Auntie Ethel — Hag’s Lair
Location: Riverside Teahouse (Sunlit Wetlands) → Overgrown Tunnel (fireplace staircase).
Pre-Fight Checklist
- Level 5 minimum for this fight. L4 is possible but risky.
- Trade with Ethel before triggering quest. She leaves and becomes hostile once you confront her in the lair.
- Bring Magic Missile (Storm Sorc) — hits the real Ethel through her illusions.
- Bring Create Water (Storm Sorc) or water bottles — reveals camouflaged areas.
- Bring AoE — Fireball, Burning Hands, Alchemist’s Fire, etc. Fire surfaces reveal the real Ethel.
- Toggle Non-Lethal Damage ON — the Masked Thralls are charmed civilians. Killing them is avoidable murder.
- Prepare to NOT kill Mayrina — Ethel creates multiple “hags” that look like her; one is Mayrina disguised. Check HP bars (Mayrina has ~8 HP, hags have ~112).
Phase 1 — Teahouse Confrontation
Ethel teleports away after dialogue. Chase her through the fireplace staircase.
Along the path:
- Masked Thralls (charmed civilians) attack you. Use Non-Lethal Damage. Remove Curse frees them.
- Poison traps and gas vents. Fire bolts clear poison clouds.
- The “face-door” puzzle — walk through the tree trunk with the face.
Phase 2 — Hag’s Lair (Main Fight)
Mechanics
| Mechanic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ethel | ~112 HP, level 5 hag. Split (creates 3 clones), Hold Person, Ray of Sickness, teleport. |
| Clones | She creates 3 illusory copies. All look identical until hit — the real one takes damage normally. Magic Missile reveals the real one (each dart selects the right target). |
| Mayrina’s cage | Mayrina is trapped in a burning cage in the center. Control Orb (yellow button near the cage) lowers it. If the cage hits 0 HP, Mayrina dies. Water surfaces / Create Water on the cage to extinguish fire. |
| Teleport | Ethel teleports around the arena every round. Misty Step or Fly to keep up. |
| Hag’s Hair | Reduce Ethel below ~20 HP and she’ll bargain: +1 permanent to any stat in exchange for letting her escape. Only ONE character gets this. |
Kill Order
- Save Mayrina FIRST. Hit the Control Orb to lower her cage. Create Water if it’s burning. She’s safe once the cage is on the ground.
- Reveal the real Ethel — Magic Missile is the best tool. Each dart auto-targets the real Ethel even through clones.
- Kill or bargain — burst her below 20 HP. She’ll offer the Hair. Decision time.
Party Assignment
| Build | Role |
|---|---|
| Storm Sorc | ⭐ Magic Missile reveals real Ethel and strips clones. Each dart also stacks Lightning Charges (Spellsparkler). |
| Wild Magic Sorc | Fireball or Scorching Ray — fire surfaces reveal invisible/clone Ethel. |
| Shadowheart | Create Water on Mayrina’s cage. Healing Word if someone gets Held. |
| Bardadin | Slashing Flourish on Ethel once revealed. Command: Grovel. |
| Lae’zel | Trip Attack real Ethel → GWM nova. |
| Throwzerker | Enraged Throw on revealed Ethel → auto-prone. Returning Pike from range. |
| Astarion | Snipe real Ethel. Arrow of Arcane Interference. |
Hag’s Hair Decision
When Ethel drops below ~20 HP (or ~30 HP on Honour Mode), she stops fighting and offers The Hair:
| Choice | Reward |
|---|---|
| Spare her (+1 stat) | +1 to any ability score (permanent, one character only). She escapes with Mayrina (who you can then free). Best choice for Honour Mode — the permanent stat boost is unique. |
| Kill her | Extra XP, Ethel’s loot, Mayrina is free immediately. No Hair bonus. |
Stat priority: Storm Sorc → +1 CHA (primary caster). Throwzerker → +1 STR (if not using elixirs). The hair is a one-time-per-playthrough choice. Coordinate with your friend if playing co-op.
Honour Mode Specifics
- Ethel’s Hold Person can end the fight. She prioritizes the highest-damage character. Keep Counterspell ready or spread out.
- Rays of Sickness from Ethel or her clones can poison multiple characters.
- Don’t kill Mayrina by accident. The cage burns fast in Honour Mode. Control Orb + Create Water in the first round.
- Masked Thralls have ~30 HP each. 4 of them. Non-Lethal all of them or use Remove Curse.
- If Mayrina dies, you can still use the Bitter Divorce wand from Ethel’s workshop to “revive” her (as a zombie). Not ideal.
Post-Fight
- Loot Ethel’s workshop: Staff of Crones (quarterstaff, free Ray of Sickness, but damages wielder on use), Bitter Divorce wand.
- If you spared her: she’ll reappear in Act 3 (Hag Survivors quest, Blushing Mermaid).