psionic power, or pass the Deception (15)/ Nature (10) / Intimidation (15) checks and obey goblin's commands. To enter the Shattered Sanctum peacefully, either uses the psionic power, or pass Deception (15) check. )
• Defeat the goblins in Worg Pens to free Halsin, he agrees to help you when you killed all three Goblin leaders.
• After the goblin leaders been dealt with, Halsin suggests you travel to Moonrise Towers for the cure.

Let Volo try His Methods

• If you saved Volo from Shattered Sanctum (Quest: Rescue Volo), talk to him at Camp. If you let him examine you, he'll confirm that there is indeed a parasite in your head. Volo will ask for some time to refresh his memory and then work on the parasite the following day. The next time you return to Volo after sleeping at the camp, he'll be prepared to try and remove the parasite. If you really let Volo try his method, he will knock out one of your eyes and replace it with Volo's Ersatz Eye. This eye gives you permanent "See Invisibility".
• Note that this also causes Volo to immediately leave your camp, which may be undesirable as he's an extremely useful to keep around as a vendor. He sells useful scrolls and is a great way to offload your junk for gold.

Maiden of Pain 

• Abdirak, a worshiper of Loviater (Maiden of Pain) at Shattered Sanctum claim his Mistress can deal with the parasite. However, letting him torture you and your companions won't do anything about it. (Instead, you lose some health, and gain "Favor of Loviatar", a permanent buff.)

Omeluum, the Illithid in Underdark

• When you explore the Underdark, there's a trader at Myconid Colony that finds your situation very interesting. His friend, Omeluum, a mind flayer himself offers to communicate with the larva if you get him the right ingredients. (Tongue of Madness mushroom and Timmask Spores)
• The ingredient required by Omeluum can be found in Arcane Tower, which is located at the southwest of the Underdark. However, its front gate is guarded by 2 arcane turrets. You can use Misty step or Feather Fall to climb the mushrooms on cliff near the arcane tower. 
• Tongue of Madness Mushrooms can also be purchased from Derryth Bonecloak, and Timmask Spores can be purchased from Blurg, both of whom reside near Omelumm in the Myconid Colony.
  
• In order to Turn off the Arcane Turrets and activate the elevator, you need to reach the first floor of the Tower, and then combine Sussur Blossom with the generator. (You can find some at the backyard)
  
• To access the basement of the arcane tower either jump down the gap of the wooden stairwell leading to the elevator. Or pick "How can I trust..." when speaking to guardian Bernard, get and equip the Guiding Light ring, then use the elevator.
  
• Inside the basement, there are some Tongue of Madness mushrooms and Timmask Spore.
• Return them to Omeluum, and he will make a potion for you to drink (Intelligence check 8 and 13). After the investigation, Omeluum finds nothing useful and fail to remove the larva. Instead, he is willing to trade with you a Ring of Mind-Shielding, to protect you from further damage from the larva. (Intimidation DC20, or buy it in his Trade menu)

 How to unlock Remove the Parasite

• Auto acquired.

Remove the Parasite Rewards

• Rewards

Remove the Parasite Notes & Tips

• Notes & tips go here
• Attacking the Trader Roah Moonglow in the Goblin Encampment of Selune's Temple causes the subquest "Deal with Auntie Ethel" to fail.

Lore about Mind Flayers/Illithids and the Ceremorphosis

Mind flayers (illithids) are genderless creatures, without male or female biological sex, and once or twice in their life they would lay a clutch of eggs from which tadpoles hatched. The tadpoles were kept in the elder brain tank, where they were fed brains by caretakers and engaged in cannibalism for around ten years. The elder brain also fed exclusively on tadpoles. Tadpoles that survived to maturity were put through the ceremony of ceremorphosis, where each was implanted into a humanoid victim and devoured its brain, taking its place and merging with the body to transform it into a new illithid. Only some humanoid species were suitable hosts for illithid tadpoles.

The multiplication of mind flayer colonies happened when a tadpole, quite rarely, through ceremorphosis, created a more powerful form known as an ulitharid (meaning "noble devourer" in Undercommon), which was biologically bigger, stronger, and more powerful and cunning than regular mind flayers. They possessed six face tentacles instead of the regular four. Most notably, however, they were not controlled by the elder brain. The appearance of an ulitharid caused a burst of growth in both the colony's size and capabilities. Elder brains grudgingly accepted the appearance of a potential rival, because eventually the ulitharid broke off from the colony. When doing so, it took a few mind flayers with it and sought to establish a new colony in a distant location from the original. Eventually, the ulitharid transformed into a new elder brain.

The process of ceremorphosis usually requires seven days on humanoid creatures, after the initial stage was completed, the original creature was lost and beyond help, except for Wish or Miracle (Lv 9 spells). Over a period of approximately one week, the host's body underwent extensive morphological and tissue changes, completely transforming into a mind flayer. Internal organs were reshaped, but retained their original purpose. Until ceremorphosis was completed, the emerging mind flayer remained helpless.

If, for some reason, a mature tadpole did not undergo the process of ceremorphosis, it became a ravenous predatory creature known as an illithocyte or, if allowed to grow out of control, a neothelid.  These creatures were considered abhorrent by the illithids and were mercilessly hunted. Tadpoles implanted dragons that do not result in death of either the dragon or tadpole from failure at implantation similarly become Brainstealer Dragons, vicious creatures whose original brain reversed the process on the tadpole and consumed it, retaining its draconic nature with new mind flayer like features and, which in cases of adult to mature adult age categories, is too powerful to get controlled by the colony Elder Brain.

Neothelids were slime-covered worms with a quadri-tentacled mouth that resembled gigantic versions of illithid tadpoles. They were often mistaken due to their purple skin, and massive larval body structure.  A typical neothelid is about 120 ft long, and shared numerous abilities with illithids and elder brains, capable of levitating at will, resisting magical abilities, sensing sentient beings, and possessing blindsight.  Neothelids could use their mouth tentacles to squeeze and draw in prey, swallowing them whole and digesting them from inside their stomachs.