Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay Impressions: A Deep Dive Into Combat, Spells, Abilities, And More!
Mar. 17, 2022Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay Impressions: A Deep Dive Into Combat, Spells, Abilities, And More!
Earlier this year, we released aHogwarts Legacy Wishlistwhere we talked about several features that we’d like to see and experience in the upcoming open-worldAction-RPG. The list includes enunciating spells when casting them, the inclusion of both forgivable and unforgivable curses such as Avada Kedavra, wizard duels, flying on broomsticks, and the modifications we can do for our character. As a huge fan of the Harry Potter book and movie series, we can’t help but feel the hype that surrounds this massive game. There are several things to uncover so let’s first talk about the world the players will be jumping into, followed by character creation. So wands at the ready, let’s get into it!
Hogwarts Legacytakes place in the 1800s where you play as a 5th-year Hogwarts student. There is a certain mystery behind why you’re joining Hogwarts so late, that we have yet to see for ourselves. Like Harry Potter, you have untapped potential and an affinity with ancient magic, which seems to have been forgotten. In addition, there are rumors of a goblin rebellion led by Ranrok as well as their growing alliance with menacing wizards and witches. Together with companions and the professors you can trust, you must find out the reason why they’re wielding corrupted magic while ultimately trying to save Hogwarts from being obliterated into smithereens.
Alongside this major threat, you’ll be attending classes such as Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts where you’ll duel against fellow students, and Potions in order to learn how to properly use magic. You’ll be harnessing your skills with a wand and brew potions that aren’t limited to mischief but will actually enhance your capabilities. You’ll also grow magical plants that will then provide aid in combat. For instance, a shrieking Mandrake will accompany you to debilitate enemies. But Potions and Herbology aren’t the only classes you’ll be taking since you’ll be exposed to the fantastic beasts the game has to offer.
Next, you’ll come across familiar faces like Nearly Headless Nick who is of course on the quest to join the headless hunt, and his ghastly friends in class and as you explore the grounds of Hogwarts. There’s even a “special curriculum” where you’ll be completing “side assignments”. We’re not yet certain what this entails if it’s a mini-game in itself or a series of quests that you have to do. But one thing is clear – there’s a great degree of nostalgia in Hogwarts Legacy that we can’t wait to dive into!
Character Creation has been mentioned in passing but it’s not as detailed as we would’ve liked. When you step into the great hall, the Sorting Hat will be waiting to determine the right house for you. This is strange as usually this is reserved for 1st-year students, yet expected since you’re already a 5th-year student joining the school. As we’ve mentioned previously on our Hogwarts Legacy Wishlist, we’re in two camps about this decision because, on one hand, players will go through the standard way of joining a house yet on the other hand the results will be RNG-reliant it seems. It remains to be seen if it’s even possible to change houses, how big of an impact this will be on the choices you make and the characters as well as the story as a whole.
In terms of changing the way you look, the gameplay reveal has only shown glimpses of what you can alter such as your hairstyle, hair colour, facial structure, and facial markings. We have yet to see how in-depth this feature will be, that is, if we can specifically tweak our face, or if there’s already a set of preset options to choose from. There’s also the question of selecting the type of pet you can keep, the wand you’ll wield, and the personality traits that will affect how you interact with others.
Combat in Hogwarts Legacy is as exciting as you would expect. TheSpellsare verbally and somatically (if you will) cast using a wand. There were instances in the State of Play where you would conjure a repaired pathway with Reparo or even blast enemies in retaliation with curses. You can stun and enchant them and activate the Shield Charm to protect yourself from ranged attacks. What’s interesting are the ways in which you can manipulate the battlefield to gain an advantage over your targets.
Similar toDivinity: Original Sin 2andBaldur’s Gate 3, you’re able to make use of the objects around you. One example is being able to throw a barrel at enemies in addition to casting spells like Expelliarmus to disarm them, closely followed by Descendo to slam them on the ground or Incendio to incinerate them. On top of this, you’re able to harness the ancient magic you know about to annihilate even the strongest of foes. There are definitely so many possibilities and combinations you can come up with to play your character differently each time.
To make Hogwarts Legacy more enticing than it already is, the game will feature a character customization system including but not limited to the talents and abilities you’re able to upgrade. Receiving Talent Points from various challenges to improve your overall effectiveness as well as to invest a couple of points into Stealth if you want to sneak around to investigate strange happenings. Additionally, you can upgrade the potency of your spells, plants, and potions.
