Hunt the Hag

Key takeaways

Use the following distinctions when a guide, search result, or player discussion refers to Hunt the Hag.

• There is no exact quest title Hunt the Hag is not a formal quest name in the final game. It is shorthand for the Auntie Ethel storyline, particularly its Act 3 content. Formal quest name
• Start with the survivor storyline Help the Hag Survivors is the relevant prerequisite. It leads the player to Old Garlow's Place and provides context about the hag's victims. Survivor storyline
• The finale has a different name Avenge the Hag Survivors is the named quest associated with rescuing Vanra from Auntie Ethel at the Blushing Mermaid tavern. Act 3 finale
• Hag's Bane matters A recipe found in a safe at Old Garlow's Place can be used to craft Hag's Bane, which is described as vital for the final confrontation. Hag's Bane

Overview

“Hunt the Hag” is a commonly used description for confronting Auntie Ethel, but it is not the name of a quest in the final version of Baldur's Gate 3.

Players searching for Hunt the Hag are generally looking for the Act 3 continuation of the Auntie Ethel storyline. The game does not present a formal quest with that title, so a guide using it as an exact quest name may be referring to one or both of the named quests Help the Hag Survivors and Avenge the Hag Survivors. Treat this page as a naming and navigation reference rather than as a standalone mission walkthrough.

Where this sits

Requirements and naming check

There are no requirements for Hunt the Hag itself because the title does not identify a formal quest. The relevant Act 3 content should be checked under the two named quests below.

• RequiredConfirm the quest titleBefore following a guide, determine whether it is describing Help the Hag Survivors or Avenge the Hag Survivors.
• RequiredReach the relevant Act 3 contentThe supplied facts place the named hag quests in Act 3.
• RecommendedVisit Old Garlow's PlaceThis location is associated with the survivor support group and the recipe for Hag's Bane.
• RecommendedPrepare for the final confrontationAvenge the Hag Survivors leads to the confrontation with Auntie Ethel beneath the Blushing Mermaid.

Objectives

1. Identify the formal quest being describedUse the title shown in the journal or guide rather than treating Hunt the Hag as an official quest name.
2. Learn about the hag's victimsHelp the Hag Survivors involves locating the support group at Old Garlow's Place.
3. Obtain the Hag's Bane recipeA safe at Old Garlow's Place contains the recipe needed to craft Hag's Bane.
4. Rescue VanraAvenge the Hag Survivors sends the player to rescue Vanra from Auntie Ethel at the Blushing Mermaid.
5. Confront Auntie EthelThe finale requires entering the hag's lair beneath the tavern and overcoming her thralls.

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

The central mechanical distinction is between the community label and the journal's terminology. Searching for Hunt the Hag can lead to useful information, but it can also combine the investigation and finale into one imagined quest. The reliable formal names are Help the Hag Survivors and Avenge the Hag Survivors.

The Act 3 sequence includes an investigation at Old Garlow's Place, where players can find a recipe in a safe and use it to craft Hag's Bane. The supplied research describes Hag's Bane as vital for the final confrontation, making the Old Garlow's Place visit more than a purely narrative stop.

The confrontation associated with Avenge the Hag Survivors takes place after Auntie Ethel kidnaps Vanra at the Blushing Mermaid. The player must navigate the hag's lair beneath the tavern and overcome her thralls. Because Hunt the Hag is not a formal quest, exact journal objectives, encounter order, and encounter-specific tactics should be documented on the named quest pages instead.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Treat Hunt the Hag as a formal quest title

  This can send the player toward an incorrect or overly broad walkthrough because no quest has that exact title in the final game.

• Use Help the Hag Survivors as the investigation reference

  The player is directed to the support group at Old Garlow's Place and the information about the hag's victims.

• Use Avenge the Hag Survivors as the finale reference

  The player is directed to Vanra's rescue, the Blushing Mermaid, the lair beneath the tavern, and the confrontation with Auntie Ethel.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Check whether the intended quest is Help the Hag Survivors or Avenge the Hag Survivors.Hunt the Hag is a shorthand label, not a formal quest title.
• Locate Old Garlow's Place for the survivor storyline.The support group there provides information about the hag's victims.
• Search the safe at Old Garlow's Place.The supplied research identifies it as the location of the Hag's Bane recipe.
• Craft Hag's Bane before the final confrontation.The item is described as vital for the confrontation.
• Go to the Blushing Mermaid when following the Vanra storyline.Avenge the Hag Survivors connects Vanra's kidnapping with this tavern.
• Prepare to navigate the hag's lair beneath the tavern.The final encounter includes the hag's thralls.
• Use the formal quest title when recording completion.This avoids treating the community shorthand as a separate quest.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Following the wrong quest referenceBecause Hunt the Hag is not a formal quest, a guide under that heading may describe either the survivor investigation or the final confrontation. Confirm the intended named quest before acting.
• Entering the final confrontation without clarifying the Hag's Bane stepThe supplied research identifies the recipe at Old Garlow's Place and describes Hag's Bane as vital for the final confrontation.
• Failing to account for the kidnapped childAvenge the Hag Survivors involves rescuing Vanra, so the finale should not be treated as a simple boss encounter detached from the rescue objective.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• Early access discussions sometimes used hunting language when referring to the hag, but that wording did not become the formal title of a quest in the final game.
• The phrase Hunt the Hag is an example of a community search label that can combine multiple stages of a storyline under one unofficial name.
• The formal Act 3 quest names use the hag survivors as their shared subject: Help the Hag Survivors and Avenge the Hag Survivors.

Relationships