Should You Help Auntie Ethel In Baldur's Gate 3?

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is full of important decisions to make, and meeting Auntie Ethel offers a few interesting choices and branching paths. This trader can be found in the Emerald Grove in Act 1, hawking her wares to tieflings. She may seem like any other trader in the game, but Auntie Ethel is more than she appears. The party will need to use caution when striking a deal with Auntie Ethel, if they don't want to avoid her offer entirely.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]If the party moves beyond the Emerald Grove, Auntie Ethel can first be encountered at the threshold of the Sunlit Wetlands, a swampy area found just outside the Blighted Village in Act 1. At first glance, she appears to be a helpless old woman being harangued by a couple of younger men. However, it's immediately obvious that something seems just a little off about this elderly trader. Choosing to help Auntie Ethel takes the story down an interesting path, as does siding with the men instead.

The dispute between Auntie Ethel and the men is over their sister Mayrina, who they insist is with the old woman. Ethel plays the victim and asserts that she doesn't know where Mayrina is. Although it's possible to toe the line for a couple of dialogue choices, both sides are quick to react negatively to the protagonist leaning in either direction. Choosing to help Auntie Ethel will result in aggression from the men while supporting their argument opens up a long rabbit hole.

Helping Auntie Ethel in isn't without its benefits, but it also incurs a major drawback that generally outweighs the advantages it offers. Supporting her and fighting the men will put the protagonist in Auntie Ethel's good graces, securing an official invitation to the Riverside Teahouse