Hogwarts Legacy absolutely took the gaming world by storm when it launched in 2023, quickly becoming the favorite way to explore the Harry Potter universe for many people. Anyone who missed out when Hogwarts Legacy first arrived on the scene, now's your chance to see why this game was so successful.

During The Game Awards 2025, it was revealed that Hogwarts Legacy is the latest free game offered on the Epic Games Store as part of the PC gaming storefront's holiday celebrations. Yes, Hogwarts Legacy is completely free for anyone who uses the Epic Games Store, at least until Dec. 18, 2025.

Well, it should be, but you may have some issues actually getting it. Hogwarts Legacy was showing as unavailable for multiple members of the Windows Central team, and wasn't appearing at all in the Epic Games Store's "Free Games" section (which currently has lots of other holiday freebies for Epic's various games).

Those issues were temporary, but we're still having a variety of errors and lost connections. If you have trouble redeeming Hogwarts Legacy, don't panic! It's likely just an influx of traffic, and you have a week to add it to your library. If you already own Hogwarts Legacy on Xbox, though, it recently gained Xbox Play Anywhere support (meaning you can already go play it on PC or handheld).

Everyone else? Hogwarts Legacy is free at EpicGames.com for a limited time.

There's another mega-merger on the way in the entertainment industry, with Netflix agreeing to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery for $87.2 billion. The deal, announced on Friday, will see Netflix take control of Warner Bros' film and TV production and IP, as well as the company's gaming division.

WB Games includes teams like U.K. developer Rocksteady, the creators of the Batman: Arkham series and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The gaming division also features Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios, LEGO game developer Traveller's Tales, and Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software.

Netflix emerged as the buyer for Warner Bros. Discovery after winning a round of bids, where it was competing against Comcast and Paramount Skydance, the latter of which was also reportedly heavily interested.

The deal has to pass through regulatory scrutiny, and is currently expected to be complete at some point in the third quarter of 2026.

Netflix and Warner Bros. both scaled back their gaming divisions earlier this year

This move comes as both Netflix and Warner Bros. have made significant cuts to their respective gaming divisions over the past year.

Netflix has shuttered multiple studios, including Team Blue, a studio that housed numerous veterans from across the industry who have worked on franchises like Halo and God of War.

Meanwhile, WB Games canceled a Wonder Woman game and closed developer Monolith Productions, while also shuttering MultiVersus developer Player First Games and the support team at Warner Bros. Games San Diego.

Looking ahead, Rocksteady is reportedly working on a new Batman game, while Avalanche Software is developing a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy, though both of these games are currently years away from launching.

More immediately, Traveller's Tales is developing LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which is slated to launch on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch 2 at some point in 2026.

Fantasy, well-rounded combat, and an open-world filled with mystical joy launched on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC a little over two and a half years ago in February of 2023. Hogwarts Legacy, by all accounts, was a massive hit with gamers worldwide.

Now, 2 years and 7 months later, Hogwarts Legacy is making another massive splash with support for Xbox Play Anywhere. That's huge.

First of all, what is Xbox Play Anywhere? According to Microsoft:

"When you own a digital game that supports Xbox Play Anywhere through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it's yours to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported gaming handheld at no additional cost."

I know many people will claim, "So what, you can play the game on PC already?" Which is true, but now I don't have to spend another dime to do so.

Years ago, when I first played Hogwarts Legacy, I made the decision to go with a copy on Xbox for achievement support. Something I've since dropped in favor of gaming mainly on Windows PC.

While I still play on Xbox, I've played a ton more on PC, especially through the Xbox app with Game Pass and other titles like Final Fantasy XVI (Which I just picked up on sale). Seeing something like Hogwarts Legacy getting Play Anywhere support means I'll be able to immediately download it and revisit the game I once adored.

While there are over 1300 games available on the Xbox Play Anywhere program, it's only been recently that big-name games have been regularly getting support for the service. Titles like Silent Hill F and Hollow Knight: Silksong have been the exception, not the norm.

With the addition of Hogwarts Legacy, this demonstrates Microsoft and Xbox's motivation to elevate the service to new heights, featuring both new and older titles. Additionally, this could also lead to Game Pass deals on older games.

One such title I played some years ago was the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I purchased the Royal Edition through the Xbox PC app when it went on sale, but was never able to play on Xbox simultaneously since the service only provided the license for the PC version.

With the extra focus on Play Anywhere, I've seen more and more of these games added post-release also come with Xbox Play Anywhere support. Something that seemingly wasn't happening for any post-release game these past few years.

Even better, if the rumored next-gen Xbox does, in fact, support sideloading Steam and essentially acts as a Windows PC, Xbox Play Anywhere will be supported by default.

All of this support comes just a few short weeks ahead of the fabled ROG Xbox Ally launch on October 16, 2025. The gaming handheld that's making news headlines for being highly priced, yet sold out at multiple retailers.

Even with the price tag, I'm having a hard time not pulling the trigger on the device, given how much I enjoy gaming from the comfort of my couch or bed. Sure, I own a gaming laptop, but sometimes I just want a compact, handheld device with enough power to play the majority of my Windows PC games.

I imagine that with Microsoft's heavy investment in the handheld market, at least through third-party hardware manufacturers, we'll see even more games coming. Not just before launch, but hopefully after, if the attachment rate for the handheld market continues on this latest upward trend.

Even if it isn't, it would be in Microsoft and Xbox's best interests to continue its ongoing support of the program they pledged resources to back in June of this year. Xbox Play Anywhere was a mainstay during their June showcase that many of us didn't see coming in such a significant way.

I expect to see an even greater increase in the number of games the service supports throughout the holiday season and well into 2026.

As for the service, my only complaint with Play Anywhere is the occasional slowness of save uploads, which is also something I occasionally struggle with on Steam.

Every so often, I'll jump on my Xbox after having played a session on PC, usually so I can just play on my bedroom TV, only for it to yell at me for having out-of-sync save files. To fix it, I have to boot up my PC again and wait for it to upload the save for it to work on my Xbox.

I experience the same issue with Steam as well. This past weekend, I began reviewing Dying Light: The Beast, only to discover that the save data on my laptop was not accessible from my desktop Windows. It's unfortunate that Dying Light: The Beast doesn't have Xbox Play Anywhere.

Having to go back and forth and boot these machines up is a pain. I suppose I should wait a couple of minutes before cycling my Xbox or PC off in the future. Yes, I'm one of those psychos who turn their console off entirely—no sleep mode for me.

I guess, at the end of the day, I can still love the idea of owning the game everywhere I play, problems be damned. Who in their right mind doesn't like an additional, free license with their video games?

What about you? Are you excited to see games like Hogwarts Legacy get support for the Xbox Play Anywhere program? Let us know below in the comments, or on social media.

The mergers and acquisitions are set to continue, with Paramount Skydance prepping a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. That's per a report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites sources claiming Paramount is seeking to get a "majority cash" bid ready with the backing of the Ellison family, though no exact price has been mentioned.

This news comes mere weeks after Paramount recently finalized a merger with Skydance. Notably, the chairman and CEO of the company, David Ellison, is the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who is (at the time I'm writing this) the wealthiest man in the world, surpassing Elon Musk with an estimated net worth of $393 billion.

Larry Ellison's daughter, Megan Ellison, is the founder of Annapurna Pictures, which itself is the parent company of video game publishing label Annapurna Interactive. If this deal goes through, it will bring together two of the largest remaining film studios in the world.

The deal reportedly includes all of Warner Bros. Discovery, which would also include the company's gaming unit. That includes studios like Avalanche and Rocksteady, as well as gaming franchises like the Batman: Arkham series and Mortal Kombat.

WB Games' lineup was tremendously thinned earlier this year

WB Games was significantly downsized earlier this year, with leadership choosing to shutter three studios. Particularly notable was the closure of Monolith Productions, which was working on a Wonder Woman game.

Monolith had previously worked on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its 2017 sequel, Shadow of War. Both games used the Nemesis system, which allowed any random foe to remember the protagonist and rank up, evolving unpredictably as players progressed.

As an example, an orc that is burned during a fight might show up hours later with nasty scars and a fear of fire.

Multiversus developer Player First Games and support studio Warner Bros. San Diego were also closed. Outside of these closures, WB also reportedly canceled an unannounced expansion for Avalanche Software's Hogwarts Legacy.

For upcoming games, the company has TT Games' recently announced LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Revealed during Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2025, Legacy of the Dark Knight is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 at some point in 2026.

Avalanche is also working on a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy, while Rocksteady is reportedly working on a new Batman game. These latter two projects are not expected to launch anytime soon.

Paramount already has a small gaming group, thanks to Skydance

Paramount already has a limited gaming imprint, thanks to the aforementioned merger with Skydance. In October 2021, Skydance announced that it had hired veteran director Amy Hennig known for her work leading the first three Uncharted games to helm a new gaming team called Skydance New Media.

Since then, we've learned that Skydance New Media is working on a Marvel game set in World War 2. Titled Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, the game stars Captain America and Black Panther, which was initially set to launch this year, but has been delayed to some point in 2026.

Skydance New Media and Amy Hennig are also working on a Star Wars project, though less is known about this game. Elsewhere, Paramount has also been involved in multiple gaming adaptations, including the Sonic the Hedgehog films and the Halo TV series.

The company is also partnering with Xbox and Activision on an upcoming Call of Duty film. This latter project does not have a director, but it appears it won't be Hollywood veteran Steven Spielberg.

Unnannounced upcoming Hogwarts Legacy DLC has been canceled, according to a report from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg.

Schreier indicates that a definitive edition of Hogwarts Legacy, which would've been available as an expansion for existing players, has been canceled as part of the ongoing reorganization at WB Games.

This DLC would've included new quests for players to complete in the Wizarding World, including content that was cut from the original game, while the DLC was being co-developed by Hogwarts Legacy lead developer Avalanche Software and Suicide Squad developer Rocksteady Studios.

According to Bloomberg, this DLC was slated to launch at some point later in 2025, but was canceled partially over concerns that it wasn't going to be enough for the price that would be charged. Development is continuing on a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy, though little else is known and the game is still fairly early in development overall.

WB Games faces significant challenges

This continues a recent series of games and studios being shuttered at WB Games, which recently saw the closure of three studios including Monolith Productions, as well as the cancelation of Monolith's upcoming Wonder Woman game.

When these studios were shuttered, Warner Bros. stated at the time it was focusing more on its biggest franchises, including DC, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter, with Schreier later noting that internally, Warner Bros. is primarily referring to Batman when discussing games based on DC heroes.

Rocksteady Studios is now early in development on a new Batman Arkham game, but the title is years away from completion.

Hogwarts Legacy first launched in 2023, and has gone on to become one of the most successful games of all time, selling over 34 million copies so far and regularly appearing in the Circana charts for the best-selling games in the U.S. month-to-month.

What you need to know

• Hogwarts Legacy launched back in February 2023 and has sold over 30 million copies so far.
• A report from Variety confirms that a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy is in development.
• Warner Bros. is planning for some of the story elements in the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy to tie in with the upcoming Harry Potter TV series on Max.
• A definitive edition of Hogwarts Legacy is also reportedly in development, which will include new story content in the form of an expansion.

Players will be able to step back on the grounds of Hogwarts, but there's a twist this time.

A sequel to WB Games and Avalanche Software's 2023 hit Hogwarts Legacy is officially in development, according to a report from Variety. While there's little information known at this time, the report indicates that the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy will tie in at some level with the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot series, which is currently slated to launch on Warner Bros' Max streaming service in 2026.

David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, tells Variety that “The rest of the company was very curious about what we helped to unlock with ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ last year.”

Hogwarts Legacy first launched across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 in February 2023, before being ported to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in the following months. It was the best-selling game of 2023 in the U.S, and has sold over 30 million copies as of October 2024.

A definitive edition of Hogwarts Legacy is reportedly in development, with new content like a main story and additional quests. This content will reportedly be available for existing owners of the game in the form of an expansion.

Is Hogwarts Legacy's sequel being tied into a TV reboot a good idea?

Obviously, it's unclear at this stage what it means for the story of a new Hogwarts Legacy to tie into the TV reboot, but I'm not thrilled at the idea. The Harry Potter films are beloved, blockbusters of their time that helped solidify the franchise with perfect casting for the characters.

For many players I've talked to, Hogwarts Legacy was their dream game because it allowed them to put themselves in the shoes of a student and be part of that world, for the movies and books.

I have a hard time believing at this stage that a story connection between this game and the TV series is necessary, and considering the time difference in settings (the first game takes place in the 1890s) I'm skeptical any connection can possibly come across as anything but distracting.

All of this comes on top of franchise author J.K. Rowling's continued transphobic commentary, and while she's not involved with the game or other extended media, she is working closely on the vision of the TV series.

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What you need to know

• Avalanche Software and WB Games' Hogwarts Legacy first launched in February 2023 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5, with Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch versions following after.
• Hogwarts Legacy has been a massive hit, reaching over 24 million copies sold as of January 2024. 
• According to Insider Gaming, a Definitive Edition of Hogwarts Legacy is currently in development, which will bring around 10-15 hours of new quests and activities.
• The Definitive Edition content will also be purchasable separately as a DLC for existing players of the game.

Players will be able to return to Hogwarts for new adventures soon. 

A Definitive Edition of Avalanche Software and WB Games' Hogwarts Legacy is on the way soon, per a report from Insider Gaming. The report notes that this version of the game will feature around 10-15 hours of new content, including story quests and activities, while the new content will be sold as DLC for existing players. The report states that "it's been suggested" this DLC will be $20 or $30. 

The existence of some sort of new version of Hogwarts Legacy was first reported as a note in a wider Bloomberg report about the story behind Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. At the time, reporter Jason Schreier stated that some members of Rocksteady were assisting on the new version of Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts Legacy is a sales juggernaut

Hogwarts Legacy first launched in February 2023 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5, with Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch versions coming months later through a staggered launch, as the versions of the game being developed on older hardware required more time to polish.

The game has been a massive commercial success, easily becoming the best-selling title of its launch month and reaching over 24 million copies sold as of January 2024. More recently, Hogwarts Legacy was the sixth best-selling game of August 2024 in the U.S, and is the tenth best-selling game of the year so far.

This comes as many other titles in the WB Games portfolio have underperformed, with the aforementioned Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League causing a $200 million loss for its parent company. 

NetherRealm's fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, which launched back in September 2023, quickly reached 3 million copies sold, though there's been no further updates on its sales performance.

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When Avalanche Software released its pre-Harry-Potter-era single-player RPG, Hogwarts Legacy, it managed to do the impossible — create an engaging game that captured the magic of the scholarly wizarding world while also offering great combat, fun castle exploration and the ability to fly around a map. Hogwarts Legacy initially launched with a $59.99 MSRP, but right now, PC players can grab the game for just $19.99 at CDKeys, which nets them a Steam code of the game. Meanwhile, the best deal for Xbox One is $30.99 at CDKeys, and the best deal for Xbox Series X|S is $41.99 at Amazon.

Why I recommend this deal

So, why do I recommend Hogwarts Legacy? I'll start off by saying that I've never been a massive Harry Potter fan. But, like most other people my age, I grew up reading the books and saw all of the movies. That said, this game isn't just for Harry Potter fans; it does an excellent job of introducing the magical world to everyone. 

Many people thought it would be impossible to make a successful game like this, especially when it didn't even star Harry Potter or his friends. However, Avalanche Software blew the assignment out of the water by providing a fun open-world adventure that offered the right amount of magic, danger, ranged combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration.  

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The story takes place in the 1800s, way before most characters in the Harry Potter stories are alive. As such, the game doesn't suffer from the same character fatigue that we see overplayed in many established franchises (cough Star Wars cough). You get to design what your character looks like and then the game starts off by having a professor escort you to Hogwarts during your fifth year (they probably chose this age because it means you're old enough to leave the castle and visit the cities and hamlets nearby). When you arrive, the sorting hat goes on your head and you get placed in one of the four houses.

Hogwarts itself is brimming with mysterious hidden rooms and optional puzzles that you can solve to unlock items (like the Hogwarts Legacy door puzzles). What's more, if you're familiar with the books or the movies, you'll notice a ton of Easter Eggs as you travel about the castle and the lands surrounding it. 

As Hogwarts Legacy's story progresses, you learn of some diabolical things that happened in the past which are still causing trouble today. It's your job to learn as many spells as you can, unlock more skills, and grow stronger so you can take down the various enemies you come across. I won't ruin anything, but some parts of the game are very straightforward while others can be pretty artistic at times. Following the main questline will take you to places within Hogwarts that you've never seen before. Plus, following various student side quests will help you form bonds with other students while visiting familiar locales.

At some point, you'll even unlock the ability to fly with a broom, which makes exploring the larger outdoor map a whole lot more enjoyable. 

When I first started playing Hogwarts Legacy, I didn't expect much from combat, but it proved to be very satisfying. You'll find yourself going up against trolls, goblins, large spiders, skeletons, magical poachers, and other creatures. Depending on what spells you've unlocked, you'll be able to deflect incoming spells and cast powerful attack spells. One of my favorites turns an enemy into an explosive barrel, which you can hurl at other enemies. 

Pulling from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, players can also explore the map and attempt to catch magical creatures like Unicorns, Hippogriffs, Thestrals, and more. You can then bring them home and decorate special habitats specific to different types of animals. There really is a little something for everyone. 

What you need to know

• Hogwarts Legacy's Summer Update is live now and brings several new features to the game. 
• This includes a photo mode with various filters and tools to help get the exact look you want from your screenshots. 
• Photo mode also allows players to change the time of day and season to get the perfect shot. However, time and season will revert back to where it should be once Photo mode is closed. 
• Previously PlayStation-exclusive and preorder content is also being made available on all platforms including a Haunted Hogsmeade quest, Onyx Hippogriff, and Felix Felicis potion. 

The previously announced Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update is now live, bringing with it a few new features as well as making previously PlayStation-exclusive content available within the game on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. While it's not the biggest update we could get for Hogwarts Legacy, it's enough to make me excited to replay the game once more. One of the changes is that players can now adjust the time of day and season within Hogwarts Legacy, but the catch is that it only works in the new photo mode. 

Here are all of the new features and changes made available with the Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update. 

Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update

• Photo mode: This brand new photo mode brings settings options such as depth of field, field of view, zoom, tilt, filters, hide NPCs, hide your own character, change time, change season, and more. Just note that changing the time of day and season does not change the time or season within the game and it will revert back once you exit photo mode. There are also a range of poses including ones that allow you to make your character sit to get the perfect shot. 
  • Players are encouraged to share their screenshots on social media with the hashtag #CapturetheUnwritten.
• Rest Talent Points: Players can now manually reset their Talent Points from the field guide to check out different character builds or undo accidental point spending. However, it does cost 200 Gold per Talent Point reset, so you'll want to be strategic with your money spending. 
• Haunted Hogsmeade Quest: This mission was once a PlayStation exclusive, but now it's available on all other platforms. You'll need to be in the winter season of the game to start this quest off. Simply talk to Penny, the house-elf, who can be found sweeping outside a Hogsmeade shop and the quest will start. 
• Azkaban Outfit: You can now look like the crazed prison escapee that you've always wanted to be with this outfit. 
• The Glasses who Lived: Players can finally dress up in Harry Potter's iconic tapped spectacles.
• Onyx Hippogryph mount: This sweet creature was once a preorder exclusive, but now players on any platform have access to it with the update. 
• Felix Felicis: This potion "Enhances the drinker's chance of success in their endeavors - specifically, by revealing the locations of large loot chests on the Minimap for one in-game day." It requires one Lacewing Fly and one Fluxweed Steam to craft. 
• Lavender Borealis Broom: You don't even need to go to the shop in Hogsmeade to pick up this cool new ride. It sports a white-ish grey design with a purple trailing effect as you fly. 

A new Photo mode makes me want to play Hogwarts Legacy all over again

Thanks to these updates, I know I'll be diving back into the world of Hogwarts Legacy on my gaming PC. Ever since I learned about the previously PlayStation-exclusive Haunted Hogsmeade quest, I've longed to experience the mission myself, and now I'll finally be able to do so. 

As I've previously written about in another article, photo mode is something I really expected to be there at Hogwarts Legacy's launch, so it's great to see it's finally being added in. It's not just a rough patch job either, it seems. Being able to shift time, seasons, and apply various settings should help me capture the pure magic that Avalanche Software was able to create. I'm especially excited to start a new game and capture seasonal changes, like Halloween decorations in the Great Hall or silly NPC interactions between classes. 

What you need to know

• Hogwarts Legacy launched last year and has sold over 15 million copies in that time, making it a very successful game.
• Today, the official Hogwarts Legacy X account revealed that several new features are coming to the game as part of a Summer Update. 
• This includes a new photo mode, the ability to reset points, a haunted Hogsmeade Shop quest, additional accessories, Azkaban outfits, Felix Felicis Potion Recipe, and an Onyx Hippogriff mount. 
• More information surrounding the Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update will be revealed on June 6, 2024.

When Hogwarts Legacy released in February 2023, it did so with a bang. Not only did it have high initial sales, but it was quickly proven that Avalanche Software, the developers behind the game, had also managed to do the impossible — create a thoroughly enjoyable action role-playing game that captured all of the nostalgia and magic tied to the Harry Potter wizarding world. Today, the official Hogwarts Legacy X account (formerly Twitter) revealed that a Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update will bring additional goodies and features to the game. 

As seen in the official image above, we know for sure that the Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update will bring:

• New Photo Mode: Adjustment options include Tilt, Depth of Field, Focus Distance, Focus Amount, Exposure, Contrast, Saturation, Vignette Strength, Filters, Filter Strength, Chromatic Aberration, Film Grain, Character Poses, and more.
• Reset Talent Points: It's unclear if this is something you can do at will or if it's something you can only do at specific times. 
• Haunted Hogsmeade Shop Quest: A spooky brand-new mission for Xbox and PC players (it was already exclusively available for PlayStation players).
• The Glasses That Lived: Players can finally wear the iconic Harry Potter glasses. 
• Azkaban Prisoner's Outfit & Coat: Dress up just like an escapee. The clothing seems to be slightly different between male and female designs. 
• Felix Felicis Potion Recipe: It brings players luck by highlighting chests on the map (this was a PlayStation preorder bonus).
• Lavender Borealis Broom: A sweet ride with a fun trailing effect. 
• Onyx Hippogriff Mount: This elegant creature can be yours to ride on through the air or on the ground (this was a PlayStation preorder bonus).

More details surrounding the Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update will be made available on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Check back here on that date and we at Windows Central cover everything further that gets revealed.

Finally, features that should have been there at launch

I personally did our Hogwarts Legacy review, and while playing through the game the first time I was absolutely shocked to find that a photo mode hadn't been included. It seemed like an egergious oversight when there were so many beautifully designed locations that were just screaming for me to pose my character in front of. So I'm very happy this is going to be rectified soon. 

Of course, we currently don't know how many character poses are available to us or exactly what all of the photo mode adjustment settings are. I just hope there are a good range of poses and effects to help us relay various sentiments or get just the right look from our screenshots.

For me, the other crucial feature is the ability to Reset Talent Points. In case you don't remember, Talent Points are earned as you progress through the game and can be spent to unlock spells, abilities, and more. Like I previously said, it's unclear if we'll be able to reset Talent Point at will or if we'll only be able to do it at specific points in the game, but having the option is something that I think should have been there at launch. 

Now, some people have expressed disappointment that these are the only updates coming to Hogwarts Legacy, especially since some of these things have been PlayStation exclusives for months. Even so, expecting more than this is ridiculous. The game is over a year old for goodness sake. We're lucky to be getting any new content at all from a single-player action game that many people expected to fail. Besides, I'd much rather Avalanche Software spent its time working on the Hogwarts Legacy sequel rather than perpetually updating the original game. 

What you need to know

• Hogwarts Legacy released in 2023 with Denuvo, a form of DRM.
• This implementation has been cracked by Maurice Heumann.
• He is not the first to do so, but he is the first to document this process.
• Not only did Maurice find a way to bypass Denuvo, but he also measured the amount of calls Denuvo made to help determine the impact of Denuvo on performance.

Many PC gamers are all too familiar with the term Denuvo, so they'll skip it when it's even rumored to be present in a game like Starfield. As many argue, Denuvo and other game DRM solutions can lead to performance issues. However, there's a sense of relief when Denuvo is finally removed, as its use incurs a licensing fee that developers eventually stop paying. This effect often prompts many players to return and purchase the game. 

Because of this, Denuvo's expulsion from a game is a notable story every time it happens. PC players will celebrate across social media channels, Reddit, X, etc. While the majority only celebrate its official removal, some commemorate the not-so-legal times. 

