A tech-savvy Hogwarts Legacy player has found a method of enabling minimalist photo mode in the PC version of the hit ARPG. Although the technique modifies a running instance of the game, it does not rely on conventional mods like the recently introduced unofficial arachnophobia mode for Hogwarts Legacy.
The addition of photo mode has been among the most frequently requested Hogwarts Legacy additions since the game hit the store shelves on February 10. That said, Avalanche Software has yet to give any indication that such a feature game's roadmap.
In the meantime, Reddit user Fineus has discovered a method of enabling makeshift photo mode in Hogwarts Legacy using Universal UE4 Unlocker, a PC tool for recreating many developer features in games powered by Unreal Engine 4. The process of doing so requires starting up Hogwarts Legacy, then launching another executable file called UuuClient.exe after reaching the main menu. This will inject a custom binary into the game's Windows process, essentially making it behave like a developer build. From there, pressing Insert or a custom-defined key binding allows players to enable a built-in free camera.
Combined with the tool's ability to disable the in-game HUD, Universal UE4 Unlocker makes for a fairly decent makeshift photo mode in Hogwarts Legacy. Especially given how it can also be used for adjusting the rendered depth of field and some other graphical effects relying on the engine's native features. The older 3.0.21 version of the tool can be downloaded for free, while a more advanced build with camera paths and some additional bells and whistles is available from its creator Otis_Inf's Patreon page at $5 per month.
Regarding the chances of Avalanche Software eventually adding official photo mode support to Hogwarts Legacy, that is definitely in the realm of possibility. While the studio recently said it hasn't made any post-launch content plans for the game just yet, a feature such as this would hardly qualify as DLC, anyway. Recent history is filled with examples of high-budget games such as the Shadow of the Colossus remake, Dying Light 2, and God of War Ragnarok adding photo mode support via post-launch updates.
But even if the new Harry Potter RPG never follows suit, PC players can at least take solace in the fact that mods adding photo mode to Hogwarts Legacy are almost certainly incoming. Not just due to popular demand, but also because such functionality is fairly straightforward to develop. As illustrated by this makeshift method using Universal UE4 Unlocker, a photo mode is fundamentally not much more than a free-roaming camera combined with some filter options. More advanced implementations can also include things like selective texture upscaling for maximizing visual fidelity, but such features are hardly required.
Hogwarts Legacy is now available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions coming April 4 and the Switch version launching on July 25.
Source: Reddit
