Vicious mockery is one of the most beloved cantrips inBaldur’s Gate 3. When performed by the player or a companion, one of ninety-six different voice lines will play to encapsulate the verbal jab that causes your opponents to take psychic damage and bestows disadvantage on their next attack roll. With such a long list to choose from, it’s very fun to play around with in battle. You’ll likely never get the same insult twice in a row, and it doesn’t require using up a spell slot to cast.
However,there’s one character who brings vicious mockery to the next level.Auntie Ethel also gets access to the spell, but her taunts are much more cutthroat. Ethel’s insults are based on actual characteristics of her target rather than being chosen at random, and she has unique lines for each race and origin character. Here are some of Auntie Ethel’s best insults that will make you either laugh or cry at her intense accuracy.
15"Lumbering Half-Orc. Twice As Ugly As Your Parents Combined!"
Ethel Doesn’t Do The Half-Orc’s Popularity Any Favors
As previously stated,Auntie Ethel really does not hold back when it comes to insulting characters based on their racial features.The half-orc is alreadyone of the least-played racesand has a distinct lack of modded cosmetic content compared to others.
Ethel’s takedown, which cruelly disrespects the half-orc’s heritage, isn’t likely to do wonders for its popularity. Throughout all three acts, you can’t actually come across any orcs inBaldur’s Gate 3,so we’ll never know if she was right or not.
14"Need A New Master, Illithid Lover?"
An Unwelcome Retort For Any Duergar Player
“Need a new master, illithid lover?” is a remark that Ethel only uses towards Duergar, another extremely uncommon race that players withoutD&Dfamiliarity won’t know much about.Duergar were once enslaved by mind flayers,so being infected by an illithid parasite is a massive slap in the face if you’re playing a character who wants to move on from the underdwarves' past.
Duergar abilities, such as resistance against being charmed and free access to invisibility, make them some of thebest melee fighters inBaldur’s Gate 3. All the same, Auntie Ethel won’t let you forget where those powers came from easily.
13"I’ll Show You What A True Fey Does, Dearie."
In A World With Hags, Dryads, And Fairies, Ethel Will Make Sure Your Elf Tav Knows They’re Not Special
Elves may have fey ancestry, but it’s true that they don’t compare to other fey creatures in terms of power.Baldur’s Gate 3doesn’t have a huge focus on the fey, butEthel is its biggest example of just how tricky they can be.
Even Dolly Thrice is surprisingly reasonable for a fey, and will let you off very lightly if you smash the lantern she was trapped in, simply cursing you with clown face paint. This is nothing compared to the state you find Ethel’s victims in when you visit her lair.
12"Even The Underdark Doesn’t Want You, Half-Breed."
Half-Drow Just Can’t Catch A Break
Half-drow really do seem to get the short end of the stick inBG3. They face the typical discrimination that is dished out to drow by those who can’t tell the difference, while simultaneously receiving retorts from actual members of drow society like Minthara.
Some of Auntie Ethel’sVicious Mockeryvoice lines never made it into the game, but were still recorded. You can listen to them all by watching this YouTube video byChubblot. This includes insults towards characters that would be tagged as “beasts,” as well as towards Helia, thescrapped origin companion.
Playing as this race won’t even get you the perks like a free pass into the goblin camp thatplaying as a full drowwill bring. You’ll get lots of mixed reactions when playing as a half-drow, though, as Ethel taunts here,it’s rare that someone in the Underdark will ever acknowledge your drow heritage.
11"Slaver. Sadist. How Dare You Judge Me?"
Even A Hag Thinks Drow Society Is Cruel
This insult is only used towards female drow, and it’s especially hard-hitting if you’re playing as a character who doesn’t want anything to do with the typical cruelties of drow society. Even if you’re playing as aSeldarine drow rather than a Lolthsworn,you won’t be able to escape Ethel’s ridicule.
Though, if you do happen to be playing with a stereotypically evil alignment, she does raise a valid point.Ethel’s treatment of Mayrina leaves a lot to be desired, but it isn’t nearly as heinous as what some drow have been known to do to their prisoners.
10"Kneel, Boy. Just Like The Matriarchs Taught You To."
Male Drow Aren’t Safe From Ethel’s Cruelty Either
On the other hand, Ethel isn’t any kinder to male drow and mocks them all the same. Drow function in a matriarchy where male drow are regarded as little other than slaves.
There are multiple examples of this paradigm throughout the game, such as forcing Dhourn to address you with respect when playing as a female Lolth-sworn drow. Life is cruel to drow men in the Underdark, soit’s especially brutal for Auntie Ethel to hit your Tav where it hurts after they’ve spent so much time on the surface.
As If The Githyanki Don’t Get Enough Trouble For Their Appearance
Many denizens of Faerûn refer to the githyanki as looking “toad-like” due to their yellowish hues. Auntie Ethel, however, is the only one who points out the irony of someone constantly being referred to as a toad being infected with a tadpole.
“Zorru was right. Yellow as a toad, and twice as ugly.” - Damays
An illithid parasite may be a githyanki’s worst nightmare,but you’re able to’t deny that Ethel is nothing but creative with her insults.
8"Happy To Sell Everyone’s Soul But Your Own, Aren’t You?"
It’s Hard To Find Something To Say That Karlach Will Take Personally
Soul coins inBaldur’s Gate 3are a convenient way to put some extra power behind Karlach’s attacks, but using them doesn’t come without guilt. As the name implies,each coin of this hellish currency contains one mortal soul,which is burnt up every time one is placed into Karlach’s engine.
In total, you can find 19 soul coins throughout the game.
It’s brutal to hammer in the price Karlach pays whenever she uses one, since she would do anything to have a normal heart again. This Ethel insult is a stark reminder to the player that their seemingly minor actions have unpleasant repercussions.
7"Come To Greet Death Early? You’ll Be A Lovely Spectacle."
Gale Facing Certain Death Is Hard Enough When He Doesn’t Have A Hag Mocking Him For It
Gale spends a lot of time lamenting the bleakness of the destiny Mystra set out for him, so Ethel’s mockery doesn’t make his situation any better. It’s especially cruel to remind Gale of his seemingly fast-approaching death, especially whenwe know just how preventable his demise actually is.
Avoiding the use of the Netherese orbis the best outcome for Gale inBG3,and you should really try to keep him in one piece unless you’re having an exceptionally hard time fighting the Netherbrain.
6"Oh, Look! It’s Daddy’s Regret."
Wyll Didn’t Go Toe-To-Toe With The Cult Of Tiamat For This
Wyll cares deeply for his father, Ulder Ravengard, despite their misunderstanding from when he was a teenager, which led to Ulder casting Wyll into exile. Unless convinced otherwise,Wyll will gladly surrender his soul to Mizora in Act Threeand suffer eternal servitude to her just so he can see his father live a slightly longer life.
Insulting Wyll using the consequences of a situation that was almost entirely out of his control is a very low blow. If the rest of Auntie Ethel’s insults establish anything, though, it’s that this isn’t uncharacteristic for the hag.
