Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Let Auntie Ethel Take Your Eye?

It seems like everybody’s solution to the Mindflayer Tadpole is to remove one of your eyes. Auntie Ethel is among numerous NPCs who offer you help if you tell her about the Tadpole in Emerald Grove, but there’s always a catch when you accept those offers. As such, should you let Auntie Ethel take your eye in an attempt to help you in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Should You Give Auntie Ethel Your Eye and What Happens After in BG3?

Accepting Auntie Ethel’s help and giving her your eye results in a +1 to Intimidation, but a -1 to Perception and Disadvantage on attacks against Hags. This is an immediate problem, since you’ll probably be fighting her soon enough.

You probably don’t want to let Auntie Ethel take your eye. The trade-off between Perception and Intimidation isn’t great, and you’ll get more use from keeping the Perception. And if you’re trying to rescue Mayrina, the disadvantage against Hags is going to work against you. An additional effect is that your eye turns milky white, which might not be something every player wants.

I found out that if you have Volo’s Ersatz Eye, Auntie Ethel will refuse to deal with you because you don’t have a spare eye to give her as payment. In this case, you’d have to sacrifice one of your companions’ eyes if you really wanted her help.

But in the end, you shouldn’t let Auntie Ethel take your eye or accept her offer in Baldur’s Gate 3 because the reward hurts you more than it helps. Perception checks are ultimately more important than Intimidation. Though, if you want yourself or a companion to specifically Intimidate during interactions, it might be an idea. From here, check out our BG3 guide hub for topics like where to find Scratch while you’re in Act 1 or how to make healing potions as preparation for your possible fight with a Hag.