I'm here to talk about one such take, Maurice Heumann, who dove headfirst into bypassing this beast in Hogwarts Legacy. While he's not the first to do so, as he mentions in his blog, he's undoubtedly the first to document the process in detail.

The Goal

Right from the start, Maurice is meticulous, making it clear that his actions were driven by a thirst for personal knowledge and not malicious intent. His journey into the removal of one of PC gamers' most notorious adversaries is a testament to his dedication and curiosity, as it took 5 months and over 2,000 individual software hooks. This man is nuts.

"Cracking the game was not a goal I had. I like Hogwarts Legacy, and thus, causing any harm is not my intention. I wanted to do research purely for myself. Therefore, this post is going to be intentionally vague and not going to show how I analyzed and patched the game in detail because I don't need any more legal trouble than I already have."

Fair enough, Maurice. I don't blame you one bit. You may also notice he mentioned his lack of desire to crack Hogwarts Legacy entirely. He explained that his goal was to bypass Denuvo to the point that the title was playable, not Denuvo-free. It's important to note that in games where Denuvo has been cracked, Denuvo has not been removed but merely bypassed. This difference means all checks still happen, and Denuvo's activity continues in the game's background.

"The actual goal I had in mind was to find all features the game uses to derive the fingerprint and to patch them. On top of that, I want to patch most of the runtime checks. For a real crack, it is obviously needed to patch all of the runtime checks. Finding all of them is still an extremely time-consuming task, so everyone who has achieved that deserves my utmost respect."

How did he do it?

Denuvo works with its platform of choice to generate critical license checkpoints that Denuvo can then use to verify a game's ownership status. It does this by using fingerprints and tickets, such as a Steam ticket in the case of Hogwarts Legacy. 

The game collects hardware and software data and compiles it into said fingerprint and Steam ticket. This information is sent to Denuvo's servers, where some backend work takes place to verify everything. The Steam ticket is then sent to Steam, as Maurice estimates, to verify game ownership through the Steam platform. A Denuvo token is generated for that specific hardware device or PC if the user owns the game.

This token is vital for playing the game, as it decrypts values during runtime and throughout the game. At regular intervals, Denuvo will check if the fingerprint's hardware and software features match the token's. It's all somewhat confusing.

To do all this and make a very brief summary of Maurice's work, he painstakingly added over 2,000 patches and hooks to the game by hand using a reverse engineering tool called Qiling. Through more hard work, he built a framework around Qiling that allowed him to find features that belonged to the fingerprint.

"Getting fully accommodated to Qiling and finding most of the fingerprint features took me about two months. Discovering the last one took the remaining 3 months, and I only discovered it by accident. To verify that a certain feature really is part of the fingerprint, I patched/spoofed it, checked that my previously valid Denuvo Token is now invalid, and showed the error dialog. For most of my patches, I had to use quite a lot of runtime disassembling to dynamically build my hooks and stubs, which led me to discover quite a few bugs in various disassemblers."

The performance

So how about performance? Is Denuvo the big bad we all think it is? 

Before getting into this, I was an enormous opponent of Denuvo before reading Maurice's work. To an extent, I still am. Any negative performance impact of a game that doesn't actually improve the said game is a detriment that doesn't belong. According to him, in-game performance seems unaffected, at least to the point that it's immeasurable. 

"Note that this analysis only applies to Hogwarts Legacy. I don't know if any of that applies to other games protected by Denuvo! Whenever the console prints [MOMO] OVERHEAD, one of my hooks triggers. This essentially means Denuvo intervenes in executing the game (that I had to patch). This, in turn, means Denuvo causes at least "some" (non-zero) performance overhead during those times."

As he states, and as readers can see from the timestamps in the image, the Denuvo check isn't happening often. However, this doesn't measure the impact of each check, as he's unable to calculate the removal of what the check is doing without the removal of Denuvo.

As someone who's written entire servers for GTA FiveM, a modded role-playing game, I know that coding based on continuous checks can substantially impact. Depending on the code each check executes, you can see an entire server hitch upon loading the executable code. In my experience, this has mainly affected CPU performance, and independent analysis confirms this.

In Denuvo's case, while framerates are primarily unaffected, loading times and file size are. In every instance of the video above, game loading times are far lengthier in Denuvo builds than for games without. 

Some games, like Conan Unconquered, show a 16% performance bump after Denuvo's removal. Overall, the framerate impact depends on a developer's implementation of Denuvo rather than on Denuvo itself.

Maurice's work is impressive and deserves praise for documenting Denuvo's entanglement in video games. Moreover, this type of work pays the creator no money but grants lasting knowledge to those willing to listen. Here's to hoping many do.

What's your take on this whole situation? How do you feel about Denuvo? Let us know below or on our social media pages. I'm interested to see what you all have to say! As always, happy gaming!

What you need to know

• Warner Bros. has many beloved IPs that include Lego, Lords of the Rings, DC characters, and more.
• New live-service title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has player counts below 500 players on Steam.
• Meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy continues to have player counts above 10,000 players.
• Warner Bros is now doubling their efforts on live-service games.

Warner Bros has created some beloved games in the past. Every gamer has some form of connection with their lineup, whether it be the Arkham series, Mortal Kombat, Injustice, or one of their many Lego games. That doesn't mean everything they've constructed has been loved, though.

In recent years, game success has been split for Warner Bros. Recently released live-service title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has fumbled since launch, hitting a 24-hour peak of 497 players on Steam. Gotham Knights, while technically not a live-service game, failed to capture an audience in any meaningful way. However, it still attracts more concurrent players than Suicide Squad does. 

Think about that for a moment. A single-player game, which failed by many metrics and was released 15 months ago, has more players than the company's live-service project in the same universe. Suicide Squad launched four weeks ago, by the way.

Warner Bros. has also seen some success in this field with the launch of Mortal Kombat 1 and Multiversus. Mortal Kombat 1 currently sits at a concurrent player count of over 2,000. It's nothing significant, but it's admirable nonetheless. Multiversus has still to reappear, but after a successful launch, it saw its numbers dwindle to the 500 mark before its closure in June of last year. These are rookie numbers compared to the biggest hit Warner Bros. had.

Even now, Hogwarts Legacy has a concurrent player count of over 10,000 on Steam — twenty times the number on its newest live-service title. Not only was it the most-sold title in 2023, but it was still the sixth best-selling game for January 2024. So it makes sense that Warner Bros is now doubling down on the projects that don't print them money, games like Suicide Squad. You read that right: Warner Bros is going all-in on their least successful game type, live-service! 

I'm not going to sit here and pretend to say that what they're doing doesn't have a chance to work, especially with the upcoming Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. That game will likely hit some level of success based on Harry Potter and Quidditch alone, but that doesn't mean I trust their overall plan for success.

In a recent Morgan Stanley speaking event, J.B. Perrette, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Gaming, opened up about the strategy moving forward for Warner Bros.

Alright, so far so good. This sounds good so far; I'd love to see more games like Hogwarts Legacy, where they put love and care into a world of wonder and majesty.

Oh. Not only are you doubling down on an area of gaming that people are clamoring for the death of on social media to some degree. One that saw PlayStation cancel games. One that you've so far failed in, but you mentioned the word 'play' as the last thing people could do in these games. Live, work, and build all came before the word play. 

I guess we'll see how this works out. Let us know what you think below in the comments, or somewhere on social media!

If you're one of the few who hasn't picked up Hogwarts Legacy yet, now is the perfect time. As of October, it was the best-selling game of the year, and it was, by far, the most obvious and blatant snub from the nominations from the Game Awards. The Xbox Series X|S version is $40 at Walmart digitally or $40 at Best Buy physically if you prefer to have a copy of it on the shelf.

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A nostalgia filled ride through a new Hogwarts story

The Game Awards recently announced the nominees for this year, and Hogwarts Legacy, though being a highly rated and the best-selling game of the year through October, wasn't nominated for a single category. Don't let this fool you, though, the game is one of the best to come out in years, especially for fans of Harry Potter. The digital Xbox version is $40 at Walmart right now.

We have extensive coverage on Hogwarts Legacy to check out if you want to research a bit more before you purchase. Check out our Hogwarts Legacy review, or our Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough. We gave the game a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and it really is a must-play game, even if you're not a huge fan of Harry Potter. 

As of October, Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of the year. It has likely been supplanted by Xbox's new release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, however, it is impossible to deny the impressive sales numbers of Hogwarts Legacy outselling the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Madden NFL 24, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Diablo 4.

Hogwarts Legacy has stood the test of time, still being discussed by the average gamer as being a game of the year contender, even if the Game Awards decided to snub it. The game is much more than a Harry Potter game for those who aren't fans of the franchise. It is also every bit of a Harry Potter experience and truly transports fans to the universe in a way only the video game medium can.

Don't forget you get some perks with Walmart+ and this game went on sale early for Walmart + members. Want to learn more, check out our guide: Walmart Plus memberships explained: Benefits, cost, deals, and more.

If you aren't looking for a digital copy, Best Buy is offering the best price on the physical copy of Hogwarts Legacy that we can find right now. You can usually order it online and pick it up in two hours. Returns are also hassle-free, easy, and instant. 

Moreover, the Best Buy membership can get free two-day shipping, more significant discounts, and a generous 60-day return window. Don't know about how that works? Read our My Best Buy memberships explained: Plus and Total price, rewards, and more for more info!

I absolutely loved my time with Hogwarts Legacy, and the opening sequence is one of my go-to game segments to show off the beauty and power of my Xbox Series X. The game truly is magical and deserves a place in our memories for what the team at Avalanche Software was able to accomplish with their first major AAA game. I, for one, hope we get a sequel and other popular IPs look at how this game took source material, stayed true to it, and still created something refreshing and new while not losing sight of what made it special in the first place.

If I haven't convinced you yet to pick up a copy, then maybe this game isn't for you, but I know a ton of my cousins and nieces and nephews have all been dying to play this game. If you want to be voted the best dad/mom or aunt/uncle this holiday, take a look at the amazing deals on an Xbox Series X|S right now and grab them a copy of Hogwarts Legacy and you can be sure nobody will dare challenge your gift giving skills again.

What you need to know

• Circana (formerly known as NPD) has provided information on the best-selling games and consoles of February 2023 in the United States.
• Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of the month on all platforms, followed closely by the Dead Space remake. 
• The PS5 was the best-selling console of the month.

Circana — the recently rebranded name for the NPD Group — has provided sales insight into what games topped the charts in the U.S. in February 2023. 

As shared by executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella, Hogwarts Legacy from Avalanche Software and WB Games was the #1 title, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from Activision Blizzard and the Dead Space remake from Motive Studio and Electronic Arts. 

Notably, both The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2 are in the top 20 games sold. For consoles, the PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in both dollar sales and units sold.

Total video game spending reached $4.6 billion for the month, a 6% increase year-over-year. Video game hardware sales reached $495 million, massive 63% increase year-over-year.

Below, you can find the full details on the best-selling games in the U.S. for the month. It's important to remember that for games, Circana tracks total dollar sales, not units sold, and some publishers (notably Nintendo) do not provide digital sales data. 

February 2023 Circana: Here are the top 20 games sold in the U.S.

1. Hogwarts Legacy

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 

3. Dead Space remake

4. Madden NFL 23

5. FIFA 23

6. The Last of Us Part 1

7. Elden Ring

8. Wild Hearts

9. Like a Dragon: Ishin!

10. Octopath Traveler 2

11. God of War Ragnarok

12. Minecraft

13. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*

14. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

15. Kirby's Return to Dream Land*

16. Company of Heroes 3

17. Sonic Frontiers

18. The Last of Us Part 2

19. NBA 2K23

20. Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line

*Denotes no digital sales data

Windows Central's take

Hogwarts Legacy's sales success so far is nothing surprising, though I am curious how much of a splash the Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch versions will make, since the launch of those editions was delayed by several months. 

I'm extremely happy to see the Dead Space remake continuing to do so well, as it was previously the number one game for the January 2023 sales period in the U.S. In my Dead Space remake review, I found it was one of the best horror games someone could want.

It's also fun to see both of The Last of Us titles in the sales charts, definitely being driven by the success of the HBO show. Looking ahead, I'm expecting the Resident Evil 4 remake to make a big impact for March 2023.

Hogwarts Legacy has been out for a while now, but it wasn't until this week that Hogwarts Legacy: The Official Game Guide was also released. I've absolutely loved Avalanche Software's wizarding world game and have written dozens of guides for it. In fact, I'm flattered to say that millions of you have used my guides and have spent over seven million minutes reading them so far. 

As is my practice as a games editor, I purchased the official game guide to see if there are any tricks, secrets, or tips that I and the player base haven't picked up on yet. However, I was unprepared for how lacking this particular game guide would be. This is especially frustrating since the many complex Hogwarts Legacy puzzles and quests are part of what makes this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

I would be a little more lenient (although still disappointed) if this were a third-party creation, but this is the official guide for Hogwarts Legacy, and as such, it should have all of the information people need.

A game guide that doesn't always guide

Hogwarts Legacy: The Official Game Guide is an incredibly small and thin paperback for what is expected from a AAA open-world game. It turns out it manages to be so small because it's missing tons of useful information. The book is split into four different parts (much like the game), with chapter headers that address various mainline quests and sidequests. Near the back of the book, it provides less than half a page of info regarding the final boss fight (which definitely should have more details) and then ends in a reference library.

While the pages are filled with beautiful screenshots and drawings, there is comparatively very little text. This official game guide often serves more as a picture book or pamphlet that feels like it's meant to entice people to play Hogwarts Legacy rather than giving helpful details for players who are actually playing it. 

At other times, it provides useful walkthroughs but then doesn't describe things clearly, or it skips steps and encourages players to figure things out for themselves. The book tends to get the vaguest when addressing puzzles. I don't even know how often I read platitudinous notions that say something to the effect of, "think cleverly to succeed," rather than explaining solutions. On top of that, many of the images were selected for their aesthetics but don't actually show the helpful details players need. 

Seriously, what's the point of an official game guide if it doesn't guide players through a game? 

Moreover, certain sidequests and puzzles are only lightly touched on or have been left out of the official game guide entirely. For example, there are only three small paragraphs regarding the 16 Daedalian Keys. The guidebook tells you where to find the first key, but it doesn't state where any of the 15 remaining keys are hidden within the labyrinthine castle. Instead, it simply reads, "catch them all for a prize," and doesn't even bother mentioning or showing the cool house-specific robes players can unlock by doing so. 

Similarly, the book does not tell you where to find Demiguise Statues for unlocking Alohomora Levels and there isn't even any mention of the prominent Hogwarts puzzle doors, which have proven confusing for many players. 

There are times when the book starts to be helpful but then leaves critical information out. For instance, the Herbology Class section has a quick guide for where to find recipe resources, but some ingredients are missing from this page such as Fluxweed Stem and Shrivelfig Fruit. The opposite page explains that you'll want to "buy seeds from Beatrice Green at Dogweed & Deathcap" but fails to mention the crucial detail that you find this store in Hogsmeade Village. On top of that, there's absolutely no mention of The Magic Neep, another important shop for acquiring magic plants. 

To be fair, the official guide does handle quests a little better. For example, explaining where to find the one-eyed witch statue for the "Dissending for Sweets" quest, which many players have had difficulty locating. But overall, the walkthrough information the book gives is hazy without explaining all of the particulars or skipping steps. If you were hoping for a Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough or a book that could provide detailed assistance with solving puzzles, then this official guide will be disappointing.

As I briefly mentioned before, the official guide's biggest redeeming quality is that it is packed with interesting images. Some are screenshots, while others are drawings that were not in the Hogwarts Legacy base game (as far as I saw). But then why would you purchase this official game guide for art when the absolutely stunning The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy hardback is right there for you to purchase? Now, that's a book that's worth your time as it's large and filled with both concept art and explanations for design choices that many Harry Potter fans will find interesting. 

The art book is truly stunning, but the official guide isn't worth your time

I absolutely love the charming wizarding world adventure that Avalanche Software created. There are so many little secrets, Easter eggs, and puzzles to discover while going through a year at the magical school. However, it's not always easy to solve these quests and puzzles. This is why I made it my goal to quickly identify tricky parts of the game and write up Hogwarts Legacy guides, so I could assist those who needed them.

If you're considering purchasing Hogwarts Legacy: The Official Game Guide, I don't recommend it —unless you're a collector. It fails to provide answers to many puzzles and can be vague with certain quest walkthroughs. Thankfully, there are plenty of detailed Hogwarts Legacy guides online that will help you on your magical journey, like the ones here at Windows Central. 

If you are interested in the Hogwarts Legacy: The Official Game Guide for the artwork, I suggest you consider purchasing The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy instead. This is a hardback with large pages that help show off digital paintings and concept art for the game. Plus, it's fun reading about the specific details the artists incorporated into their designs. 

What you need to know

• Hogwarts Legacy initially launched for PC, Xbox Series S|X, and PS5 on Feb. 10, 2023.
• The game has been incredibly successful, selling over 12 million units in its first two weeks.
• Hogwarts Legacy for Xbox One and PS4 has been delayed until May 5, 2023.

It's been a few weeks since Hogwarts Legacy initially launched for PC, Xbox Series S|X, and PlayStation 5 on Feb. 10, 2023. In that time, the game has been a financial success, selling over 12 million units in its first two weeks despite not being on Xbox One, PS4, or Nintendo Switch yet (thanks IGN). 

Harry Potter fans who do want to play on Xbox One, PS4, and Switch have been patiently waiting for the game to come to their platforms. The initial release date for Hogwarts Legacy on Xbox One and PS4 was Apr. 4, 2023, but we've just gotten an update from the Avalanche Software team saying that the PS4 and Xbox One versions will now be releasing on May 5, 2023. It seems the developers need more time to work on these versions. 

As stated in the tweet, "We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for the response to Hogwarts Legacy from fans around the globe. The team is working hard to deliver the best possible experience on all platforms and we need more time to do this. Hogwarts Legacy will launch for PS4 and Xbox One May 5, 2023"

Getting a game to run on various platforms can be a tricky business since it requires tailoring code to specifically work within the confines of each platform's abilities. As such, it can be a long, complicated process. So while disappointing, it's understandable that a delay has occurred. It's better than the alternative of a developer releasing a game when it isn't ready. If done right, the Xbox One version will undoubtedly become one of the best Xbox games of all time.

Choosing May 5 as a launch date might not prove to be ideal for Avalanche Software and WB Games since this is only a week before The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches for Nintendo Switch. This Nintendo exclusive is one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2023 and has been on people's minds for a few years now. So it will be interesting to see how Zelda competes against Hogwarts Legacy in May. Speaking of Nintendo Switch owners, Hogwarts Legacy on Switch is still planned to release on July 25, 2023, so it's still coming, but there is a while to wait yet.

If you're waiting for Hogwarts Legacy on Xbox One, preorders are currently available. Of course, the game can also currently be purchased and played right now on PC or Xbox Series S|X.

Once you unlock the ability to brew potions in Hogwarts Legacy, you'll find that it is a good idea to have plenty of ingredients on you at all times. One of the most useful potions is Focus Potion, which makes it so that the cooldown time for your spells is reduced so you can cast them more frequently. This reduced cooldown lasts until the potion effects wear off. 

One of the most important ingredients for Focus Potion. You can either purchase Fluxweed Stem or grow it yourself. If you take the time to raise it from seeds you'll save a lot of money.

Can I get free Fluxweed Stem in Hogwarts Legacy?

While you can find some magical plants growing for free in the greenhouses or in the Hogwarts Legacy wilds, Fluxweed Stem isn't easy to come by. You'll need to purchase it or grow it yourself in order to have ready access to this plant. 

Hogwarts Legacy has a challenging yet fair combat system, which is partially why it's one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. You'll gain an edge in battle if you have Focus Potion on you, which is made using Fluxweed Stem, Lacewing Flies, and Dugbog Tongue. While in effect, Focus Potion reduces the amount of time you have to wait before you can cast one of your spells again. So you can launch your most powerful attacks more frequently and take baddies down faster with this potion in play. 

Where to buy Fluxweed Stem in Hogwarts Legacy

As with many other plants, Fluxweed Stem can be purchased from The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade. This seller is located just over the river from Hogsmeade's west-most bridge. 

How to buy Fluxweed Stem: The Magic Neep shopowner sells Fluxweed Stem for 150 Galleons. However, he will usually only have two available at a time and it can take time for him to replenish his stock. 

How to buy Fluxweed Stem seeds: You can also purchase a Fluxweed Stem seed packet from The Magic Neep for 350 Galleons. This is a one-time purchase that will allow you to grow your own seeds from hereon out. So while it's costly up front, it's in your wallet's best interest to purchase the seeds as soon as you can. 

How to get money: If you find yourself short on cash, take a moment to search Hogsmeade for Eye Chests. These little puzzle boxes contain 500 Galleons each and there are several hidden throughout Hogsmeade. You can also go to most shops and sell your unwanted gear by clicking the treasure chest icon when talking to a seller.

How to grow Fluxweed Stem in Hogwarts Legacy

Before you can grow your own Fluxweed Stem, you must unlock the Room of Requirement and then must purchase a Large Pot Conjuration Spellcraft from Hogsmeade's Tomes and Scrolls shop. 

A simple Large Potting Table with a Large Pot costs 1,000 Galleons. There are also Conjuration Spellcraft for multi-pot potting tables if you have the money to spend on them. 

How to conjure a Large Potting table and grow Fluxweed Stem seeds

Once you've got the seeds, large potting table spellcraft, and access to the Room of Requirement the process for growing Fluxweed Stem is relatively simple:

1. Go to the Hogwarts Map → Room of Requirement. 
2. Cast your Conjuring spell to open up your list of Conjuration Spellcrafts. 
3. Select the Herbology icon (the leafy symbol).
4. Within the Herbology menu, select the third plant icon that shows a plant in a large pot. 
5. Choose the Large Potting Table style you like best. 
6.  Make any adjustments that you may want to such as choosing a different color. 
7. Place the Large Potting Table somewhere in an open spot. 
8. Exit out of the Conjuration menu. 
9. Interact with the Large Potting Table.
10. Choose which seed you want to grow (Fluxweed Stem, obviously).
11. Wait 15 minutes for the Fluxweed Stem to finish growing. 
12. Go up to the fully grown Fluxweed Stem and Harvest it. This yields 5 Fluxweed Stems in one go. 

Don't get flummoxed by Fluxweed

Once you know exactly where to get Fluxweed Stem and how to grow it yourself you'll easily be able to access a ready supply of the plant. With this magical plant in tow, you'll be able to quickly and easily brew Focus Potion as long as you've also got Lacewing Flies and Dugbog Tongue on you as well. 

If you want to increase your Fluxweed Stem yield, then you'll want to work on purchasing a Large Potting Table that features more than one potting station from Tomes and Scrolls. That way you'll have plenty of Fluxweed Stem plants ready to harvest when you need them. 

After you've put a significant amount of time into Hogwarts Legacy, you'll eventually come upon a quest titled, "The Final Repository." This quest leads into the game's big boss fight with Ranrok. This will be a challenging multi-phase battle, so you need to come prepared before setting out on the quest. 

Hogwarts Legacy has a very robust battle system, which is partially why it's one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. The final boss will be challenging, but it's also fair and can be really fun. In this final boss fight, there are a few tells to look out for that let you know what kind of attack Ranrok is about to do. I'll go over what exactly you need to do to defeat him and discuss tactics for taking Ranrok down faster. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to prepare for the final Ranrok boss battle

Hogwarts Legacy's Ranrok boss fight can be a long, challenging affair and as such, you're going to want to come prepared. If you're having issues defeating Ranrok, then you might want to choose "Abandon Quest" on the Quest Failed screen and take some time to get stronger or stock up on items before attempting the battle again. Here are some things to do to make the Ranrok boss fight easier.

• Max out your potion inventory: Hopefully, you've learned by now that potions can seriously help you defeat enemies faster by giving stat boosts. Not to mention, they're important for reviving your health bar when it's low. You can experience the effects of multiple potions at once, so bring them to the Ranrok boss fight and drink Focus, Maxima, and Edurus Potions at the same time to raise your stats. 
  • Wiggenweld Potions: You can hold up to 25 of these health potions and I suggest you brew this many in The Room of Requirement before starting the battle. Then use them as needed. 
  • Focus Potions: A Focus Potion reduces your spells' cooldown time for as long as the potion remains in effect. Meaning, that you can launch your most powerful attacks more frequently. So stock up on these before facing the final boss. 
  • Maxima Potion: Increases the amount of damage your spells inflict for a short amount of time. Drinking this will make you more powerful against Ranrok so you can chip his health down faster. 
  • Edurus Potion: By turning you into a stone version of yourself, this potion increases your defense for a short amount of time. You'll take less damage from Ranrok while it's in play.  

