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Hogwarts Legacy tells the story of a young student who possesses phenomenal power. Upon their arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they will be required to attend classes and complete schoolwork, but the main premise of the game tasks them with defeating Ranrok, a bafflingly powerful goblin who plans to wage war on wizardkind.
Progressing through the main story of Hogwarts Legacy will eventually lead players to confront Ranrok during The Final Repository, the game's fortieth main quest. Before facing Ranrok, however, players must first defeat the trolls and goblins blocking the path leading to him. After defeating these foes and proceeding into the next area, the battle against Ranrok will begin.
Updated June 19, 2023, by Justin Flynn: Ranrok is arguably the hardest boss in Hogwarts Legacy, so it makes sense that he is fought during the climax of the game. Not only does he incorporate a variety of devastating attacks into his fighting style, but he also gets stronger the more health players chip away.
Before players confront Ranrok, however, they will be forced to make what many consider to be the most important decision in the game. Each choice has a significant effect on what happens after Ranrok's defeat, so players should carefully consider what each outcome could lead to before selecting what they want to do.
How To Prepare For The Battle Against Ranrok
Once players descend into the caves below Hogwarts during The Final Repository, they lose all access to the world outside. This means that whatever they bring with them to the battle will be all they have to rely on until Ranrok has been defeated, so it's best to stock up on a few things before initiating the quest.
Potions & Gear
The Final Repository is a pretty long quest, riddled with strong enemies, so the player should ensure they have as many Wiggenweld Potions as the protagonist can carry.
On top of this, they should also make sure to equip only the strongest gear available in their inventory. If the player feels that the gear they have is lacking in power, they should place a Loom in their Room of Requirement and use it to enhance their equipment.
Spells
Once these basic preparations have been made, the player should then decide on what spells they plan to use for the battle. In order to leave Ranrok vulnerable, certain spells need to be cast, so the player should customize their Spell Set to include a yellow, red, and purple spell. Confringo and Diffindo are two of the most effective damage-dealing spells in Hogwarts Legacy, so the player should place them both in their primary spell slot.
If players have unlocked some of the Spell Knowledge Talents from the Talents menu, they should customize each spell set to feature different yellow, red, and purple spells, as doing so will allow for more frequent casts.
The Unforgivable Curses won't be as effective against Ranrok as they are elsewhere, but Crucio can still be used to damage him over time. The damage output of Crucio might not seem impressive at first, but it can make a big difference if the player is struggling to land hits regularly.
Once these preparations have been made, the player can begin The Final Repository quest by speaking with Professor Fig in The Map Chamber.
Should You Open The Final Repository Or Keep It Contained?
After fighting through a pretty intimidating enemy rush, the protagonist and Professor Fig will reach the chamber containing the Repository. Before proceeding any further, Fig will ask the student what they intend to do, and players will be faced with two choices, both of which determine what happens duringHogwarts Legacy's ending.
Choosing the "I intend to keep it contained here" option will result in players receiving the "Good Ending," while selecting "I intend to open it" leads to the "Bad Ending." Players who are unsure of what option they should choose needn't worry, as both choices lead to pretty similar outcomes. Simply put, those who disagree with Isadora Morganach's views on Ancient Magic should choose the first option, and those who wish to make use of the more questionable aspects of Ancient Magic should choose the second.
How To Beat Ranrok Dragon
Upon making their decision, the protagonist will be confronted by Ranrok. Before the battle can begin, however, the power-obsessed goblin will transform into a dragon and take flight. When the cutscene ends, the player will slide down into a battle arena, where they will be forced to face Ranrok in his dragon form.
First Phase
Before the protagonist can attack Ranrok Dragon, they will need to wait until he stops flying around the arena. During his first phase, he will hover above the edge of the arena while launching projectiles at the protagonist. Whenever Ranraok Dragon launches a fireball at the protagonist, the player should prepare to dodge or parry. Ranrok Dragon can also launch an unblockable fireball; to avoid getting hit, the player must dodge just before the fireball collides with them.
Aside from Ranrok Dragon's fireballs, the player will also need to avoid getting struck by his fire breath. This attack sees the beast firing a stream of red magic at the protagonist and then coating the ground in red spikes. The only way to avoid this attack is to dodge out of the way, but the player should also take care to avoid walking on the red particles the attack leaves behind.
To leave Ranrok Dragon vulnerable, the player will need to destroy the colored orbs that appear during the battle. Like with Pensieve Guardian orbs, these orbs can only be destroyed by casting a spell that matches the orb's color. When the orb is purple, the player should cast a purple spell; when it's yellow, they should cast a yellow spell; and when it's red, a red spell must be cast.
Upon destroying an orb, Ranrok Dragon's health bar will appear, permitting the player to dish out some damage. Confringo and Diffindo should then be used as often as possible to deplete Ranrok Dragon's health, but the player should also consider using Crucio from time to time if they hope to end the phase faster.
