How to save Mayrina in the Ancient Abode in Baldur’s Gate 3

Depending on how you get to Auntie Ethel’s Gnarled Teahouse in Baldurs Gate 3, you might already have the “Save Mayrina” quest — you can bump into her brothers in the swamp. When you get to the Gnarled Teahouse, though, Auntie Ethel reveals her true colors (green) and teleports Mayrina to a stew pot somewhere in her lair, and you’ll pick up the quest if you haven’t.

Once you make it past the Gnarled Door in the Overgrown Tunnel below the teahouse, you’ll (eventually) face off against Auntie Ethel in her hag form. To successfully complete the “Save Mayrina” quest, you’ll have to do something during the fight (and then a little extra after the fight). Our Baldur’s Gate 3 “Save Mayrina” guide will explain how to keep Mayrina from falling to her death and how to complete the quest.

How to beat Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3’s Ancient Abode

After passing through the Gnarled Door, jumping through the waterfall, and descending through the Overgrown Tunnel, you’ll come to the Ancient Abode where you’ll face off against Auntie Ethel in all her hag glory.

Image: Larian Studios via Polygon

Mayrina is there, too, in a Gnarled Cage suspended over a deep pit. On her first turn, Auntie Ethel will set the cage on fire, putting a three turn timer on the fight.

There are a couple methods to save Mayrina from the cage. You can either activate the glowing yellow Control Orb on the west side of the pit or put out the fire with a bottle of water or the “Create or Destroy Water” spell.

Image: Larian Studios via Polygon

If you decide to go for the Control Orb, you can either send a character there, use Mage Hand, or even better, hit the orb with a ranged attack. Once the Control Orb button is pressed, you have to finish the fight before the cage breaks and Mayrina falls.

The fastest way to do this is to just Shove Auntie Ethel into the pit. You’ll need a character with decent Strength to do this — and remember that a Barbarian like Karlach has Advantage on those checks while using Rage. You won’t be able to loot her body, but it’s the surest way to make sure the fight doesn’t drag on. Once Auntie Ethel is defeated, the cage will lower and Mayrina will climb out. And then start yelling at you until she runs off.

If you decide to put out the fire with water, Auntie Ethel will teleport Mayrina out of the cage and disguise herself as Mayrina. An easy way to figure out which Mayrina is actually Auntie Ethel in disguise is to examine them and see which one is wet from the water. Start attacking the Mayrina that isn’t wet and continue the fight until she’s defeated.

Complete Baldur’s Gate 3’s ‘Save Mayrina’ quest

Image: Larian Studios via Polygon

After the fight, head into the Ancient Workshop on the north side of the Ancient Abode. There are a lot of confusingly named items inside, but you’re looking for the Bitter Divorce wand. If you Examine it in your inventory, you’ll notice it has the name “Connor” — Mayrina’s husband’s name — carved into it.

With the wand in hand (along with anything else not nailed down), head a little farther north to find a teleporting Mushroom Circle. That sends you back aboveground into the Putrid Bog. Just a little northwest of the other end of the circle, you’ll find Mayrina standing next to her husband’s coffin.

Speak with her there, and you’ll have to option to tell her about the wand. Use the wand on the coffin, and you’ll “The Monkey’s Paw” Connor back to “life.” At that point, you can either keep the wand (and zombified Connor), or give the wand to Mayrina. If you hand it over, she’ll take her zombie husband with her to Baldur’s Gate to keep searching for a cure.

For more information on the classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, consult our overviews on the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. If you’re stumped by the choice, consult our guide on what class to start with.