• Unlock all spells: Make sure you've unlocked all spells you want access to during the final boss. Some spells will do more attack damage than others, but all yellow, purple, and red spells can come in handy in this fight. If you can still learn additional spells then you might want to take the time to complete the sidequests that lead to them. It might just give you the extra umph you need to take down Ranrok. 
  • Note: It's up to you if you learn the Unforgivable Curses: Imperio, Crucio, and Avada Kedavra. You do not need these spells to defeat Ranrok.

• Level up more: Ranrok is level 30, so it will be a whole lot easier to take him down if you yourself are Level 30 or higher. You can gain additional experience by doing several things such as: 
  • Completing Landing Platforms
  • Completing Astronomy Tables
  • Completing Bandit Camps
  • Completing sidequests

• Spend available Talent Points. Each time you level up, you'll gain a Talent Point, which you can use to upgrade one of your skills in the menu. I highly recommend you have the following unlocked before fighting Ranrok:
  • Core → Basic Cast Mastery
  • Core → Swift
  • Core → Spell Knowledge 1, 2, & 3
  • Core → Wiggenweld Potency 1 & 2
  • Core → Ancient Magic Throw Expertise
  • Core → Evasion Absorption
  • Core → Protego Expertise
  • Spell → Bombarda Mastery
  • Spell → Confringo Mastery
  • Spell → Incendio Mastery
  • Spell → Diffendo Mastery

• Increase your Ancient Magic Meter: If you take the time to track down all Ancient Magic Hotspots in Hogwarts Legacy, you'll be able to unlock additional ancient magic meter gauges, which means you'll be able to unleash more of your best ancient magic attacks during this boss fight. Just make sure you go into your Collections menu and redeem the additional ancient magic meter gauges once you've completed all the hotspots.

Hogwarts Legacy: How to complete The Final Repository quest

To get to the final Ranrok boss fight, you'll need to initiate The Final Repository quest. To do this, return once more to the Hogwarts Map → Map Room when the quest has gotten unlocked and talk to Professor Fig to start this quest. After talking with The Keepers, the floor in the middle of the room will magically recede revealing a hidden door. Walk down the stairs and head through the doorway beyond that. 

Ranrok's goblins have coincidentally broken into the hidden chamber just as you walked into it. Run down the path and destroy all of the goblins you come across. This will lead Professor Fig to move the drill that blocks your path so you can continue onward. 

Next, you'll come across a sort of mini-boss area where you're forced to take on several goblins as well as two armored trolls. You want to focus on getting rid of the goblins first so you can focus your attention better on the larger enemies. To make this easier, use Transformation on the goblins as often as you can and if they turn into explosive barrels then lob these at the trolls to whittle their health down a large amount. 

After you defeat one troll more goblins will appear. As before, focus on clearing away the goblins before going after the troll in earnest. Whenever possible, you should consider doing one of your powerful ancient magic attacks on the troll to get its health down quickly. Additionally, chase down any ancient magic drops that come from enemies as these replenish your ancient magic meter and also give you a bit of health.

Look on the opposite side of the cavern from where you entered and you'll find a section of wall with a crack in it that is glowing with ancient magic. Get close to it and Professor Fig will blast it open so you can continue further into the tunnels. 

You'll come across yet another group of goblins. Once you defeat the initial wave, a second group will appear. Do the same tricks as usual to defeat all the goblins. When they're all defeated continue through the crack in the wall. 

Keep going and then the Hogwarts professors will all show up to help fight. Run along the path until you cannot go any further and you'll be compelled to defeat another group of goblins. When they're all gone, a troll will come bursting through some rock and you'll need to defeat it. 

As the Hogwarts teachers take on the goblins that appear, you'll just need to run forward and dodge around the cavern until you get to the area with the two Pensieve Guardians who wield massive swords. This will lead into a cutscene in which you use the special wand to open the door that conceals the magical Repository. You'll be given the choice to either keep the Repository sealed and hidden or you can tell Fig that you plan on using it. 

Should I open the Repository in Hogwarts Legacy?

Spoiler Warning: You'll get different cutscenes depending on your Hogwarts Legacy Repository choice.  We'll go over what the differences are between the two options, but this will lead to some important plot development spoilers. If you don't want things ruined for you, skip this section.  

• Keep the Repository closed (Good Ending): Your character will choose not to use the magic contained within the Repository, meaning you won't use it against Ranrok. However, this will result in Professor Fig getting injured and dying after you defeat Ranrok. 
• Open the Repository (Evil Ending): Your character will use the power contained in the Repository to fight Ranrok. You'll be given a second chance to rethink your choice here with Fig, but can still go through with your initial plans. Professor Fig will also end up getting injured and die after your battle with Ranrok if you choose this option, but his death will have more depth to it. 
• What should I do?: It really depends on how you want things to finish. If you've been playing the part of a hero up until now, it makes sense to go with the Good Ending and keep the Repository closed. However, if you've been playing more of a malicious student, then it makes sense to open the Repository and go for the Bad Ending. Just note that regardless of what you do, Professor Fig will die. Do you want him to end things on a positive note with you or a negative one?

Hogwarts Legacy: Ranrok Dragon Boss Fight — Phase 1

After making your decision about the Repository, Ranrok will appear and after a short cutscene, he will turn into a magical dragon. Ranrok in dragon form, a.k.a. Ranrok Dragon, is a very powerful enemy that will take a while to defeat. His health bar is broken into three separate phases and each phase takes place in a different area, progressively getting more difficult. 

The good news here is that if you manage to whittle Ranrok Dragon's health down into another phase, you'll have the option of starting over from the same phase you left off from instead of starting completely over if you die. For instance, if you make it to the third phase and he defeats you then selecting "Try Again" in the quest failed screen will bring you back to the start of the phase 3 part of the battle with full health. 

Break that shield: Ranrok cannot be damaged until you break the shield protecting him. To do this, you need to locate the spell sphere floating in the air and destroy it using a spell of the same color. 

• Purple spell sphere: Accio, Depulso, Descendo, or Flipendo
• Yellow spell sphere: Arresto Momentum, Glacius, Levioso, or Transformation
• Red spell sphere: Incendio, Confringo, Expelliarmus, Diffindo, or Bombarda

Cast your best attacks: Once Ranrok's shield has been destroyed, you'll have a few seconds to launch your best attacks at him before he regains his composure and attempts to damage you. Cast your most powerful attacks intermingled with your basic attacks to chip away at that large health bar. Your most powerful attacking spells tend to be your red spells as well as your ancient magic attacks, so you'll want to launch these at him as often as you can. Note that it will be hard to hit him with Incendio, so don't use it. Additionally, only cast your ancient magic attacks when Ranrok's shield is down or you'll waste this powerful attack.

Swap Spell Sets: Since you need quick access to specific-colored spells, you should take a moment to rearrange your Spell Sets (if you haven't already) so that you can easily launch a different red, purple, and yellow spell from each one. For instance, if you aim at a purple spell sphere but it vanishes before your Accio spell strikes it and then the purple sphere reappears to your left, you can quickly swap Spell Sets without waiting for Accio's cooldown to complete and hit the sphere with Flipendo without having to scramble around too much. It helps to keep the same color spell in the same slots for easy access. Since your red spells tend to do the most damage, it's a good idea to have two red spells on each Spell Set so you can hurl these at Ranrok whenever possible.

Dodge and counter often: Ranrok will attempt to pummel you with high-damage attacks. Get your fingers ready to Dodge or use Protego often in order to avoid taking damage. If you've unlocked Swift in the Core Talents menu then it will help you zip around and get away from danger a whole lot faster. Remember, that a red indicator around your head means you have to dodge or you'll take damage while a golden orange indicator around your head means you can deflect (and maybe even counter) the attack.

Hurl projectiles back at Ranrok: Sometimes Ranrok will launch a projectile at you. If you're quick, you can grab these and launch them back at him (you must have unlocked Magic Throw Expertise in the Core Talents menu). Flinging projectiles back at Ranrok will knock his health down in decent chunks allowing you to defeat him faster. 

Watch out for fire breath: When Ranrok pulls his head back slightly, he's about to breathe mystical fire. This attack is typically launched right after he recovers from you breaking the magical sphere shield. You cannot use Protego against this fire-breathing attack, so just dodge away from the flames and do not roll into them or you will take damage. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Ranrok Dragon Boss Fight — Phase 2

Get to the battle area: Once you break into the second gauge of Ranrok Dragon's health bar, he'll retreat and you'll have to follow him down the rocky path that opens up to you. But watch out, as you work to make your way to the actual boss fight area he'll hover in front of you and attempt to hit you with projectiles. Dodge these objects or use Protego and quickly make your way to the battle area at the end of the path. 

Destroy the spell spheres (again): During the second phase, Ranrok Dragon will have two spell orbs to protect his shield. You'll need to once more use the proper matching-color spell to destroy these spell spheres before you can inflict any damage on him. However, you must be quick as these spell shield orbs will disappear and relocate after a while.

Run away from his big aura attack: At times, Ranrok will draw his wings in and prepare for a big pink attack that covers a good chunk of the battle area. When he starts preparing for this, run to the back of the battle area and out of reach so that it doesn't effect you. 

Take your potions: If the battle has proven tough so far, take advantage of your stat-boosting potions such as Maxima, Edurus, and Focus Potion. Remember, Focus Potion reduces the amount of time it takes for spell cooldowns to complete. So if you're not wanting to swap Spell Sets that much, you really ought to take a Focus Potion during the second and third phases of the Ranrok Dragon boss fight. Maxima Potion increases the amount of damage your spells inflict on Ranrok while Edurus increases your defense so you take less damage. 

Take time to collect Ancient Magic: As you strike Ranrok, he'll occasionally drop bits of glowing ancient magic. It might seem like a bad idea to go after these at times, but it's to your benefit to dodge around and safely collect them. Ancient magic drops can help you regain a small amount of health, but more importantly, they fill up your ancient magic meter gauge which will allow you to unleash very powerful attacks on Ranrok and take huge chunks out of his health. If you have Swift unlocked in the Core Talents menu then you'll be able to zip to ancient magic drops and away from them relatively easily. 

Continue to dodge, block, and hurl objects: This second phase of the Ranrok Dragon battle is like a slightly ramped-up version of the previous one. Continue to keep your fingers ready to dodge and cast your best attacks as you need to. Some of Ranrok's projectiles can be grabbed and thrown back at him. Take advantage of this whenever possible to slice big sections of his health down.

Continue to blast away at Ranrok's health until the second section of his health bar is depleted and he once more retreats. Follow him around the corner of rock and slide down the black and red ramp to get to the final battle area.

Hogwarts Legacy: Ranrok Dragon Boss Fight — Phase 3

Grab some more health potions: If you managed to deplete your Wiggenweld Potion stock a fair amount before coming to the third phase of this boss battle, then you'll want to take a moment and run around the outer ring of the battle area as there are a few Wiggenweld Potions lying around down here. You'll have to be pretty close before you can actually see them, but snatch them all up and then prepare for the final fight.

Destroy three spell spheres (and dodge): In this final phase of the battle, Ranrok now has three spell spheres keeping his shield in place. These won't stay in the same place for long, so you need to quickly get within range and blast them with the same-colored spell to destroy them. Additionally, Ranrok's attacks will come more rapidly now, so you'll want to attack a sphere, dodge, attack another sphere, and dodge to prevent from taking damage. Once all spell spheres have been knocked out, Ranrok Dragon's shield will drop and you can have at him. 

Keep away from that pink aura attack: We've seen this high-damage attack before, but now Ranrok will use it a lot more frequently. Get safely out of range whenever he starts ramping it up and then come back at him when the attack has finished. Alternatively, if you have Edurus Potion, you can withstand it and continue attacking. 

Continue to dodge Ranrok Dragon's attacks: When you've gotten Ranrok Dragon's health down about a fourth of the way, he'll drop to the ground. At this point, he'll still launch projectiles from his mouth which you'll need to dodge. He'll also run at you (kind of like the Graphorn) and can hit you with his tail, so be prepared to dodge often. 

Mix your potions: This is the hardest part of the battle, so you should consider taking your Maxima, Edurus, and Focus Potions all at once. This will reduce your spell cooldown time, give you extra defense, and make your spells more powerful for as long as the potions last. Of course, you should take any Wiggenweld Potions potions as needed to replenish your health as well.

Continue going after the spell spheres: Those three spell spheres will continue to show up in the air around Ranrok, so continue to take them out with the proper-color spell then you can work on attacking the dragon when its shield is down.

Keep collecting Ancient Magic drops: At this point, you want to do everything you can to get Ranrok's health down to zero. Your ancient magic attacks will be very helpful in doing that. Zoom around the stage collecting any ancient magic drops that come from Ranrok Dragon and then launch those powerful attacks at him as often as you can (but make sure his shield is down before you do or you'll waste the attack). 

Once you've knocked Ranrok's health down all the way, you'll be treated to a well-earned cutscene. This also wraps up The Final Repository quest. But while the big boss has been defeated, the game isn't over yet.

Even dragons have their endings

It will take some work, but if you focus the proper attacks on the spell spheres that appear in the sky around Ranrok and then blast his dragon form with your best spells whenever you get the chance, you'll walk away from this Hogwarts Legacy boss fight in no time. The experience will go a lot easier if you have plenty of potions on you, take advantage of your ancient magic attacks, and dodge Ranrok's many assaults. 

If you've attempted the dragon fight multiple times and you're just not making it anywhere, you might need to abandon the quest for now and come back when you've either leveled up, gathered more potions, or unlocked more Talents in the menu. All of these things will give you more power and will allow you to take enemies down more easily including the Ranrok dragon. 

Hogwarts Legacy's combat system offers plenty of different ways to take down your enemies, but one of the most powerful and satisfying options available to you is your ancient magic attacks. When your ancient magic meter gauge gets full, you can unleash a strong attack that can defeat most enemies or at least whittle their health down significantly. 

You can add even more ancient magic gauges to your skill base in Hogwarts Legacy if you take the time to go around the map and complete the ancient magic hotspot challenges. Here's where to find them all and how to complete them. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Why you want to complete Ancient Magic Hotspots

Ancient magic hotspots are dotted all over the Hogwarts Legacy World Map and are denoted by an ancient magic symbol. When you get to one of these spots, you first need to initiate the hotspot and then search for the three ancient magic traces hiding nearby. There are 20 of these ancient magic hotspots overall and you'll want to take the time to complete them all since the reward for doing so is adding additional ancient magic meters to your combat skills. 

This means you'll be able to gather up more ancient magic in battle and can use more of these powerful attacks in one go if the gauge is full. When all ancient magic hotspots are completed, you can have five ancient magic meters total to use in battle, which will make you a very powerful force, indeed. The robust combat system is just one thing that makes Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to redeem Ancient Magic Hotspot rewards

To redeem these Hogwarts Legacy rewards, go to the Menu → Challenges → Exploration and the section called Collect Ancient Magic Traces will be at the top. Click on these rewards as they are completed to redeem them. Additional gauges for your Ancient Magic Meter will not show up unless you redeem them. 

This is how many Ancient Magic Hotspots you need to complete to redeem these rewards:

• 2 Ancient Magic Hotspots — Unlocks additional Ancient Magic Meter Capacity
• 8 Ancient Magic Hotspots — Unlocks additional Ancient Magic Meter Capacity
• 20 Ancient Magic Hotspots — Unlocks additional Ancient Magic Meter Capacity

All Ancient Magic Hotspot locations and solutions

Pro Tip: Cast Revelio frequently after activating an ancient magic hotspot and it will make the floating ancient magic traces glow blue so you can find them easier. Also, note that after you Investigate a hotspot the glowing lines emanating from the ground below you point to the three ancient magic traces hiding nearby. 

Without further ado, here's where to find the ancient magic hotspots and how to collect all of the ancient magic traces. 

• Ancient Magic Hotspot 1: Go to World Map → North Ford Bog → North Ford Bog Entrance Floo Flame. Head in the direction the Floo Flame is facing and you'll see some ruins over the hill. Head around to the front of the ruins and stand next to the large tree to find the starting Ancient Magic Hotspot. Press Investigate to make the magic spots appear. 
  • Floating Magic A: Turn right from the entrance and you'll find the first ancient magic trace floating behind crisscrossing spiderwebs in an alcove. Run in and touch it. 
  • Floating Magic B: Hop over the low wall next to the first ancient magic trace and then duck under the fallen rubble on the right to find this one. 
  • Floating Magic C: Hop back over the low wall and use a fire spell like Confringo or Incendio to get rid of the spiderweb over the ruin archway. Head inside and climb up the crates on the left to find this last one. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 2: Go to World Map → Forbidden Forest → West Forbidden Forest Floo Flame. Turn right from the floo flame and head down the path until you see some ruins. Enter into the archway and stand before the four giant purple toad statues to find the hotspot starting spot. 
  • Floating Magic A: Interact with the far right toad statue and it will bring you to an area with a steep ramp. Turn around and jump to touch this ancient magic trace then slide down the ramp and return to the four statues. 
  • Floating Magic B: Interact with the toad statue that is second from the right. When it pops you out, move forward along the narrow walkway and around the corner to the left to find this floating trace of magic.
  • Floating Magic C: Turn around from where you got the second bit of ancient magic and head back along the narrow walkway until you can see the final trace of magic glowing below on the right. Jump down and snatch this last bit.
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 3: Go to World Map → Hogsmeade Valley → East Hogsmeade Valley Floo Flame. Exit the house and then make your way to the southwest ruins. Stand in front of the stairs at the front of the ruins to find the initial hotspot area.  
  • Floating Magic A: Run up the stairs and climb the ladder on the right. Go around the corner and when you see the opening covered in vines cast Incendio or Confringo on them to clear the opening. Head inside and you'll see this trace of magic straight ahead. 
  • Floating Magic B: Turn 90 degrees from the first trace of ancient magic to the left and climb up the wooden platforms to the left of the pulley to get this one. 
  • Floating Magic C: Drop back down and hit the pulley with a basic attack to make it drop. Jump down into the hole and walk down the planks to grab the last bit of ancient magic. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 4: Go to World Map → North Hogwarts Region → East North Hogwarts Region Floo Flame. Turn and southeast down the path past the large tree. Take a left at the fork in the path and walk up the ruin steps to find this ancient magic hotspot starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Go straight ahead and break the twigs blocking the path with a basic attack to grab the first bit of ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic B: Next, go behind the square block in the middle of this area and destroy the wooden pallet on the ground with a basic attack. Then jump down into the hole and head around the corner from the small sarcophagus to get this second trace of magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Turn around and use Accio on the handle coming out of the wall. This will make a stone partition drop and reveal the final trace of floating ancient magic. 

• Ancient Magic Hotspot 5: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Lower Hogsfield Floo Flame. Head south past the houses and follow the path. When it forks, take the right turn following the cart tracks and into some ruins. The starting spot is in the grass to the right of the well.
  • Floating Magic A: Go to the front of the ruins and take a sharp turn right around the ruins' outer wall. You'll come upon wooden barrels and crates. Blast these then duck into the opening to get this first trace of floating ancient magic. When done, go back to the front of the ruins near the well.
  • Floating Magic B: Go to the wall on the left side of the well and break the planks blocking the opening to find a crate. Using Accio, pull the crate out and place it against the wooden structure to the right. Climb on the crate and up the wooden structures then walk along the planks. When you get to an opening covered with ivy, get rid of it with Incendio or Confringo and then go inside. Make a sharp right when you see the dangling bodies to find this floating ancient magic trace. After collecting it, head back to the well. 
  • Floating Magic C: Pull the crate to you with Accio or Wingardium Leviosa and place it against the worn wall in front of the well. Cast Levioso on it then climb up onto the ledge. Go down the ladder and you'll find the last of the ancient magic traces in this area. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 6: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Brocburrow Floo Flame. Fly a decent way west and slightly south until you get to a tower ruin with stag statues out front. You'll find the hotspot starting point by passing the stag statues on the east side and running into the arch opening next to the tree with pink blossoms. Go straight and you'll see a wooden structure on your right with vines on it. Get rid of the vines with Incendio or Confringo and then climb the ladder. Climb up the wooden planks around the corner and you'll come to the starting hotspot area. 
  • Floating Magic A: Jump to the ground and take a right when you see the large sun symbol on the ground. There's a small archway covered in vines. Get rid of them with Incendio or Confringo to find a crate. Move the crate next to the wooden structure on your right and then climb up and go up the ladder to get the first ancient magic trace. After collecting it, run down the stairs and use Depulso on the mechanism to open the gate. Then use a fire spell to get rid of the vines. 
  • Floating Magic B: Run across the ruins to the other mechanism and cast Depulso to open the large gate. Go inside to get the second bit of ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: While standing where you found the second bit of magic, turn and use Depulso on the other mechanism to open the main gate. Head out of the main gate and around the right corner of the ruins. When you see a wooden platform to your right you'll notice that it's facing an ivy-covered opening. Use Incendio or Confringo on the ivy then climb up the ladder and the next one beyond it. You'll see the ancient magic floating in a boxed wooden area. Use a fire spell to get rid of the ivy then go inside and collect the ancient magic trace. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 7: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Brocburrow Floo Flame. Head south from the floo flame until you're just west of The Gilded Perch ruins the houses the Moonstone door puzzle. The starting hotspot point will be in the open courtyard near the Kneazle Den. 
  • Floating Magic A: Go directly south from the starting point and use Incendio or Confringo to get rid of the spiderweb then grab the floating magic beyond. 
  • Floating Magic B: Continue forward and you'll see the next bit of floating ancient magic in the distance. Defeat the spiders in this area then go collect the ancient magic trace. 
  • Floating Magic C: Turn around and you'll see a large wooden crate next to a worn wooden platform. Climb on top of these and then walk across the narrow shingles until you get to an opening in the ruins that leads to a second-floor room. You can easily touch the last bit of floating ancient magic from here. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 8: Go to World Map → Feldcroft Region → North Feldcroft Floo Flame. Fly toward the bandit camp to the northeast and land on the battlement that looks over the cliff and has stairs leading to it. The ancient magic hotspot starting point will be at the center of this circular turret area. 
  • Floating Magic A: Walk down the stairs and you'll find the first trace of ancient magic along the way. 
  • Floating Magic B: Cross the bandit camp and head to the square ruins on the other side. Use Confringo or Incendio on the ivy covering the archway and then grab the floating magic beyond. 
  • Floating Magic C: Climb up the ladder from where you found the second bit of ancient magic then walk across the planks to get the last one. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 9: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → West Hogwarts Valley Floo Flame. Fly south and up the mountain until you get to the large ruins that double as a bandit camp. Defeat the Ashwinders in this area then step on the circular mosaic near the tower to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Head to the narrow stone archway covered in ivy and clear it using Incendio or Confringo. Then duck under the beams next to the barrels and you'll find the first bit of magic. 
  • Floating Magic B: Turn around from where you found the first bit of magic and head up the ladder. When on the wooden planks, cast Accio on the handle below. Then walk across the planks to retrieve the second bit of floating ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Head up the ladder that's found beyond the second trace of ancient magic and go in the crack in the wall on your left to get the last bit of magic. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 10: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Keenbridge Floo Flame. Fly west until you hit some mossy ruins. Stand on the stairs facing the entrance and head left to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Hop on your broom and fly above the chimney to get the first bit of floating ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic B: Continue flying southwest and you'll see the next bit of magic floating over some hills. 
  • Floating Magic C: Now turn around and fly to the front of the ruins. The final trace of ancient magic is floating over a rock on the right side of the path on the way to Keenbridge. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 11: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Keenbridge Floo Flame. Fly east across the river to the large ruins with the tower. Walk up the stairs on the west side and you'll find the starting point near an eagle shield. 
  • Floating Magic A: Cast Incendio or Confringo on the ivy growing over the opening and then enter the ruins. On your right, you'll see barrels and crates. Destroy them and then duck into the opening they reveal to grab the first bit of floating ancient magic. Leave this crawlspace and return to the main room. 
  • Floating Magic B: Against the wall, there's a more durable crate. Cast Accio or Wingardium Leviosa on it and position it right in front of the area you just ducked into. Climb up the crate and to the ledge above then go up the ladder. Several boxes will be on your left. Destroy them and pull the durable crate out with Accio or Wingardium Leviosa. Duck into the opening this creates to nab the second bit of ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Return to the room that now has the crate. Jump on top of the wooden boxes and climb up to the ledge above. When you see the astronomy table, turn around, get a running start, and then jump to the platform across the way. The final trace of ancient magic will be floating to the right. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 12: Go to World Map → Feldcroft Region → Rookwood Castle Floo Flame. Fly north for a while until you get to the tall tower ruins where a seller named Pria Treadwell is stationed. Jump over the low wall on the west side of the large opening to find the hotspot starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Climb up the nearby ladder to find the first bit of floating ancient magic.
  • Floating Magic B: Continue forward, up the next ladder, and along the planks. Then use Confringo or Incendio on the ivy covering the wall and climb up it to find the second bit of floating ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Walk along the narrow plank in front of where you found the second bit of magic and then use a basic attack on the pulley to make it drop its load. Run and jump to the platform across the way and grab the last ancient magic trace. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 13: Go to World Map → Feldcroft Region → Feldcroft Floo Flame. Fly east from the floo flame a fair distance until you come to some ruins near a Troll Lair. Walk into the center of these ruins, blast a pile of rocks that are in your way and you'll get to the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Leave the main ruins heading east and you'll find a small block of ruins that contains the first bit of ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic B: Jump on your broom and fly north to the other ruins here. Land near the top where the landing platform is to find this bit of magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Fly east from where these ruins are toward the Troll Lair and you'll find the third bit of magic in the A-frame structure.
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 14: Go to World Map → Feldcroft Region → Irondale Floo Flame. Fly south to the larger ruins that have yellow and blue banners hanging down around the main archway. Stand right in front of the archway to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Run through the archway and turn left immediately to scramble up the platforms. Jump over the wooden platforms going over the arch to grab the first floating bit of magic. Then jump down to the ground. 
  • Floating Magic B: From the archway head south and take the first right you can. Then cast Incendio or Confringo on the ivy growing over the structure near the brazier and grab the bit of floating ancient magic beyond it.
  • Floating Magic C: From where you got the second trace of ancient magic, turn around, head up the stairs, and up over the worn brick ledge on your left. The last trace of floating magic will be to the right from here.

