Auntie Ethel is one of the more terrifying bosses that you face in Act I, which is often brought up when you get the quest Save Mayrina.
You first find her as a friendly old woman in The Hollow but later witness her being confronted by two brothers, who’s fate always ends in peril.
There are multiple ways to defeat Auntie Ethel and each of them can be done depending on the approach that you take.
Where To Find Auntie Ethel?
Auntie Ethel may be found in the Gnarled Teahouse within the Sunlit Wetlands, which is later revealed to be the Putrid Bog after a Perception Check.
Another way to reveal the Putrid Bog would be to choose certain dialogue when interacting with the sheep roaming the Sunlit Wetlands or attacking them. (This causes them to turn into Redcaps)
Once you have confronted Auntie Ethel in the Gnarled Teahouse, she may either be defeated there or must be fought in her domain if she makes a run for it.
How To Defeat Auntie Ethel?
There are two areas where you can fight Auntie Ethel, which is in the Gnarled Teahouse or below in her domain, which will be much harder. (She escapes if you attack her in the teahouse)
1) Encounter in Gnarled Teahouse
The easiest way to defeat Auntie Ethel but also a tricky one is to attack her in the Gnarled Treehouse, but this requires you make use of your best attacks and plan things out.
Once you attack Auntie Ethel, she may fight back a bit before running or will simply just run off and this reveals the entrance to her abode.
If you manage to defeat her in the Gnarled Teahouse, you won’t have to deal with her minions and traps later and those who are cursed inside will be set free.
2) Fight In Ancient Abode
If Auntie Ethel manages to escape or disappears after you speak to her, you will have to travel through the fake furnace in her teahouse by going through it.
This will lead you to a path heading down below into her abode where she will have Mayrina trapped, setting her cage on fire to cause more trouble.
You will have to release the cage to let Mayrina out while also dealing with Auntie Ethel, who will use illusions to attack you. (They deal damage)
Fighting her will require that you focus your attacks on the real one, but any kind of damage will cause an illusion to disappear.
How To Get Rid of Auntie Ethel Illusions?
To get rid of the illusions created by Auntie Ethel’s Coven of Hags spell, you will need to damage them as it takes one hit to remove from the fight.
This makes having a character with the Magic Missile ability useful as you can target multiple copies of Auntie Ethel to get rid of them instantly.
It is vital to remove the illusions as they can deal damage to you and your party, which may be a quick way for you to meet your downfall.
Auntie Ethel Loot
If you manage to defeat Auntie Ethel, you will be able to loot her body and later head into the Acrid Workshop and loot other items. (Some will be removed if used by her in combat)
The following are in Auntie Ethel’s inventory when you defeat her:
- 2 Flammable Slime Bomb
- 2 Poisonous Slime Bomb
- Corellon’s Grace (Uncommon Quarterstaff)
- Elixir of the Hill Giant Strength
- Potion of Invisibility
- Tarnished Charm
Auntie Ethel’s Hair
If you manage to reduce Auntie Ethel’s health to the point where she is near death, she may attempt to make a deal with you.
She will want to keep the Mayrina and claims that she will give you power but you can force her to give up the hair and the girl with the right dialogue.
This will cause you to use the hag’s hair after the cutscene, which allows you to permanently increase one of your stats.
Verdict
The fight with Auntie Ethel can be tough if you do not choose your moves wisely as she can be quite an annoying boss due to her illusions.
Defeating the Masked Thralls you encounter before the path with Noxious Gas vents will reduce the number of enemies that you have to fight when facing Auntie Ethel.
Killing Auntie Ethel after keeping Mayrina and taking Auntie Ethel’s Hair will still result in her showing up during Act III. (It is best to take the hag hair and save Mayrina)