The quest to save Vanra in Baldur’s Gate 3 comes into play in Act 3 and is also linked with one of the quests you did earlier in Act 1. You went to Save Mayrina from the evil witch Auntie Ethel and killed her during that time. That may not seem to be the case here as this wicked witch will be making a return when you will be undertaking the quest to save Vanra.
This ugly old Hag is responsible for the abduction of Vanra, who disappeared at a tavern known as the Blushing Mermaid in BG 3. It will be an arduous task as you must go to that tavern and have a long dialogue session with Captain Grizly.
It turns out it will be Ethel who will be confusing you by appearing in Grizly’s form. She will reveal her true form after a few dialogues and then disappear. After that, you need to defeat the surrounding enemies.
Then you need to go to her lair, which is in the basement of the Tavern, to confront her. Use the potion to make her vomit out, Vanra, and then use your powerful attacks to eliminate her. Don’t worry; we will guide you throughout this quest to save Vanra and bring her back to Lora in BG3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Save Vanra walkthrough
To initiate the Save Vanra quest in Baldur’s Gate 3, you must go to the Basilisk Gate Barracks at these coordinates (X:52, Y:15).
There, you will find an NPC character named Lora complaining to another guard character Blaze Liara Portyr. Lora will be in a state of distress. She will state that her daughter Vanra has gone missing, with the possibility being that she was abducted from the Tavern at the Blushing Mermaid.
However, something is wrong with Liara as she occasionally has a headache and will forget Lora’s complaints. This will further agitate Lora as she thinks these people are messing with her. To solve the matter, you can take up her request to save Vanra and bring her back to Lora BG3. This way, you will learn about Vanra’s appearance like she is seven years old, has red hair, etc.
Investigate the Blushing Mermaid
After undertaking this quest to save Vanra, you must head next toward the Blushing Mermaid in Baldur’s Gate 3. Go up the stairs and enter the room on the right side.
There you can interact with Captain Grizly and inquire about Vanra. To your surprise, Grizly will exclaim that Lora was here sometime earlier, and she was alone without Vanra. Moreover, when they tried to kick her out, she went crazy on them and pulled out a knife.
Keep questioning Captain Grizly
Upon further inquiry about Vanra, Grizly will say that Lora used to hang out with the Blackdagger’s crew back in the day. She was kicked out due to her crazy behavior in Baldur’s Gate 3. Furthermore, Grizly will state that Lora is mad and has no daughter.
Keep on asking her again about Vanra and then proceed to select the option “I refuse to do your dirty work.” Hearing that, Grizly will show her true colors and transform into an ugly old hag named Auntie Ethel. You will have faced her before in Act 1, so you know she is up to no good.
After you say you killed her before, she will chuckle and state that it was all part of her plan. Ethel will also be angry that Mayrina ran off with the child she was promised because of you, so she abducted Vanra instead in BG3. You will learn from Auntie Ethel that she swallowed Vanra up and stored her in her belly. In time she will vomit her up and then have herself a fresh hag to train.
Kill the surrounding enemies
She will warn you to stay away, and if you select the option to demand her to surrender Vanra, Ethel will threaten you with killing Vanra. After that, she will disappear, and you will have to fight the enemies present at the Blushing Mermaid Tavern in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Head over to the Basement
Take your time and kill them all, then head towards the room on the left. There you will find some stairs leading down to the basement. There you jump onto the large barrels and go straight towards the illusionary wall, which will reveal a hidden entrance.
From there, you can jump down and find a locked door next. Use your thieving tools to unlock this door. After you get inside that area, you will face some enemies there, including the real Captain Grizly. Auntie Ethel will mind-controlled these soldiers, so kill them all in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Unlock the large door
Then you can proceed directly toward the large, locked door at the end. You must pass a Dexterity check by getting the number 20 in Baldur’s Gate 3.
After unlocking that door and entering that area, your task is to save Vanra from dying in BG3. It would be best to craft the Hag’s Bane, which you can throw at Auntie Ethel.
How to make Hag’s Bane and get Essence
To make Hag’s Bane and to get the Essence, you might have completed the quest earlier in Act 1. This will revolve around you having saved Mayrina before in the Hag Survivors’ quest.
For that, you need to head to the Old Garlow’s Building. You can save the refugees there; you were under the influence of Auntie Ethel. Similarly, you will also have lockpicked the safe present there as well.
Doing so lets you get your hands on the Hag’s Bane recipe and some Dried Fey Flower inside. As it turns out, the recipe for this Hag’s Bane will require Dried Fey Flower and Essence.
Moving onto the Essence bit, these are common to acquire, so that you can use any of these. This way, you can craft Hag’s bane in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Boss fight: Auntie Ethel
Returning to the point where you unlocked the large wooden door inside the basement, you can proceed. You must move around that Blushing Mermaid’s cellars until you finally reencounter Auntie Ethel. After that, a cutscene will commence in which Ethel will taunt you for coming after her. Then you will face this ugly witch in a boss fight in BG3.
You must remember some things while engaging Ethel, as you cannot kill her. That is because inflicting strikes or ranged attacks on her will result in Vanra’s death in Baldur’s Gate 3. Moreover, during the fight, Ethel will split into three identical versions of herself, so avoid the one near the ladder and kill the other two.
It would be best to use the Hag’s Bane you crafted earlier and throw it directly at Auntie Ethel. This will diminish her powers, and she must puke out Vanra in Baldur’s Gate 3. When you spot Vanra outside, focus all your attacks on Ethel.
However, this old witch still has a trick up her sleeve which will be present in the form of the blue mushrooms in that area. She can use those to revive herself. You can take your time and fire spells to target these first. This way, you will eventually kill the old Hag in BG3. You will receive the following rewards, Gold, Elixir of Viciousness, etc.
Escort Vanra back to Lora in Baldur’s Gate 3
Once you have defeated Auntie Ethel, the next step would be to take Vanra back to her mother. Head towards these coordinates labeled (X: -60, Y:-90), and you will get to Lora’s House in Baldur’s Gate 3.
You will find Lora on the top floor, and she will thank you for bringing Vanra back safely to her. This way, the quest to Save Vanra in BG3 will be marked as complete, and you will receive the following rewards, which will include:
- Duelist’s Prerogative (Legendary)
- Moon Lantern
- Amulet of Windrider
- Amulet of Greater Health
