How to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3

Auntie Ethel, the sweet old lady you meet in Emerald Grove, is nothing but a vicious hag, and you must defeat her to save dozens of lives. Here’s all you need to know about Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3, including her location and how to beat her easily.

Baldur’s Gate 3 takes you on an epic journey across Faerun, where you’ll face many enemies, including Mind Flayers, Undead, and more. But among the many dangerous creatures in this world, Hags remain some of the most cunning and hardest to beat ones.

In the Druid Grove, you’ll stumble upon Auntie Ethel, who can shift shapes and create illusions. As a result, you might think of her as an ally first, but in reality, she’s one of the most terrifying bosses you’ll face in the game.

Here’s Auntie Ethel’s location in Baldur’s Gate 3 and how to beat her.

• Where to find Auntie Ethel in BG3
• How to save Mayrina in BG3
• How to beat Auntie Ethel in BG3

Where to find Auntie Ethel in BG3

You can find Auntie Ethel at the Riverside Teahouse in the Putrid Bog in Baldur’s Gate 3. After you reach her lair in Baldur’s Gate 3, Auntie Ethel transforms into her Hag form.

Before trying to take on Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3, make sure you’ve got to at least level 4 to attempt to defeat her. However, for the encounter to go smoothly, you should ideally be level 5 or higher. Auntie Ethel is at level 5, and whittling her health bar down can be exhausting.

Here’s what you should do at this point:

1. If you choose a peaceful encounter with the Hag, you won’t need to fight her. However, this means that you can’t save Mayrina either. Once things turn hostile, she teleports Mayrina elsewhere and disappears herself as well. To find them, you need to go through the fireplace, which is just an illusion meant to hide a doorway.
2. There’s another illusion here called the Gnarled Door, which, like the fireplace, is also transparent. You’ll come across four people wearing masks that let the Hag control them. You can find some of these masks in the previous room, and have your party equip them to avoid combat.
3. However, while wearing the mask, you and your companions must pass a difficult Wisdom check every few seconds. Any character who fails the check will become Auntie Ethel’s puppet and remain unplayable until she is dealt with. The other option is to kill the other four puppets. After this section, you need to jump across the waterfall.
4. There are poison clouds here, which you can set on fire or douse with a water spell. The poison will eventually return, so you’ll have to pass through this area quickly. You can then reach the Ancient Abode where you can defeat Auntie Ethel and save Mayrina in Baldur’s Gate 3.

How to save Mayrina in Baldur’s Gate 3

In Baldur’s Gate 3, when you reach the Hag in the Ancient Abode, you’ll find that she’s keeping Mayrina trapped in a cage overlooking a bottomless pit. She immediately sets the Gnarled Cage on fire, and if you don’t act fast, it will burn down, resulting in Mayrina falling to her death.

Here’s what you can do to save Mayrina in Baldur’s Gate 3:

1. There are several ways to free Mayrina from the cage. You can put out the fire with a bottle of water or the ‘Create or Destroy Water’ spell, which Shadowheart has at her disposal. You can also activate the glowing yellow Control Orb on the west side of the pit.
2. To hit the Control Orb, you can send a character there, use Mage Hand, or employ a ranged attack. Once you’ve activated the Control Orb, you need to defeat Auntie Ethel before the cage eventually collapses. The cage will lower when the Hag is dead and Mayrina can walk out.
3. If you decide to douse the fire instead, Auntie Ethel will teleport Mayrina out of the cage and disguise herself as Mayrina. Examine them both and see which one is wet from the water spell. Attack the dry Mayrina and the Hag’s spell will fail.

How to beat Auntie Ethel in BG3

Here are the methods you can use to beat the Hag in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Auntie Ethel summons three duplicates of herself on her second round that can use the same spells. You can debuff the original with a spell even before she summons the copies. Another option is to use Magic Missile to hit all of them at once. The illusions will disappear with any amount of damage.
• Auntie Ethel dies instantly if she is pushed into the massive chasm Mayrina’s cage is suspended over. However, this offers you the fewest rewards and it won’t be easy, as she’s quite strong and heavy.
• Yet another strategy is to use ranged attacks to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3. Gale and Astarion are both useful in this regard and if the latter is classed as a Thief, you can also get in close and do some heavy damage.

That covers everything you should know to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more guides on the game, check these out below:

How to romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3 | When to Long Rest in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to craft Potions in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to help the Local Rat & open The Pantry Chest in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to complete Search the Cellar quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 | Best weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3: Stats, tips & where to find them | How to get Mourning Frost legendary staff in Baldur’s Gate 3