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Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) features numerous enemies, but few are as elusive as the Hag. Otherwise known as Auntie Ethel, once her true self is revealed, she certainly lives up to the name. But there’s not just one instance when it comes to battling her. Instead, BG3 presents two confrontations even if you beat her the first time around, which means killing the Hag for good isn’t easy. If she seems too difficult a challenge, our guide will offer tips on how to survive both fights.
Beat the Hag in BG3 – Act 1
Your first run-in with the Hag will be in the first Act. We recommend you approach this battle at least Level 4 or Level 5. The Hag is not the easiest opponent to beat in BG3, so there’s some prep work we want to do.
How To Meet Auntie Ethel, AKA The Hag
You can first meet Auntie Ethel in Druid Grove. She’s a trader there, and you can buy some things. However, she’ll mention meeting at her home to discuss removing your parasite. It’s not a deal you want, though, as she just gives you a stat penalty. You technically can attack her here, but she’ll instantly run off and disappear, making it a waste of time. Otherwise, you can always stumble upon the Ancient Abode under her house. If you do, things take a hostile turn rather quickly.
Alternatively, if you meet in her tea house, you have a better chance of fighting and killing her here. However, the Redcaps outside will rush in, and Mayrina is instantly transported into a cage. Your best bet to get the most out of the fight and still beat the Hag in BG3 is to track Ethel into her lair. The entrance is through an illusionary wall hidden behind the fireplace.
Dealing with Mayrina
If you want to beat the Hag in BG3, you first need to decide whether you wish to save Mayrina. In the lair, the Hag tosses Mayrina in a cage dangling over a seemingly endless pit. There’s a bright Control Orb nearby. To save Mayrina, you need to ensure her cage isn’t destroyed. If it is, she’ll fall into the pit and meet an early death.
When you begin the fight, the Hag will start burning the cage with a firebomb, so we don’t want to think about how to beat her just yet in BG3. Instead, we want a companion to douse those flames. You can throw a water bottle at it to stop it from burning or use a Create Water spell. Once that’s done, you don’t have to worry much about Mayrina.
The Hag and her Minions in BG3
Ethel will summon the masked minions you didn’t kill throughout the Ancient Abode to help out. It’s one of the many reasons why it can take so long to beat the Hag in BG3. At every turn, they try to resist her control. You’re only hurt if they fail and attack you. The only way to save them is to kill the Hag first.
Copies of Auntie Ethel
Another tricky point in the battle is her copies (and possibly copies of Mayrina). During the second round of the fight, the Hag will create three copies of herself. So, before we get to this round, cast a lasting effect on Ethel. If you do, it will remain even when she copies herself. It’s an easy way to tell the difference between her and the fakes.
You want to do this fast, though. The copies can hurt as they cast the same spells. Magic Missles are a great way to stop the copies at once as they vanish once damaged.
Killing the Hag the Quick Way
The best way to beat the Hag in BG3 is to disable her. It will cut her off from summoning copies and keep her from rendering your team useless when she casts Hold Person. Try to cause Prone to Auntie Ethel or rely heavily on your ranged teammates to keep her from doing much and chip away at her health.
Another great way to go about killing the Hag in BG3 is to simply shove her into the same chasm she wants to drop Mayrina into. She’s not easy to push, though, so approach this plan with caution. It is doable, though. You just miss out on looting her body.
Taking or Rejecting the Hag’s Deal in BG3
Once you lower her health to almost nothing, the Hag will spring up a new deal for you. This time, with some real benefits. She can permanently increase your stats by +1. You just have to let her leave with Mayrina. If you don’t want to sacrifice the woman to the Hag, you can reject the deal and continue on the path to beat her in BG3. Or, you can intimidate or persuade the Hag to give you the deal and leave Mayrina alone.
Beat the Hag in BG3 – Act 3
Even if you resorted to killing the Hag in BG3 Act 1, she will still appear in Act 3 because she’s mastered the art of not dying. Now, she’s kidnapped and swallowed a child whole. Yes. She did indeed swallow a child. This quest will show up if you follow “Help the Hag Survivors” or you investigate inside the Blushing Mermaid. You can reach the Hag by going through an illusionary wall in the basement of the Blushing Mermaid.
Once you arrive there, take out the mind-controlled guards. Once you do, loot them for a key and unlock the wooden door. From there, you’re in the main lair, and you’ll notice the Pearlspore Bell mushrooms. You must destroy them all. When you do, the Hag will appear. Plus, destroying them ensures they don’t work to heal the Hag during the fight.
You can work to beat the Hag here much the same as you did in Act 1 of BG3. The main difference here is that she’s much stronger. Position your ranged fighters accordingly to lay out better damage. Having a tank companion won’t hurt either, as they can soak up some attention for you. Go into this fight with plenty of healing potions, and you should make it out alive.
How To Save the Child
If you want to save the child the Hag swallowed whole, you must make Hag’s Bane before you go to the basement to instigate the fight. The recipe for it is in the safe at the Hag’s Survivor hideout. Once you craft the potion, throw it at Auntie Ethel, and a cutscene will show her vomiting up the still-alive child. From there, you can dive into killing the Hag in BG3, hopefully for good.
Remember that if you want to beat the Hag in BG3, you should always approach the fight with enough healing spells and set up the right team composition. Having too many tanks is wasteful, as she moves too much for your melee fighters to keep up with her. A range-leaning team can make quicker work of her. If all else fails, make a save beforehand so you can learn from any potential mistakes in the battle.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