• Ancient Magic Hotspot 15: Go to World Map → Poidsear Coast → Phoenix Mountain Cave Floo Flame. Head directly south from the floo flame until you get to the large ruins near the dirt road. The starting point is in front of the hay storage area where the cats are milling about. 
  • Floating Magic A: Open the nearby gate that has a Level 1 lock on it using Alohomora then pass into the ruins. Destroy the wood pallet directly in front of you and head into the next room. Next, destroy the rubble blocking your way on the left of the room and you'll find the bit of magic floating above a toilet.
  • Floating Magic B: Return to the main center of the ruins and cast either Incendio or Confringo on the ivy next to the table. Next, use Wingardium Leviosa to pull the crate out and then move it to the back of the room and drop it on the pile of hay. After that, climb on the crate and scramble to the ledge above. Use a fire spell on the spiderweb blocking the doorway to the left and then jump across the gap and go left to find this trace of ancient magic.
  • Floating Magic C: From where you found the second bit of magic, duck under the beams and walk along the planks towards the stacks of books then go up the ladder. Carefully make your way along the narrow plank and you'll get the final bit of floating ancient magic.
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 16: Go to World Map → Marunweem Lake → Coastal Mine Floo Flame. Fly southwest to the ruins near the path. There are Inferi here so defeat them by first casting a fire spell like Incendio or Confringo and then taking them out with other attacks. Stand in front of the grave that has the round shield leaning on it to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Go into the ruins and head to the west side then climb up the wooden platforms in this area. Jump over the gap in the planks and continue forward until you're facing a mechanism (note that there is a pulley to your left while you're standing here). Cast Depulso on the mechanism multiple times to raise the platform to the right. Jump on this raised platform and grab the floating bit of magic.
  • Floating Magic B: From where you got the first bit of magic, return to where the pulley is and cast a basic attack on it. Then jump across the gap to the platform beyond where the pulley was. Turn left and cast Reparo on the wooden beams on the ground below. Then jump across the next gap and continue along the planks until you can get to the second bit of floating ancient magic.
  • Floating Magic C: Drop down inside the ruins and head to the back where there's a heavy-duty metal grate. There are two boxes on the right of the grate; destroy these to reveal a mechanism. Cast Depulso on the mechanism to open the gate and grab the floating ancient magic inside.
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 17: Go to World Map → Marunweem Lake → Marunweem Bridge Floo Flame. Head to the other side of the bridge and stand under the structure to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Go up the wooden stairs and cast Reparo on the broken wood nearby to make a new platform. Jump onto the platform in front of you and the one after that to get the first bit of ancient magic. 
  • Floating Magic B: Continue left from where you found the first trace of magic and continue along the wooden planks. When you see a handle, cast Accio to make a walkway appear. Continue forward and then around the corner. Now open the Level 1 locked gate with Alohomora and you'll find the second trace of magic in the room beyond. 
  • Floating Magic C: Jump off of the top of the bridge structure and into the water below. The final bit of magic is floating over a small row boat in the water. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 18: Go to World Map → Poidsear Coast → South Poidsear Coast Floo Flame. Leave the floo flame house and stand in front of the wooden bridge to find the ancient magic hotspot starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Cross the wooden bridge and make your way to the ruins. When you get to the first building, climb up the wooden platform and destroy the barrier with a basic attack. Then jump to the platform on the other side of the room to grab the first bit of magic. Cast Accio on the handle near the door to open the gate and leave.
  • Floating Magic B: Head to the larger building and follow the path to the fancy door on the right. Push the door open and duck under the rubble to your left. In this next room, cast Lumos to make the Devil's Snare retreat and then duck into the next room to grab the second bit of magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Return to the room with the globe and cast Accio on the handle protruding from the wall. This will cause a gate to drop, revealing a crate. Use Wingardium Leviosa on the crate and position it in front of the broom rack. Then cast Levioso on the crate to make it float, climb on top of it, and then scramble to the wooden planks above it. Go around the room on the planks and head into the next room to get the last bit of ancient magic. 
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 19: Go to World Map → Manor Cape → West Manor Cape Floo Flame. Jump on your broom and fly to the large manor to the northeast. Enter the manor and you'll find the starting point near some short stairs.
  • Floating Magic A: Run up the short set of stairs and cast a basic attack on the ceiling to break it and make a crate fall. Use Levioso to make the crate float then climb up to the second floor. The first bit of ancient magic will be on your left. 
  • Floating Magic B: From where you got the first trace of ancient magic, walk along the narrow planks and hop across the wooden beams heading southeast. Attack the weak wall and then walk on the planks that go along the outside wall of the building. After that, scramble up the opening to the left to get to the attic. Drop inside to grab this second floating bit of magic. 
  • Floating Magic C: Continue along the narrow beams up here until you get to a door with a Level 2 lock on it. Open it with Alohomora and you'll find the final ancient magic trace inside.
• Ancient Magic Hotspot 20: Go to World Map → Cragcroft Shire → Cragcroft Shore Floo Flame. Fly southeast along the path that follows the cliff until you get to some ruins. Go up the small flight of stairs and enter the building to find the starting point. 
  • Floating Magic A: Run up the stairs and jump across the gap. Head up another flight of stairs and you'll see a small window below you with ivy growing over it. Cast Incendio or Confringo on the ivy to burn it away then walk through the window. Go up the ladder, around the corner, and up the next ladder to get the first bit of magic. Now go back along the planks and head through the small window again. 
  • Floating Magic B: Continue up the tower from where the small window was and you'll come upon the second trace of magic easily enough. 
  • Floating Magic C: From the second floating ancient magic area, continue up until you get to the top of the building. Scramble up the northeast battlements to get the last bit of ancient magic.

Magic the gathering

It will take some work to gather up all of the floating magic from each of the 20 ancient magic hotspots around the Hogwarts Legacy World Map. However, the process will be made easier if you frequently use Revelio and look for the glowing blue ancient magic traces in each area. 

It is definitely worth completing these ancient magic hotspots as doing this unlocks additional ancient magic meters which you can use to cast your most powerful spells on enemies. Just remember that you must actually take the time to go into your challenges menu and redeem your magic meter rewards or else they will not be available. 

Hogwarts Legacy is filled with fun sidequests and dungeons for players to explore. Later on in your wizarding-world adventures, you can come upon a quest titled, "Solved by the Bell," which involves finding a Music Map and then using it to solve a bell puzzle in another location. It can be kind of tricky knowing how to read the map. Plus, finding it in the first place isn't straightforward. 

I'll go over where to get the Music Map in Hogwarts Legacy and then lead into how to complete the Solved by the Bell quest. It's the many fun sidequests that help make this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.  

Hogwarts Legacy: How to get The Solved By the Bell quest

You need the Music Map in order to unlock this Hogwarts Legacy sidequest. It's located in Henrietta's Hideaway, which is on the bottom tip of the Manor Cape under the ruins. 

To get to this map you need to enter Henrietta's Hideaway, which is accessed by going down the stairs on the southern side of the ruins and going through the double doors. 

You might recognize this area as the place where The Hippogriff Marks the Spot quest and the Rescueing Rococo quests take you. There are many side rooms, secrets, and puzzles in Henrietta's Hideaway, but this Solved by the Bell walkthrough will be a straightforward guide to grabbing the Music Map and leaving Henrietta's Hideaway. 

If you need help completing the puzzles and getting past the tricky floors in this dungeon then head over to my The Hippogriff Marks the Spot walkthrough for more details.

When inside Henrietta's Hideaway, you need to go past the spell puzzle doors and head into the Hippogriff statue room. Defeat the Ashwinders in here by either sneaking around with Petrificus Totalus or by casting your most powerful spells at them. 

When they're defeated, go to the back of the room and head up the winding stairs on the left. 

Then take the short flight of stairs right and come back into the Hippogriff statue room. You'll see a hallway to your left with braziers on either side of it. The floor leading into this next room is enchanted and will suck you into the wall and back out into the Hippogriff statue room if you step on it. 

To get past it, you can either use Wingardium Leviosa on one of the braziers and drop it on the trick floor then quickly run to the next room while the floor is moving. Or you can cast Arresto Momentum on the floor and then quickly run across it. 

Several Ashwinders will be in the next room down the stairs. You can once again sneak around a stealthily defeat the enemies in this room or take them head-on with your best spells. Note that there are some enemies on the second floor on the left side of the room. You might want to pull them down with Accio to make the fight a little more even. 

When the room is free of enemies, look to the right side of the room just under the stairs and you'll see that the wall looks a little weird. Run to it and the wall will open revealing a secret room. 

Just after entering this secret room, turn left and face the table. Grab the Music Map that rests next to the candles. 

You cannot leave this room the way you came in. Instead, you must run up the stairs and go through another trick wall back into the room that held the Ashwinders. Now you can either leave Henrietta's Hideaway the way you came.

Alternatively, if you've already run through The Hippogriff Marks the Spot quest, you can leave through the spell cube puzzle door on the other side of the room and then stand on the circular platform in the alcove to take you outside. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Solved By the Bell map location

The map you find in Henrietta's Hideaway wants you to go to Clagmar Castle. This is located on the Clagmar Coast right next to the Clagmar Castle Floo Flame. 

Clagmar Castle is in ruins and it can be hard to spot the bells, but they are still attached to the building on the west side of the castle. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to complete the bell puzzle

Land on the wooden platform that is right in front of the bells. There are Ashwinders in the ruins, but they will leave you alone unless you tipped them off. If they do bother you then defeat them and then come back to the platform. 

Use your basic attack to aim and strike the bells in the correct order that the Music Map indicates. The correct order to strike the bells is: 

1. Second from bottom
2. Fifth from top
3. Third from top
4. Fourth from top
5. Fifth from top
6. Top bell
7. Second from top
8. Fourth from top

If you hit the bells in the right order, you'll soon realize that they play a very familiar song: The Harry Potter theme composed by John Williams for the Warner Bros. movies. The quest will wrap up and you're free to move on to your next sidequest.

An enchanting melody

Solved by the Bell isn't too difficult in theory, but knowing where to get the Music Map and knowing where to go in order to play the bells isn't as straightforward. On top of that, reading the Music Map and knowing which bells to ring can be a bit confusing. But the fun little Easter egg reward of playing this familiar Harry Potter theme makes this quest memorable.

While you could simply make your way through Hogwarts Legacy's battles relying solely on your combat skills, you'll perform better if you take the time to acquire and use the right stat-boosting potions. Perhaps the best of these available potions is the Focus Potion, which reduces the amount of time you have to wait before a spell can be used again. That way, you can cast your most powerful spells more often and take enemies down faster. 

But how exactly do you get these potions in Hogwarts Legacy? There are a couple of options available to you. You can either purchase them for a significant amount or brew them yourself and save some Galleons. 

Hogwarts Legacy: What does Focus Potion do?

You know how when you're in a battle and you use one of your spells but then you have to wait for a while before you can use that spell again? This wait time is referred to as a cooldown. 

The reason Focus Potion is so desirable is that it reduces all of your spells' cooldown times while the potion is in effect. That way, you can cast your best spells more rapidly in battle. As you can imagine, this can help you defeat enemies a lot faster. Hogwarts Legacy's combat can be somewhat challenging, but varied spells and potions help make battling enjoyable. It's just one reason why this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Hogwarts Legacy: Where to buy Focus Potion

You can purchase Focus Potion from J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade. The easiest way to get there is by going to Hogsmeade Map → West Hogsmeade Floo Flame and when the screen loads you'll be facing the side of the shop. 

Pippin sells Focus Potions for 500 Galleons. However, he usually only has two in stock at a time. Since quantities are limited and the potions are expensive, it's a better idea to brew Focus Potions yourself rather than buying them. 

Fortunately, Pippin sells the Focus Potion Recipe for 1,200 Galleons. It's costly up front but will save money in the long run. You should purchase this recipe as soon as you can. If you're short on money take some time to open one of the many Eye Chests in Hogsmeade, which contain 500 Galleons each. You can also sell any unwanted gear to most of the shops in Hogsmeade and earn plenty of coins that way. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Where to get Focus Potion ingredients

In order to brew a Focus Potion, you need to have one Lacewing Flies container, one Fluxweed Stem, and one Dugbog Tongue. Here's where you can find these ingredients:

Hogwarts Legacy: How to brew Focus Potion

In order to conjure a Potion Station, you must purchase the proper Conjuration Spellcraft from the Tomes and Scrolls shop in Hogsmeade. This will unlock the ability for you to conjure Potions Stations in The Room of Requirement.

While in The Room of Requirement, cast Conjuration → Potions → choose a Potion Station, and then place it somewhere. It costs two Moonstones for a small Potion Station, 10 Moonstones for a medium Potion Station, and 20 Moonstones for a T-Shaped Potion Station.

Go up to the Potion Station and press the Interact button (F on Windows). Then select Focus Potion to brew it. Crafting one bottle of Focus Potion requires:

• 1 x Lacewing Flies
• 1 x Fluxweed Stem
• 1 x Dugbog Tongue

Wait one minute while the potion brews. You might even want to have multiple Potion Stations crafting Focus Potion at a time. 

When the potion is ready, go up to the table and press the button to collect it (F on Windows). As soon as the Potion Station is available again you can start brewing another Focus Potion.

Focus Pocus

Being able to cast your best spells faster without waiting as long for the cooldown gives you an edge against spiders, Ashwinders, poachers, and other enemies you face in Hogwarts Legacy. While you can purchase these potions from J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade, it will save you a lot of money in the long run if you craft them yourself. 

You can purchase the Focus Potion Recipe from J. Potions Pippins and then can purchase Fluxweed Stem Seeds from The Magic Neep. Then you'll just have to gather the three ingredients you need and brew your potion in The Room of Requirement. 

As you fly about the World Map in Hogwarts Legacy, you will come upon dozens of different puzzles and dungeons. One of the most common puzzles is astronomy tables, which have you align the shape of a constellation with the actual stars in the sky. They're pretty easy to solve and can give you a good chunk of experience points each time you complete one. However, you must first unlock astronomy tables before you can participate in these puzzles. 

In this guide, I'll go over how to unlock astronomy tables and then explain how to solve Hogwarts Legacy's astronomy table puzzles.

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock astronomy tables

You will not be able to engage with the astronomy tables until you have completed the Astronomy Class main quest. This unlocks fairly early on in your Hogwarts Legacy playthrough. It's the many fun sidequests and puzzles like the astronomy tables that help make this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Hogwarts Legacy: How to use astronomy tables

In order to use an astronomy table, it must be nighttime. If it is currently day or that murky time between day and night then the astronomy table won't let you interact with it. To change this, go to the world map and press the Wait button (F on PC, Right stick on Xbox) and then confirm to make the time of day change.

Note: Once you solve an astronomy table puzzle, you will not be able to interact with the table anymore and the Moon icon will be removed from the map. However, it will still glow if you cast Revelio.

When it is nighttime, go up and interact with the astronomy table (F on Windows). 

Look at the bottom right of the screen and you'll see you can both zoom in and out as well as rotate the constellation left or right. Additionally, some astronomy tables require you to adjust the telescope aim slightly (using your mouse or joystick) to get the constellation right. The goal is to move the telescope around until the blue constellation outline matches up with the bright stars behind it. 

If it seems like you've got the constellation lined up correctly, but it isn't activating then tweak the zoom, rotation, or viewing angle just slightly until the puzzle is solved.

Once everything lines up correctly, a drawing will appear and you'll be able to see what the constellation is intended to represent. Now you can move on to another astronomy table.

Hogwarts Legacy: All 15 Astronomy table locations and solutions

There are a grand total of 15 astronomy tables dotting the Hogwarts Legacy World Map. Once you've unlocked astronomy tables, you can open your World Map and find them marked with a crescent moon symbol. Just head to these locations and you'll be able to gather some easy experience points upon completing them. 

Tip: If you're having a hard time locating the astronomy table, use Revelio and if you're close enough it will glow blue. 

• Astronomy Table 1 (Centaurus): Go to World Map → North Ford Bog → San Bakar's Tower Floo Flame. Fly to the north of the large tower and you'll find the astronomy table near a tree. To solve it: zoom out and rotate to the left. 
• Astronomy Table 2 (Draco): Go to World Map → Forbidden Forest → West Forbidden Forest Floo Flame. Fly southeast over the bandit camp and you'll get to a small clearing with a large rock formation at its center. The astronomy table is on top of the rock. To solve it: Zoom out all the way and rotate left.
• Astronomy Table 3 (Leo): Go to World Map → Hogsmeade Valley → Upper Hogsfield Floo Flame. Head west and you'll find the astronomy table on the small hill near some trees right next to the little village you just left. To solve it: Zoom in a bit and rotate left.
• Astronomy Table 4 (Scorpius): Go to World Map → South Hogwarts Region → Forbidden Forest Floo Flame. Head west over the bridge and then fly on top of the hill on the left side of the path to find this astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom out all the way and rotate right.
• Astronomy Table 5 (Lyra): This astronomy table is completed during the initial astronomy table tutorial with Amit Thakkar at the end of your Astronomy Class main quest. To solve it: Zoom in, rotate slightly right, and very slightly adjust the telescope angle.
• Astronomy Table 6 (Phoenix): Go to Hogwarts Map → Hogwarts North Entrance Floo Flame. Fly west and drop down on the lower battlements that are in front of the greenhouses to find this astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom out a bit and rotate right. 
• Astronomy Table 7 (Capricornus): Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Keenbridge Floo Flame. Fly over the river to the ruins at the east. The astronomy table is on the top floor. To solve it: Zoom in a bit and rotate right. 
• Astronomy Table 8 (Corvus): Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Brocburrow Floo Flame. Fly onto a hill just slightly southwest of Brocburrow to find this astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom out and rotate right, then adjust the telescope slightly. 
• Astronomy Table 9 (Lacerta): Go to World Map → Feldcroft → North Feldcroft Floo Flame. Move west past the large bandit camp and you'll find the astronomy table near the edge of the cliff. To solve it: Zoom in a bit and adjust the telescope to the right slightly.
• Astronomy Table 10 (Horologium):  Go to World Map → Feldcroft → South Feldcroft Floo Flame. From the house with the Floo Flame inside of it, fly northwest over the landing platform and to the cliff beyond to find the astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom in a bit, rotate left, and adjust the telescope downward.
• Astronomy Table 11 (Hydra): Go to World Map → Poidsear Coast → South Poidsear Coast Floo Flame. Exit the house and fly to the ruins to the south. on a lower cliff just beyond these ruins you'll find the astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom out all the way, rotate left slightly, and then adjust the telescope just a bit.
• Astronomy Table 12 (Canis Major): Go to World Map → Marunweem Lake → Coastal Mine Floo flame. Fly south over a mining camp and then a bandit camp and head to the cliffs. The astronomy table is on a higher cliff to the right of a Thestral Den. To solve it: Zoom in a bit and rotate right.
• Astronomy Table 13 (Lupus): Go to World Map → Clagmar Coast → Clagmar Castle Floo Flame. Walk south along the backside of the Clagmar Castle ruins and you'll eventually see three large stones on the distant cliffs to the left. Fly to these and you'll find the astronomy table. To solve it: Zoom in and then rotate right.
• Astronomy Table 14 (Sagittarius): Go to World Map → Clagmar Coast → Clagmar Castle Floo Flame. This is the closest floo flame to this astronomy table, but it will still take a bit of flying. Leave the Clagmar Coast and head to the southern tip of Manor Cape where large Henrietta's Hideaway ruins are (from The Hippogriff Marks the Spot quest). The astronomy table is on the top floor which you can fly down onto from an open roof. To solve it: Zoom out and rotate right.
• Astronomy Table 15 (Cetus): Go to World Map → Cragcroftshire → Cragcroft Floo Flame. Fly south from the floo flame as if you're headed to Clagmar Castle. You'll see a large stone pillar rising out of the water with a landing platform on it. The astronomy table is on a nearby cliff of this stone pillar. To solve it: Zoom out and rotate left, then adjust the telescope slightly.

Hogwarts Legacy: Astronomy table rewards

Each time you complete an increment of five astronomy tables you unlock some Starry-Eyed cosmetics. To get your Astronomy table rewards go to Menu → Challenges → Exploration and scroll down to Find Astronomy Tables. You'll need to click on each reward to redeem them before they show up in the change appearance menu. Here are all of the astronomy table rewards you can unlock:

• Starry-Eyed Seer's Scarf — Unlocks at 5 completed astronomy tables
• Starry-Eyed Seer's Ensemble — Unlocks at 10 completed astronomy tables
• Starry-Eyed Seer's Cape — Unlocks at 15 completed astronomy tables

Written in the stars

These puzzles can either be really easy for you or really difficult depending on how things go. Some constellations have far more stars in them than others making it a bit harder to know what orientation they should have. However, if you take some time to zoom in or out, rotate right or left, and adjust the angle of the telescope using your mouse or joystick you'll get these astronomy table puzzles solved in no time

In between taking classes and diving into various dungeons during your Hogwarts Legacy playthrough, you can spend your time running into various magical beast dens and capturing these fantastic creatures. One of the 13 magical beast species is the Kneazle, a small mammalian creature that looks very much like a large housecat. They're relatively easy to catch compared to other creatures as long as you know where to find them.  

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock Kneazle

Kneazles won't appear in the wild until players have completed the sidequest titled, "The Elf, the Nab-sack, and the Loom." This quest is given out by Deek the House-Elf in The Room of Requirement and can be accessed relatively early on in Hogwarts Legacy. 

You'll want to take time to complete all of the early mainline quests relatively quickly before exploring as this unlocks more things for you to do. With all of the exploration and fun discoveries you can come across it's no wonder this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

What makes a Kneazle magical and not just a housecat?

While Kneazles very much resemble housecats they are inherently magical. In the wizarding world, their whiskers can even be used to create less powerful wands than those embued with a Phoenix Feather, Unicorn Hair, or Dragon Heartstring. Additionally, these cats also have a keen sense for telling if someone is untrustworthy and can be highly aggressive. However, if a Kneazle determines that a person is trustworthy and loyal it can bond with that individual and help protect them. 

If you've read the Harry Potter books, you'll know that a Kneazle named Crookshanks takes a prominent role in the third book: The Prisoner of Azkaban.  

Hogwarts Legacy: Kneazle Den locations

Den Location 1: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Brocburrow Floo Flame and head south. 

Den Location 2: Go to World Map → South Sea Bog → Northern South Sea Bog Floo Flame and head south until you get beyond the marshes.

Den Location 3: Go to World Map → Marunweem Lake → Marunweem Ruins Floo Flame and head south along the path to the small beach across the bridge. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to catch a Kneazle

Step 1: Without getting too close to the Kneazles, use Disillusionment to turn invisible then get within a few feet of a Kneazle.

Step 2: Cast Levioso to lift the Kneazle into the air. If you're somewhat far from the magical cat then take a moment to run closer and then cast Levioso again to keep it floating. 

Step 3: Shortly after casting Levioso, pull out the Nab-sack and press the button that shows up on your screen multiple times to capture this magical beast. 

