Hogwarts’ legacy scratches many immersive Harry Potter itches. Players will be able to fully explore the fantastical castle they know and love from the franchise, assuming the role of a student in any Hogwarts house they choose. Social simulation elements are also exciting, giving fans an opportunity to interact with other students and professors while attending their magical classes. Furthermore, players use wands, a handy tool wheel and a number of unique spells that can be combined in exciting duels with other students and enemies lurking around the castle grounds.
Hogwarts’ legacy has been giving fans quite a bit of insight into combat recently through their game shows. The game thankfully eschews a hack-‘n-slash approach and opts for a more thoughtful and engaging combat system, where players juggle enemies in the air with devastating spells. Multiple enemies can attack the player at the same time, and players must be ready to fight themselves with Protego and counterattack with Stupefy. However, players will have more than one wand at their disposal when it comes to getting the most out of it Hogwarts’ legacyits unique struggle; the tool wheel is also important.
The struggle of the Hogwarts legacy is multi-faceted
Fortunately, diligent class work will not be for nothing Hogwarts’ legacy. Players will learn how to duel and defend themselves with spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but they will also learn how to brew potions and other items in Potions. Therefore, while classes may be written for certain narrative sequences, it would be in every player’s best interest to pay attention to their professors to learn about potential aids in combat.
Classes likely introduce these mechanics to players that they can then use in the open world, and when certain potions are craftable, it’s likely that players will know the recipe to brew them in Hogwarts’ legacy‘s personal needs room. This takes potion brewing from the dingy Potions dungeon to a colorful and customizable space where players can spend much of their time while in the castle, especially with an entire Vivarium of magical creatures to nurture.
Likewise, Herbology will likely introduce many types of organic flora to players. Hogwarts’ legacythe tool wheel includes all of these consumables and items that players can farm, brew or buy, and they will be available from the tool wheel for quick use between spellcasting.
The tool wheel has been explicitly hidden in what appears to be an attempt to not destroy certain items, but it was recently shown in Hogwarts’ legacyits second game showcase, highlights two items players can equip in battle. The first was a Chinese Chomping Cabbage, and the second was a Focus Potion.
The latter is described as temporarily reducing the cooldowns of spells, and is brewed with one snipe, one fluxweed stem, and one burrowing tongue. In this special tool wheel, which was fanned in Hogwarts’ legacyDark Arts Battle Arena, other items included a Venomous Tentacula, an Edurus Potion, and a Mandrake. Edurus Potion has been depicted a few different times now, encasing the protagonist in a stone skin for better defense.
It will be interesting to see how many items there are for players to put into the tool wheel, as well as which items are better for different enemies or encounters. Otherwise, a good incentive to use items and consumables from the tool wheel can simply relate to bonus feats that battle encounters suggest.
Hogwarts’ legacy launches February 10 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, April 4 for PS4 and Xbox One, and July 25 for Nintendo Switch.
