In the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, nothing is what it seems. Here you can never be sure that the stranger who offers you help or asks for it has no ulterior motives.
Aunt Ethel is one such case, and she has an intriguing offer for you that can either cure you or cause irreparable harm to your health. If you want to know what this decision entails, read on.
Who is Aunt Ethel and where to find her
Aunt Ethel can be found in Emerald Grove during the first act, where she appears as a frail old woman selling herbs in a refugee camp. If you tell her in conversation that you have a mind flayer larva in your head, she will offer to help remove it, but not right away.
Next, you will meet Auntie again in the Sunlit Marshes, and depending on your choice, the quest “Save Mairina” will begin here.
Continuing through the moors, you will find the Tea House on the river bank, where Ethel actually lives. She’ll be angry if you pry into their business with Maireena, but will offer a deal if you don’t.
For a fee, she will agree to remove the parasite from your brain. All she asks in return is your eye.
Choices and Consequences
If you refuse and decide to just leave and not interfere in the affairs of this suspicious old woman, then nothing will happen. However, if you accept Ethel’s offer, you still won’t get rid of the parasite. Moreover, in addition to missing one eye, your character will receive a permanent “Price Paid” debuff, as a result of which you will become more intimidating to others, but at the same time you will receive a disadvantage on alertness and attacks.
Ultimately, letting Aunt Ethel extract the parasite is a bad idea unless you really want to play a frighteningly reckless character.
It’s also funny that if you lose your eye earlier in the story (for example, if you let the bard Volo pick your head), Auntie will politely refuse to help you.
Based on materials www.gamewatcher.com
