As such an expansive and detailed title, it is perhaps no wonder that Hogwarts Legacy has proven to be as successful as it is, with the game curating one of the most immersive Harry Potter experiences that fans have ever seen. Despite the title being lauded for dutifully portraying life within Hogwarts as a fifth year student, there is of course a lot of room for improvement for the title.
An aspect of Hogwarts Legacy that many fans are relatively disappointed with concerns the game's handling of the House Cup, which is a staple annual feature of Hogwarts life and a recognizable event from the main Harry Potter books and films. While the game does tackle the House Cup to an extent, there is a post-launch opportunity for Avalanche Software to implement a dedicated House Cup update that offers a much more interactive gameplay experience and even a much-desired level of multiplayer action.
Hogwarts Legacy's Current House Cup
The House Cup is an annual competition held among the four houses of Hogwarts, fostering an environment where students can be tangibly rewarded for good deeds and behavior as well as punished for ill-deeds. Hogwarts' House Cup is a longstanding and prestigious event, with the winning house being crowned victorious at an extravagant ceremony at the end of each school year.
Hogwarts Legacy approaches the House Cup by allowing the player to earn house points via various actions and quest lines, as well as offering opportunities to have points taken off of rival houses by exposing other students. The amount of points that each house holds can even be monitored near the Great Hall, although the game faced criticism due to the essential pointlessness of the house point system.
Regardless of how many points a player accumulates over the course of a playthrough, the "true ending" for Hogwarts Legacy sees the player's house be crowned the victor in a post-game quest thanks to a last minute bonus of points relating to the player's heroic actions. This entirely negates any previous point acquisitions or deductions previously made by the player, and left many thinking that the House Cup could have been handled in a way more reflective of the competition.
What a House Cup Update For Hogwarts Legacy Could Achieve
A House Cup update for Hogwarts Legacy would be smart to capitalize on the communal nature of the competition by translating it to a form of multiplayer mechanic. The game could have its own dedicated House Cup quests and activities that would earn a house points across Hogwarts Legacy's entire player base, which could then be divided across platforms or collected as a global tally of house points earned by real-world players.
Not only would this provide a needed sense of community within the singleplayer Hogwarts Legacy, but it would also provide a sense or urgency and competition even within post-story gameplay. A House Cup could be held every few months, offering players time to enjoy the game's narrative and also work towards a collective goal, with contributing players of the winning house being rewarded with unique items or store discounts.
It is clear that this would greatly improve upon the currently offered House Cup system within Hogwarts Legacy, removing the previous criticisms of the competition being too meaningless or lacking interactivity. A House Cup update such as this would additionally offer a quiet but impactful foray into multiplayer for Hogwarts Legacy, which is another aspect of the game that fans want to see acted upon. While it is commendable that the House Cup features prominently within Hogwarts Legacy's story, it is clear that more needs to be done to quell the warranted criticisms surrounding the competition.
Hogwarts Legacy is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is scheduled to launch on PS4 and Xbox One on April 4, and it will launch on the Switch on July 25.