If Ranrok Dragon becomes invulnerable again, the player will need to destroy another orb to leave him open; once a quarter of his health has been depleted, traveling down the northern path will begin the second phase.
Second Phase
While traveling to the next arena, Ranrok Dragon will continue firing projectiles at the protagonist. This can make exploring the area a little difficult, but thankfully, there isn't much to find aside from a Wiggenweld Potion beside the golden orb on the left-hand side of the path.
Upon entering the next arena, Ranrok will begin performing a new move that sees him covering the area near him in a red orb-like wall. To avoid taking damage from this attack, the player should flee in the opposite direction before the wall reaches them. If the Swift Talent has been unlocked, holding the dodge button will allow the protagonist to teleport out of the blast radius with relative ease.
On top of this, the player will now need to destroy two colored orbs to leave Ranrok Dragon vulnerable. So long as multiple colored spells have been allocated to each Spell Slot, destroying these orbs shouldn't pose too much of a challenge. That said, the protagonist will need to get quite close to the orbs if they want to lock on to them, which will leave them vulnerable to Ranrok Dragon's new blast attack.
Aside from these differences, Ranrok Dragon's second phase functions similarly to the first, so all players need to do is repeat their previous approach and deplete another quarter of the foe's health. Once this has been done, a path leading deeper into the chasm will open at the eastern corner of the arena.
Third Phase
Upon descending into the lower section of this area, the player will find themselves in a giant arena, where they will need to face Ranrok Dragon one final time. Like with the previous phases, the player will need to destroy orbs to render Ranrok Dragon vulnerable, but this time, they will need to destroy a total of three per turn.
The first part of this phase is pretty much the same as the second phase, but everything will change when Ranrok Dragon's final health bar nears its halfway point.
When this happens, Ranrok Dragon will fly to the center of the arena and land. To leave him vulnerable now, four colored orbs must be destroyed, but getting to them can be quite difficult due to Ranrok Dragon's position in the arena. The player will need to circle around Ranrok Dragon in order to reach some of the orbs that appear, all while avoiding getting hit by his attacks.
During this phase, Ranrok Dragon will continue using all of the moves he has used thus far, but he will also lunge at the protagonist from time to time in an attempt to bite them. As well as this, he will often swipe his wing at the protagonist if they get too close, so it is important to maintain a safe distance whenever possible.
These moves only become a problem when Ranrok Dragon becomes vulnerable; otherwise, he will remain mostly stationary at the center of the arena. That said, the player should move around as much as they can during all parts of this phase, as some of Ranrok Dragon's moves are even harder to predict now that he's taking up so much of the screen. The Swift Talent can be a huge help here, especially for when Ranrok Dragon is sprinting toward the protagonist from a distance.
Players should also make use of the unblockable projectiles Ranrok Dragon throws at the protagonist, as they can be thrown backat him to deal some extra damage.
Once all of Ranrok Dragon's health has been depleted, the player will need to destroy three colored orbs in order to end the battle. These orbs only remain in the air for a short amount of time, however, so the player will need to time their spells perfectly in order to avoid getting struck by one of Ranrok Dragon's many attacks.
Once all three orbs have been destroyed, the battle will end, and the player will have defeated Ranrok once and for all.
What Happens If You Keep The Repository Contained?
Once Ranrok has been defeated, the protagonist will pick up Professor Fig's late wife's wand and begin casting Ancient Magic in the direction of the Repository. Just when all hope seems lost, Professor Fig returns to their side to aid them in restoring the Repository to its once tranquil state.
With Fig's encouragement and support, the protagonist will reseal the Repository, but Fig will collapse to the ground when the dust settles. With his dying breath, he tells the protagonist that his late wife, Miriam, would have loved them. He dies peacefully after this exchange, clutching onto his wife's wand.
What Happens If You Open The Repository?
Choosing to open the Repository will result in a darker ending, in which the protagonist attempts to take control of the corrupted traces of Ancient Magic swirling around the area. After a few failed attempts, they will eventually absorb the magic into their wand; then, they will raise their wand to their nose, close their eyes, and inhale. When their eyes open, both irises will briefly glow red, implying that inhaling these fumes has had a somewhat sinister effect.
Choosing this ending will result in Professor Fig dying off-screen, preventing the protagonist from saying goodbye. Though his absence contributes a great deal to this ending's sinister tone, it's a little disappointing, considering how important his role in Hogwarts Legacy was.
No matter what option players choose, Professor Fig will still die, and the cutscene that follows will always showcase the students and staff of Hogwarts mourning him in the Great Hall. Players who got the "Bad Ending" won't even be able to use the power they extracted from the Repository, which can be extremely disappointing for those who were looking forward to doing so.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a Switch release scheduled for November 14th, 2023.
