In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can benefit from some of the best buffs early on. All you have to do is sacrifice your eyes. MeinMMO reveals how to do this and what advantages it brings.
Who are the 2 NPCs? The mysterious Aunt Ethel and the talented bard Volo each present you with the opportunity to exchange your eyes in their own unique way.
For your sacrifice, you will receive some of the best buffs in the game. If something sounds too good to be true, there’s often a catch.
Please note: The guide contains story spoilers about the encounter with the respective characters.
Before diving in, here are a few tips for your run in Baldur’s Gate 3:
The Dilemma: Which Eye Will It Be?
This is what Aunt Ethel’s eye does:
- Your character will receive an impressive cloudy eye visually
- You will receive the condition “The Price Paid”: +1 to Intimidation rolls
- Disadvantage on Perception rolls
- Disadvantage when fighting witches
Basically, that’s not a bad deal if you want to intimidate a lot of people. The eye is therefore particularly suitable for an evil campaign. Your companions will be thrilled if you manage many intimidations.
Here’s how to get Ethel’s eye:
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you will encounter Aunt Ethel while she is being interrogated by two brothers at the edge of the field. Follow the quest line and find Aunt Ethel in her tea hut.
A dark offer awaits you with Aunt Ethel. The old woman seems not as sweet as she appears. She will promise to remove the mindflayer parasite from your brain. In exchange, she demands one of your eyes.
You can freely choose which of the two eyes will be sacrificed. Aunt Ethel will tear out the desired eye from your eye socket and replace it with a shiny new one.
Caution: You will only get the option if you have not yet passed through the illusion wall. Ethel must not be hostile towards you.
This is what Volo’s replacement eye does:
The magical eye grants a party member the ability to see invisible units. With this eye, you can see invisible creatures within a radius of 9 meters. The ability provides a significant advantage in many areas of Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s best to give the eye to a melee fighter among you.
Unlike with Ethel’s eye, there is no disadvantage with Volo’s eye, other than having to face a gruesome surgical scene.
Here’s how to get Volo’s eye:
Before you receive the side quest “Replacement Eye,” you must first rescue the talented bard.
- Speak to Volo for the first time in the druid grove
- Go to the destroyed village and head west until you encounter the goblin camp
- Search the center of the camp for Volo and speak to him
- Rescue Volo from the goblin camp
- Speak to Volo again and invite him to your camp
Now tell Volo about the parasite in your brain. He will look for options to help you. Take a rest and have another conversation with Volo after a long break. Then you’ll be good to go.
One of the strangest and most agonizing scenes awaits you. As an amateur surgeon, Volo will perform an eye operation on you that nearly ends with a lobotomy. You will need to pass several checks while he continues to stab you in the eyeball.
Can I exchange both eyes? In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have the option to replace one of your two eyes. However, both eyes cannot be exchanged. The choice between Aunt Ethel’s cloudy eye and Volo’s replacement eye depends on your playstyle and your party composition.
Both options offer unique advantages. No matter which eye you choose, one thing is certain: In Baldur’s Gate 3, it often involves sacrificing to become stronger.
MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has engaged with the deal with Aunt Ethel, thus starting his personal feud: Baldur’s Gate 3: The personal feud with a witch cost me 3 hours of life – The solution took no more than 30 seconds
