Hogwarts Legacy contains a limited set of potions for players to brew and drink, yet choosing the right ones can make all the difference in combat. The difference between success and failure when fighting enemies in Hogwarts Legacy partially comes down to being prepared, including buying or brewing potions. Often, potions can help give players the edge in challenging spellcasting encounters like boss battles and battle arenas.
Players can only get their hands on six core potions in Hogwarts Legacy, plus an additional PlayStation exclusive. Although this number is small compared to its list of over 30 spells, some are worth spending more effort on for their powerful effects over those less necessary for most players. Categorizing each of Hogwarts Legacy's potions considers their duration and usefulness in combat, ease of ingredients to farm, and price tag.
S Tier
- Focus - Perhaps the most useful combat potion, Focus restores all spell cooldowns for a limited time, allowing players to stay in the fight and cast spells repeatedly, effectively giving players unlimited spellcasting for a decent short-lived time. This boost makes the Focus potion invaluable for various situations, especially in battle arenas. Amazingly, it only costs 500 Galleons to buy and takes one minute to brew, making it time and cost-effective. Its ingredients are also pretty to farm, requiring only Lacewing Flies, Fluxweed Stem, and Dugbog Tongue, making it an all-around top-tier potion to have on hand for getting the edge in virtually any encounter.
A Tier
- Edurus: For a defensive boost, the Edurus potion is often an invaluable choice when things get dicey, as it coats the player character's skin in a rocky protective barrier that makes them temporarily invulnerable to attack when upgraded. Edurus even protects against powerful attacks from strong enemies like trolls. At only 300 Galleons each, it's also very affordable and is quick to brew at 30 seconds per potion. Some players might find its ingredients a bit more challenging to source, as it requires Ashwinder Eggs and Mongrel Fur to brew. However, players can always buy these ingredients from J. Pippins Potions, where the temporary invulnerable benefits far outweigh any small costs.
- Thunderbrew: This is the longest potion to brew at 90 seconds, but it's worth it when it comes to inflicting more damage, as it causes a massive thunderstorm to follow the player, striking surrounding enemies with AoE damage. Its high price tag of 1,000 Galleons makes it very expensive unless brewed, and it's a complex recipe, requiring Leech Juice, Shrivelfig Fruit, and Stench of the Dead. However, Thunderbrew is undoubtedly worth brewing as an OP Hogwarts Legacy potion with Maxima that wipes out enemies while Maxima provides buffs.
B Tier
- Wiggenweld: This is a staple and invaluable potion that makes Hogwarts Legacy's combat easier, as Wiggenweld restores a small chunk of health by default and a significant portion when upgraded through the game's Talents system. Wiggenweld is also quick to brew, taking only 10 seconds, and is cheap to buy at 100 Galleons. Its ingredients are easy to farm, with Horklump Juice found near marsh or river areas. Dittany Leaves are also easily purchasable from The Magic Neep for a reasonable price. However, Wiggenweld Potions are not always strictly necessary depending upon player preferences, as they become somewhat redundant when killing foes in one shot using Dark Arts spells like Avada Kedavra.
- Maxima: Players looking for a way to speed up tough battles may find Maxima to their liking, as it significantly increases spell damage for around thirty seconds. It can even cause more damage and break enemy shields if players invest talent points into the Maxima Potion Potency upgrade once they reach level sixteen. Players can maximize damage by using Hogwarts Legacy's potions simultaneously, like Focus and Maxima, for multiple max-damage spells. At 300 Galleons, it's incredibly affordable, takes just 30 seconds to brew, and only requires commonly-found Leech Juice and Spider Fangs to make. Yet, many of Hogwarts Legacy's spells are often powerful enough, so some players might not always find it as handy as others.
C Tier
- Invisibility: While some players might find uses for Hogwarts Legacy's invisibility potion during combat and stealth gameplay, other players may find it's not necessary at all when the Disillusionment Charm does a similar job, particularly before casting Petrificus Totalus to knock enemies out. In some ways, the Invisibility Potion is better as it allows players to become completely invisible, giving players a breather to heal or sneak attack enemies. However, unless players invest in the Invisibility Potency Room of Requirement talent upgrade, it only lasts five seconds, making it feel somewhat pointless. It's affordable at 500 Galleons but requires a mixture of ingredients to make, like Leaping Toadstool Caps and the rarer Troll Bogeys.
D Tier
- Felix Felicis: Many players might be unfamiliar with Hogwarts Legacy's Felix Felicis potion as it falls into the somewhat controversial category of a PlayStation preorder exclusive. Also known in the Harry Potter universe as Liquid Luck, it reveals the mini-map location of large loot chests for one in-game day when drunk. Some players may find it handy to discover additional rewards, and it only takes one minute to make using Fluxweed Stem and Lacewing Flies. That said, it is a non-combat potion that's not accessible to all and can't be purchased. Therefore, Felix Felicis' overall value and usefulness is questionable, and some might find it detracts somewhat from the exploration experience.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing November 14.
