J.K. Rowling created the Hogwarts Legacy universe. You may read more about Rowling's history of transphobic remarks as well as resources to support LGBTQ organizations here.
Hogwarts Legacy is a massive game. It's not the largest open-world game out there, but it's certainly larger than some recent open-world experiences. I was surprised by the number of hidden features throughout the game that you'll likely forget later on.
Here are a few things that Hogwarts Legacy does not teach you, from arguably essential beginner guides to glitch-free mechanics.
By finishing Merlin trials, you can increase inventory space.
Pretty early on in your Hogwarts Legacy journey, you'll likely start burning items just to free up space. You'll probably begin saying, "There has to be a better way."
After you complete two Merlin Trials, you unlock additional inventory spaces in the game. Further upgrades follow at ever greater progression intervals.
Please note that you must claim your rewards from the "Challenges" menu in order to unlock your additional inventory spaces. Unless you leave them sitting there, the rewards will not be automatically added to your character/inventory.
Talents unlock additional spell slots.
At the beginning of Hogwarts Legacy, you'll be limited to four active spell slots. Once all of those slots are full (which doesn't take long), you'll have to replace your current spells in order to use new ones. It's quite a hassle, especially when it's over.
Once Talents are unlocked through the main quest, you may acquire additional spell slots.
The only problem is that you must spend available Talent Points in order to obtain additional spots rather than purchase character upgrades. That brings us to our next point...
You may run out of talent points.
The moment you unlock Talent Points in Hogwarts Legacy, your character-building possibilities begin to blossom. That moment is enhanced by the fact that you automatically receive additional Talent Points to spend (based on the level you're at when you unlock that mechanic).
You'll want to be cautious with how you spend your early Talent Points. Once you've reached Level 40, you're no longer able to level up your character, which also means you can't earn Talent Points beyond Level 40.
Those who want to own some high-level Talents will want to remember that they will only have access to 35 Talent Points in a single playthrough. Start doing some budgeting early so you'll be able to get the ones you want the most.
It Doesn't Matter What You Choose of Wand
In Hogwarts Legacy, picking your wand sounds like a big deal. For Harry Potter lovers, it will be. However, as we learned in the Harry Potter books, the individual Witch or Wizard is often more important than their wand.
In Hogwarts Legacy, your wand is only a cosmetic item. You can unlock wand handles to modify a wand's design somewhat, but you cannot make it more powerful. Again, that's okay, although it goes against common video game reasoning.
In Combat, Stealth is incredible overpowered.
Despite the fact that the game treats stealth as a somewhat situational ability, we'll dive into it later.
While you're in stealth mode, you may one-shot otherwise troublesome foes. The majority of Hogwarts Legacy areas are easily cleared out without ever being seen. There are even some "named enemies" that can't be instantly killed while you're in stealth but can be stealth attacked for massive damage.
Don't Explore the World Too Quickly
Once you open the Hogwarts Legacy map's "World," you may explore the game's entire map fairly freely. However, just because you can go almost anywhere early in the game does not mean you should.
In some areas, high-level enemies will be encountered (even if your character is at a much lower level), but many of the games' higher-level activities will not even be available to you until you have completed critical progression milestones in the game. Even then, some of the maps may contain hidden secrets for advanced players.
Speaking of which...
Try not to Open Legendary Chests Right Away.
A large, ornate treasure chest will greet you shortly after your Hogwarts Legacy adventure. Legendary items are often stored in these chests, but be cautious about how many more you open from there.
Legendary Chests are best opened a little later in the game if you can, since the gear you receive from them fluctuates with your level in Hogwarts Legacy. This way, you can be certain you're getting the finest items from them. Try saving some chests for when you may need better gear to weather certain challenges.
While we're on this topic,...
Legendary Chests Can Be Saved Scum To Get the Items You Want
Be sure to save your game before opening a Legendary Chest. If you don't like the item you receive when you open that chest, just save it and open it again. This time, you should receive a separate item.
This method works because Hogwarts Legacy's "item drops" are based on item pools. The item you receive during those drops is random, but the pool should remain the same. As such, you should eventually be able to acquire your preferred piece of gear using this refresh method.
While flying, use Revelio to uncover additional secrets.
In Hogwarts Legacy, Revelio will likely be your most popular spell. That handy ability allows you to quickly scan an area in order to discover secrets and other objects that can be interacted with. However, the range of Revelio will usually be disappointingly short.
If you use Revelio while flying, you may actually scan a large area around you and receive information on several places of interest from across the map. I'm not sure why this works the way it does (or if it is functioning as intended) but it's an extremely useful feature for the whole game.
Vendors Have a Timer for Inventory Refresh
The Hogwarts Legacy experience is expensive, but necessary. The fact that vendors around the world have a tiny amount of inventory makes it even more difficult/difficult to purchase.
Vendors refresh their initial inventory once every two and a half days. If you don't feel like waiting that long, you may try using the game's "Wait" feature to make day into night (and vice versa). That way, you can buy as many items as you need at any given time.
Lockpicking is now a breeze.
In Hogwarts Legacy, you don't actually unlock the ability to...err...open locks until fairly late. Once you do unlock that spell, you may find that the game makes little effort to instruct you how to complete the lockpicking minigame.
The lockpicking minigame is a little simpler than it may appear at first glance. Simply press the Left Stick (or another compatible control option) to move the green light into one of the available slots on the lock's outer green circle. From there, move the outer green circle in a circular motion until you see the small gears on the bottom right moving. This time, though, keep an eye on the smaller gears at the center of the lock.
The key to this minigame is that those sweet spots will always be located in the north, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest. Just point your chosen spot in one of these directions, and you'll unlock even the toughest locks in no time.
Always check the mail from your Owl Post.
During your Hogwarts Legacy adventure, you'll likely receive mail, but don't be surprised if you quickly forget that feature exists. There comes a point in the game when you'll almost think that people have stopped sending you letters.
Nonetheless, it turns out that you only need to check your Owl Post mailboxes regularly in order to see if you have new mail. That way, you can be sure you don't miss anything.
You Can't Do Right Away With Many, Many Things
One of the things I like the most about Hogwarts Legacy is the almost Metroidvania-style design. That is to say that there are many areas of the world you'll know you'll be able to interact with, but you'll not be able to interact with right away.
Although there are instances when you'll just need to sift out a bit of knowledge in order to solve certain mysteries, you should be aware that many aspects of the game (including major mechanics) are not entirely accessible to you the first time you notice them. That category includes (but is not limited to) gear upgrades, flying, collecting beasts, and destruction of certain environmental items.
Grundsätzlich, you shouldn't assume that you'll be able to use everything the moment you've become aware of it. Oftentimes, you'll need to continue through the main quest until every mechanic and spell is officially available to you.