The main character in Hogwarts Legacy possesses a rare form of magic known as Ancient Magic. While this power and its potential danger are central to the plot, players can also wield it in combat for deadly damage.
By performing spell combos and dealing damage in general, players will fill up their Ancient Magic meter, upon which they can unleash an Ancient Magic Finisher, obliterating most enemies. There are many different finishers that the main character might perform, with some looking much cooler than others. Some Ancient Magic finishers are also unique to the enemies they are used on.
7 A Mongrel In Sheep's Clothing
There are many enemies that players will come across on their travels in Hogwarts Legacy and Mongrels, seemingly a type of wolf half-breed, are far from the cutest beasts in the game. These fearsome creatures will charge players down if they aren't careful, but thankfully players who have a full Ancient Magic meter can inflict a particularly humbling piece of magic on Mongrels.
While it won't happen every time, one of the Ancient Magic finishers that can be used on Mongrels is a transfiguration spell that transforms the Mongrel into a Sheep, making them much less threatening. There is a particularly dark undertone to this spell though, as it wouldn't be impossible for the Mongrel in Sheep's clothing to be eaten by another Mongrel, mistaking it for tasty mutton.
6 Lightning Strike
One fantastic Ancient Magic finisher that can be used on most enemies is a lightning strike, charged with the blue energy that Ancient Magic is known for. Whereas many of the other finishers use forms of magic that the player is already familiar with such as control and transfiguration, dealing damage with lighting feels completely unique.
The character's animation for this finisher is also one of the best as they call down on the skies, seemingly with their own body movement. It is smooth and detailed animations like this that help make Hogwarts Legacy truly beautiful.
5 Ground Slam
One of the more brutal, but nevertheless epic-looking Ancient Magic finishers in Hogwarts Legacy is the ground slam. Upon casting, players will levitate any enemy which is not a Troll and slam them into the ground from alternate sides three times.
Each slam is a crushing blow, making it a particularly dark finisher, especially considering it is being performed by a 5th year Hogwarts student. Without access to an Ancient Magic finisher, players can pull off one of the most fun spell combos in Hogwarts Legacy, using Accio, Flipendo, and Descendo together.
4 Turn A Dark Wizard Into A Chicken
There are many dark wizards and witches roaming the area surrounding Hogwarts in the late 19th century, from poachers and bandits to Victor Rookwood's Ashwinders. While there are many ways to take out these foes, the most humiliating way is to transfigure them into a chicken with an Ancient Magic finisher.
As chickens are commonly associated with cowardice this would be a particularly embarrassing transformation, and there is a real danger of them being eaten by natural predators. Other beings such as Ranrok's Goblins can also be permanently transformed into chickens.
3 Behead The Pensieve Protectors
Easily one of the best-looking Ancient Magic finishers is the one that players can perform on Pensieve Protectors. Wielding huge weapons, even just one of these knights might seem intimidating at first, however, this finisher will relieve them of their weapon before hurling it at their head to decapitate them.
A similar feat can be pulled off if players have unlocked the Ancient Magic Throw Expertise trait, as well as the disarming spell, Expelliarmus, which happens to be Harry Potter's signature spell. To perform this combo, players must first cast Expelliarmus on an enemy with a physical weapon such as an axe, and then when it is midair, Ancient Magic Throw can be used. Unlike the finisher though, this will not one-shot enemies.
2 Smack A Troll With Its Own Club
Ron Weasley famously knocked out a Troll with its own club in the first Harry Potter book, and this is something that Hogwarts Legacy players can learn from. Against Trolls, one of the Ancient Magic finishers which can be triggered will cause the player to momentarily take control of the Troll's club, smacking them in the face with it.
As Trolls can't be one-shot by a single Ancient Magic finisher, players will want to unlock more bars on their Ancient Magic meters by completing one of the more fun exploration challenges in Hogwarts Legacy, which involves collecting Ancient Magic traces.
1 Crush A Spider
Spiders are among the more problematic enemies to deal with in Hogwarts Legacy, especially considering the fact that some of them are bigger than the player themselves.
For players with a particular hatred for these enormous spiders who wish they could just stamp them out like is possible for normal spiders, they are in luck. One Ancient Magic finisher which can be used on spiders shrinks them before pulling them closer under the character's foot, where they are subsequently squished.
Hogwarts Legacy is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions coming May 5 and a Switch release dropping July 25.