On your quests during Act 1, you might run into Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3, who offers you a trade deal. However, this is a trap that will end up with you paying the price with your eyeball. Unable to perform critical hits or perception checks, you have no choice but to hunt down the hag who did this to you. This leads to a fairly tough boss fight where you need to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3.
This quest line also involves you having to save Mayrina, as the old hag will try to kill her during the fight. The Hag also has access to some powerful illusion magic, and you need to discern her real location. Learn how to save Mayrina and beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3.
How to find Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3
There will be a total of three encounters against Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3. The first takes place on the southern side of the Blighted Village. Two men will be interrogating her, and she will seek your aid. Should you deny it, she will vanish away. If you choose to help her and seek her aid later for a curse she claims to cure you of, she will steal your right eye, and you will have to chase after her. Note that Auntie Ethel is from the evil-alignment and there can be no redemption for her.
Make your way to the Riverside Teahouse and prepare yourself for a combat encounter where the old hag Auntie Ethel reveals her true colours.
How to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3
For this first encounter, you can choose to launch a surprise attack on her and get the first hit. The first phase is relatively easier, and she is holding back her true powers in this area. She will rely primarily on melee attacks in this first fight, and you can avoid those by blocking her path to you with the various items lying around. We recommend a party level of around 10 to beat Auntie Ethel in her first phase.
Once you defeat her, she will run away into her lair, and you need to follow her through the fireplace and enter the Overgrown Tunnel cave. Here you must unlock the Gnarled Door to enter the boss room. You can do this by equipping the Whispering Mask Helmet lying near the door. If you choose to simply walk through the door, Auntie Ethel will kill this victim. Unequip the mask and head on.
Jump across the waterfall ahead, and you'll run into some fumes. To clear out the Noxious Fumes, light them ablaze and throw a useless item on top of the now visible ruptured stone to seal it for good. Now the real fight will begin.
Auntie Ethel second fight tips
Here is a list of tips and pointers you need to remember if you want to beat Auntie Ethel and save Mayrina during this encounter.
- Auntie Ethel will light Mayrina's cage on fire during the first turn. You need a water spell or water bottles to save her.
- If you don't kill the masked minions on your way to her lair, they will be summoned during the fight and make it more challenging.
- Auntie Ethel will summon illusory copies of herself. Use a lasting spell with an effect to track the real one. Alternatively, AoE spells and Magic Missile are great options, as the clones disappear after taking a bit of damage.
- When she disguises herself as Mayrina, you can notice a faint illusory effect to notice the fake. You can also use a low-damage AoE attack to differentiate between the two.
- A method to cheese this fight is to use Thunderwave and push her off the cliff she's standing on. However, this means you miss out on some of her valuable drops.
What are the rewards for defeating Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3?
Here is a list of all the rewards you can get after beating Auntie Ethel:
- 250 XP
- 3x Potion of Hill Giant Strength
- Spellthief
- Corellon’s Grace
- Access to the Acrid Workshop and its loot
- A skill point
That's all you need to know about how to save Mayrina and beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3. For more on the game, check out our Baldur's Gate 3 class tier list and race tier list, as well as some tips on the best builds to use.