Magical meow

Although they don't look like they should be considered magical beasts at first glance, Kneazles are very perceptive creatures naturally imbued with magic. There are plenty of Kneazle Dens throughout the Hogwarts Legacy World Map. As long as you take the time to travel to these locations and whip out your Nab-sack at the right time, you'll be able to collect plenty of these creatures very quickly. 

Hogwarts Legacy keeps you busy going to classes, thwarting an evil group of people, and helping dozens of NPCs with sidequests. When you've got some downtime, you can work on collecting the 13 different species of magical beasts found in the wild. One of the more tricky creatures to catch is undoubtedly the Fwooper, an owl-like bird that comes in a number of vibrant colors. Its ability to fly high out of reach can make it particularly difficult to nab with the Nab-sack. 

No worries. I'm here to show you where you can find plenty of Fwooper Dens in Hogwarts Legacy. On top of that, I'll go over the best practice for catching Fwoopers. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock Fwooper

Being able to run around and capture magical beasts is just one aspect that helps make Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. But before you can start capturing Fwoopers, you must complete the quests titled, "The Elf, the Nab-sack, and the Loom." This is a quest given out by Deek the House-Elf in The Room of Requirements relatively early on in Hogwarts Legacy. If you haven't completed this quest then Fwoopers will not appear on the map. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Fwooper Den locations

There are a few Fwooper Den locations around the Hogwarts Legacy World Map. Here's how to get to these magical beast dens.

Den Location 1: Go to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Northern South Sea Bog Floo Flame and travel northwest.

Den Location 2: Go to World Map → Feldcroft Region → Rookwood Castle Floo Flame and travel northwest.

Den Location 3 & 4: Go to World Map → Manor Cape → Bainburgh Floo Flame and fly southeast over the water to Clagmar Coast. There are two Fwooper Dens very close together along the coast.

Hogwarts Legacy: How to catch a Fwooper

Step 1: While near a Fwooper Den, use Disillusionment to turn invisible. Now sneak up closer to where the Fwoopers are flying around. They might startle if they hear you moving, but if you stay still they'll eventually land nearby.

Step 2: Get closer to a Fwooper and cast Levioso. If you're still somewhat far from this magical bird than quickly run closer and cast Levioso again to keep the Fwooper in the air.  

Step 3: Then quickly pull out your Nab-sack and press the button that shows up on the screen multiple times in order to capture this owl-like creature.

Catching insanity

You wouldn't think it by looking at Fwoopers in Hogwarts Legacy, but within the wizarding world, these vibrant birds have a high-pitched song that can drive anyone who listens to it insane. Fortunately, being around these creature in the Avalanche Software's game doesn't have any unpleasant effects. 

Catching Fwoopers can be rather tricky since they can easily fly off while you're attempting to pull them in with the Nab-sack. However, if you sneak up close to their den while invisible and then get close to them before pulling out your Nab-sack, your chances of catching them significantly increase. 

There are dozens of interesting quests to complete while playing Hogwarts Legacy, but some are more difficult than others. Unfortunately for many players, the sidequest titled “Take the Biscuit” has turned out to be a frustrating one for many. While the idea of this mission is pretty straightforward, it’s, unfortunately, possible to hit a glitch that makes it impossible to complete. Avalanche Software is aware of the glitch and is working on a patch, but for now, you need to make sure to go about the quest a certain way, or else you’ll get stuck. 

Here’s how to complete Take the Biscuit and an explanation of what not to do so you don’t hit that frustrating Hogwarts Legacy glitch. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Take the Biscuit glitch

Even the best PC games and best Xbox games aren't always perfect. It’s very easy to trigger a glitch in Hogwarts Legacy's Take the Biscuit quest and unfortunately, doing so makes this mission impossible to complete. This glitch is triggered if players unlock the cage in the bandit camp before accepting the Take the Biscuit quest from Garnuff the goblin. 

What do I do if I already triggered this lock glitch?

We know thanks to Chandler Wood, the Community Manager at Avalanche Software, that the company is aware of the Take the Biscuit glitch. A patch is likely to release soon. Until then, the only way to fix this issue is to restart your save file before you triggered the glitch or to start the game over. 

Obviously, it's frustrating to backtrack to the point before you unlocked the cage and replay sections you've already gone through. Thankfully, the Take the Biscuit quest does not need to be completed in order to beat Hogwarts Legacy. So you can skip it without worry (unless you're a completionist, of course).

Hogwarts Legacy: Take the Biscuit walkthrough

Go to Hogsmeade Map → West Hogsmeade Floo Flame and head northeast to the left side under the bridge. You'll find a goblin named Garnuff here next to an Eye Chest. Talk to Garnuff. 

Garnuff will tell you that his Mooncalf, Biscuit, has been taken by poachers. You’ll need to head to World Map → North Ford Bog → East North Ford Bog Floo Flame then go northeast to the poacher camp. 

Defeat all of the poachers in this area by either sneaking around with Petrificus Totalus or by using a mixture of your best spells and basic attacks. Remember that if an enemy puts up a shield you have to shatter it by launching a spell of the same color at them. Additionally, take care to dodge and counter as much as possible to avoid taking damage.

Once the poachers are defeated, head to the large cage in the center of the camp that is filled with Mooncalves. Use Alohamora on the Level 1 lock and solve the lock puzzle to let the magical beasts loose. The Mooncalves will scatter, but they won't go too far from the poacher camp. Use Revelio to keep tabs on them. 

Biscuit is a white female Mooncalf, so keep an eye on the text that appears above each animal's head so you can pursue the correct one. When you've identified Biscuit, use Disillusionment to sneak up close to the Mooncalf. 

When you're close enough, cast Levioso on Biscuit. If you're somewhat far from her, take a moment to quickly run up to her and cast Levioso again to keep her in the air. The closer you are to her before pulling out the Nab-sack, the easier the actual capturing part will be. 

Finally, pull out your Nab-sack and press the button indicated on the screen to capture her.

Return to Garnuff under the bridge in Hogsmeade. He'll thank you for saving Biscuit and then you'll be given three options. You can return Biscuit to him, you can ask for more rewards for saving her, or you can keep Biscuit for yourself. Obviously, the moral thing to do is return Biscuit without any further reward, but you can choose whatever you'd like. 

Your base reward for completing the Take the Biscuit quest is a cosmetic Beast Rescuer Robe and 180 experience points.

Save your Biscuit and have it too

As with any big game, there are several glitches in Hogwarts Legacy. However, the Take the Biscuit quest glitch is extremely easy to trigger on accident. If you happened to set this glitch off then the only thing you can do to fix it is go back to a previous save where you didn't open the lock before accepting the quest. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck and won’t be able to complete the mission.

Fortunately, Take the Biscuit doesn’t need to be completed in order for players to beat Hogwarts Legacy. So while it is a frustrating thing to trigger, it won’t affect the rest of your wizarding world adventure if you do. 

While there are 13 different species of magical beasts to collect in Hogwarts Legacy, the rarest among all of them is by far the phoenix. This fiery bird cannot be caught the typical way other creatures can be since there are technically no phoenix dens on the map. 

So how do you get a phoenix? After making your way through House-Elf Deek's sidequests, you'll eventually come upon one called "Phoenix Rising," which has you travel to the top of a mountain via a cave entrance in order to look for this rarest of birds. I'll step you through how to unlock this quest and then give a detailed Phoenix Rising walkthrough so you can capture your own phoenix. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Is there a Phoenix Den?

Unlike the other magical beasts that you can capture in Hogwarts Legacy, the phoenix cannot be found out in the wild. There is no phoenix Den location on the map. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock the Phoenix

You'll get a phoenix after completing House-Elf Deek's sidequest entitled, "Phoenix Rising." However, you'll need to have done quite a bit before that to unlock this quest. Here are the things you'll need to do in order to unlock Phoenix Rising:

• Take Beasts Class
• Take Astronomy Class
• Unlock Room of Requirement
• Complete The High Keep
• Complete The Plight of the House-Elf
• Complete Charles Rookwood's Trial
• Complete Foal of the Dead 
• Complete Niamh Fitzgerald's Trial

There are dozens of quests to complete in Hogwarts Legacy. Their varied range and scope are part of what makes this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Hogwarts Legacy: How to complete the Phoenix Rising quest

To starting things off, you'll need to speak with Deek the House-Elf in the Room of Requirement. Deek will tell you about a phoenix nest he knows about. Since poachers might pose a threat, he'll send you out to check on the fiery bird.

You'll need to travel to World Map → Poidsear Coast → Phoenix Mountain Cave Floo Flame. Then enter the cave right next to the floo flame. Just blast aside the wooden blockade and then continue down. 

Just after the strange wooden barrier that you have to hop over, you'll find a giant spiderweb on the right that is covering some rubble. Blast it with Confringo to uncover a tunnel. Now head inside. 

Continue your way through the tunnel getting rid of spiderwebs and spiders with Confringo. You'll find a treasure chest down here. Grab your reward and then head back to the start of the tunnel.

Scramble up and over the stone ledge on the right and then turn and get ready to fight some poachers. You can either make yourself invisible with Disillusionment and try to use stealthy Petrificus Totalus takedowns or you can attack them head-on. When they are defeated continue through the tunnel ahead. 

When you get to the small square opening that the path leads to, you can either crawl through it or you can jump over to the stone platform on your right for a better entrance. I prefer the second option since it gives you a better advantage against the enemies in the next room. 

There are a few Ashwinders in the next room so you can either get stealthy with Disillusionment once again or take them down head-on with your best attacks. Either way, defeat all the Ashwinders in the room. 

Head through the circular metal door on the other side of the room and get rid of the lock. A Phoenix will land on the metal railing before you and then fly off. Now it's time to chase it.

Head up the wood ladder to your right and you'll see another Ashwinder. You can fight them the usual way or get rid of him easily by using Accio and making them fall to their death. Then continue on up the metal ladder behind where they showed up. 

If you have already unlocked Alohomora Level 3 you can unlock the Level 3 lock on the gate here and grab some treasure. If not, continue on and jump over the broken bridge before jumping over a partial gateway and ducking over another partial gate after that. 

In this next cave area, jump over the gap in the rickety wooden bridge and continue forward. (Don't worry if you fall. You'll land in water and a convenient ladder will bring you back to where you were.) Scrabble over a stone ledge and continue forward.

Head up the wooden ladder that has beware signs on either side of it and destroy the spiders that appear in the next area before continuing forward. 

Jump over the cliff gaps while continuing to make your way upward. When you come to a stone ledge climb up over it then hop over the wooden planks and head through the tunnel into the large cavern. There are several Ashwinders in here so defeat the enemies that appear. 

When they're all defeated, continue through the most well-lit tunnel and keep scrambling over ledges until you come to an open area with a phoenix in its nest. Pull out your Nab-sack and catch the phoenix. 

You can leave the mountain quickly by heading through the cave on the right side of the nest. 

You'll come out into the fresh air, but be ready to fight. A large Acromantula spider and its posse of smaller spiders are waiting for you once you slide down the hill. Defeat the spiders.  

You'll want to head back to Hogwarts, if you're flying or walking back, you'll need to burn away the massive spiderweb that surrounds this area. 

Now return to Deek in the Room of Requirement and release the phoenix.

A brand new Vivarium will appear on the second floor of The Room of Requirement just for the phoenix. You can visit your rare bird by going inside it. 

The one and only phoenix

It's kind of disappointing that there is only one phoenix in Hogwarts Legacy, but then at the same time, it makes for a fun quest reward since it is so rare. It takes a bit of work to get through the Phoenix Mountain Cave in order to capture your fiery bird, but there aren't really any challenging puzzles to work through. You'll just need to platform around a bit and defeat a few enemies on your way to the top of the mountain where the phoenix nests. 

Of course, once you get the phoenix, you'll have one less magical beast to collect to gather them all. Remember there are 13 magical beasts in total. Aside from the phoenix, other rare creatures are the Unicorn or the Graphorn. Make your way to the proper dens to catch each species. 

There are 13 different magical beast species that you can capture in Hogwarts Legacy, but arguably the most majestic and powerful is the Graphorn. This large creature is known for its rough skin that is harder than dragon scales and for the tentacle appendages around its mouth. Due to how strong they are, Graphorns cannot be captured as easily as other Hogwarts Legacy creatures. 

Without further ado, let's dive into where to find Graphorn Dens, how to unlock them, and how to capture these magical beasts. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock Graphorn

Unlike most other magical beasts that appear relatively early on in Hogwarts Legacy, Graphorns will not appear in the overworld until much later in the game. The first one you catch is actually part of a late-game quest titled "San Bakar's Trial." But after that, you can revisit the Graphorn Den and capture more of them. 

It's also worth noting that once you complete this quest, the Lord of the Shore Graphorn will be rideable from here on out. Just open the mount menu and choose the Graphorn to ride. This beast is powerful and can smash through enemies and obstacles at a very fast pace. The ability to ride magical beasts is just one thing that makes Hogwarts Legacy of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Should I kneel or attack the Graphorn?

During the San Bakar's Trial quest, you'll have to fight a Graphorn in its den. This will take some work as this is a very powerful creature. When you finally get its health down, it will charge you and you'll have to make the choice to either kneel before it or attack it. 

Both options allow you to capture the Graphorn, so it's really just a matter of preference for how you want your character to respond. If you have a fondness for magical beasts then kneeling makes sense and represents a show of mutual respect between yourself and the Graphorn. However, if you're playing a more malicious witch or wizard then you might want to attack and subdue it in a show of dominance. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Graphorn Den location

Males vs females: Males are large horned beasts with reddish coloring while females are slightly smaller with more muted coloring and slimmer horns. Like most other fantastic beasts you can catch, a male and female Graphorn can be bred in the Room of Requirement to make baby Graphorns.

Graphorn Den Location: Unlike most other magical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy, Graphorns only appear in one place: The Graphorn Den at the bottom of Clagmar Coast.

To get to it, go to World Map → Clagmar Coast → South Clagmar Coast Floo Flame. Leave the house and head up the path to the east. Eventually, you'll see a large dragon skeleton. Go toward it and head through the arch in the rock to get to the Graphorn Den. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to catch a Graphorn

Graphorns are very large, very powerful creatures and so you cannot just go up to them with Levioso and capture them with your Nab-sack. Instead, you must battle them first and weaken them before they can be caught — kind of like how you capture Pokémon.

To take a Graphorn out quickly, you need to prepare to dodge and counter whenever you need to. They'll swipe with their claws and slam with their tail. When it's safe to attack, do a mixture of basic attacks, your most powerful spells, and make sure to hurl any large rocks in the area at them to get their health down. 

After a while, the Graphorn will get tuckered out and will lie down. Approach it and get your Nab-Sack ready. 

When you're close enough, pull out the Nab-sack and you'll capture the Graphorn relatively easily. 

Capturing a large beasty

Graphorns are massive beasts with strange tentacles around their mouths and skin that is tougher than dragon scales. Due to their robust nature, it makes sense that they cannot simply be caught with a quick Levioso charm and the Nab-sack. You'll need to take your time dodging their attacks and sending your best attacks back at them in turn before they'll let you catch them. 

Since Graphorns don't unlock until very late in the game, you'll need to make your way through the majority of mainline quests before you can unlock one of these magical creatures. But being able to ride one around the map and destroy anything you run into is well worth it. 

After making your way through several Hogwarts Legacy sidequests with your Hufflepuff classmate, Poppy Sweeting, you'll eventually come upon a special quest entitled "A Bird in the Hand."

Most of Poppy's sidequests have been pretty simple up to this point, but this one requires you to solve a Moonstone door puzzle before you can dive into a nearby dungeon.

I'll be honest, this puzzle took me a bit longer than most of the other ones in this game before I figured out what to do. So to make things easier for others who are also struggling with it, I've put together this 'A Bird in the Hand' Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough.

It's the many dungeons, puzzles, and sidequests that help make this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Stick around after the Moonstone door puzzle section for a step-by-step walkthrough for The Gilded Perch dungeon that it unlocks.

A Bird in The Hand: Moonstone door puzzle

To begin this Hogwarts Legacy quest, Head to World Map → Hogwarts Valley → Brocburrow Floo Flame and then go southeast into the forest to the quest starting point.

After talking with Poppy, you'll need to run into some ruins that house a Moonstone door puzzle. Speak to Dorran the centaur, and then you can work on the puzzle.

You might want to take some time to defeat the spiders that are lurking in the dark nearby, otherwise they might get in the way.

Start things off by placing the Moonstone on the stone at the center of the circle. This will make the lights on top of the two stone pillars turn on.

If you look at the semicircle door, you'll see that a sun symbol on the left and another symbol on the right are glowing.

I'll refer to this second symbol as a key symbol since it kind of resembles a skeleton key with a dot in the circle.

These same symbols can be found around the moonstone puzzle.

The goal is to use Accio to pull both pillars to a spot so that the shadow cast from the rock in the center points at the two corresponding sun and key symbols on the ground.

To do this, pull one pillar via Accio and place it on the small circle between the crescent moon symbol and the key symbol with a dot in the circle.

Pull the second pillar via Accio and place it on the circle that is between the symbol that kind of resembles a sickle and the symbol that looks like a cross connected to a slim crescent.

This will cause the large semicircle door to open.

Now go through the semicircle door and enter The Gilded Perch.

Go straight ahead to a small library area and collect the treasures here.

Next, turn around and go through the hallway on the right.

Light the brazier in front of the statue using either Confringo or Incendio to reveal a treasure chest.

Then continue through to the room that has the trees growing out of the floor.

You'll see a crate on the second floor. Use Accio to pull it down to you.

Then use Wingardium Leviosa to place it against the wall from where it just fell.

Finally, cast Levioso on it to make it float in place.

Now climb on top of the crate and then climb up to the ledge above. There are a few treasures up here, so collect them all before returning to the ground floor.

Continue through the tree tunnel on the ground.

On the other side, you'll see a pile of rocks blocking a hallway. Use Confringo to blast these rocks out of the way and head into the dark area.

You'll see Devil's Snare growing downward over an opening at the back.

Cast Confringo to light the brazier next to this plant, and it will recede. Now climb up into this next area, collect some treasures, and return to where the tree tunnel was.

Continue further into this dungeon, around the green statue and tall tree, until you get to a set of three closed doors with spell cube puzzle platforms in front of them.

You'll notice that a crate is along the far wall on your left. Climb on top of it and then climb up on the ledge above to grab some goodies.

Now return to the floor next to the crate and look back towards the tree.

You'll see the Fire spell cube on a shelf. Pull it down using Accio and then use Wingardium Leviosa to place it on the fire spell cube platform.

Now cast Wingardium Leviosa on the crate and move it to the opposite side of the room. Climb on top of it and get onto the ledge above.

You'll see the Ice spell cube up here. Cast Wingardium Leviosa and bring it down to the Ice spell cube platform below.

Next cast Confringo or Incendio on the fire spell cube and Glacius on the Ice spell cube to make the doors in front of you open.

Head on through to this next area and prepare for a fight.

Once you get to the center of the room several poachers will appear and you'll need to defeat them. Remember to dodge or block at the proper moments and throw anything around the room at them to make the fight go faster.

If anyone blocks with a shield, use the same color spell on them to disrupt their shield and then hurt them with a mixture of basic and more powerful attacks. Dorran and his fellow centaur Elek will appear and will help you defeat the Ashwinders.

Once everyone is defeated, head through the mysterious door that has a moon symbol on the bottom and you'll watch a fun little cutscene.

Free as a bird

After solving the Moonstone door puzzle and making your way through the various areas within The Gilded Perch dungeon, you'll eventually discover a nest of Snidget eggs.

These cute little birdies will hatch, and then Dorran will tell you that it was thanks to your and Poppy's efforts that they can safely come into this world.

In case you didn't know, within Harry Potter lore, Golden Snidgets are an endangered species.

These rare birds were once used in Quidditch but were eventually replaced by the Golden Snitch. Since they're hard to come by, it's a nice little reward to know that these three little birds are going to be cared for and protected by Dorran and the other centaurs going forward.

In total, there are 20 landing platforms in Hogwarts Legacy. Each time you fly to and then touch down on one of these circular structures for the first time you'll acquire 80 experience points. Additionally, if you stand on enough of these landing platforms, you can also unlock some sweet Quidditch cosmetic outfits. 

Since the Hogwarts Legacy world map is rather large, it can be tough to know where exactly each of these landing platforms is, but all of the extra challenges are part of what makes Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. Here's where you can find all 20 landing platforms. 

All landing platforms in Hogwarts Legacy

We'll start from the top of the Hogwarts Legacy world map and work down. Note that you need to step on the center of the platform to make it count. Additionally, the torches around the landing platform will light up after you've landed on it, letting you know which ones you've hit already. 

1. North Ford Bog → Pitt-Upon-Ford Floo Flame: Fly south from the Floo Flame and you'll see the landing platform on your right, raised into the air on a wood plank structure.
2. Hogsmeade Valley → East North Ford Bog Floo Flame: Fly east and you'll see it on top of a cliff near a bandit camp that's on the cliff above. 
3. North Hogwarts Region → Korrow Ruin Floo Flame: Fly north and slightly east and you'll see it on a small outcropping on a cliff. 
4. North Hogwarts Region → East North Hogwarts Region Floo Flame: Fly up out of the forest and head towards Hogwarts. The landing platform will be on a cliff between a bandit camp and a small old house.
5. Hogsmeade Valley → East Hogsmeade Valley Floo Flame: Fly south towards the Merlin Trial and it will be above it and to the right on the cliff.
6. South Hogwarts → Aranshire Floo Flame: Fly southeast of Aranshire Floo Flame along the path and you'll see the landing platform on a cliff that is on the opposite side of the moving dragon topiary.

7. Hogwarts Valley → West Hogwarts Valley Floo Flame: Fly north toward Hogwarts and you'll find it on a cliff on your west side. 
8. Feldcroft Region → North Feldcroft Floo Flame: Fly skyward and directly east of the Floo Flame over some ruins and you'll see it on top of a cliff southwest of a bandit camp. 
9. Hogwarts Valley → West Hogwarts Valley Floo Flame: Fly south away from Hogwarts castle and head to the ruins near the Diricawl Den. The landing platform is in the squat ruined building, across the way from the tower. 
10. Feldcroft Region → Feldcroft Floo Flame: Fly east for a way until you come upon some two-story ruins against the cliff. The landing platform is on the second floor. 
11. South Sea Bog → The Mine's Eye Floo Flame: Fly south just over the cliff and you'll find the landing platform near the splitting train tracks. 
12. Feldcroft Region → South Feldcroft Floo Flame: The landing platform is on top of a massive boulder right next to the house that holds the Floo Flame inside it. 
13. Feldcroft Region → Irondale Floo Flame: Fly east and slightly south of the Floo Flame and you'll see the landing platform on a cliff next to some ruins. 

14. Marunweem Lake → Coastal Mine Floo Flame: Fly almost exactly south from the Floo Flame and go to the flags on the cliff to the east and you'll find the landing platform. 
15. Marunweem Lake → Marunweem Bridge Floo Flame: The landing platform is on top of the southside Marunweem Bridge ruins.
16. Marunweem Lake →  Marunweem Ruins Floo Flame: Fly west over the water and to the narrow strip of land that leads to a large rock column surrounded by water. The landing platform is on top of it. 
17.  Manor Cape → West Manor Cape Floo Flame: Leave the house with the Floo Flame and then fly up up up until you can see the Manor Cape ruins. Fly over the grounds and when you see the gazebo on the cliff edge fly immediately down on the north side to find the landing platform. 
18. Manor Cape → West Manor Cape Floo Flame: Leave the house with the Floo Flame and fly south along the coast towards the rocks jutting out of the water. The landing platform is on the rock column nearest to the mainland. 
19. Cragcroftshire → Cragcroft Floo Flame: Fly south and slightly west toward the Clagmar Coast. There's a large rock pillar rising out of the water and you'll find the landing platform on top of it. 
20. Clagmar Coast → Clagmar Castle Floo Flame: Fly southeast over the rocky cliffs until you come to a sudden coastline drop-off. The landing platform is on a grassy cliff that faces the water below. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Landing platform reward

Those who take the time to land on eight Hogwarts Legacy landing platforms will unlock a Quidditch outfit set. You can get to it by going to main menu → Challenges → Exploration and scrolling down to Landing Platforms. Just make sure to go into this tab and redeem your rewards to get these fun cosmetics.

• Quidditch Captain's Uniform — Unlocks at 2 Landing Platforms
• Quidditch Captain's Helmet — Unlocks at 4 Landing Platforms
• Quidditch Captain's Gloves — Unlocks at 6 Landing Platforms
• Quidditch Captain's Cape — Unlocks at 8 Landing Platforms

Vroom on a broom (or flying beast)

Now that you know where exactly to go to find each of the 20 landing platforms in Hogwarts Legacy you can easily knock this sidequest out. You'll gain some easy experience along the way not to mention, after you've landed on eight Landing Platforms, you'll be able to snatch up some sweet Quidditch Captain's cosmetic clothing from the Challenges tab. Don't forget to take the time to redeem these rewards or you won't be able to change your appearance into them. 

