There are a lot of factors that can go into whether a boss fight is a breeze or a harsh battle. However, each boss has an exploitable weakness or aspect to turn the tides in your favor. Considering the placement of the Auntie Ethel fight, you might not be fully prepared. Though, that doesn’t mean victory is impossible.
Auntie Ethel Baldur’s Gate 3 Boss Guide
You’ll find Auntie Ethel in the Gnarled Teahouse at X:-50, Y:263. If you attack her here, you’ll just have to follow through the dungeon anyway, so just head there without starting anything.
Overgrown Tunnel
When you walk by the fireplace in the Teahouse, anyone in your party that passes an Investigation Check will remark that it isn’t real. It is actually a passageway, so walk onto the fake coals and use the wooden staircase to get into the Overgrown Tunnel.
Auntie Ethel (looking very hag-ish) will meet you at the bottom, telling you to leave. Even if you chose to attack her in the teahouse, the dialogue will be the same. Your only hope from here is to work your way through the dungeon. There will be several enemy encounters, but they shouldn’t be too difficult.
Noxious Fumes Trap Area
There’s no perfect way down, and the fumes cannot be extinguished through fire. Your best hope is to jump across the first gap (being wary of the trap on the right side) and then jump down to the gas below by the ladder.
You’ll take small damage by landing in the fumes, but it provides the best option to avoid any further damage. Continue jumping to a lower safe platform, and you will eventually reach the bottom. You will see Mayrina in a cage ahead, but now is the time to heal any lingering wounds.
Auntie Ethel Fight
The first thing Auntie Ethel will do is light Mayrina’s cage on fire, giving you a time limit. She will also split into three enemies, each at level five with 78 HP. However, two are fakes that will vanish when enough damage has been dealt. Thus, if any have grouped up, use an Arrow of Fire as your first move to catch them in the AoE (area of effect).
After you do enough damage to the real one, she will go invisible and split even further. At least one is likely to cast Hold Person on your party, so target them first to break their Concentration.
If you can, hit where you think she is with some sort of explosion, like an Arrow of Roaring Thunder or something similar. This fight is somewhat about luck, but if you hit hard enough and focus on the real Auntie Ethel, it shouldn’t be too tough. Your party should have a decent enough initiative by now to act in sequence and not be split up to let the fakes take over. Before long, you should have her dead.
With Auntie Ethel defeated, go to the yellow orb near the cage and use it so Mayrina will be released. She will be less than grateful, but you can take a door in the back that will lead to a Mushroom Circle to teleport you out. This way, you don’t have to bother with going back up the Noxious Fumes.
This is the end of Auntie Ethel, but it isn’t necessarily the end of Mayrina’s story if you want to continue that quest. For more on the many boss fights in Baldur’s Gate 3, check out our links below.
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