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The Save Vanra quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place during the third and final act. It’s also fairly important, especially if you remember the events that transpired earlier in the campaign. Depending on your decisions back then, you might encounter a couple of familiar faces during the Save Vanra quest. Our guide discusses the Baldur’s Gate 3 Save Vanra quest, as well as the legendary weapon that you can obtain. Likewise, please be aware that this article contains spoilers.
Table of Contents [hide]How to save Vanra in Baldur’s Gate 3Investigate the Blushing MermaidHelp the hag survivorsHow to make Hag’s Bane and get EssenceAuntie Ethel boss fight
How to save Vanra in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Save Vanra quest can be started by going to the Basilisk Gate Barracks (it’s right next to the waypoint). There, you’ll meet a woman named Lora. Her daughter is missing, and she last went to the Blushing Mermaid tavern.
Investigate the Blushing Mermaid
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Investigate the Blushing Mermaid task requires you to talk to Captain Grizly. You’ll find her on the second floor of the tavern (X:-120; -80). Grizly said that Lora assaulted her, and she wants her dead. That seems a bit extreme, so you should respond with: “Absolutely not – I refuse to do your dirty work.”
Lo and behold, Grizly reveals herself as Auntie Ethel. Yes, the swamp witch from the Save Mayrina quest in Act 1. She’s swallowed Vanra, and the child is slowly being transformed into another hag. She threatens you by saying that if she dies, so does Vanra.
Note: For the Save Mayrina quest in Act 1, we were able to rescue Mayrina, and we also obtained Ethel’s attribute bonus reward. Then, when we spoke with Mayrina in front of her husband’s grave, we decided to revive her husband (he’s just a zombie). We also gave Mayrina the wand. The next events might play out differently depending on how you approached that objective.
In any case, tell Ethel to surrender the child and she’ll just teleport away. You’ll have to battle several patrons, who are actually redcaps in disguise. Once they’ve been taken out, open the door next to the barkeep to reach the cellar. Jump on top of the barrels, then pass the Investigation check to realize that the wall is just an illusion. This allows you to pass through it.
There are four enemies in the caverns, including the real Captain Grizly. All of them are wearing masks, allowing Ethel to mind control them. Eliminate the hostiles as you see fit. But, don’t enter the other door that leads to Ethel’s lair. We’re going to do that later.
Help the hag survivors
The next part of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Save Vanra quest has you checking out Old Garlow’s Place, a rundown building just east of the Counting House (X:-51; Y:-145). Inside, there are three people who’ve been victimized by the hag. You can persuade or intimidate them to avoid any mishaps.
Check the second floor to spot a zombie and a sheep. It looks like Mayrina and her husband are still together, but she’s definitely having a baaa-d day. Here’s what you need to do next:
Destroy the voodoo doll in the corner to make Mayrina revert back to her human form.Then, suddenly, the Dragonborn fella reveals himself as one of Ethel’s redcap spies. Take him out to receive the key to Ethel’s lair.Talk to Mayrina downstairs. She gives you access to a safe on the wall. It contains the secret to defeating the swamp witch for good.
How to make Hag’s Bane and get Essence
Open the safe and read the two books: A Hunter’s Guide to Hags and Tear-Stained Journal. The former tells you how to kill a hag completely, while the latter has instructions on how to make Hag’s Bane, a potion that automatically causes a target to vomit any child that they’ve gobbled up.
To make Hag’s Bane, you’ll need do the following:
Press the “H” key to open the Alchemy menu. You have to combine the Ashes of a Dried Fey Flower and any type of Essence.The Ashes of the Dried Fey Flower is inside the safe, so no worries there.As for the Essence, just click on the Essences category in the Alchemy menu. You should see all the types that you can make based on the ingredients that you’ve amassed throughout your adventure. Click on the Extract button to make that item.Next, switch to the Grenades category and select the Hag’s Bane.Combine the Ashes of a Dried Fey Flower and the Essence to craft the Hag’s Bane.
Auntie Ethel boss fight
Now that you have what you need, it’s time to conclude the Save Vanra quest in Baldur’s Gate 3. Return to the Blushing Mermaid’s cellars and open the door to Ethel’s room. Once she spots you, the battle will commence. Here are some key factors to remember:
Ethel creates three other mirror images of herself. In our experience, it seems that the one closest to the ladder is the real version, which means the rest could be destroyed in a single hit.Again, you can’t kill Ethel, as that would also kill Vanra. We also noticed that non-lethal attacks didn’t work. Although we were able to land the final blow with an unarmed strike or a non-elemental-enchanted melee weapon, Vanra still died.As such, the idea is to simply right-click on the Hag’s Bane, then throw it straight at Ethel. This will trigger a scene where she vomits Vanra, and the child will just run away.
You still need to defeat Ethel. If you read the Hunter’s Guide to Hags, you’ll know that she can keep reviving herself as long as the blue mushrooms are still around. Armed with this knowledge, keep using fire spells to destroy the mushrooms. Once they’re all gone, Ethel will permanently die.
You should now visit Lora in her home, which is just southwest of the Lower City Central waypoint (X:-61; Y:-91). She’ll greatly appreciate your help, and you’ll receive the Amulet of Windrider, which has the Gust of Wind and Ride the Wind spells. Moreover, she’ll give you her own weapon, a legendary rapier called the Duelist’s Prerogative. It has the following perks:
Damage – 1d8+8 piercing, +2 piercing.Elegant Duelist – If you don’t have an off-hand item equipped, you score critical hits whenever you roll a 19; gain an additional reaction per turn.Withering Cut – On a hit with a melee weapon, use a reaction to deal additional necrotic damage.+3 weapon enchantmentSpells: Challenge to DuelWeapon Action: Dueler’s Enthusiasm
This completes the Save Vanra quest in Baldur’s Gate 3. Lastly, now that Ethel is gone, don’t forget to tell Mayrina about the good news. She’ll also reward you with a magical amulet.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.
