BG3 players discover how to save The Hag’s victims & still get the Hair Boon

Auntie Ethel, or The Hag, has become somewhat of an iconic character in Baldur’s Gate 3. You run across her many times, and the first encounter leads you into her lair where she keeps innocent victims on her leash – and there’s a way to save them while still getting the Hair Boon.

Auntie Ethel is one of the more interesting characters in Baldur’s Gate 3, and her story is quite prevalent through the entirety of the game. You meet her for the first time in the swamp of Act 1, and when you discover her lair, you see the horrors she inflicts on others in technicolor.

What some players may not know, though, is that you can actually save all of her victims from their torment if you kill her.

“Barring the decapitated girl and the blind lady which are just corpses you can pretty much save all the victims from that Hag,” ‘Carsismi’ shared on Reddit. 

The easiest way to do this is to trap Auntie Ethel in her Teahouse before she can flee to her lair. You need to find the secret entrance, which is disguised as a fireplace, and use Arcane Lock on it.

The main issue with doing it this way is that you can’t get the Hair from Auntie Ethel that you would normally get from following her into her lair when she escapes. She must be killed here if you want to save the victims.

So, alternatively, another player shared a way you can kill Auntie Ethel, get her Hair Boon reward, and save her victims:

1. Do not kill the masked victims you encounter when you enter her lair. Use stealth or invisibility to get past them.
2. Start the fight against Auntie Ethel, but keep one of your party members out of combat.
3. Get her HP low enough so she starts a dialogue with you.
4. Pass all the checks and choose your Hair Boon.
5. Before continuing with dialogue, switch to the out of combat character.
6. Stealth in and kill her. Make sure you get this in one shot, otherwise she will teleport away.

Once Ethel dies here (temporarily, at least), you will have saved the victims you can from her curse, saved Mayrina, and got the Hair Boon – which gives you +1 to a stat of your choice.

Remember to get Auntie Ethel’s HP low before Mayrina’s cage breaks and falls, otherwise she will die here too. Otherwise, make sure you’re prepared for this fight, as it’s one of the more difficult ones you can encounter in Act 1.