Overview

Auntie Ethel’s Hair is one of Act 1’s best-kept secrets in Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a permanent +1 bonus to any ability score you choose, and it comes from the “Save Mayrina” quest in the Sunlit Wetlands. The catch is that you have to spare the hag after beating her in her lair beneath the Riverside Teahouse. Most players either kill her too quickly or assume they must choose between the hair and Mayrina. You don’t. With the right choices, you can walk away with both.

This guide covers the exact steps, the missable dialogue, the fight in the Overgrown Tunnel, and how to squeeze every drop of value from the reward. It’s a secret guide, so expect spoilers for Act 1 and a few hints about later Acts. If you’re playing on Honour Mode or just want a stronger build, this is one of the easiest permanent upgrades to grab—provided you don’t botch the final conversation.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

  1. Reach the Riverside Teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands. From the Blighted Village, head southwest until the environment shifts into a deceptively sunny bog. You’ll find a waypoint called Riverside Teahouse. Outside, Mayrina’s brothers, Demir and Johl, are arguing with Auntie Ethel. You can talk to them to learn that Mayrina has gone missing. Their fate depends on how you handle the teahouse, but for the hair, you mainly need to get inside and down to the lair.

  2. Confront Auntie Ethel inside the teahouse. Ethel will greet you with her usual false sweetness. She may offer to remove your tadpole. You can play along or refuse. If you let her “help,” she might offer to take one of your eyes—this gives you the Hag’s Eye, a separate permanent bonus that grants See Invisibility and +1 Intimidation. It’s optional and not required for the hair. Eventually, Ethel will reveal her true nature or flee. If you want to fight her, attack her or follow her through the hidden passage.

  3. Enter the hag’s lair. In the main room of the teahouse, inspect the fireplace. There’s an illusionary wall or hidden lever that opens a staircase down into the Overgrown Tunnel. This is the hag’s domain. It’s full of gas traps, noxious fumes, and masked servants. You can fight the masked servants or sneak past them. If you find a Whispering Mask, you can wear it to pass certain doors, but it risks charming your character. Look for a bottle of Hag’s Bane in the lair—it’s a throwable grenade that strips Ethel’s illusions and stops her from summoning clones.

  4. Reach the final chamber and fight Ethel. Mayrina is trapped in a cage suspended over a pit. Auntie Ethel will monologue, then fight. She summons multiple illusory copies of herself. Use Hag’s Bane to reveal the real Ethel, or use area-of-effect spells and attacks that hit multiple targets. The real Ethel has slightly different health and behaviour, but the copies can be deadly if ignored. Fight until her health is low—usually around 20% or less. Do not kill her.

  5. Accept the deal. When Ethel is near death, she will surrender and offer you a bargain. She’ll give you a strand of her hair—Auntie Ethel’s Hair—if you spare her. Choose the option to take the hair. She will hand it over and vanish. Do not choose to demand Mayrina’s release first if you want the hair; that path gives you Mayrina but no hair. You can still free Mayrina after Ethel leaves, so the “choice” is an illusion.

  6. Free Mayrina. After Ethel disappears, interact with the control orb or cage mechanism in the final chamber. Lower the cage and open it. Talk to Mayrina. She may be upset if you took the hair, but the quest “Save Mayrina” will complete. You can escort her back to the surface or let her find her own way.

  7. Consume Auntie Ethel’s Hair. Open your inventory, find Auntie Ethel’s Hair, right-click it, and choose “Consume.” A menu will appear asking which ability score you want to increase. Pick Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. The bonus is permanent and applies immediately. You can save the hair for later, but there’s no benefit to delaying unless you’re waiting to see how your build shapes up.

Tips and Strategies

  • Save before the final fight. If you accidentally kill Ethel or choose the wrong dialogue option, you’ll want to reload. A quick quicksave before entering the final chamber is cheap insurance.
  • Keep your companions out of the conversation. If another party member is in combat and gets a turn while Ethel is talking, they may auto-attack and kill her. Position everyone far away and make sure only your main character triggers the surrender dialogue.
  • Use Hag’s Bane. It’s found in the lair and makes the fight much easier. Throw it at Ethel to remove her clones and prevent her from creating more. Without it, the fight can drag on and you risk killing her by accident.
  • Watch her HP like a hawk. Ethel surrenders when she’s low, not at zero. Use single-target attacks once she’s below 30 HP. Avoid lingering damage effects like Cloud of Daggers or Wall of Fire that might tick her to death during dialogue.
  • Pick the right ability score. Ideally, use the hair on an odd score so you get an immediate modifier increase. For example, 17 Strength becomes 18, giving you +4 instead of +3. If all your key stats are even, consider Constitution, or plan around the Mirror of Loss in Act 3, which grants another +2 to an ability score. Stacking the hair and the Mirror can push a stat to 22 or higher.
  • You don’t have to choose between hair and Mayrina. Choosing the hair does not lock you out of saving Mayrina. Ethel leaves her behind, and you can free her afterward. This is the best outcome for most runs.
  • If you want the Hag’s Eye too. You can let Ethel take your eye earlier in the teahouse. It’s a separate reward and doesn’t prevent you from getting the hair later. Just be aware that it’s a roleplaying choice with cosmetic and gameplay effects.

Common Mistakes

  • Killing Ethel before she surrenders. If her health hits zero, she dies and you get no hair. You can loot her corpse, but Auntie Ethel’s Hair is only given through dialogue. Reload if this happens.
  • Demanding Mayrina first. The dialogue option to release Mayrina immediately can lock you out of the hair. Always choose the hair first, then free Mayrina manually.
  • Attacking during the surrender dialogue. If you or a companion attacks while Ethel is offering the deal, the conversation ends and she may die or disappear without giving the hair.
  • Forgetting to consume the hair. Auntie Ethel’s Hair sits in your inventory as an item. If you never right-click and consume it, you never get the bonus. Check your inventory after the fight.
  • Using it on an even score without a plan. A +1 to an even score doesn’t change your modifier until you add another odd bonus. It’s not wasted if you’re planning to use the Mirror of Loss, but for immediate power, use it on an odd score.
  • Assuming the hair is missable forever. If you spare Ethel, she may reappear in Act 3 as a boss. The hair bonus stays with you regardless. If you kill her in Act 1, that’s it—no hair.

FAQ

Q: Can I get Auntie Ethel’s Hair and still save Mayrina? A: Yes. When Ethel surrenders, choose the option to take her hair. She vanishes and leaves Mayrina behind. After the dialogue, use the control orb or cage mechanism to lower and open Mayrina’s cage. Talk to her, and the quest completes. You get both rewards.

Q: What happens if I kill Auntie Ethel before she offers the deal? A: You lose the hair permanently. Auntie Ethel’s Hair is not looted from her corpse; it’s only given if you spare her when she’s near death. If you kill her, you can still save Mayrina, but you’ll miss the +1 ability score bonus.

Q: Which ability score should I choose for the hag hair? A: Pick your main stat, preferably if it’s an odd number. Strength for barbarians and fighters, Dexterity for rogues and rangers, Charisma for warlocks, sorcerers, and paladins, Wisdom for clerics and druids, Intelligence for wizards. Constitution is never a bad choice. It can push a score above 20, and it stacks with the Mirror of Loss in Act 3, so plan ahead if you’re min-maxing.