Further on in your wizarding-world journey, you'll come across a quest entitled "The Hippogriff Marks the Spot" in Hogwarts Legacy.

This is technically a continuation of a previous quest filled with spell cube puzzles.

On top of that, when you actually complete this mission you'll be in some ruins that hold important elements for two other side quests: The "Rescuing Rococo" quest and the "Solved by the Bell” quest.

You'll definitely want to play these other quest lines out as one leads to a great Easter egg finish.

These side quests can be long and puzzling. Don't worry; this walkthrough will step you through every part of "The Hippogriff Marks the Spot" as well as help you complete the "Solved by the Bell" and "Rescuing Rococo" quests that follow.

The many fun side quests in Hogwarts Legacy is part of what makes it one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

The Hippogriff Marks the Spot: Find the map

To start off this Hogwarts Legacy quest, head to the Bandit camp at Poidsear Coast → Poidsear Castle Floo Flame. There are several Ashwinders here so either sneak around and take them out with Petrificus Totalus or defeat them head on.

When they're gone, enter the half-open tent on the west side of the ruins and pick up Henrietta’s Map on the table.

Rescuing Rococo: Grab the Niffler sidequest

Before you go to where the map is leading you, I highly recommend you take a quick stop at Manor Cape - World Map → Bainburgh Floo Flame and talk to the Agnes Coffey, a witch in red running the hamlet shop.

You'll get the quest "Rescuing Rococo" at this point, where this woman asks you to enter Henrietta's Hideaway to rescue her runaway Niffler. You're already heading to this spot, so you might as well knock out two quests with one stone.

Go to The Hippogriff Marks the Spot starting location

The Hippogriff map wants you to go to Henrietta's Hideaway which is at the tip of the Manor Cape within the ruins situated there. Head to this area.

These ruins are covered by enemies. You can either defeat all of them or sneak around on your broom (or beast) to the backside of the ruins and enter the secret entrance that's down the stairs on the south side.

Enter through the double doors that lead to Henrietta's Hideaway.

There are many small treasures to pick up in here along the way so keep using Revelio to know where to grab them. I'll only be touching on how to grab larger treasures in this dungeon.

The Hippogriff Marks the Spot: Spell cube puzzle 1

In the first room, you'll see a spell cube with an ice symbol on it and a platform for a fire spell cube. Turn to the statue on your left and light the brazier with Incendio or Confringo to get it to turn around and pop out the fire spell cube.

Now use Wingardium Leviosa to bring the fire spell cube to its platform. Next cast Incendio on the fire cube and Glacius on the ice cube. This will make the large doors in front of you open. Continue through them.

The Hippogriff Marks the Spot: Fight the Ashwinders

Down the stairs, you'll see a Hippogriff statue with several Ashwinders around it. Defeat them and then you'll be free to tackle the puzzle.

The Hippogriff Marks the Spot: Hippogriff torch puzzle

You want to make the pattern of lit torches match what's shown on Henrietta's map. Use Confringo to light a brazier and use Glacius to put a brazier out. Basically, all of the braziers needs to be swapped from what is shown when you arrive.

Starting from the brazier directly in front of the Hippogriff statue and going clock-wise, the pattern should be:

1. Unlit brazier
2. Unlit brazier
3. Lit brazier
4. Unlit brazier
5. Lit brazier
6. Unlit brazier
7. Lit brazier
8. Lit brazier

Once the right pattern is in place, a secret area will open in the room behind the Hippogriff statue. Go and open the box.

This technically ends The Hippogriff Marks the Spot quest. However, a continuation from this last quest entitled "Solved by the Bell" is still in these ruins so we'll go over how to get that now.

Henrietta's Hideaway: Brazier Statue puzzle

Turn to the right side of the room and light the brazier that sits before the wizard statue. This will make the statue flip around.

Stand on the pedestal that appears and it will take you into a secret room.

Henrietta's Hideaway: Spell cube puzzle 2

On your right when you come in there are a couple of boxes. Destroy them to reveal a spell cube platform.

Then go to the opposite side of the room and use Wingardium Leviosa on the symbol cube and bring it back to the pedestal. Now light it on fire with either Incendio or Confringo. When done, collect the treasures in the room.

When you’re ready to leave, go stand on the grey button on the statue platform again to return to the Hippogriff statue room.

Henrietta's Hideaway: Spell Cube puzzle 3

Pass in front of the Hippogriff statue and go down the stairs into the tunnels. Then take an immediate left.

You'll find a spell cube with a snowflake symbol on it. Cast Glacius on it to power it up.

Next, cast Wingardium Leviosa to lift the spell cube through the hole in the top of the gate on the other side of the room. Lower it on the platform and this will cause the gate to open. Collect your treasure then return to the tunnel area.

Henrietta's Hideaway: Spell cube puzzle 4

Now go to your left and down until you see another gate with a spell cube on the other side.

Cast Accio to bring the spell cube to you.

When it's close, cast Wingardium Leviosa to lift the spell cube through the hole in the gate and place it on the platform. Now cast Incendio or Confringo on it to open the gate. Retrieve your rewards from this room then return to the Hippogriff statue room.

Solved by the Bell: Tricky floor puzzle

Go to the back of the room and head up the spiral stairs on the left. Then go up the small flight of stairs on your right that leads back into the big Hippogriff statue room. Next, follow along the path toward the next hallway, but stop before the archway.

If you cast Revelio, you'll see the floor is tricky here. If you stand on it, it will pull you into the wall and then spit you out behind where you were just standing. There are two ways past this trick floor.

Option 1: You can use Accio or Wingardium Leviosa to pull the brazier from the next room onto the trick floor and then run to the next room while the floor is busy messing with the brazier. If you don't make it in time, use the brazier next to you as a backup.

Option 2: You can cast Arresto Momentum on the floor, which will make it stop moving for a while, then rush through to the next area.

Solved by the Bell: Ashwinder battle

In this next area, there are several Ashwinders down the stairs. You'll need to defeat them before you can do the spell cube puzzle in this area. Either sneak around and use Petrificus Totalus to take them out or take them on without stealth.

There are some enemies on the second floor on the left side of the room as you walk in that will need to be dealt with via ranged attacks. Or you can bring them down with Accio and then defeat them.

Solved by the Bell: Spell cube puzzle 5

When the enemies are all gone, head to the right side of the room just under the stairs where the wall bricks look a bit suspicious and they'll open up leading you to another room.

Before you do anything else, grab the Musical Map hiding on the table on your left.

Now turn your attention back to the room. There's a spell cube hiding behind some barrels. Get rid of the barrels with basic attacks

Next, use Wingardium Leviosa to bring the cube up the stairs (the way you came in from won't let you out). Another wall will open and you should head through it.

While still on the second floor, drop the cube over the ledge and then look across the room to see the second cube. Cast Accio to bring it down to the floor below.

Head down the stairs on your left and use Wingardium Leviosa to place the Levioso cube and the Incendio cube on their proper platforms. Finally, cast both cubes' respective spells: Levioso on the left, Incendio on the right. This will make the door in the center open.

Solved by the Bell: Rescue Rococo, get your rewards, and leave

Head into the next room. If you've already unlocked the sidequest "Rescuing Rococo" then this is where you'll find the runaway Niffler and a bunch of coins. Grab up all of the Galleons and then catch Rococo with your Nab-sack now. If you haven't unlocked this quest then this beast won't be in the room.

You'll also find a large treasure chest on the left. Open it to get a reward.

When done, step on the grey platform in the center of the room and it will take you back to the hideout entrance. Go ahead and exit.

Solved by the Bell: Music Map Location

The Music Map you found in Henrietta's Hideaway wants you to go east across the water to Clagmar Coast → Clagmar Castle Floo Flame. Make your way there by broom or beast.

Solved by the Bell: Bell ringing solution

On the west side of these ruins are a set of bells in perfect working order. There are also several Ashwinder enemies here, but I was able to land on the platform in front of the bells and play the tune without anyone attacking me. It might just work for you too or you can defeat the enemies first if you want to.

Stand on the platform in front of the bells, take aim, and strike the notes with basic attacks in the proper order according to what is shown on the Music Map that you found in Henrietta's Hideaway.

Here is the order in which to hit the bells.

1. Second from bottom
2. Fifth from top
3. Third from top
4. Fourth from top
5. Fifth from top
6. Top bell
7. Second from top
8. Fourth from top

You'll soon realize that hitting the notes correctly leads to a very familiar tune: John Williams' Harry Potter theme from the movies.

Rescuing Rococo: Return or keep Rococo

If you saved Rococo from Henrietta's Hideaway, don't forget to go talk to Agnes Coffey again at the hamlet shop found at Manor Cape - World Map → Bainburgh Floo Flame to get your rewards and wrap up the quest. You can choose to keep the Niffler or give it back.

For whom the bell tolls

The Hippogriff Marks the Spot is a very confusing quest if you don't know where to go to solve the Hippogriff puzzle and get the reward.

However, once you know what to do, the task is straightforward enough. The surprise of solving this first quest is realizing that you've been dropped off in the middle of a ruin that obviously has more to it.

Going further into Harrietta's Hideaway leads to the Music Map, which you need in order to complete the Solved by the Bell quest.

Considering how long this string of quests goes on for, making players ring out John Williams' main theme from the Harry Potter movies is a fun Easter egg finish.

After you've been playing for a while in Hogwarts Legacy, you'll have the option to take on the Cursed Tomb Treasure quest, which takes place in the southern part of the world map. You'll have to go through a decrepit manor, find an old treasure map, and then use it to locate The Tomb of Treachery. 

However, there's a floor puzzle at the very bottom of this tomb that has many players scratching their heads. We'll guide you through each part of this Hogwarts Legacy quest including explaining how to solve the stone floor puzzle at the end. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock Cursed Tomb Treasure quest

Hogwarts Legacy's many dungeons and tombs add to the exploratory fun and make it one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. But before you can start the Cursed Tomb Treasure quest, you must have done the following: 

1. Reached Level 24
2. Completed The Helm of Urtkot quest
3. Unlocked Alohomora Level 3

Go to World Map - Manor Cape West → Manor Cape Floo Flame and head slightly northeast to the quest point. Here you'll find a destroyed manor. Make your way down the basement steps and unlock the Level 3 lock.  

Cursed Tomb Treasure: Inferi Battle 1

Head through the opened gate and down the hall. You'll end up in a large room that spawns several Inferi. Defeat them by casting Incendio or Confringo and then hitting them with whatever attacks you want. Next head around the corner to your left and defeat the Inferi that spawn in here too.

Cursed Tomb Treasure: Grab the map

Go through the hallway where you see a statue holding a staff. An Ashwinder will appear. Defeat it by breaking its shield using the same color spell as the shield and then by casting your best attacks. When they're gone, turn around and open the Level 1 locked Chest next to the skeleton to get a map.

With the map in hand, turn around and go to the statue. Light the brazier at its base with Confringo or Incendio. Then hop on the grey platform and it will take you outside.

Cursed Tomb Treasure: The Tomb of Treachery Location

The map is confusing to read, but it wants you to go to the Tomb of Treachery. To get there, go to the World Map's Poidsear Coast region → Tomb of Treachery Floo Flame. When there, enter the cave, which is right next to this Floo Flame.

There are dozens of small chests and goodies in here, so you'll want to use Revelio often to figure out where they are. 

Enter the tomb and head straight into the cave until you get to the room with the open sarcophagus. Turn left here and use Confringo or Incendio on the spiderweb blocking the tunnel. Duck into the tunnel and hop over the fallen stone.

Some spiders will appear, defeat them by casting your best spells. 

Cursed Tomb Treasure: Moth Door Puzzle

In the next room, you'll see an open set of doors on your right. Go through these and you'll see two moths on their perches. Use Confringo or Incendio on the spiderweb blocking the one on the left and then use Lumos to attract them one at a time and bring them to the moth door in the other room.

Now head through the tunnel on the other side of the room (get rid of the spiderweb with, you guessed it, Incendio or Confringo).

In the next room, light a fire on the spiderwebs on your left and then pull the crate out with Wingardium Leviosa and place it against the ledge with broken vases. Climb up the crate and onto the ledge.

In this next area, use Lumos to attract the moth from its perch. 

Then turn around, head down the tunnel and put the last moth on the door. It will open and you can head through.

Cursed Tomb Treasure: Inferi Battle 2

Several Inferi enemies will come out of the ground. You need to hit them with a flame attack (Incendio or Confringo) and then damage them with other attacks or by throwing things at them until they're all defeated.

Cursed Tomb Treasure: Floor Puzzle

Note: If you don't have the map then this floor puzzle will not be here.

Now that the enemies are gone, you can use Revelio and you'll notice that the stones in the center of the room glow blue. 

You need to flip these stones so that they match what was drawn on the map you found earlier.

To do this, go and stand in front of the brazier that's on the right when entering the room. Now use Flippendo on the stones in the bottom two corners and also on the middle top stone. Once the right pattern is showing, the stones will lift revealing a treasure chest. Take your rewards and get out of there by leaving the way you came in.

Tricky floor puzzle

If it wasn't for the strange orientation of the stones, the floor puzzle at the end of the Tomb of Treachery wouldn't be that hard to complete. As it is, all you have to do is stand in the right spot and then you'll be able to get the symbols to show up properly. 

There are plenty of other dungeons and tombs hidden around Hogwarts Legacy to keep you busy. Keep exploring and you'll find even more goodies, gear, and treasures for yourself. 

Beast collecting in Hogwarts Legacy is far more in-depth than you might initially expect. There are 13 magical beasts to capture all over the world map and you can even bring them back to the Room of Requirement to breed. What's more, similar to how there are shiny Pokémon in Game Freak's popular creature-collecting games, there are special colored variants of magical beasts that you can capture in Hogwarts Legacy. The internet has deemed these shiny beasts. 

I'll start by going over all of the different types of magical beasts you can collect in Hogwarts Legacy and then I'll dive into how to get shiny magical beasts as well as how to breed these creatures. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to get magical beasts

Many of the magical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy unlock after you've completed the side quest entitled, "The Elf, the Nab-sack, and the Loom." It's through this quest that you obtain the special Nab-sack that allows you to capture creatures. However, some of the other magical beasts can only be unlocked after completing certain other quests. It's this in-depth attention to detail that helps make Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to tell if you have a shiny magical beast in Hogwarts Legacy

If you're close enough to a wild beast then you should be able to see its species and gender at the top of the screen. If the magical beast is shiny then it will also have a small star symbol after its name. Most shiny beasts are lighter than their usual coloring. However, depending on the time of day the lighting might make them look darker than they are, so it's easier to shiny hunt during the day. 

After you've caught a beast, you can look at it by going to the Menu → Inventory → Beasts. If the same star symbol appears by the name of a creature on this screen then you know this beast is shiny. 

There's one final place that you can check to see if a beast is shiny. When you're back at the Room of Requirement, open your beast inventory and once more look for a star-like symbol on the right of your beast's card. 

Magical Beast Den locations

Most magical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy have multiple dens around the map, so I'll just list a few for each one. 

Hogwarts Legacy Diricawl Den location

Male vs female: Diricawl are small dodo-like birds that come in a variety of different colors. However, males are slightly larger and have more plumage on their heads. They can spook rather easily if you get too close. 

Shiny Diricawl: These birds come in plenty of different colors, but the shiny is extremely pale compared to the others, so look for a bird that is basically white when shiny hunting.

Den Location 1: Hogwarts Valley - World Map → West Hogwarts Valley Floo Flame and heading southeast until you hit the ruins on the hill. You'll find them wandering around near these ruins.

Den Location 2: Marunweem Lake - World Map → Marunweem Ruins. Head south to the mainland and it will be on the coast nearby.

Hogwarts Legacy: Fwooper Den location

Male vs female: Male and female Fwoopers come in a variety of colors but females are slightly smaller and don't have as much stray plumage on their heads.

Shiny Fwooper: These owl-like creatures can come in a number of colors, but the shiny variant is basically white.

Den Location 1: Hogwarts Valley - World Map → Northern South Sea Bog Floo Flame and travel northwest.

Den Location 2: Feldcroft Region - World Map → Rookwood Castle Floo Flame and travel northwest.

Hogwarts Legacy: Giant Purple Toad Den location

Male vs female: Males are large and reddish with an antenna in the middle of their heads while females are slightly smaller, blue-grey in color, and don't have any antenna.

Shiny Giant Purple Toad: These are very pale with albino-like coloring. When bred, shiny babies are also paler.

Den Location 1:  North Ford Bog - World Map → East North Ford Bog Floo Flame. Head northeast. The toads themselves will be hopping around in the marshes.

Den Location 2:  North Ford Bog - World Map → San Bakar's Tower Floo Flame. Head southeast and down to the bottom of the cliff.

Den Location 3:  Forbidden Forest - World Map → West Forbidden Forest Floo Flame. Head east to find them. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Graphorn Den location

Male vs Female: Males are larger with reddish coloring and huge horns while females are slightly smaller with thinner horns. 

Shing Graphorn: The original Graphorns are reddish-brown, but the shiny Graphorns are an albino-white. They can make shiny white babies when bred. 

Den Location: The one and only Graphorn Den on the map is located in the Clagmar Coast way down to the south of the map. You can easily fast-travel here by going World Map → South Clagmar Coast Floo Flame and following the path east. Note that this den cannot be accessed until you complete the "San Bakar's Trial" quest.

Hogwarts Legacy: Hippogriff Den location

Male vs Female: These are about the same height and can be white, brown, or golden brown. Those who preordered Hogwarts Legacy could also get an onyx (black) Hippogriff as an exclusive reward.

Shiny Hippogriff:  Shiny Hippogriffs are grey, which is pretty boring compared to other shinies you can get. 

Den Location 1: Forbidden Forest - World Map → West Forbidden Forest Floo Flame and head slightly southeast. 

Den Location 2: Manor Cape - World Map → West Manor Cape Floo Flame and head south towards the ruins. 

Den Location 3: Poidsear Coast - World Map → South Poidsear Coast Floo Flame and head northwest to the other side of the river that flows into the lake. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Jobberknoll Den location

Male vs female: Irondale Floo Flame and head east towards Feldcroft to the large tree next to the waterwheel. 

Shiny Jobberknoll: These are white and grey.

Den Location 1: Forbidden Forest - World Map →  North Ford Bog Entrance Floo Flame and head east to the ruins. 

Den Location 2: Feldcroft Region - World Map → Irondale Floo Flame and head east towards Feldcroft to the large tree next to the waterwheel.

Hogwarts Legacy: Kneazle Den location

Male vs female: Both male and female Kneazles can be brown or dark grey. Males are slightly larger and have more fur around their faces like manes. Alternately, females are slightly smaller and have more pointed faces since they don't have all that extra fur.

Shiny Kneazle: They are a golden brown, which is paler from the usual brown or grey coloring. 

Den Location 1: Hogwarts Valley - World Map → Brocburrow Floo Flame and head south. 

Den Location 2: South Sea Bog - World Map → Northern South Sea Bog Floo Flame and head south until you get beyond the marshes.

Den Location 3: Marunweem Lake - World Map → Marunweem Ruins Floo Flame and head south along the path to the small beach. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Mooncalf Den location

Male vs female: These can only be seen at night. Males and females are about the same size and come in a variety of different patterns.

Shiny Mooncalf: White with Blue eyes. 

Den Location 1: South Hogwarts Region - World Map → Mooncalf Den Floo Flame and head south just a short way. 

Den Location 2: Forbidden Forest - World Map → North Ford Bog Entrance Floo Flame and head south.

Den Location 3: Feldcroft Region - World Map → South Feldcroft Floo Flame and head east along the coast to the large dead tree. (When I went to this location at night I found a group of seven shiny Mooncalves)

Hogwarts Legacy: Niffler Den location

Male vs female: Males have a deep blue color while females are a deep brown.

Shiny Niffler: Light grey coloring.

Den Location 1: North Hogwarts Region - World Map → Jackdaw's Tomb Floo Flame. Jump on your broom and head west over the rocks and river until you see the tree with lanterns. 

Den Location 2: Hogwarts Valley - World Map → Keenbridge Floo Flame and head east across the river and over the hilly land for a decent distance. They'll be near a tree that's lit up with lanterns. 

Den Location 3: Feldcroft Region - World Map → Feldcroft Catacomb Floo Fame and head east. They'll be near a tree that's lit up with lanterns.

Hogwarts Legacy: Phoenix Den location

Unfortunately, there are no phoenix Dens in Hogwarts Legacy. The only way to get a phoenix is by completing the "Phoenix Rising" quest, which is given to you by House Elf Deek. At that point, one of these fiery birds will appear in the Room of Requirements. 

What about a Shiny phoenix? As far as I'm aware, there is no way to get a shiny phoenix in Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts Legacy: Puffskein Den location

Male vs female: These look pretty similar and can be brown, reddish brown, or grey. 

Shiny Puffskein: These are a rather sandy light brown, much paler than usual.

Den Location 1: Forbidden Forest - World Map → Jackdaw's Tomb Floo Flame and head southeast. 

Den Location 2: South Hogwarts Region - World Map → Forbidden Forest Floo Flame and head east along the path towards Hogsmeade.

Den Location 3: Feldcroft Region - World Map → Feldcroft Floo Flame and head north and up the hills and into a huge cavern. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Thestral Den location

Male vs female: Males are darker in hue and larger while females have a greenish tint.

Shiny Thestral: They have a silver hue to them rather than green or brown. They can produce white shiny babies when bred. 

Den Location 1: North Ford Bog - World Map → East North Ford Bog Floo Flame and heading north with a very slight western angle.

Den Location 2: Marunweem Lake region - World Map → Coastal Mine Floo Flame. Jump on your broom and fly south onto the cliffs where the Thestrals are. 

Hogwarts Legacy: Unicorn Den location

Male vs female: Unicorns are usually white with symbols all over their bodies. Males have thicker manes, though.

Shiny Unicorn: These are a warm golden color, but it might look brown in dark light.  

Den Location 1: Forbidden Forest - World Map → East North Ford Bog Entrance Floo Flame and travel south. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to catch a shiny beast

Just like how there are shiny Pokémon in Game Freaks popular game series, there are different colored variants of the 13 magical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy. Thankfully, it's a lot easier to get a shiny in Hogwarts Legacy than it is in Pokémon. Just note that there are no additional perks to having shiny magical beasts other than them looking cool. Here's what you can do to increase the chances of catching a shiny beast.

1. Go to a magical beast den for the creature you want to collect.
2. Check if any of the beasts there are shiny and if so capture them.
3. If there aren't any shinies, capture all of the creatures in the den using your Nab-sack to force the den to respawn. 
4. Go into the map and change the time of day (F on Windows, right stick on console and Steam Deck).
5. Create a new save. 
6. Load this new save.
7. Check the beast den again. If no shinies appear repeat steps two through six until you do. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to breed magical beasts

You can breed magical beasts in the Room of Requirement's Vivariums, however, you'll first need to unlock these areas. To do that, you'll need to advance through House Elf Deek's sidequests and complete the once-called "Foal of the Dead." You must have captured a male and a female of a species in order to mate them. 

1. Go to Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade and purchase a Breeding Pen for 1,000 Galleons. 
2. Return to the Room of Requirement. 
3. Enter the Vivarium (animal habitat) you want to breed in. 
4. Use the Conjuration spell to open the conjuration menu.
5. Select Beast Items
6. Select Breeding Pen (requires 15 Moonstone).
7. Place the Breeding Pen somewhere that it fits. 
8. Interact with the podium on the right side of the Breed Pen gates.
9. Select the animal you want to breed. 
10. Wait for the breeding process to complete. 

Hogwarts Legacy: How to unlock Brood and Peck

Brood and Peck Location: Hogsmeade Map → North Hogsmeade Floo Flame. Go across the nearby bridge and it will be on your left.

How to unlock it: This Hogsmeade shop unlocks after you complete the quest entitled, "The Elf, the Nab-sak, and the Loom." Once open, you can purchase any ingredients that come from beasts here in order to upgrade your gear. The one exception is that you cannot purchase Phoenix Feathers at this store.

You can also sell beasts you've collected at this shop for 120 Galleons each in order to earn some quick cash. The price of a beast does not increase if it is shiny.

A beast of a time

When I first started playing Hogwarts Legacy I didn't expect the magical beast creature collecting to be so in-depth. But if you like this aspect of the game, you can spend hours running around the map, collecting magical beasts, hunting for shinies, and even breeding these creatures. Once you have all of the creatures you want, you can collect ingredients needed for upgrading your gear from them.

