There was a time when fans were eager to hear or see anything about Hogwarts Legacy. Now, much has been shared that gives an in-depth look at the open exploration players will have in the school, at Hogsmeade, and on the castle grounds. Avalanche Software has begun an intermittent series of gameplay showcases following Hogwarts Legacy’s State of Play presentation, and with developers discussing mechanics and other tidbits, these showcases include a wealth of knowledge for excited fans.
Hogwarts Legacy’s first developer-led gameplay showcase gave a brief tour of the Hufflepuff common room and the bedchambers that players will be able to customize if they select that house for their character. Moreover, the bread-and-butter of combat was introduced in a student-led Crossed Wands dueling club. The second gameplay showcase aired recently and offered an even better look at the exploration and optional content that some players will be able to engage in.
A Deeper Look at Hogwarts Legacy’s Open-World Traversal
It was previously expressed that players would be able to freely explore the grounds around Hogwarts, including Hogwarts Legacy’s Hogsmeade. But this second gameplay showcase truly reveals how much there is for fans to explore in their travels as the developers mount a broomstick outside the castle and fly out into the distance.
This revealed one of seemingly many hamlets players can find that have NPCs to interact with and other points of interest. Interestingly, broomstick flight has its own mechanic where the lower players fly, the greater their speed will be with an associable meter. There are multiple broomsticks players can purchase in Hogsmeade that improve upon earlier iterations.
Dismounting from the broom, the developers also give a look at flight on Hogwarts Legacy's Onyx Hippogriff, which is summoned from a book and instantly mounted. This mount can be flown, but it can also be ridden on the ground as well for faster navigation. The character is flown through the woods and over large mountainous regions, demonstrating how far from the castle players will be able to travel. Avalanche Software uses this section of the showcase to also demonstrate how wintertime looks in the open world in comparison to fall.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Dark Arts Battle Arena Explained
The showcase then transitions to the Forbidden Forest to reveal the Dark Arts Battle Arena, where Hogwarts Legacy’s Unforgivable Curses will be available to be cast. The character avatar wears the Dark Arts cosmetic set and briefly rides a Thestral as well, with this section basically depicting the bonus incentives for Hogwarts Legacy’s special editions.
The Dark Arts Battle Arena is only available to fans who purchase the Digital or Collector’s editions of Hogwarts Legacy, or fans who purchase it as a separate DLC. This may be understandably disappointing to a lot of fans who are upset that such content is being paywalled, but it is thankfully only an optional combat arena and not a narrative-driven expansion. That said, PlayStation does have an exclusive Hogsmeade quest with an entire mechanic awarded to players following its completion, but that was not discussed in the recent showcase.
The Dark Arts Battle Arena pits players against goblins, trolls, and dark wizards, where they use the three Unforgivable Curses in combat. While this is a DLC Battle Arena, two more Battle Arenas are also available in the base game, and they offer cosmetic items after defeating waves of enemies.
How Hogwarts Legacy’s Room of Requirement and Vivarium Work
Fans knew that Hogwarts Legacy would have a Room of Requirement where consumables, gear, and other items can be crafted or upgraded, but it is in this showcase where the developers share precisely how much content there will be able to play around with. Nearly every furnishing and decoration is customizable in the Room of Requirement’s architecture to give it a distinguished look.
Conjuration also allows players to create their own furnishings in Hogwarts Legacy’s Room of Requirement, such as potions, statues, tables, rugs, and more. These items can be found as rewards in gameplay, or purchased from a shop called Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade. Upgrades are mainly oriented around slotting Traits into different pieces of gear using the Loom mechanic.
But before players can start dabbling with unique gear properties, they must first take their gear to the Identification Station to reveal the abilities of a particular gear piece. The Room of Requirement then opens up further with an immersive Vivarium players step into. The Vivarium is another personalized, customizable space that players can furnish, but it is chiefly an enclosure for magical creatures that players collect on their journey. Overall, the amount of new features and customization in Hogwarts Legacy bodes well for its replayability.
Hogwarts Legacy launches February 10 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, with PS4 and Xbox One versions coming April 4 and the Switch version launching on July 25.