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In just a few months, players will finally be able to enter the wizarding world through Avalanche Software's upcoming RPG, Hogwarts Legacy. Since the game's reveal a couple of years ago, developers have been teasing some features fans can expect. However, based on everything shown so far, it appears that Hogwarts Legacy will be an ambitious recreation of the wizarding world.
Of course, while exploration and combat are some of the most anticipated features in Hogwarts Legacy, most fans are probably more excited about experiencing what it's like being an actual student at Hogwarts. Harry Potter book and movie fans would know that the first thing new students do at Hogwarts is to get sorted into one of the four houses, raising the question of whether the sorting hat in the game the same as the one in the Harry Potter books.
Will Hogwarts Legacy Feature a Different Sorting Hat?
While past gameplay images and videos gave players a peek at the sorting ceremony, specific details about the hat and how the actual sorting works remain a mystery. However, it is worth noting that it is unlikely for Avalanche Software to feature a different sorting hat from the Harry Potter books since the studio confirmed that it is going to abide to existing Harry Potter lore as much as possible. As far as appearance is concerned, the sorting hat shown in Hogwarts Legacy's trailer is pretty similar to the films and the general description in the books. However, given that different artists have illustrated the Harry Potter books, there are minor differences in the overall look of the hat, but the general form remains the same.
However, given that Hogwarts Legacy is set in the late 1800s, which is more or less 100 years earlier than Harry Potter, some may wonder if the process of sorting students into houses is different. But, of course, fans of the wizarding world would know that the sorting hat is almost as old as Hogwarts itself, which means that students in the late 1800s went through the same sorting ceremony when they first entered Hogwarts. So, while Hogwarts Legacy may introduce minor changes in the sorting process, fans can rest easy that the sorting hat will play a crucial role, similar to the Harry Potter books and films.
The History of the Sorting Hat
According to the wizarding world lore, the hat that eventually became the sorting hat belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After establishing the school, the founders themselves chose which of the four houses students would be sorted to. However, the founders grew concerned about needing a new sorting process after they were long dead.
Gryffindor then pulled out his hat from his head and invited the other three founders to enchant it with their collective intelligence. Through this enchantment, the sorting hat would be able to sort a student depending on whether they fit the preferred values of each of the founders. For example, students sorted into the Gryffindor house usually value courage, while those in Slytherin value ambition, cunning, and leadership. On the other hand, Hufflepuff students are loyal and hard-working, while those in Ravenclaw possess high intelligence.
At the moment, it remains unclear how the sorting process will work in Hogwarts Legacy. However, many speculate that players will go through a series of personality tests that would determine which Hogwarts house they fit the most during character creation. Of course, it is also likely that the game would allow players to choose their preferred house, especially since the sorting hat is believed to consider a student's preference, as is the case with Harry Potter.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
