Learning Dark Arts is not the most honorable path one can take as a Witch or Wizard in Hogwarts Legacy. However, the potential of building one’s character around it has intrigued a lot of fans into brewing a Dark Wizard build for the game. Players encounter Dark Arts in the Defense Against The Dark Arts Class early into Hogwarts Legacy, but to wield the Dark Arts themselves, they need to invest points into the Dark Arts Talents.
Building a Dark Wizard may take time for this very reason, as Dark Arts Talents are not “Spells” but “Curses”, and buffs for the same. While some of these Curses may have similar effects to Spells, they inflict more damage on foes, making the game easier for aspiring Dark Wizards. However, iconic Forbidden Curses that hold relatively increased powers are often locked behind the completion of Side Quests. It's worth noting that talents are ranked while assuming "Hard" difficulty. Iconic Curses like Crucio and Imperio may become underwhelming. Hence, the Mastery Talents of these Curses have been exempted from ranking.
7 Disarming Curse
The Disarming Curse acts similarly to the fundamental Expelliarmus Spell but inflicts Curse effects on enemies. After successfully casting the Curse, the targeted enemy loses their wand and becomes susceptible to increased damage while the curse effect lasts.
Hence, it can be used to create a window of opportunity for players to cast more offensively oriented spells/curses. One can pair the Disarming Curse with the Stunning Curse from the Dark Arts Talents or Ancient Magic Throw Expertise from the Core Talents for the best results. It can be acquired from the Talents Menu after completing “Jackdaw’s Rest” Main Quest after reaching level five. One should be able to cast Expelliarmus before trying to unlock this Talent.
6 Slowing Curse
Being a late-game spell, players need to watch out for Arresto Momentum as it can have paralyzing effects on unsuspecting enemies and make them levitate in the air helplessly in combat. The Slowing Curse works similarly. Despite the hilarious sight, it inflicts Curse effects which increase the damage players deal to afflicted enemies for a short time.
The Slowing Curse also lasts longer than the Levioso Spell and entirely removes enemies while the battle is ongoing. Players need to complete Madam Kogawa’s second assignment to unlock Arresto Momentum once their character level reaches 16. They can invest points into Slowing Curse after unlocking Arresto Momentum.
5 Stunning Curse
The Stunning Curse enhances one of the most useful spells in Hogwarts Legacy, Stupefy. It quickly stuns enemies for a set amount of time, making it easy for players to deal chip damage while the Curse effects linger.
However, akin to Stupefy, one cannot use the Stunning Curse freely. It can be used as an effective counterattack after deflecting enemy attacks. One can obtain the Stunning Curse after completing the “Jackdaw’s Rest” Main Quest which unlocks the Talents system for players.
4 Blood Curse
With every Curse cast onto enemies, the effects last for a time. Hence, with Blood Curse, dealing damage to enemies who are cursed distributes the damage between all the Cursed enemies. If one commits to using Curses instead of regular old Spells in Hogwarts Legacy, the Blood Curse Talent is an absolute blessing.
This is extremely helpful while clearing out massive groups efficiently. Surrounding enemies, if Cursed, are also stun-locked while one deals damage to a singular Cursed enemy as long as the Curse remains active. One can access this Talent directly from the Talents Menu after completing the “Jackdaw’s Rest” Main Quest.
3 Enduring Curse
One should always consider investing points into Enduring Curse so that one can use Blood Curse to its fullest potential. Enduring Curse is a Dark Arts Talent that increases the effective time for Curse effects on enemies. With proper knowledge, pairing this up with Avada Kedavra ensures insane multi-kills with one hit as all cursed enemies are caught in the Forbidden Curse's effects.
This activates the Blood Curse for longer periods while also allowing more time to chip in extra damage due to the lingering Curse effects. One can access this Talent through the Talent Menu after reaching level 16.
2 Curse Sapper
As one plays through the game, altercations can prove to be too much to handle. With the increasing groups of enemies, keeping up with one’s Health Points (HP) may become an ordeal. This is where Curse Sapper steps in, returning health to the player after defeating every cursed enemy.
This is a passive spell but can become very useful in overwhelming situations. Hence, using Blood Curse and Enduring Curse with Curse Sapper makes sure that the players remain in fighting condition, even against hordes of enemies.
1 Avada Kedavra Mastery
Avada Kedavra, Voldemort's Iconic killing curse and the most potent of the Three Forbidden Curses, is undisputedly the best offensive magic in Hogwarts Legacy. It can obliterate enemies and even bosses with massive health bars in one shot. However, one cannot use it frequently due to its massive cooldown time.
Following the Dark Path as a Witch or Wizard may have little to no consequences due to a lack of a Morality System in the game. However, a Curse like Avada Kedavra cannot be missed since it eliminates the roadblock of any bosses in the game. Players can obtain this iconic Curse for themselves during the quest called “In the Shadow of the Relic” by talking to Sebastian Sallow. When asked for dialogue choices, choosing anything with a positive undertone to the Killing Curse and Sebastian Sallow is essential for players.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, and Nintendo Switch.