Of course, if you want to spend more time with these animals, you can decorate their Vivarium habitats to the nines with the various Conjuration items you unlock while playing. If you need to make some quick cash, you can also sell the creatures for Galleons at the Brood and Peck in Hogsmeade.

Hogwarts Legacy gives players the chance to learn the Unforgivable Curses as well as acceptable spells at Hogwarts.

But in order to learn Crucio, Imperio, and even Avada Kedavra, you'll need to do the proper quests to unlock them. Don't worry.

If you really want to experience these quests but don't want to learn the curses, that is an option.

It's choices like this that make Hogwarts Legacy compelling, which further helps make it one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

The first of these malicious spells, Crucio, is unlocked during one of Sebastian's quests entitled "Under the Shadow of the Study."

To get through it, you'll need to do some problem-solving, including getting through a few snake puzzles that unlock Slytherin doors. Let's walk you through how to do it.

How to unlock In the Shadow of the Study in Hogwarts Legacy

In order to get to this Hogwarts Legacy quest, you must have done three things:

1. Completed all of Sebastian's quests up to this point
2. Reached Level 16
3. Completed The High Keep main quest

In the Shadow of the Study: Meet up with Sebastian

Starting location: The Grand Staircase → Lower Grand Staircase Floo Flame.

Use your Charmed Compass (V on PC, D-Pad up on consoles and Steam Deck) and follow the yellow trail to the quest starting point. When you get to the glowing gold circle, press the proper Wait button (F on PC) to begin the quest. Sebastian Sallow appears and leads you to Ominis Gaunt. Follow him through the castle. Then talk to Ominis when you see him.

In the Shadow of the Study: Open the Scriptorium with lit braziers

There are three braziers (torches with snake bases) that can be seen from where Ominis is standing — Two on the left, and one on the right. Quickly light all three torches using Confringo. They will go out if you aren't fast enough, but having all three lit opens a secret passage.

Head down the secret passage stairs and use Reparo on the destroyed stone relief. Now talk to Ominis and he'll tell you he hears voices. He'll speak Parseltongue to open the door. Proceed through it.

In the Shadow of the Study: Snake puzzles

You'll find yourself in a dungeon. The only way out it to solve the three snake puzzle doors in the area. You can light the torches in this dungeon using Imperio or Confringo to help you see better.

The snake puzzle symbols are unique, so I'll attempt to explain what they look like, but you can look at the pictures below for reference as well. Here's how to solve the snake gate puzzles.

Snake Puzzle 1 Solution

When in the next area, ignore the snake figure and turn to look at the gate next to it. You'll see two symbols at its center. Remember these. Interact with the snake statue next to you.

These snake puzzles need to be solved quickly or they will hurt you and you'll have to start over. Quickly enter the same symbols you just saw into the snake puzzle dials and it will open the gate to your right.

Upper dial: Circle with a half-moon on the right.

Lower dial: Infinity symbol with snake head.

The door will open, but don't go through it. Instead, turn in the opposite direction, head down the hall and around the corner, then look at the symbols on the closed gate.

After that, turn and duck under the half-open gate to the left.

Snake Puzzle 2 Solution

In this next room, you'll see a coiled-up snake statue against the wall. Interact with the snake statue and change the upper and lower dials to the proper symbols to open the gate that had the same symbols on it:

Upper dial: A symbol that's kind of like a rounded capital A with a tail on the upper left

Lower dial: A right-side triangle with a stick that overhangs from right to left

Snake Puzzle 3 Solution

Duck back under the gate and check out the newly opened room. Once again go and look at the symbols on the door in here. Remember these symbols then head through the gate near the entrance and into the new area. There's one final snake puzzle here. Enter the correct symbols to open the gate:

Upper dial: Circle with two marks on the right (duck head)

Lower dial: Like a pointed capital A

In the Shadow of the Study: Cruciatus Door

In this next room, a scene plays out where you find the remains of Ominis' aunt. You need to pick up the note on the ground and then talk to both Sebastian and Ominis, one at a time. Return back to Sebastian and you'll be given three choices:

• Don't learn Crucio
• Learn Crucio, but have Sebastian cast it on you
• Learn Crucio and cast it on Sebastian.

This is really a matter of opinion. If you're against using any of the Unforgivable Curses from the Harry Potter universe then choose not to learn Crucio. However, if you want access to all of the spells Hogwarts Legacy has to offer, choose one of the other two options. Either you or Sebastian will get injured, but it won't have any lasting bearing on the story at this point.

Note: If you turn down the offer of learning Crucio here, you'll have another opportunity later in the game to learn it from Sebastian in the Undercroft.

In the Shadow of the Study: Search the Scriptorium

Head through the now-open Crucio door and you'll see a Slytherin statue with snakes all around it. Pick up the Slytherin's Spellbook which is on the table beneath the ominous statue. Look around and grab any treasures you want, then head up to the top of the stars and talk to Sebastian.

After Sebastian and Ominis have finished talking, interact with the statue in the back of the room that has a snake going into the mouth and this will take you back to the Slytherin Dungeons (about where your journey began). You'll talk with Ominis about his aunt and then the quest will mark itself as complete.

On the road to darkness?

You don't necessarily have to learn Crucio if you don't want to, but it's still worth running through Sebastian's quests given that they lead to one of the most interesting plots within Hogwarts Legacy. The relationship between Ominis and Sebastian is a complex one and it's interesting to see that Ominis, (who is Voldemort's ancestor) is a decent guy with a good moral compass.

Whatever your choice regarding Crucio may be, getting through these snake puzzles and landing in Salazar Slytherin's Scriptorium is a journey worth taking.

As you make your way through the main quests in Hogwarts Legacy, you'll eventually come upon one titled, "The Helm of Urtkot."

This quest requires you to dive deep into a witch’s tomb filled with moth puzzles while looking for the legendary helmet.

It will take some time to get through this dungeon, so you'll want to come prepared with potions and combat plants.

No worries. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough explaining how to defeat the enemies, solve the moth puzzles, and search the witch's tomb dungeon.

The story is just ramping up at this point for one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Unlock The Helm of Urtkot quest

There are plenty of small goodies and gear to grab while you are on this Hogwarts Legacy quest so keep using Revelio to identify them and snatch them along the way. Some loot will be in rooms on the side of the main path or will be behind small obstacles or puzzles.

The following instructions are a straightforward walkthrough for The Helm of Urtkot witch’s tomb and won't discuss grabbing anything extra unless it's bigger treasure chests. So make sure to take the time to grab any extra rewards you want as you make your way through this dungeon.

Without further ado, let's dive into how to search the witch's tomb for The Helm of Urtkot.

To start this quest off, you must go to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and speak with Sirona Ryan. She will tell you about the trouble Lodgok is facing.

Now head to the Hog's Head and talk with Lodgok who is seated at a table. He wants to get Urtkot's Helm in order to get more info from Ranrok.

Enter the witch’s tomb (The Collector's Tomb)

Head to The Collector's Cave Floo Flame, which is west of Hogsmeade. You'll talk with Lodgok for a bit and then you'll be free to enter The Collector's Cave.

Helm of Urtkot: Moth puzzle door 1

Run into the cave until you hit a bronze door with moth inserts — a moth puzzle door. Make an immediate left and go down the winding tunnel. Use Lumos near the flying moth on the perch to attract it to your wand and then bring it back to the door. This will cause the moth puzzle door to open. Head through the door and keep running further into the tomb.

Helm of Urtkot: Moth puzzle door 2

When you get to the room with a sarcophagus at its center, you'll see two perches with moths floating around them on either side of the room. Attract the moths with Lumos and take them to the moth puzzle door one at a time.

To get the third moth, turn to the closed double doors and open them with either Depulso or Accio. Go into the next room, retrieve the moth with Lumos, and bring it to the moth puzzle door, which will now open.

Helm of Urtkot: Inferi battle 1

Head through this last moth door and into the next big room. You'll need to defeat the Inferi that appear here. Remember that they only take damage after getting hit by fire so do a fire attack like Incendio or Confringo and then take them out with basic attacks or by flinging things at them.

Helm of Urtkot: Moth puzzle door 3

Once the room is clear, head straight into the next section of the tomb. Hop over a fallen stone and you'll be in another moth door room. Attract the moth on the left perch using Lumos and bring it to the mechanism in the center of the room.

Stand on the square platform on the side of the room and cast Depulso at the mechanism multiple times to raise the platform you're standing on up to its highest level. While up here, turn around and you'll see another moth. Attract this second moth with Lumos and bring it down to the moth puzzle door.

One at a time, grab the original moth from the mechanism via Lumos as well as the other moth on the ground floor and take them to the moth puzzle door to open it.

Helm of Urtkot: Skeleton bridge treasure

Head through this moth door and take an immediate right up the ledge. You'll come to a room with skeleton pieces in it. Use Accio to pull on the handle below you and to the right to release more skeletons.

Now use Wingardium Leviosa to direct the skeleton pieces onto the platforms that glow blue when you press Revelio (one skeleton heap on either platform). This will form a bridge. Cross the bridge and grab the treasure.

Helm of Urtkot: Down the hole

From the skeleton bridge room, turn around and go straight into the next big room where your character talks about something hanging precariously. Use a basic attack to damage the pulley hanging overhead and make it drop its load straight through a grate in the ground.

Before diving down into the hole, you might want to turn and use Accio or Depulso on the double doors to open them and then grab the treasures in the room.

Jump through the hole in the ground that you just created. You'll land in water. Swim towards the lit-up area.

Helm of Urtkot: Inferi battle 2

You can't rest yet. There's another set of Inferi to defeat in here. Remember to attack them with fire first (with either Incendio or Confrigo) and then hit them with basic attacks or throw things from around the room at them until they're all gone.

Helm of Urtkot: Moth puzzle door 4

Now it's puzzle time. Head to either of the moth perches in the alcoves that are on either side of the entrance and attract the moth to you with Lumos.

Bring the moth to the spinning mechanism in the middle of the room.

Next grab another moth from the other alcove via Lumos and put it on the perch near the campfire on the ground.

Go stand on the platform against the wall near the spinning mechanism and then hit the mechanism three times with Depulso to lift the platform higher. Quickly turn and attract the moth on your left to you with Lumos. Now run and jump across the lowering platform and bring the moth to the moth puzzle door.

While standing in front of the moth puzzle door, look down at the spinning mechanism and hit it with Depulso three times. Quickly turn and use Lumos to attract the moth on the raised platform to the right.

Deposit this moth in the door. Do not jump off the platform. The third and final moth is in a small alcove to the right of the moth door. Bring it to the door using Lumos and the moth puzzle door will open.

Helm of Urtkot: Leaving The Collector's Tomb

Head through the door and investigate the scene around the open sarcophagus. You'll learn that the Helm isn't even here after all the work you went through to get this far into the tomb.

Now exit the tomb by interacting with the stone slabs behind the sarcophagus.

Helm of Urtkot: Taking care of bandits

Once out in the fresh air again, you'll talk with Lodgok about the burgled tomb. He'll tell you where you might find the Helm. Head to the Bandit Camp that Lodgok indicates (it's to the west of The Collector's Cave).

There are several Ashwinders and a difficult troll to defeat at this bandit camp. Work on taking out all of the smaller enemies first so you can then focus on defeating the troll. Make use of hurling objects around you, using your powerful Ancient Magic attacks, and casting your best spells to make this go quickly. You'll also need to be quick to dodge or block depending on the situation. Of course, if your health gets low, drink a potion to freshen yourself back up.

When everyone is defeated, cross the wooden bridge (if you haven't already) go up the wooden stairs to the tent, and open the chest to get the helmet.

An Ashwinder Assassin and other enemies will appear. So you'll need to defeat them as well.

When you're victorious, return to Lodgok who is still near The Collector's Cave and the quest will finish up.

Making your way through the tomb for Urtkot's Helm

Finally after making it through all of those caverns and moth door puzzles, you get to the back of The Collector's Tomb only to realize that the Helm of Urtkot has already been taken.

It's honestly kind of a let down given how time-consuming the whole dungeon is. But it's easy enough to pick up the Helm from the bandits that stole it once you're out in fresh air again.

Things are ramping up a bit at this point between Ranrok, Lodgok, and the other characters in Hogwarts Legacy. There's plenty more to experience as you find ways to thwart these baddies.

One of the easiest ways to defeat enemies in Hogwarts Legacy is by using the spell Petrificus Totalus, the same charm that Hermione cast on Neville in The Sorcerer's Stone. This magical skill isn't like the others as it isn't listed among your list of spells. It can only be used when you're stealthily sneaking up on enemies. 

You can make Petrificus Totalus more effective by upgrading it and your stealth abilities. Doing this can make it harder for enemies to detect you, allows you to run while invisible, and can even unlock the ability to petrify multiple enemies at once. It's all of these choices that help give depth to Hogwarts Legacy's combat and makes this one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to unlock Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

Players cannot perform this body-binding curse until they have completed the "Secrets of the Restricted Section" main quest. This unlocks fairly early on so make sure to take on this mission (that has you running through the library with Sebastian) as soon as possible. 

How to cast Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

Step 1: When you're near an enemy, make sure they aren't alerted to your presence and turn invisible with the Disillusionment Charm. 

Step 2: Sneak up behind an enemy without getting spotted by them or their allies. 

If an enemy looks in your direction they will begin to get suspicious and will eventually sound an alarm. To avoid getting discovered, hide behind a tree, rock, some ruins, or other objects when someone starts taking an interest in you until they lose interest. Then continue stalking your prey.

Note: If you cast any other spell or your basic attack, all enemies in the area will be alerted to your presence and will attack you. When this happens you can no longer use Petrificus Totalus until enemies are no longer aware of you. 

Step 3: When you are directly behind an enemy, the option to cast Petrificus Totalus will appear. Press the proper button to initiate this spell (F on Windows, X on Xbox and Steam Deck).

Of course, if you've upgraded the affects of Petrificus Totalus, you can paralyze multiple enemies at once. It also helps if you've upgraded your sneaking ability so that you can move faster while invisible and can't be detected as easily. 

How to upgrade Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

You can increase your effectiveness with Petrificus Totalus by upgrading your Stealth abilities. 

1. Open the menu. 
2. Go to the Talents tab. 
3. Select Stealth.
4. Unlock Stealth abilities by spending Talent Points.

Can I use Petrificus Totalus on trolls?

Yes! If you can manage to sneak up on a troll without it or its allies spotting you then you'll be able to cast Petrificus Totalus on it. Note that this will not petrify the troll as it's too big for that. However, the spell does take out a decent chunk of health on these big guys, making it easier to defeat trolls. Once the damage has been done, the troll and any of its nearby allies will work on attacking you, so be ready for that. 

Stealthy witches and wizards

Mastering Petrificus Totalus will make it a whole lot easier to get through Bandit Camps and dungeons since you'll be able to sneakily run around and take enemies out without them fighting back. You just have to make sure not to get caught sneaking around or attacking anyone or else the jig will be up and everyone will turn to attack you.

The best thing you can do is work on upgrading your Stealth abilities using your available Talent Points. This will make you far more effective when sneaking up on enemies and using Petrificus Totalus. If nothing else, it's gratifying to see more than one enemy taken out by this petrifying spell at a time. 

Merlin Trials are one of the fun things that stand out in Hogwarts Legacy. These puzzles dot all over the map, but you cannot engage with them unless they are first activated with Mallowsweet Leaves. Because of this, it's important to have a ready store of this magical plant on you at all times. 

While it's possible to purchase Mallowsweet Leaves, it's far better on your wallet in the long run if you grow your own seeds. Not to mention, you'll be able to replenish whenever you want without having to spend additional money. Here's where to purchase Mallowsweet Leaves and how to grow Mallowsweet Seeds in Hogwarts Legacy. 

Where to get free Mallowsweet in Hogwarts Legacy

After you've unlocked the Trials of Merlin quest, you can get some free Mallowsweet from the herbology class in two places. You'll find two Mallowsweet Plants on the floor above the main Herbology classroom and then another single pot on the ground in the Chinese Chomping Cabbage room. But you cannot rely on these stores forever since they will not regrow once pulled. 

Where to buy Mallowsweet in Hogwarts Legacy

Where to buy Mallowsweet: When in Hogsmeade, head to The Magic Neep across the river from the main center of the village and talk to the man sitting on the bench outside. He sells Mallowsweet Leaves for 100 Galleons, but he will only have a limited number in stock. 

Where to buy Mallowsweet Seeds: You can also purchase a Mallowsweet Seed Packet for 200 Gold from The Magic Neep, which is more costly upfront but allows you to save money in the long run by letting you grow your own Mallowsweet Leaves. 

Part of the magic of Hogwarts Legacy is that it makes you feel like you're actually using the wizarding knowledge that you gain rather than just running through it. Mechanics and details like growing your own magical plants are part of what makes Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to grow Mallowsweet in Hogwarts Legacy

First off: You will need to purchase a Large Potting Table in order to grow Mallowsweet yourself. These can be purchased from Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade for 1,000 Galleons. There are also bigger Large Potting Tables for sale that offer multiple pots, but these will cost more.  

Secondly: You must have Mallowsweet seeds to plant in the pots. These Mallowsweet seeds can be purchased from The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade. 

Conjure in the Room of Requirement: Once you have a Large Potting Table and the Mallowsweet Seeds, return to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts and use your Conjure spell to place a pot in the room. 

Plant your seeds: With the Large Potting Table in place, go up to the furniture and choose what plant you want to grow (Mallowsweet obviously). 

Wait 10 minutes: It takes 10 minutes for Mallowsweet Leaves to grow into full plants, so either hang around or do something else while your plants grow. 

Harvest Mallowsweet Leaves: Run up to the fully grown Mallowsweet Leaves and collect them. The process will automatically start over again so you can come back for more leaves in another 10 minutes. 

Sweet Merlin Trials

With plenty of Mallowsweet Leaves in your hands you'll be able to take on Merlin Trials without having to worry about keeping stocked. Just remember to occasionally check in at the Room of Requirement and harvest any grown Mallowsweet Leaves. It only takes 10 minutes for these magic plants to grow from seed to full-fledge plant so you really don't have to wait all that long to collect them. 

Of course, I recommend that you have multiple Large Potting Tables in the Room of Requirement. That way, you'll be able to collect tons of Mallowsweet in one go whenever you stop into this magical room.  

Upon receiving the Nab-Sack in Hogwarts Legacy, Beasts Class Professor Howin will task you with capturing a few different creatures, one of which is a Diricawl. While the bird is easy enough to capture when you're near it, knowing where to go to catch one isn't quite as easy. 

Fortunately, beast dens are marked with a symbol on the Hogwarts Legacy world map so you just need to locate a Diricawl Den, travel to it, and work on capturing one of these birds. We'll go over where the easiest Diricawl Den to get to is located as well as how to capture beasts with a Nab-Sack. This creature-collecting mechanic is just one more thing that makes Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Where to find Diricawl Dens

Diricawl Dens are marked by an animal paw symbol on the map, just like all other animal dens. The easiest Diricawl Den to get to is located in the Hogwarts Valley part of the map south of Hogwarts castle. 

Jump on your broom or flying creature and quickly make your way to these ruins that the Diricawl call their own. Female birds are yellow while male birds are blue.

How to catch Diricawl

1. Make your way to a Diricawl Den, but don't get too close to the birds or you'll spook them. 

2. Cast Levioso on one of the Diricawl that you want to capture. This will make the bird float for a brief period. 

3. Get up closer while the Diricawl is floating and use your Nab-Sack to start capturing the bird. You'll need to press a button at the proper moment a few times in order to be successful. 

Once you have a male and female Diricawl you can take them back to the Room of Requirement and breed them (as long as you've unlocked these features). If you haven't unlocked the breeding pen yet then keep working on House Elf Deek's quests in The Room of Requirement and you'll eventually unlock them. 

Bird's in the bag

With the Nab-Sack in tow, Hogwarts Legacy kind of becomes a wizarding world Pokémon game where you can work on creature collecting. There are several different types of beasts to capture and it's fun taking care of them or improving their living areas in the Room of Requirement. 

Have fun running around the overworld and capturing as many magical creatures as you can. Eventually, you can have your own well-stocked menagerie complete with feeding troths, toys, breeding pens, and beautiful decor. 

There are several things to do in Hogwarts Castle that will keep you busy, including spotting Daedalian Keys and following them to their cabinets.

You need to interact with these keys and jam them into the keyholes as they flutter about in order to get the House Tokens that are locked inside them. This can be a bit tricky, but it isn't too hard overall.

Once you have collected all 16 House Tokens in Hogwarts Legacy and have returned them to the House Chest, you'll unlock some cool cosmetic clothing known as the Relic House Uniform, which matches whatever house you belong to (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff).

Here's where to get those keys so you can unlock this cool reward.

Where to find all 16 Daedalian Key locations in Hogwarts Legacy

The number of fun puzzles in Hogwarts Legacy is one reason why this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. You unlock "The Daedalian Keys" quest very early in the game simply by talking to Nellie Oggspire in the Transfiguration Courtyard near the large tree.

There are 16 Daedalian Keys to find, and this is where they're located.

Daedalian Key 1: Astronomy Tower

Key Location: Make your way to The Astronomy Wing → Astronomy Tower Floo Flame and keep heading up the tower stairs next to the Floo Flame to find this key.

Cabinet Location: Enter the round blue room near the Astronomy Tower Floo Flame and the cabinet will be on the left side as you enter.

Note: You must return to Nellie Oggspire in the Transfiguration Courtyard and then drop off the first House Token into the House Chest before the other Daedalian Keys will appear.

Daedalian Key 2: Grand Staircase

Key Location: Go to The Grand Staircase → Grand Staircase Floo Flame and head up the stairs for several flights. You'll see the Daedalian Key when you get to the landing where there's a portrait of a family in white with a basket of fruit.

Cabinet Location: Keep running down the stairs and only get off when you're face to face with puzzle door next to the House Hourglasses (near The Great Hall). The cabinet is right around the corner from the puzzle door, a floor above the Grand Staircase Floo Flame.

Daedalian Key 3: Great Hall

Key Location: Go to The Great Hall → Great Hall Floo Flame and then look around the fireplace next to the Slytherin table to find this Daedalian Key.

Cabinet Location: Head up the stairs next to the Great Hall Floo Flame to get to this cabnet.

Daedalian Key 4: North of Great Hall

Key Location: Starting at The Great Hall → Great Hall Floo Flame head through the main double doors to the north and pass through two more double doors similar to it. The area you come out to will have a Daedalian Key flying around the stairs.

Cabinet Location: Head down the stairs and instead of going through the massive double doors, turn to the right to see the cabinet.

Daedalian Key 5: Quad Courtyard

Key Location: Travel to The Grand Staircase → Quad Courtyard Floo Flame. Then head left and go up the left set of stairs. The key will be between these stairs and the archway.

Cabinet Location: Head down the stairs and cross the Quad Courtyard to find yourself next to a set of winding steps near a doorway. The cabinet is here next to a shield with a wizard's head and an eagle emblem.

Daedalian Key 6: Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Key Location: Go to The Astronomy Wing → The Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Go down the stairs and you'll see this Daedalian Key next to the rhinoceros skeleton.

Cabinet Location: Run back up the stairs and go basically above where the rhinoceros skeleton was to find the cabinet.

Daedalian Key 7: Transfiguration Classroom

Key Location: Go to The Astronomy Wing → The Transfiguration Classroom Floo Flame. Turn around and go through the small door on the left. Head up the small flight of stairs and then down the next several flights of stairs. When you see a horse in armor, make one last turn and head toward the sleeping dragon statue to find this Daedalian Key.

Cabinet Location: Go one floor above the sleeping dragon statue to find the cabinet.

Daedalian Key 8: Dungeon

Key Location: Go to The Astronomy Wing → The Transfiguration Classroom Floo Flame. Turn around and go through the small door on the left. Head up the small flight of stairs and then down the next several flights of stairs. When you see a horse in armor, make one last turn and head toward the sleeping dragon statue. Now go down the hallway next to the sleeping dragon statue and you'll see the Daedalian Key floating in the hallway to the right of the Level 2 locked door.

Cabinet Location: Go down the hall from where you found the key then turn a sharp left before the stairs and go across the room. The cabinet is next to the owl torch near the barrels.

Daedalian Key 9: Potions Classroom

Key Location: Go to The Library Annex → Potions Classroom Floo Flame. Head through the double doors and into the Potions Classroom. You'll see the Daedalian Key flying around this room.

Cabinet Location: Leave the Potions Classroom and head down the north spiral staircase to find the cabinet next to a locked door.

