Trapped in a hag’s twisted curse, Mayrina’s fate hangs by a thread in Baldur’s Gate 3’s Ancient Abode-rescue her before shadows claim her forever.
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
In Baldur’s Gate 3’s Ancient Abode, position your party near the glowing control orb before combat triggers to lower Mayrina’s burning cage quickly. Shove Auntie Ethel into the central chasm with a high-Strength character like a raging Barbarian for an instant win, bypassing her clones and spells. Target her illusions with Faerie Fire or Magic Missile to reveal the real hag, apply Wet status from Create Water on the cage to halt its fire damage, and destroy Pearlspore Bells to prevent respawns. Once she drops below 10 HP, intimidate her into surrendering a power-granting hair instead of killing her outright.
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.
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.
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
To complete the “Save Mayrina” quest in Baldur’s Gate 3, head to the Ancient Abode and confront Auntie Ethel in her lair. During the encounter, you can choose to fight or negotiate, but if you want to rescue Mayrina, focus on disabling Ethel’s illusions and avoiding harm to the imprisoned woman. Once Ethel is defeated, free Mayrina from her cage using the control orb. After the fight, you can decide whether to give her a baby-raising wand left behind by Ethel, which influences her future dialogue and story outcome.
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.
What to do with Bitter Divorce wand after saving Mayrina
After saving Mayrina from Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Bitter Divorce wand offers key choices that impact her questline and rewards.
Main Options
Use the wand on Connor’s coffin to revive him as a zombie servant. Then decide: give it to Mayrina (she takes him to seek a cure in Act 3, keeping both “happy”); keep it (transforms into Second Marriage wand, summoning zombie Connor for 10 turns as a tanky ally, but Mayrina grieves); or kill the zombie (triggers combat with Mayrina too). You can pickpocket the wand from Mayrina afterward if given to her, retaining its original form.
Long-Term Outcomes
In Act 3 at Old Garlow’s Place, encounter Mayrina and Connor during Help the Hag Survivors. Persuade her (DC 10) to destroy the wand and let him rest permanently. Keeping it yourself provides ongoing combat utility, but avoids undead for oathbound Paladins.
What happens if I give Bitter Divorce wand to Mayrina
Giving the Bitter Divorce wand to Mayrina after reviving Connor as a zombie leads to her taking control of him and heading to Baldur’s Gate to seek a cure.
Immediate Result
Mayrina thanks you and leaves peacefully with zombie Connor, avoiding combat or hostility-unlike keeping the wand (which angers her) or snapping it (enraging her). The quest “Save Mayrina” completes positively here, marking her as “surviving Act 1” for later interactions.
Act 3 Follow-Up
In Act 3’s “Help the Hag Survivors” at Old Garlow’s Place, find Mayrina struggling with zombie Connor. Persuade her (DC 10) to destroy the wand and let him rest, completing their arc ethically. You can then pickpocket or buy the wand back from her, retaining its original form without it transforming into “Second Marriage.”
