Baldur’s Gate 3 is the next-generation RPG from Larian Studios that allows players to delve into the Forgotten Realms. Being inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop games, it features countless mechanics that make that game interesting.
Aside from the vast world and countless class combinations, players can also complete hundreds of side quests filled with interesting characters. One of these quests will require you to save Vanra and find Auntie Ethel. This guide will help you complete this quest.
Finding Vanra & Auntie Ethel
Location
To start off, you will need to head over the Basilisk Gate Barracks which is right next to the Basilisk Gate Portal. First, travel to the portal and then from there take the stairs to the right to enter the barracks.
Once inside the barracks, you will need to head inside the building. For this, open the door on the right and inside you will find a woman arguing with the captain. Talk to Lora to begin the interaction where she will be asking for help locating her daughter Vanra.
In the first dialogue choice, select the second option so that you can help Lora locate her daughter. She will inform you that Vanra was taken when they were visiting Blushing Mermaid. In the next dialogue choice, select the option of going to Blushing Mermaid to continue the quest.
Blushing Mermaid
Next, you will need to head to Blushing Mermaid, as shown in the map image below. Once at the location, head inside and go into the room at the right. Here you will find Captain Grizly who is suffering from a rather bad hangover. Talk to her to start the interaction with her.
In the first dialogue choice, inquire about Vanra from the Captain. She will inform you that there was no kid with Vanra when she was at the bar. She will then ask you to kill Vanra for 3000 Gold. In the next dialogue choice, reject her offer. She will then show her true colors by turning into Auntie Ethel.
In the next dialogue choice, you can ask Auntie Ethel how she is alive. This will lead to her telling you that she essentially ate Vanra since her previous child was lost.
In the next choice, you will have to demand the hag to surrender Vanra immediately. She will then disappear, and you will have to defeat her crew to complete this part of the quest.
Old Garlow’s Place
The next part of this quest will lead you to Old Garlow’s place, which can also be found in the Lower City towards the South. You will have to break open the Oak Door to the place in order to gain entry. Once inside, open the door on the right, and your interaction with Adrielle will commence.
In the first dialogue choice, select the Intimidation option to prove that you are not with Ethel. Adrielle will believe you and tell you that she was just trying to be cautious. In the next set of choices, choose the second option to inquire about methods to kill Ehtel.
She will inform you that Mayrina was searching into that. In the next dialogue choice, select the first option so that Adrielle can know that you saved Mayrina and her child. She will finally inform you that Mayrina can be found upstairs, but she is not the same as before.
Helping Mayrina
When you head upstairs, you will notice that Mayrina has been turned into a sheep due to the Hex. Use the Speak to Animal spells to converse with her, and she will inform you that there is a doll in the room. Once the interaction ends, you should notice a shining green doll on the other side of the room.
Select Shadowheart and use the Remove Curse spell on the Voodoo doll to dispel the curse. This will be followed by a short cutscene where Jatlo will reveal himself as the traitor. Defeat him and the enemies that are spawned to move on to the next part of the quest.
Mayrina Interaction
After you have defeated the enemies, head downstairs and interact with Mayrina. She will thank you for saving her and inform you that her group was made of people who were hurt by the hag.
In the next dialogue choice tell Mayrina that you will kill Ehtel again. She will inform you that she has done research on the hag and will tell you to open the locker and take it.
The locker will contain journal entries that can be read to learn the recipe of Hag’s Bane. Also, take the Ashes of Dried Fey Flower that are contained in the locker.
Crafting Hag’s Bane
Before confronting Ethel, you will need to craft Hag’s Bane. For this, you will most likely need to head over to a Potions Shop. It might be possible that you have ingredients whose essence can be extracted already.
If you do so, then there is no need to head to the shop since you need to purchase ingredients whose essence can be extracted.
The shop that we recommend going to is the one near the Wyrm’s Rock Fortress. There will be the South Span of Wyrm’s Crossing Portal near the location, so use that to your advantage.
Take the ladder to enter the shop and barter with the owner. We recommend purchasing three Swarming Toadstools since these can be converted into essence easily.
After purchasing them, extract their essence from your inventory and craft the Hag’s Bane. You will already have the Ashes of the Dried Fey Flower, so the essence was the only missing ingredient.
Confronting Auntie Ethel
Now that the Hag’s Bane has been crafted, the next step is to defeat Auntie Ethel to save Vanra. For this, head back to the Blushing Mermaid and go to the basement.
Inside the basement, you will need to jump over the barrels to proceed further. To the left, there will be a fake wall that you can go through.
Go down and break open the door to reveal the Hag’s hideout. Here walk on the path on the left and take the first left that you can find.
Break open this door as well to reveal another section of the hideout. Once you head up the stairs a short cutscene with Ehtel will play and then the fight will commence.
In the fight, do not kill Ethel since Vanra will also die with her. Simply go near her and use the Throw ability to throw the Hag’s Bane at her. This will be followed by a cutscene in which she will throw up Vanra. After defeating Ethel, Vanra runs away in fear for her life.
Visiting Lora
After saving Vanra, head to Lora’s House, as shown in the map image below. Upon entering the house, you should see Vanra next to the mother. Simply talk to Lora, and she will thank you for saving her child. She will give you the Amulet of Windrider and Duelist’s Prerogative.
Talking to Mayrina
Finally, you will need to head back to Old Garlow’s Place in order to talk with Mayrina. Here you will need to tell her of your progress, and she will show disappointment in not being able to save Connor.
In the next dialogue choice persuade her to kill Connor since that will be a mercy. Once she does that, offer her your condolences, and the quest will end.
You will receive a Fey Semblance Amulet from Mayrina as a reward. If you found this guide helpful, let us know in the comments below. Use the comments if you have any questions or suggestions for future content.
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