You thought she was dead. Most players do. You dump Auntie Ethel into that yawning chasm in the Ancient Abode during Act 1, grab your +1 Ability Score hair, and strut away thinking the nightmare is over. It isn't. Baldur’s Gate 3 has a nasty habit of bringing back its best villains, and Ethel is the queen of grudges. If you’re looking into avenge the hag survivors bg3, you’re likely standing in the Lower City, staring at a poster or talking to a frantic mother named Lora, realizing that the "dead" swamp witch is currently terrorizing a whole new neighborhood.
It’s personal this time.
Finding the Survivors in the Lower City
Locating the actual quest hub is half the battle. You won't find a massive glowing objective marker right away. Instead, head over to Old Garlow’s Place. It’s a dilapidated building east of the Counting House. Inside, things look grim. You’ll meet a group of people who have been physically and mentally scarred by Ethel’s "deals." They aren’t heroes. They are broken, terrified, and honestly, a little bit suspicious of you.
Mayrina is there. Or at least, she might be, depending on if you saved her and her undead-zombie husband back in the Sunlit Wetlands. If she’s alive, she’s leading this ragtag group of survivors. If she’s not? The vibe is significantly more depressed.
The quest avenge the hag survivors bg3 isn't just a simple "kill the monster" contract. It’s a rescue mission buried inside a revenge plot. You quickly learn that Ethel has kidnapped a child named Vanra from the Blushing Mermaid tavern. The survivors want Ethel dead, but they also want to make sure the cycle of hags ends here. To do that, you need more than just a sharp sword. You need alchemy.
Why You Can’t Just Start Swinging
If you run into the Blushing Mermaid and start Smite-ing everything that moves, Vanra dies. It’s that simple. Ethel has a "protection" policy. She swallowed the child. Literally. If you kill the hag while the kid is still in her stomach, you’re just an accidental child killer. Not exactly the "hero" look most people are going for.
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This is where the survivors' expertise becomes vital. They’ve been researching "Hag’s Bane." It’s a special grenade—or a coated weapon—that forces a hag to vomit up whatever she’s recently consumed. To make it, you need the essence of a dried fey flower. You’ll find the recipe and the ingredients right there in Old Garlow’s Place, specifically inside a safe that you’ll likely need to lockpick or get a key for after dealing with a traitor in their midst.
Jatlo. Keep an eye on Jatlo. He’s a Redcap in disguise. He’s been spying on the survivors for Ethel. When you call him out, the fight is quick but messy. Kill him, loot the place, and get that recipe.
The Confrontation at the Blushing Mermaid
Once you have the Hag's Bane, head to the Blushing Mermaid. Talk to Captain Grisly. She’s the owner, and she’s acting... weird. If you’ve got high Insight, you’ll realize she’s under a charm. If you push her, she’ll eventually drop the act, transform into Auntie Ethel, and taunt you before vanishing into the cellar.
The cellar is a death trap. There are bubbles of wood woads and masked thralls—people Ethel has enslaved with those creepy wooden masks.
Pro tip: Don’t kill the masked thralls if you can help it. If you knock them out using non-lethal attacks, you can actually save them later. It’s harder. It’s annoying. But if you're roleplaying a true "avenger of survivors," killing the victims you're supposed to be saving feels like a failure.
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The Mechanical Nightmare of the Fight
The actual fight with Ethel in the Lower City is significantly harder than the Act 1 version. She uses "Weird" to create illusions of herself. She teleports. But the biggest issue? The Pearlspore Bell mushrooms.
These mushrooms heal Ethel for a massive amount of HP at the end of every turn. If you don't destroy them, the fight is an endless loop of frustration.
- Use Fireball or high-damage AOE on the mushrooms immediately.
- Throw the Hag's Bane at Ethel.
- Watch the cutscene where she pukes up Vanra.
- Now, and only now, can you go all out.
If you don't have Hag's Bane, there is a "surgical" option. You can toggle non-lethal attacks, knock Ethel unconscious, and then use a "cut the child out" interaction. It’s gruesome. It’s very Larian Studios. But it works if you messed up the alchemy part of the quest.
The Fate of Mayrina and the Reward
After Ethel is finally, permanently (hopefully) dead, you return to the survivors. This is the part of avenge the hag survivors bg3 that actually feels rewarding. If Mayrina was turned into a sheep during the quest—yes, Ethel does that—you’ll need to Remove Curse or just wait for it to wear off.
The rewards are some of the best in the game for specific builds. You get the Duellist's Prerogative. It’s a legendary rapier that is absolutely broken for bards or rogues. It gives you an extra reaction, a massive boost to necrotic damage, and the ability to challenge enemies to a duel.
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But beyond the loot, there’s the narrative closure. You see these people, who were living in absolute terror of a fey creature they couldn't understand, finally breathe. Mayrina, if she’s alive, finally moves on from her husband’s death. She stops trying to resurrect the dead and starts trying to protect the living.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
I've seen people lose Vanra because they used "Spirit Guardians" near Ethel after she puked. The child has very low HP. If your Cleric is running around with radiant spirits active, you might accidentally kill the kid you just saved. Turn off your toggled damage auras the second Vanra hits the floor.
Also, check your inventory. Sometimes players forget to actually craft the Hag’s Bane. You need to open the alchemy menu, find the Grenades tab, and combine the ingredients. If you enter the fight without it, you're making life 100% harder for yourself.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To successfully finish avenge the hag survivors bg3 with the best possible outcome, follow these specific steps:
- Visit Old Garlow’s Place first: Do not go straight to the Blushing Mermaid. You need the Hag’s Bane recipe and the survivors' context to get the legendary reward.
- Identify the Redcap: Kill Jatlo in the upstairs of the survivor hub to stop Ethel from spying on your progress.
- Craft the Hag's Bane: Open your Alchemy menu (press 'H' on PC) and ensure you have the "Dried Fey Flower" and "Any Essence" ready to combine.
- Prioritize the Mushrooms: In the boss fight, ignore Ethel for the first two rounds if necessary. If those three Pearlspore Bells stay up, she is effectively immortal.
- Use Non-Lethal on Thralls: If you want the "perfect" ending, toggle non-lethal in your passives tab to spare the masked victims in the cellar.
- Speak to Lora: After saving Vanra, visit Lora’s house (near the Stormshore Tabernacle) to receive the Duellist's Prerogative rapier. This is the final step that closes the quest loop.
The quest is a masterclass in how Baldur's Gate 3 rewards players for paying attention to the small stuff. If you rush it, you lose the kid and the sword. If you take your time and listen to the survivors, you walk away with one of the best weapons in the game and a very satisfying ending to one of the game's longest-running feuds.