It’s finally here. After eagerly awaiting a letter from an owl when I was 11 years old and finally giving up on receiving it at 3, Hogwarts Legacy is finally here to hold me tight and make everything alright. For those who don’t already know, Hogwarts Legacy lets players live out their best wizardry lives and finally explore the Hogwarts of their childhoods.
While readers are welcome to read our full game review here, this post is for those who need no convincing and are already at the ready, wand in hand. This post consists of five things players should be sure to do when they first start playing Hogwarts Legacy.
Cast Your Spells Often – You’re A Wizard, After All
One of the very first spells you will gain in the game is Revelio. But while it’s one of the more basic spells, it remains the most important throughout the game.
Revelio does as its name suggests and allows users to “reveal” things on the map, from items of interest to hidden surprises – Revelio is excellent for helping players spy sneaky little things they might otherwise miss.
A large part of Hogwarts Legacy revolves around collecting things. One of the easiest ways to ensure nothing is missed along your adventures is to cast Revelio as often as possible.
Make Sure To Channel Your Inner Me And Talk, A Lot
Everyone has their own way of playing open-world games. I personally know many friends who would rather never talk again than engage in “pointless” conversations in-game. However, when it comes to Hogwarts Legacy, not talking to those around you is doing the game and yourself a significant disservice.
Many of the students, teachers, NPCs, and other creatures you will come across during your time spent in Hogwarts Legacy will open up side quests or fun little nostalgic nuggets sure to warm the hearts of anyone playing the game.
It’s Not Any Old Broomstick, It’s A Nimbus Two Thousand
One of the biggest hindrances in Hogwarts Legacy can very quickly become traversal. The game and its world are huge, and attempting to explore on foot is a surefire way to end up frustrating yourself. So if you have ants in your pants and want nothing more than to get outside the castle walls and explore all the magical world has to offer, make sure you put on breaks and wait – as contradictory as that may sound.
Hogwarts Legacy allows the player to have a boom, which not only makes travelling a breeze but also opens up much more of the game to explore, as players will be able to reach new areas and discover even more secrets.
To get their own flying twig, players must attend the first couple of story-based classes until they unlock Hogsmeade, where they can purchase their first broom. However, it will take a while before you can afford anything good.
Side note: While players will probably be tempted to start exploring from hour one, it does take roughly ten or so hours before the game truly opens itself to players and exploration becomes entirely possible.
Try to explore too soon, and you’ll find yourself with chests you can’t open yet and gates that can’t be unlocked, so make sure to go with the flow and explore once you’re truly equipped to do so.
Foo Flames Are Your Friend – Trust Me
For the first few hours of Hogwarts Legacy, players will be forced to walk around everywhere they want to go. This is an excellent opportunity to make sure you unlock as many Floo Flames as possible because, once unlocked, these flames serve as convenient fast travel points that allow you to get around faster.
Floo Flames should appear on players’ maps as a fire symbol when they are close to one or when players have revealed one using their Revelio spell. I told you it was useful.
All players will then need to do is walk close to them. They will be automatically activated, turning green and allowing players to fast travel to them whenever they wish.
Be A Wizard, Not A Horder
My final tip for students starting in the world is to avoid getting overly attached to gear. One thing Hogwarts Legacy loves to reward players with is gear; before long, players will become burdened with more equipment than they have body parts to equip it to.
Once players reach Hogsmeade, there will be vendors who want nothing more than to purchase that unused gear, and players will be wise to part with it. After all, brooms don’t come cheap.