Baldurs Gate 3: Nettie and the antidote – puzzle solution

In Baldur’s Gate 3, players encounter the enigmatic healer Nettie, who presents both a lifeline and a deadly trap. As you seek an antidote to the poison she inflicts, the stakes rise dramatically. Will you navigate her cunning tests and emerge unscathed, or will you succumb to her treachery? This guide unravels the intricate puzzle of obtaining the antidote and escaping Nettie’s clutches, ensuring your hero’s survival in a world where every choice can lead to peril or salvation.

As a reminder, you meet Nettie in Druid Grove as part of the Druid Apprentice quest. You can ask Nettie for help getting rid of the parasite. After you tell her the details of the hero’s health condition, she’ll invite you to the next room.

Nettie offers an antidote. If you pass the test successfully, you can determine before taking the cure that it is actually a poison. In such a situation, you can try to protect yourself peacefully from taking the poison by passing the persuasion test.

If you consume the poison, Nettie will inform you of this fact and explain why she acted this way. A strong negative status will be placed on the character – At Death’s Door. It impedes all of the protagonist’s abilities (main statistics). Moreover, this effect gets worse with each rest.

The antidote allows you to get the poison out of your system. You can acquire get it in several ways:

The first option is to get Nettie to give you the antidote by passing a skillcheck (e.g. persuasion, intimidation or deception).

The second option is to defeat Nettie in combat and then search her corpse – find the antidote.

The third option is to sneak up on Nettie and use the pickpocket option. If you pass the skill test correctly, you can take the antidote out of her pocket without being detected.

What are the best strategies to pass Nettie’s persuasion test

To successfully pass Nettie’s persuasion test in Baldur’s Gate 3, players can employ several effective strategies during their encounter with her. Here are the best approaches:

Key Strategies

1. Be Truthful About Symptoms: Start by honestly explaining the symptoms your party is experiencing. If you choose this route, Nettie will respond truthfully, revealing she does not have a cure but is instead planning to euthanize the party to prevent transformation into Mind Flayers.
2. Utilize Skill Checks: During the conversation, you can attempt various skill checks to persuade Nettie:
   • Persuasion Check: Use a line like “The drow didn’t transform – I won’t either” (DC 10).
   • Medicine Check: State “I’m not showing symptoms – that means I have time” (DC 10).
   • History or Druid Check: Recall the tenets of her order, asserting that “no druid could support this!” (DC 10).
   • Intimidation Check: Assert your strength with statements like “You can’t hit me, let alone kill me” (DC 10) or “I don’t need to transform to kill everyone” (DC 10).
3. Choose Your Responses Wisely: If you manage to convince Nettie with your checks, she may offer a way out by asking you to swear to consume Wyvern Poison if you start transforming. Agreeing to this will allow you to complete the quest peacefully. However, refusing her demands will lead to combat.
4. Avoiding Poison: If you can avoid being poisoned initially, you’ll have another chance to persuade her without the threat of immediate danger. This can provide an advantageous position for further negotiations.
5. Brew an Antidote: If all else fails and you end up poisoned, remember that you can learn to brew an antidote using ingredients found nearby, which may also help in future encounters.

By combining these strategies, players can navigate Nettie’s persuasion test effectively and either secure their freedom or prepare for a more confrontational outcome.

What skills are most effective against Nettie in combat

To effectively combat Nettie in Baldur’s Gate 3, players should consider her stats and abilities while utilizing specific skills and tactics. Here are the most effective strategies for defeating her:

Combat Strategies Against Nettie

1. Understand Nettie’s Stats:
   • Health: 24
   • Armor Class (AC): 11
   • Resistances: Nettie has resistance to poison damage, making poison-based attacks less effective against her.
2. Utilize High-Damage Attacks:
   • Since Nettie has relatively low health, high-damage spells or attacks can quickly take her down. Focus on spells or abilities that deal significant damage in a single hit.
3. Crowd Control Spells:
   • Spells like Hold Person or Entangle can incapacitate her, preventing her from using her abilities and allowing your party to deal damage without retaliation.
4. Area of Effect (AoE) Damage:
   • If you have access to AoE spells, such as Fireball or Thunderwave, these can be particularly effective, especially if you can catch Nettie and any nearby allies in the blast.
5. Use of Advantage Mechanisms:
   • If your party members have abilities that grant advantage on attack rolls (like the Rogue’s Sneak Attack), utilize these to maximize damage output against Nettie.
6. Targeting Her Weaknesses:
   • Nettie’s Constitution is moderate (13), so spells that require Constitution saving throws may be effective. Consider using spells that target this stat, as she may fail to save against them.
7. Take Advantage of Terrain:
   • Use the environment to your advantage by positioning your characters in ways that limit Nettie’s movement or force her into unfavorable positions.
8. Prepare Buffs and Debuffs:
   • Before engaging, consider buffing your party with spells like Bless or using items that enhance attack rolls. Debuffing Nettie with spells like Bane can also tilt the battle in your favor.
9. Plan for Poison Effects:
   • If you allow Nettie to poison you, be ready with antidotes or healing spells to mitigate the effects of the poison status, which imposes penalties on ability scores.

By combining these strategies, players can effectively engage and defeat Nettie in combat, ensuring they are prepared for her unique abilities and resistances.