A Clever Trick to Defeat Aunty Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3 by Stealing Her Potion

When I first encountered Aunty Ethel in Baldur's Gate 3, I knew I was dealing with one of the most deceitful and malevolent beings in the game. This vile hag, hiding behind a facade of harmless old age, preys on the vulnerable with her manipulative charm and racist tirades. Her first major encounter, particularly in the forest, is notoriously difficult, largely because of her frustrating ability to vanish from sight during combat. However, as I've learned through my adventures in the Forgotten Realms up to 2026, there's a brilliantly simple, almost cheeky strategy to strip her of this advantage before the fight even begins. It all comes down to a single item in her inventory.

🧙‍♀️ The Deceptive Merchant of the Emerald Grove

Before she reveals her true, horrific form, Aunty Ethel operates as a seemingly benign merchant in the Emerald Grove. Here, she peddles various potions and oddities to adventurers like myself. For the longest time, I, like many other players, assumed her ability to turn invisible during our confrontation was an innate magical power intrinsic to her nature as a hag. It turns out, this is a clever bit of game design realism: she's simply using a consumable item from her own stock! The Potion of Invisibility she has for sale is the very same one she intends to gulp down to escape your blows. This revelation completely changes the pre-fight dynamic.

🪙 The Preemptive Strike: Acquisition is Key

To neutralize this threat, you have two primary, and delightfully underhanded, options:

1. Purchase the Potion: Engage in simple commerce and buy the Potion of Invisibility right from her shop interface. It's a straightforward transaction, though it costs you some gold.

2. Pickpocket the Potion: For a more roguish approach, utilize a character with high Sleight of Hand (like Astarion) to stealthily lift the potion from her inventory. This method costs nothing but carries the risk of being caught and turning the grove hostile.

By employing either method, you are essentially disarming her. When the inevitable battle erupts later at her Riverside Teahouse or in the Sunlit Wetlands, she will scramble for a potion that is no longer there. Without it, she remains permanently visible, turning a chaotic, frustrating encounter into a much more manageable brawl where you can focus your attacks without her constantly disappearing.

⚔️ Beyond Ethel: A Universal Tactic

What makes this strategy so elegant is that it's not an isolated exploit. The game's consistent logic applies this principle to other formidable foes. A prime example is the necromancer Balthazar. This notoriously tedious boss in the Shadow-Cursed Lands often uses a Potion of Speed to gain extra actions, making his fight a hectic race against time. By seeking him out beforehand and pilfering this specific potion from his person (often requiring dialogue progression to get close), you can enter the boss arena knowing he's already been neutered. Removing such a key combat resource from a major antagonist before the fight officially starts is an immensely satisfying form of preparation.

Character	Location	Key Item to Steal	Effect if Removed
Aunty Ethel	Emerald Grove / Riverside Teahouse	Potion of Invisibility	She cannot turn invisible during combat.
Balthazar	Gauntlet of Shar / Nightsong's Prison	Potion of Speed	He loses his bonus action and movement, slowing the fight.

⚠️ A Crucial Warning: The Double-Edged Sword

However, this cunning strategy comes with a dire warning that I learned the hard way. The inventory system works both ways. Any item you sell to a merchant, including Aunty Ethel, can potentially appear in their combat inventory. I've heard horror stories from fellow adventurers about selling powerful, dangerous items like Smokepowder Bombs, Runepowder Barrels, or even high-level scrolls to Ethel to clear inventory space, only to have her hurl those very same items back at them during the fight! Imagine the shock of seeing a hag you armed yourself suddenly unleash a devastating explosive you gifted her. Therefore, a critical rule of thumb is:

• ✅ DO buy or steal key consumables from tough enemies before fighting them.

• ❌ DO NOT sell any powerful combat items, grenades, or bombs to merchants you know you will eventually have to fight.

In my most recent playthrough, I took this knowledge to the extreme. Before confronting Ethel, I not only relieved her of her Invisibility Potion but also bought out her entire stock of other potions and alchemical ingredients. I left her shop bare, ensuring she had no tricks left up her sleeve. The ensuing battle was a straightforward and cathartic victory against one of the game's most hated villains.

🎮 The Philosophy of Preparation

This tactic embodies a deeper, rewarding aspect of modern RPG design present in Baldur's Gate 3 as of 2026: the world is interactive and consistent. NPCs aren't just stat blocks; they exist in the world with inventories, schedules, and resources. Engaging with them outside of combat—through trade, theft, or dialogue—can have direct and significant consequences on future conflicts. It encourages players to be observant, to think laterally, and to use every tool at their disposal, not just swords and spells. Turning a merchant's own wares against them, or better yet, ensuring they have no wares to use at all, is a brilliant and immersive way to gain the upper hand. So next time you see a suspiciously charming old lady selling potions, remember: a little preemptive shopping (or stealing) can save you a world of pain later on.