How to save Captain Grisly in Baldur’s Gate 3

In the ‘Save Vanra’ quest in Baldur’s Gate 3, you come across Captain Grisly – who is not exactly what she seems. Here is how you can save her. 

Baldur’s Gate 3 quests often have quite a few different factors to consider, which means you can also get a variety of different endings. ‘Save Vanra’ is no exception to this, especially when Captain Grisly’s true identity is revealed. 

So, if you want to try and save her from her fate, here is how you can do it – and complete the quest her story is tied to. 

How to save Captain Grisly in Baldur’s Gate 3

To save Captain Grisly in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to either knock her out or ignore her when you go into the Hag’s lair beneath the Blushing Mermaid. 

Once you find out that the Captain Grisly you meet in the Blushing Mermaid is really the Hag, or Auntie Ethel, it becomes clear that the real woman has been brainwashed or killed. 

To find the real Captain Grisly, go down the stairs just behind where you met the fake version of her. Go through the door, and you will find yourself in a small room. Follow these steps to save the Captain: 

1. Climb up the barrels to a small alcove at the back of the room. 
2. One of these walls is an illusion – walk through it when you pass an Investigation check. 
3. Climb down the ladder and go through the doors. 

You should find yourself in a larger room where a masked Captain Grisly and three more unlucky souls have been kidnapped. 

Here is where you either need to knock Captain Grisly out or avoid the masked people completely to make sure she survives. Then, you need to defeat the Hag, and the Captain should be free from her influence after this. 

How to complete ‘Save Vanra’ in Baldur’s Gate 3 

Before you get to Captain Grisly in Baldur’s Gate 3, there are a few things you need to prepare to complete the ‘Save Vanra’ quest. 

You can first get the quest from Lora, who can be found in the Barracks near Basilisk Gate in Baldur’s Gate. She will ask you to save her daughter, Vanra, and that the last place she saw her was in the Blushing Mermaid. 

When you head here first is also when you meet “Captain Grisly” for the first time. She will tell you a story about how Lora is actually a terrible mother and asks you to kill her. Here, you should choose this dialogue option: “Absolutely not – I refuse to do your dirty work.”

The Hag will then reveal herself and tell you that she’s swallowed Vanra, before disappearing and leaving you to fight against some Red Caps. After the battle, there’s something else you need to do before you go after Ethel, and that’s complete the ‘Save the Hag Survivors’ quest. 

Complete ‘Save the Hag Survivors’

This quest can be found at Old Garlow’s Place, a rundown building just east of the Counting House (X:-51; Y:-145). 

When you enter the house, you will find some people who have been through hell thanks to the Hag. Plus, you will discover that Mayrina – who was captured by the Hag in Act 1 – has also been turned into a sheep. 

This is obviously assuming that you have actually saved Mayrina from the Hag. Otherwise, she won’t be there. You can save Mayrina by destroying the creepy laughing voodoo doll in her room. Another fight will break out as one of the people in the house is revealed to be a spy for the Hag. 

Once this has been done, you will receive a key to the Hag’s lair and a recipe for Hag’s Bane. This is what you need to use on the Hag so she can vomit up Vanra. It’s made using one Dried Fey Flower and any type of essence, and you can craft it in your Alchemy menu.

The key will unlock the door you find in the same room where the real Captain Grisly is. Once you have the potion in hand, return to the Blushing Mermaid, go through the door to the Hag’s lair, kill the Hag (and remember to throw the Hag’s Bane on her so Vanra can come out), and you will have saved Vanra and Captain Grisly. 

If you want to know more about Baldur’s Gate 3, make sure to check out some of our other guides below.

Baldur’s Gate 3: How to get Annals of Karsus | How to get Slippery Chain Shirt in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to get Slippery Chain Shirt in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to get Leave No One Behind achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to recruit Malus Thorm in Baldur’s Gate 3 | Baldur’s Gate 3: How to summon hidden Ooze Monster