Out of the multitude of choices inBaldur’s Gate 3, there’s enough content for me to see something different on nearly every playthrough, whether my character is good, evil, or somewhere in between. However, in Act 1, one choice always seems necessary for the benefits it unlocks. While maybe not the most moral choice in the game, I haven’t stopped doing it despite going through multiple runs.
One character you’re able to meet in Act 1 is Auntie Ethel, a strange old woman who hangs out in the Emerald Grove. Adventuring further into the swamps in the Act 1 map leads you to the hut where this character lives, where it is revealed that she is a Hag, a strange and malicious fey creature.Beating Auntie Ethel inBG3is one of the toughest early fights, but it can lead to some interesting character decisions.
Auntie Ethel Must Always Be Allowed To Live (For Now)
Intimidate The Hag Into Giving You One Of The Game’s Best Items
Whenever I find myself running into Auntie Ethel, I end up fighting the Hagin her lair, usually through the Redcap enemies who try to attack me first outside her hut. When you reduce Ethel’s health to a certain amount (after figuring out which illusion of her is real), she’ll plead for her life. Death for Hags is more of an inconvenience anyway, as they regenerate somewhere else as long as their special mushrooms are intact.
When Ethel begs you to spare her, you have a chance to let the Hag go instead of killing her outright.With a successful DC 20 Deception or Intimidation check against Ethel, she’ll give you a special item- a lock of her Hag hair. Auntie Ethel’s Hair is one of the strongest magic items in the game, giving your character a permanent buff I’ve never been able to ignore.
TheBarbarian and Fighter classes inBG3have a lower DC to convince Ethel to give them their hair. That being said, the Hag can’t hand over the magic item if she is Silenced, knocked out, or if she is fought in the Riverside Teahouse area.
Choosing to let Auntie Ethel go has dire consequences in future Actsof the game, with multiple victims of the Hag suffering as a result of her survival. If you’re playing a Paladin character, letting Ethel go will automatically break your Oath, no matter what subclass you are. However, despite letting an evil Hag live, the item is just too good to pass up.
The Hag Hair Item Is One Of The Strongest In The Game
Free Ability Score Boost For Your Character
The reason why I always let Auntie Ethel go is becausethe Auntie Ethel Hair item gives your character a +1 Ability Score boost. This can be in any attribute you want, from Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. When you pick which boost you want, the hair item you get is labeled based on that score, allowing you to consume it at any time for the buff.
Once your character eats Auntie Ethel’s hair, the Ability Score bonus they gain is permanent for the rest of the game. This makes it incredible for anycharacter build inBG3, from the most straightforward class paths to the most complex multiclass experiments. Sincethe stat bonus remains on your character every time you respecwith Withers, it becomes a bonus you keep until the credits roll.
To optimize my character builds, especially for at least one Honor Mode run, Auntie Ethel’s hair was something I could never resist getting.There are very few items, magical or otherwise, that give you permanent buffsas you play. Some are much harder to obtain as well, but just a single lock of Hag hair only depends on one check after carefully navigating a combat encounter.
Some of the harder buffs to gain inBG3include Loviatar’s Love or the Necromancy of Thay, which both require you to pass multiple checks or endure damage. The Necromancy of Thay book in particular can inflict you with a curse if you fail certain rolls of your dice.
Many playthroughs might miss this interaction with Auntie Ethel, as most players will attempt to kill the Hag without any negotiation. After all the trouble Ethel’s victims cause as you travel through her lair, it’s not surprising to want to eliminate the evil creature right away. Since you’ll see her regardlessin Baldur’s Gate during Act 3though, I usually just let her go after forcing her to hand over the hair.
Strong Character Builds Are Optimized Through Auntie Ethel’s Hair
Peak Performance Is Sometimes Gained From Unlikely Places
While far from the only stat-boosting method in the game, Auntie Ethel’s hair is one of the few ways to help your character have an Ability Score over 20.The bonus from Ethel’s hair can boost a character’s stats beyond what level-ups will give them, even at thehighest possible Level inBG3.
When combined with specific potions, armor pieces, or weapons that also give stat boosts, the hair can create truly busted character builds for your party. For example, having a Fighter with 22 Strength will allow them to hit targets more often, while a Wizard with 22 Intelligence will cast spells that are much harder for their enemies to resist.
The Auntie Ethel Hair is always associated with one of the six Ability Scores you choose when making a deal with the Hag. It never changes, not even on respecs, so you’ll have to do another playthrough to get a different version of the item for a different stat.
Since the Auntie Ethel Hair buff is applied even during respecs, you can adjust your build with the buff in mind whenever you want. The hair is an easy way to get multiple +4 modifiers from your Ability Scores early on, so the temptation to get the item every time is felt on every playthrough.
As I begin my seventh run with another new character, it’s unlikely that I won’t let Auntie Ethel go again, as the build I have in mind also accounts for the Hag’s hair. While this does create more turmoil later, I always verify the Hag meets a deserved end in Act 3 ofBaldur’s Gate 3, so justice always prevails in the end.