When it comes to gear, you have the option of buying, looting, or even crafting them from scratch. Doing so will provide you with more abilities to further enhance your playstyle, traits, and appearance. Will crafting grant better sets as compared to buying or looting gear? Or is this merely an alternative to obtaining them? Will there be rarities to determine the gear’s power? These are just some of the questions we’re itching to know more about as Avalanche Software provides additional details on Hogwarts Legacy in the coming months before its release late this year.
We know that being a wizard has always been a perilous journey, making it vital to form friendships with those whom you can trust. Given the numerous opportunities and threats both in Hogwarts as well as outside the school grounds, it would certainly be a waste to not share this experience with others. This is why you’ll have companions to accompany you and teach you certain abilities that you initially don’t know anything about. You’ll encounter them in hallways, classes, and common rooms.
As you spend more time with each other, you’ll know their backgrounds and motivations. Let’s run through the 3 companions that have been revealed so far. First, there’s Natsai Onai who is known for her bravery and thirst for justice and adventure. Second, there’s Poppy Sweeting who’s able to communicate and connect with fantastic beasts more so than humans. And third, there’s Sebastian Sallow from Slytherin who has a family secret that may or may not include shady dealings occurring in the game. It remains to be seen whether or not we’ll have more companions or if there’ll only be one representative from each house. Regardless, we’re excited to meet them all!
In terms of exploration, as huge fans of the Harry Potter series themselves, the developers envisioned a boundless world, which would allow the players to explore everything they can see, may it be the Forbidden Forest beyond the school grounds or the village of Hogsmeade. Who doesn’t want to drink Butter Beer every once in a while, while getting lost in this beautiful village?
you’ll be able to purchase ingredients and recipes for your potions, seeds for your magical plants as well as equipment, and a change of clothes. But it’s not all fun and games since this is also the place where dark witches and wizards congregate to discuss their devious agendas. Additionally, you can ride a broomstick to travel quickly from one part of the world to the other. We’re not yet sure if fast travel is also on the table, that is, if you can travel from one portal to the next. Hogwarts Legacy will also feature a cycle of seasons that will change the way theseLocationslook.
Meanwhile, inside Hogwarts, you’ll discover hidden passageways, secret dungeons, and dangerous vaults. There’s certainly an incentive to explore these locations aside from cracking mysteries since they also contain puzzles, which if you solve will grant valuable rewards. Comparatively, outside the school, you’ll encounter roaming beasts – some of them are friendly whereas others are corrupted. If you’re going for a morally good character, then you can rescue and heal them of their afflictions in the Room of Requirement.
The Room of Requirement is your personal space in the game. You can build a Potion Station, upgrade equipment, and grow and harvest plants to provide you with whatever you need such as Mandrakes, for example. You also have a steady supply of Invisible Potions should you need to explore Hogwarts in the middle of the night to go to the Restricted Section of the Library. I mean, who doesn’t? What’s more, is you’ll be able to customize this area however you like. We just hope that there’s also a way to visit another player’s room in the future.
Furthermore, you’ll take the aid of Deek who is a house-elf. He’ll teach you the ins and outs of the room so you can take good care of the beasts you rescue.
There’s a slew of information that has been shared in today’s Hogwarts Legacy gameplay reveal and while we’re certainly more hyped to see it unfold right before our eyes, we can’t help but wonder about the other features that have not been divulged. One of them is Quidditch. Although we can fly with our broomstick, we have yet to see if we can participate in Quidditch in whatever capacity or position we choose to play as.
Even if we’ve seen some encounters, we’re looking forward to experiencing challenges comprised of numerous enemies and leading to epic boss encounters. There’s still no word on the difficulty modes or if there’ll be anything of the sort. And hopefully, more details will be provided on how intricate character creation and customization will be because who wouldn’t want to spend tons of hours building just one character?
Hogwarts Legacyis shaping up to be the open-world action RPG we have been waiting for, for decades. It has a solid backing of developers who are also fans of the Harry Potter lore, making the game feel like a love letter to the beloved franchise. The amount of dedication and passion that went into this project is amazing and we can’t wait to know more in the next coming months. Here’s hoping that there will be a beta test soon!
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our other content,Stranger of Paradise Review,Elden Ring Review. What did you think of this Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay Impressions? What features are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below!
Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
