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Auntie Ethel is one of the first bosses players will face in Baldur’s Gate 3 and many of you might wonder if it even is possible to defeat her at levels 3 to 4. With a lot of clones, Masks thralls to help her, and very powerful spells, the battle with Auntie Ethel can be horrible for players that don’t know a lot about DnD. Well, it is very possible to beat this Hag, at any level, if you have a Cleric in your party that can stop all of her powers with a single spell. Here is exactly where Auntie Ethel is hiding in the cave, how to defeat her with ease at level 3, and what loot and rewards you can get from her in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Give Auntie Ethel Your Eye? Answered
Auntie Ethel Boss Fight Location in Baldur’s Gate 3
Auntie Ethel can first be met in the Emerald Grove, as a friendly alchemist NPC, and then later, a bit to the southwest, while talking to the worried brothers of Mayrina. You will then have to walk through the swamp and find her inside the Tea House.
She will first teleport behind the fireplace. Just head inside and then down the stairs. Once you manage to get through all the puzzles and traps, you will reach a room where Mayrina is hanging in a wooden cage over a Chasm.
If you just head into this room, Auntie Ethel will reveal herself from her Invisibility spell, set fire to Myrina’s cell, summon illusion doubles, and call the Masks, if you haven’t defeated them. To make sure you stop her from all of these annoying moves, you need to attack her before she attacks you.
You can see in the image above the exact location where Auntie Ethel is hiding with her invisibility spell, close to the Control Orb (yellow orb) that you could use to bring Myrina’s cage down to free her.
How to Defeat the Auntie Ethel in BG3 – Easily Win the Fight
Auntie Ethel can be one of the easiest or the hardest fights in BG3, depending on your knowledge of the game’s mechanics. The normal, “fair” way to fight her would be to walk into the room and face her, the illusions, and the Masks, while Myrina’s cage burns down.
Unfortunately, that is incredibly unfair and it would be a very hard fight that you will most likely lose.
So, what you need to win the fight with Auntie Ethel in BG3 is:
- Silence spell
- Scroll of Invisibility
- Spider Egg Sac
You don’t actually need to be invisible or use the Spider Egg Sac, but it would help a lot. If you have Shadowheart in your party, you can have her learn the Silence spell at level 3 Cleric.
So, what you need to do for this fight to win is to cast Silence on the space where Auntie Ethel is hiding in the room, block the path where she could run out of the Silence area of effect with your party, and defeat her inside the bubble.
The way you would set up the party would be to place three party members on the southern side of the part bridge and one, invisible party member right next to her, blocking the path to the north.
To protect Myrina, just throw a bottle of water into her cage before the fight.
Once everyone is in place, while in Stealth, cast Silence on the area where she is hiding and throw the Spider Egg Sac right next to her to trigger the battle. Auntie Ethel is afraid of spiders, making her Frightened at the start of the fight.
This means that she can’t move for two turns and that she is stuck inside the Silence area of effect, making her extremely vulnerable.
Should You Take the Ability Point or Defeat Auntie Ethel? Best Choice
After you manage to lower her HP below 20 in BG3, Auntie Ethel will teleport Myrina out of her cell next to her and start talking to one of the party members that are right next to her. Here is what you need to do to trigger the Ability +1 cutscene:
- Lower Auntie Ethel’s HP under 20.
- Once that happens, remove the Silence spell before her turn.
- Leave only your best Persuasion character right next to her.
You will now get a cutscene where Auntie Ethel will offer you a +1 Ability point if you spare her and let her leave with Myrina. If you pass an Intimidation check, you can get both the Ability point and save Myrina.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: All Ways to Increase Ability Scores
However, this means that you wouldn’t end Auntie Ethel, which means that the Masks would still be enthralled, the prisoners that accepted bad deals will still suffer forever, and Auntie Ethel will still be out there to cause mayhem.
Well, major spoilers here, but the best choice is to intimidate Auntie Ethel and save Myrina and keep the Ability point bonus, sparing the Hag. Even if you defeat Auntie Ethel, she will revive and come back later in Act 3.
All that would happen is that you will miss out on an Ability point, which is actually one of the greatest rewards you can get in BG3.
Auntie Ethel Loot in BG3
Depending on how you end the battle with Auntie Ethel in BG3, you can either get +1 Ability Score, Auntie Ethel’s Charm, which gives you a lot of buffs until you Long Rest, or the following items from her body as loot:
- Corellon’s Grace – Uncommon Quarterstaff that gives you +1 to damage and attack rolls for Unarmed and +2 to saving throws if unarmored
- Tarnished Charm – easier to succeed death saving throws
- Flammable Slime Ball – the flammable ball that Ethel throws at Myrina’s cage
And that is all you need to know about how to defeat Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3. Check out other interesting BG3 guides and articles:
