Tips and tricks for magicians

Not without some delay and some controversy on social media, Hogwarts Legacy is already in the hands of many players, thanks to the Early Access granted by the Deluxe Edition of the game. All other players will have to wait until Friday, Feb. 10, or for the later PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions, which will be released in April and July, respectively.

Many new students will then come to Hogwarts School and the full open-world adventure created by Avalanche Software, as we told you in our review. To make sure you’re not running around like a headless chicken (which Nearly Headless Nick would love), we’ve put together this guide of essential tips to help you get the most out of every second of Hogwarts Legacy and move through the game with ease.

It’s a spoiler-free guide to the story, so you can read it without fear even if you haven’t started playing yet – let the magic begin!

1. There will only be one first day at Hogwarts, so make the most of it

The quote from Professor Weasley (yes, those Weasleys) is the first piece of advice we will give you on how to play the game, and that is to explore every nook and cranny of the school in the first few moments of the game. Once you arrive at the school, Deputy Headmistress Weasley will give you the Hogwarts Field Guide, a handbook to keep track of the places, locations, equipment, skills and inventory you’ve collected in Hogwarts Legacy. To advance in the game, you must level up with experience, and the easiest and fastest way to get it at the beginning of the game is to pick up pages of the Field Guide hidden in the school, Hogsmeade and the surrounding area.

Most pages are obtained by using the Revelio spell, but others have Accio, Confringo or Levioso needed. These spells are unlocked in the story, so stop by from time to time and interact with the objects highlighted in blue when using Revelio. Another trick, when you hear the sound of a bell, is that there is always a secret nearby.

2. Follow the path of Merlin

He was not the most famous wizard in history for nothing. Merlin was also a student at Hogwarts, and he left his legacy (never better said) on the grounds of Hogwarts Vale in the form of simple puzzles in which we have to destroy objects, carry fireflies to marked rocks or throw huge boulders and plunge them into stone holes. Whatever it is, the prize is worth it. Spaces for equipment inventory, which are very important because they are really limited, and because it also represents the biggest source of income in the game.

Very Important: Get Mallowsweet seeds from The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade as soon as possible, as they are the key to activating Merlin’s Trials.

3. Don’t spend galleons madly, you need them

It may sound like foolish advice, but nothing could be further from the truth. Money in Hogwarts Legacy is (at least until the last third) a scarce commodity and absolutely essential to progress. The vast majority of vendors have prices that can only be considered offensive, but there are some minimal purchases to make, such as potions seeds and summoning spells. All of these serve to turn the Room of Requirement into a self-sufficient factory of adventure equipment, such as potions and plants for battle.

The most convenient way to raise money is to sell equipment you no longer use. Prioritize those marked (in this order) green, blue, purple and orange. Each will be more valuable than the last, and so when you run out of room to carry out more on a mission (see Why is it important to do Merlin’s Trials?), you will have to destroy the less valuable ones.

The beauty of seeds and spells is that you only have to buy them once, after which you can generate them infinitely (with opals) in the Room of Requirement.

Another trick for quick money. If you come across those chests with one eye popping out when they see you, it’s best to use the disillusionment spell to sneak up on them and get the 500 coins in each. And if you don’t have the spell yet, you can use the invisibility potion.

4. Magical battles are a dance of colors

Combat is a fundamental part of Hogwarts Legacy, and while it does not require much skill or complexity at first, enemies will soon become more demanding and better prepared for your attacks. Some of them will use a permanent magical shield that will deflect your spells unless you counter it with a spell of the same “color family” as the shield. For example, if a dark wizard has a purple shield, a spell such as Accio or Depulso break the barrier, while if the shield is yellow, it is best to use Levioso or Arresto Momentum to use, although our favorite is the Tranform spell is, which turns an enemy into an exploding barrel and can be cast on others. Two casualties for the price of one.

There are enemies that are particularly weak to certain spells. You will see many spiders in the game (lots of them), and the best way to take them down quickly is to alternate basic casts with fire spells such as Incendio or Confringo. Trolls are pretty tough, but you can Flipendo use their own club against them to do a lot of damage.

Do not scorn the use of herbology classes while fighting. Chinese Chomping Cabbages, Mandrakes and Venomous Tentacula are very useful tools that can get you out of trouble with large groups of enemies, or stronger ones such as Acromantulas or Trolls. Always take a good supply of these.

5. Your best friends? The broom and the closing spell

The broomstick is the main magical means of transportation in the world of Hogwarts Legacy. While Floo Powder is great (it is the equivalent of fast travel here), you have to unlock destinations first and they will often be quite far away. Fortunately, we have the brooms. The store in Hogsmeade has several models of 400 coins each. Just buy one and the game will speed up a lot from then on. This will allow you to travel in a straight line and even enter the Forbidden Forest or the mountains safely by air. Of course, flying broomsticks is forbidden in Hogsmeade, as well as in the castle, so we will have to find another way to reach certain places … Did someone say Alohomora?

Alohomora is the spell to open magical locks and we will get it by doing a side mission for the Hogwarts caretaker, Mr. Moon. Carrying a certain amount of an item will improve the spell to open level two and three locks, so when you have a statue of a Demiguise sees, make sure it is night (you can change the time of day in the map menu) and grab the statue.

And for now, with these tips, you can begin your Hogwarts Legacy adventure with peace of mind, although we don’t rule out adding more notes as we explore every corner of Avalanche’s game. Start the new year off fantastically at Hogwarts!