Auntie Ethel is a powerful and dangerous foe in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Various quests involve Auntie Ethel, requiring you to enter a secret room through the Fireplace.
However, players have reported a bug surrounding the Fireplace.
Continue reading to discover more about the character of Auntie Ethel and the Fireplace bug in Baldur’s Gate 3.
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Who Is Auntie Ethel?
Auntie Ethel is a complex and interesting character in Baldur’s Gate 3. She is a powerful creature who is both helpful and dangerous.
Therefore, you must be careful while dealing with her, as she can easily turn on you.
She is best known for her potions and her manipulative nature.
In addition, she can use her tricks to get what she wants. You can first visit her at her teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands.
She agrees to help you in return for her quite weird request. The request is to take your eye out, kiss it briefly, and put it back.
Quests Surrounding Auntie Ethel
There are two main quests surrounding Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Here’s a detailed summary of the quests:
1. Remove The Parasite
This quest is started when you talk to Auntie Ethel at her teahouse in Sunlit Wetlands.
She will notice the parasite in your head and offer to remove it.
However, in exchange, she wants one of your eyes, kiss it for a moment and return it to you.
You can either agree or disagree with her offer or even attack her.
If you accept Auntie Ethel’s offer, she will show you her true form and turn into a hag or a witch.
Furthermore, she will take your eye out and try to remove the parasite from your head.
However, she does not realize that the parasite has a shadow magic known as the Netherese.
After this, you will have a disadvantage on perception checks and will be unable to make critical hits.
If you reject Auntie Ethel’s offer, she will not remove the parasite, and you will have to find another way to remove the parasite.
Although you can attack Auntie Ethel, there is no point in attacking her.
Also, it will be tough for you to defeat her, and you will not be able to unfold further mysteries.
2. Save Mayrina
The woman you first encounter while on the first encounter with Auntie Ethel is Mayrina.
Auntie Ethel imprisons her in a floating cage in her basement.
Mayrina oddly asks you to leave and says she does not want to be rescued.
However, you can help her escape, kill Auntie Ethel, or leave her to her fate.
If you choose to help Mayrina, a cutscene will trigger a fight between you and Auntie Ethel.
It will be a difficult fight as she clones herself three times, making it difficult to know her true form.
To help Mayrina, you should not kill Auntie Ethel but leave her with less health.
If you choose to kill Auntie Ethel, Mayrina, although saved, will be disappointed.
If you choose to leave Mayrina, she will be killed by Auntie Ethel.
The Auntie Ethel Fireplace Issue
The Fireplace is a hidden passage that leads to a secret room in Auntie Ethel’s quest.
You can find it by making a successful Perception check of 16.
However, if you have a low perception check, you can move the camera past the door and click on the other side.
If you reach the other side, you will see that the Fireplace is an illusion. However, players have experienced a bug regarding the Fireplace.
They have taken to discussion platforms like Reddit to discuss the bug.
The bug says “can’t reach the destination” or “can’t get there” whenever players try to reach the secret room.
Some players have said jumping or targeting the left corner of the Fireplace helps.
If the issue still persists, you can always take to discussion platforms to voice your issue.
The Bottom Line
Auntie Ethel is an old hag or witch who can be helpful and dangerous.
She can help you remove the parasite from your head or break out in battle with you.
The quest to save Mayrina can be tricky as you should not kill Auntie Ethel and save Mayrina.
The Fireplace illusion takes you to a secret room where the “Save Mayrina” quest starts.
The Fireplace issue is solved by jumping or targeting the left corner.
It is always advisable to go to platforms like Reddit, Steam or Twitter to learn about these issues.