Daedalian Key 10: Central Hall #1

Key Location: Head to The Library Annex → Central Hall Floo Flame. Go down the staircase and head north of the fountain. You'll see the Daedalian Key on your left when you're facing the doors to the greenhouses.

Cabinet Location: Run back across the Central Hall until you're on the opposite side of where you found the key. It will be on the opposite wall from a puzzle door.

Daedalian Key 11: Central Hall #2

Key Location: Head to The Library Annex → Central Hall Floo Flame. Go up three flights of stairs from the Floo Flame location and then turn right before you get to the large double door. You'll see the Daedalian Key flying above the orange and yellow flooring beneath the stairs.

Cabinet Location: Turn around and head back down one flight of stairs then look to your right to see the cabinet.

Daedalian Key 12: Library

Key Location: Go to The Library Annex → Library Floo Flame. The Daedalian Key is in the west part of the library (opposite the restricted section). You'll find it floating between shelves.

Cabinet Location: Return to the Library Floo Flame and continue right to get to the cabinet.

Daedalian Key 13: Bell Tower Courtyard

Key Location: Go to The Bell Tower Wing → Bell Tower Courtyard. Go up the stairs closest to the Floo Flame and through the small door. Head straight up the next small flight of stairs and the Daedalian Key will be in this room.

Cabinet Location: Head up several flights of stairs until you cannot go any higher and turn the corner when you see the Level 1 Locked door. The cabinet will be next to some musical instrument cases and a portrait of a woman in blue playing a drum.

Daedalian Key 14: Faculty Tower #1

Conditions: You will need to unlock Alohomora Level 1 to get this Daedalian Key.

Key Location: Go to The South Wing → Faculty Tower and head right through the intricately decorated Faculty Tower door. Now head up the stairs and you'll see the Daedalian Key floating around near the puzzle door.

Cabinet Location: Head down the stairs and you'll find the cabinet one floor below under that stairway.

Daedalian Key 15: Faculty Tower #2 (Hospital Wing)

Conditions: You will need to unlock Alohomora Level 1 to get this Daedalian Key.

Key Location: Go to The South Wing → Hospital Wing and then down the spiral stairs next to the Floo Flame. When at the base of the stairs go right through the hallways cluttered with picture frames toward the Clock Tower. The Daedalian Key will be flying around the gears in this room.

Cabinet Location: The key will come back toward the spiral stairs and you will find the cabinet across the room from them.

Daedalian Key 16: Clock Tower

Conditions: You will need to unlock Alohomora Level 1 to get this Daedalian Key.

Key Location: Go to The South Wing → Clock Tower Courtyard. Head through the gated opening under the enormous pendulum and go to the Level 1 Locked door on the left of the exit. Unlock this door with Alohomora and head up the stairs until you can once more see the pendulum swinging. The Daedalian Key is floating around here.

Cabinet Location: Head upstairs two flights above where you found the key and the cabinet will be on your left when you once more see the pendulum.

How to open cabinets

Interact with a cabinet when the Daedalian Key is at it. You will need to press the required Slap button (spacebar on PC, X on Steam Deck and Xbox) quickly when the key flies over the keyhole. Doing this at the right time will jam the key into the hole and unlock the cabinet.

Where to take the House Tokens

You'll need to take the House Tokens to the House Chest that is in your House Common Room. For instance, since I was playing as a Ravenclaw, I needed to return my Tokens to a large golden chest in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Unfortunately, you can only return one at a time even if you have them all in your possession.

House Chest Reward for collecting all Daedalian Keys

Collecting all 16 Tokens and returning them to the House Chest unlocks the Relic House Uniform — special clothing that looks different depending on what house you're in. This is purely cosmetic and won't show up in your gear slot as a new item, but will only show up when you go to change the appearance of your clothes.

Grabbin’ them keys

Each of the Hogwarts Legacy Daedalian Keys is hidden somewhere within the school, so you don't have to worry about searching for any of them outside of the castle. The same goes for their companion cabinets. As a matter of fact, the keys and cabinets are never too far away from each other, so if you feel you've gone too far away from where you found the key you might be right.

Once you collect all 16 House Tokens and return them to the House Chest, you can wear that sweet swag and show off your house pride.

Adelaide needs your help figuring out what happened to her uncle in Hogwarts Legacy's The Tale of Rowland Oakes side quest.

This quest would be pretty straightforward if it weren't for a confusing map that you have to use halfway through it.

But not to worry, I'll go over how to use Rowland's map to take you to the location it depicts. After that, I've also included step-by-step instructions for the Korrow Ruins.

There are so many interesting sidequests filled with details in Hogwarts Legacy, and honestly, that's one reason why it's one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there

How to use Rowland's Map in Hogwarts Legacy

To start this Hogwarts Legacy quest, you need to talk to Adelaide Oakes in the Transfiguration Courtyard where she tells you about her uncle.

1. Follow the quest marker to Roland's camp to the northwest of Hogwarts.

2. Defeat all of the Goblins that have taken over the camp or sneak past them and get to the lantern on the box under a small tent. Grab the map (it's on a wooden crate near the lamp).

3. Follow the river west to the Korrow Ruins Floo Flame area.

4. Now that you're near the Bandit Camp Castle, use your broom to fly to the smallest enclosed part of the castle and head inside.

5. Defeat the Goblins in this area.

6. Go around the corner to the open gateway and enter the Korrow Ruins.

7. Turn invisible with Disillusionment and sneak around defeating all of the Goblins in the first two rooms using Petrificus Totalus. If you get caught then battle and destroy them all.

8. When you're in the large room with the round metal door in the back, go upstairs and follow the walkway around the room to the boiler mechanism on the second floor.

9. Light a fire under the boiler using Incendio or Confrigo.

10. The large round metal door at the back of the room is now unlocked. Go through the metal door.

11. There are tons of Goblins in here. You can either defeat them all or sneak past them to the room on the right (on the ground floor).

12. Grab Roland's Wand from the table.

13. Leave through the metal door and when you're back in the large room enter the hallway with the orange and purple sphinx banners on the left.

14. Go down the left tunnel stairs when you see the table.

15. Defeat all of the Goblins in here.

16. Interact with the large bronze door at the far end of the cavern to free Rowland.

17. Now all that's left to do is leave the way you came and exit the Korrow Ruins.

Rowland's map and the Korrow Ruins

The map that Rowland leaves behind isn't exactly the easiest thing to read.

Fortunately, all you have to do is know where to go to continue this quest, and then you'll be able to figure things out rather easily from there.

You'll discover that Rowland has been taken and hidden away in a cavern. As long as you bring his wand to him, he'll free himself, and you'll finish the quest.

After you've spent a while in Hogwarts Legacy, you'll eventually unlock the 27th main quest, "The High Keep," which centers on you and Natty running into one of Harlow's lairs.

You'll be tasked with climbing the battlements and getting to the roof of the gatehouse, but the whole High Keep is really more of a puzzle to get through.

Not to worry. I'm here to help with this walkthrough that offers step-by-step instructions with pictures.

This is also a very exciting quest, since it unlocks a helpful reward you'll likely end up using a lot for the rest of the game. In fact, it's one of the best quest rewards in Hogwarts Legacy.

With all of the wizarding fun you can have, it's no wonder this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to climb the High Keep battlements and get to the roof

There are lots of small treasures and goodies to collect along the way, but this is mostly just a straightforward High Keep walkthrough to the top of the battlements. Make sure to use Revelio often and grab any rewards along the way.

Step 1: Climb the battlements east of the bridge

From the Falbarton Castle Floo Flame looking at the High Keep, go east of the bridge and climb up the ledges there.

Step 2: Get further into the High Keep

When you get on the High Keep wall, you'll see a rotating mechanism on the left. Go to it and cast Depulso to make it turn and open the small gated door.

Using Wingardium Leviosa on the crate inside the room, move it out and place it directly in front of where you just climbed up from the ground.

When the crate is in place, use Levioso on it to lift it up. Get on the crate while it's floating and climb into the battlement opening above.

Step 3: Open the High Keep main gate

Go around the corner and you'll see a wooden pallet blocking a small opening. Destroy it with a basic attack or one of your fun ones. But instead of going into the opening, go around the outside of the building until you can see through a window into the center of the building.

Use Accio to pull the chest inside the High Keep towards you.

Now run around back to the opening you uncovered and enter the gate room. Use Depulso multiple times on the mechanism to move the gate.

Note: If you only use Depulso once, the gate will not open, so be sure to do it several times in a row.

Then, while the gate is opened, quickly cast Accio on the handle in the center of the gate area to keep the gate open.

Step 4: Get up the High Keep broken stairs

Natty will join you and then a cutscene follows showing that Harlow's evil group has captured Highwing the Hippogriff. You and Natty will get separated, but we'll fix that.

Climb up the ledges on the right of the large double doors. Now go straight and stop at the enclosure with the crate inside. Use Depulso to push the crate so that it falls down a hole to the ground below.

Run down the stairs to the crate and move it against the broken stairs using Wingardium Leviosa. Now levitate it with Levioso.

Climb on top of the crate and then pull yourself onto the ledge.

Step 5: Get to the High Keep roof

A guard will walk in front of you and gaze out over the parapet. Use Disillusionment to sneak up behind him and use Petrificus Totalus to knock him out. Continue up the stairs and around the corner and you'll see more of Harlow's thugs. Use Petrificus Totalus as much as you can or fight them using your other spells and the exploding barrels around you.

When they're dealt with, turn to the Level 1 locked door and unlock it with Alohomora. Enter the keep and immediately climb out of the room through the opening on the right. Go up a couple of flights of stairs and some enemies will appear. Take them out using your best attacks.

When they're defeated, unlock the Level 1 door lock in this area with Alohomora and enter the room.

Head up the stairs until you get most of the way to the top of the building. You'll see a small room with a wooden pallet against the wall. Destroy it using your basic spell and then climb over the wooden beams to grab something in a large treasure chest.

Cross back over the beam and continue running up the stairs as high as you can go until you come outside on a wooden floor.

You've made it to the roof of High Keep! Now a glorious cutscene will commence!

Highwing's freedom unlocks flying mounts

Now that you've successfully climbed the battlements, opened the main gate, and gotten to the roof of the High Keep, you'll fly off on Highwing's back.

What's more, you've now unlocked the ability to fly on magical beasts throughout the map.

Enjoy collecting these rare flying creatures and using them to get wherever you want to in Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts Legacy has been an absolute blast to play and part of the fun is being able to dress up your character in a number of different clothing options and accessories. There are some free rewards you can unlock as Twitch Drops, but these are only available for a short time. In fact, the ability to unlock them goes away forever after Feb. 24, 2023.

Not sure what you need to do to unlock these Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops? We'll step you through the process and explain any confusing bits. 

How to unlock Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops

The steps are laid out on the Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drop page, but here's a step by step guide for how to do everything to unlock these free rewards. 

1. Go to the Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops web page.

2. Click Sign In (on Step 1).

3. Create a WB Games Account or Sign into your existing WB Games Account.

4. Close out of the WB Game Account window and return to the Twitch Drops page. Select Connect (on Step 2).

5. Select, "Welcome, Continue as (your user name)".

6. Select Continue.

7. Log in to your Twitch account in the window that shows up.

8. Enter the 6-digit code that Twitch sends you.

9. Select Authorize.

10. While still on the WB Games Account Connection page, make sure to connect your WB Games Account with the platform that you are playing Hogwarts Legacy on. 

11. Return back to the Twitch Drop page and refresh the page.

12. Select Tune In (in Step 3).

13. Click on any Hogwarts Legacy Twitch stream and watch it for a while. It takes 30 minutes of viewing to unlock each of the four Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops (2 hours total). Note that you can only claim Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops one at a time and cannot start working on unlocking the next reward until you claim the one before it.

14. Go back to the Twitch Drops page and click on Check Now (in Step 4) to view your progress toward unlocking Hogwarts Legacy items. You might need to refresh the page to get the latest progress info.

15. Upon completing each tier of watch time, return to the Twitch Drops & Rewards page and claim unlocked rewards (in Step 5). Remember that you can only work on unlocking another item after you've claimed the one before it.

• Dragon-Eyed Spectacles unlocks after 30 mins of stream viewing.
• Urchin Hat unlocks after 30 more mins of stream viewing.
• Carmine Lightning Scarf unlocks after 30 more minutes of stream viewing.
• Lilac Ensemble unlocks after 30 more minutes of stream viewing.

16. Return once more to the Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops page and click on the yellow boxes (in Step 5) to redeem your rewards. Note you must redeem each of the four Twitch Drops with a separate click.

17. Finally, Boot up Hogwarts Legacy and select Claim Online Reward when these notices appear. 

Now all that's left to do is enter your game file, go into your Gear menu, and change the look of your current clothes to look like the cosmetic options you just unlocked. Note that these Twitch Drops do not give you new items of clothing with stats but rather just cosmetic options. 

What about unlocking Merlin's Cloak?

Grab some wizarding bling

It's a fun touch that we can change up the look of our characters so much in Hogwarts Legacy. Even more impressive that we can change the look of our currently equipped items while still gaining the benefits that they offer. It's one of the many things that makes Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

Make sure to claim Hogwarts Legacy Twitch Drops before they're no longer available. It will take some time watching Twitch streams on your part, but other than that these in-game rewards are completely free. 

Shortly after starting your Hogwarts Legacy adventure, you’ll come upon a younger student named Zenobia who has had her precious Gobstones taken away by other students.

She’s quick to elicit your help, as the people who stole them from her placed them up high where she cannot reach. Fortunately, your magical skills make it a breeze to collect them using Accio. You’ll just have to spot where all six of these small objects are.

You also have the choice of whether or not to return the Gobstones to Zenobia after you've collected them all.

The ability to make decisions like this is one reason why Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to start the Gobs of Gobstones quest in Hogwarts Legacy

To start this Hogwarts Legacy quest, you must first acquire your wand from Ollivander’s and then head back to the school.

1. Go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower.
2. Talk to Zenobia Noke (the female Ravenclaw student standing near the stairs asking for an older student to help her). You'll find her on the same floor as the rhinoceros skeleton.
3. Agree to find her Gobstones to initiate the quest.
4. Press the Charmed Compass button (V on PC, D-Pad up on consoles and Steam Deck). Note that the “Gobs and Gobstones” quest must be selected in the quest log for this to work.
5. Follow the trail that emerges and it will lead you to one Gobstone after the other. You can also follow the trail as shown in the mini-map.
6. Collect the Gobstones using Accio.

Gobstone #1: Transfiguration Courtyard

Upon entering the Transfiguration Courtyard from where you first saw Zenobia, look up on the structure on the right where the owls are perching and you’ll see the glowing Gobstone. Use the spell Accio to bring it down to you. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you to the next Gobstone.

Gobstone #2: Divinations Classroom tower chandelier

Head up the spiral set of stairs that lead to the Divination Classroom. Once you’re at the top of the stairs, it will seem like you’ve reached a dead end, but a magical ladder will drop against the wall. The Gobstone is in the chandelier dangling above you. Use Accio to bring it to collect the Gobstone. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you to the next Gobstone.

Gobstone #3: Rafters near Divination Classroom tower

From where you got the second Gobstone, go down one floor on the spiral stairs and enter the hallway that is next to the Divinations Classroom Floo Flame. Make your way to the wooden plank walkway that leads to the Arithmancy Classroom for a few feet then turn to your left to see the Gobstone on one of the rafters. Call the Gobstone to you with Accio. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you to the next Gobstone.

Gobstone #4: Ravenclaw Tower

Make your way to the Ravenclaw Tower Floo Flame. The Gobstone is up on a ledge that is part of one of the corridor’s archways. Collect it by using Accio on the Gobstone. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you to the next Gobstone.

Gobstone #5: Trophy Room arch

Follow the Charmed Compass indicator until it leads you to the outer section of the Trophy Room. There are various suites of armor in here, but when you see A blue shield on the wall with an armored helmet at its center, look up and you’ll see the Gobstone on the archway pillar above it. As always, collect the Gobstone using Accio. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you to the final Gobstone.

Gobstone #6: Trophy Room shelf

From where you got the last Gobstone, head into the center area of the Trophy Room. Look high up on the shelves that hold various trophy goblets and you’ll see the Gobstone resting in the center of them. Pull this Gobstone to you with Accio.

With all of the Gobstones in tow, it‘s time to return to Zenobia. Press the Charmed Compass button to lead you back to her. You can either return the Gobstones to Zenobia or refuse to do so.

Gobstone Gobstoppers

This isn’t too challenging of a side quest, considering that “Gobs of Gobstones” is one of the earliest missions you can unlock in Hogwarts Legacy.

There are helpful indicators to follow that easily lead you to collect the six Gobstones hidden throughout the Astronomy Wing of the castle.

Just point the camera up at the Gobstones and use the spell, Accio, to pull them to you when you’re close enough to do so.

There are many helpful shops in Hogwarts Legacy’s Hogsmeade Village, but one you’ll likely visit more often than most is Dogweed and Deathcap. Professor Garlick requires you to get Venomous Tentacula early in the game and you’ll need to run to Dogweed and Deathcap to do this. While not hidden from sight, it’s not the easiest store to locate in Hogsmeade. 

Where to find Dogweed and Deathcap in Hogwarts Legacy

Rather than being nestled near the center of Hogsmeade, Dogweed and Deathcap is located on the northern edge of Hogsmeade Village across the river in Hogwarts Legacy. You’ll want to cross the bridge, run up the path to the north, enter the peaked building, and talk to the woman behind the counter to purchase one of her plant wares. 

Near the start of the game, you'll find that the plants, seeds, and fertilizer the Dogweed and Deathcap owner sells are rather expensive. So you'll want to make sure you have enough Galleons on you before making your way to this shop. 

Where to get Venomous Tentacula, Mandrake, and  Chinese Chomping Cabbage    

Dogweed and Deathcap sells both the seed and fully grown plant forms of Chinese Chomping Cabbage, Mandrake, and Venomous Tentacula. However, the seller will only have so many of the grown plants in stock at a time. Your best bet is to buy the seeds and grow them yourself. The fact that you can do so much on your own in Hogwarts Legacy is one of the reasons this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. 

Need money for purchases?

There are a number of Eye Chests around Hogsmeade and these each contain 500 Galleons. There’s one outside above the Dogweed and Deathcap as well as one inside the building. Use Revelio while wandering around Hogsmeade to locate others. You can also sell old gear to most sellers in Hogsmeade to earn money. 

All of the combat plants you need 

Due to the helpful items sold at Dogweed and Deathcap, players will want to travel to this shop very early in their playthrough. Although the seeds are expensive, having them allows you to grow your own plants instead of having to go back to the shop time and time again and spend your hard-earned Galleons. You’ll just have to make sure you have the right potting tables in order to grow your plants. 

Mandrake, Venomous Tentacula, and Chinese Chomping Cabbage are all helpful combat items that you can throw out to injure or stun enemies in battle. You’ll want to make sure you always have some handy so you can take down enemies more easily.

What a week it's been for Microsoft news. The tech giant unveiled a new version of Bing featuring ChatGPT and a new version of Microsoft Edge with AI built in. We also saw hints that Windows 11 may gain native functionality for controlling RGB lighting and Microsoft outline changes to the free version of Teams.

New Bing with ChatGPT

Microsoft announced a new version of Bing with ChatGPT this week. The revamped search engine uses artificial intelligence to answer questions and understand natural language. Microsoft also used AI to improve the search results for Bing.

The news took the tech world by storm and sent waves throughout general news outlets as well. There's a good chance that this has been the most interest Bing has seen since it launched. Over 1 million people have signed up to try the new Bing with ChatGPT.

Microsoft held a live event to showcase the technology. That event was not streamed, but you can now watch it through Microsoft's YouTube channel. Our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino was there to cover the news live as it happened. He discussed Microsoft's announcements in more detail during this week's Windows Central Podcast.

Below are a collection of articles to help you catch up on all of the news from Microsoft's AI event:

• Microsoft announces new Bing featuring ChatGPT
• A new Microsoft Edge with AI is on the way
• How to sign up for the new Bing
• Could AI be a big part of Windows 12?
• Video: Watch Microsoft announced new Bing and Edge
• Many of our readers plan to switch to Bing
• Opinion: Microsoft doesn't care about the human cost of AI
• Opinion: New Bing will hurt websites that write guides

New Microsoft Edge

Bing wasn't the only Microsoft service to get love this week. The tech giant also unveiled a new version of Microsoft Edge that utilizes artificial intelligence. The new Edge has a fresh UI that will fit in on Windows 11 as well as an improved back end that should result in much faster performance.

The new Edge also has AI features, including a Sidebar section that lets you access the new Bing and use ChatGPT to compose content on the web.

We have a guide on how to try out the new Edge with ChatGPT if you'd like to use the new browser.

Bing and Edge are just the beginning when it comes to AI in Microsoft products. The company reportedly has plans to demo artificial intelligence features in Office next month.

Native RGB on Windows 11

Who doesn't like RGB lighting? At the moment, you have to control your PC's lights through third-party software. That could change in the near future. In a recent preview build of Windows 11, a "lighting" category appeared. Assuming the functionality rolls out at some point, it should let PC owners control RGB lighting without having to jump between different pieces of software.

Changes to free Microsoft Teams

Microsoft outlined changes to how people will be able to access Microsoft Teams for free later this year. While a free version of Teams will remain available, the migration progress could be awkward. If you already use the free version of Teams, you'll have to pay for a subscription to keep all of your data, chats, and other content. 

The new version free version of Teams won't have a way to import all of the data from the current free version of Teams.

Editorials

With so much news breaking each week, it's important to place it all in context. Our team of experts share editorials and opinion pieces frequently. You better believe our team had thoughts on AI, Microsoft Teams, and more.

• The human cost of AI doesn't matter to Microsoft
• Activision CEO: The UK will become a tech investment 'Death Valley' if it blocks the Microsoft acquisition — why he's right
• This is how Microsoft will compensate websites Bing and ChatGPT steals information from
• Microsoft Teams just made me move my American football team to WhatsApp
• Dear Microsoft: I don’t want you to remind me later, just take NO for an answer
• The Razer Edge is awesome but I wish they'd kept making phones instead

Review Roundup

Each week our team of experts take a close look at games, gadgets, and accessories. Hogwarts Legacy was the biggest review of the week, turning the heads toward the virtual wizarding world. In addition to our full review, make sure to check out Hogwarts Legacy guides.

• Vertagear's SL5800 gaming chair is colorful, comfy, and easy to build — it's almost perfect
• Review: Hogwarts Legacy wants to fulfill your wizarding wishes

Very few experiences are unique to specific Hogwarts houses in Hogwarts Legacy as most of the quests, items, and experiences are the same regardless of where you are sorted. However, the Ghost of Our Love quest which culminates around the Map with Floating Candles is very different depending on what house you belong to. 

We’ll go over the differences as well as how you can complete each house-specific variant of the quest so you can get the rewards regardless of what house you are in. It’s interesting things like this that make Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. 

How to unlock the Ghost of Our Love quest

Each of these Hogwarts Legacy quests leads you toward a ghost named Richard Jackdaw who you will do tasks with. Eventually, you will get a special map that you must decipher to get your reward for completing this mission. 

You might hear about this quest before you come upon it in your game since it's so unique compared to the others. That's because part of it is different depending on what Hogwarts House you were sorted into. Here's how to unlock the Ghost of Our Love quest. 

1. Attend all of the opening classes that are assigned to you.
2. Complete the Trials of Merlin Main Quest. 
3. Read the Owl Post that you receive. 
4. You’ll get a different quest starting location depending on what house you’re in. While the experiences you encounter will be different, the end reward is the same. Head to the proper quest start location. 
   • Gryffindor Quest: The Hunt for the Missing Pages.
   • Hufflepuff Quest: Prisoner of Love.
   • Ravenclaw Quest: Ollivander’s Heriloom.
   • Slytherin Quest: Scrope’s Last Hope.

Gryffindor Map of Floating Candles Richard Jackdaw Quest

Starting Location: The Great Hall

The Hunt for the Missing Pages Quest: Nearly Headless Nick will bring you to a cemetery to meet Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore. After talking to this individual, you can snag the Map with Floating Candles on the right side of the crypt. 

Hufflepuff Map of Floating Candles Richard Jackdaw Quest

Starting Location: Upper Hogsfield

Prisoner of Love Quest: Go to the house behind the Hamlet shop and you’ll find a chest near the door. Inside you’ll acquire the Map with Floating Candles.

Ravenclaw Map of Floating Candles Richard Jackdaw Quest

Starting Location: Ollivander’s shop in Hogsmeade

Ollivander’s Heriloom Quest: Upon talking to Ollivander, you’ll be told to go to the Owlery, a tower on the southwest grounds of Hogwarts. After solving a puzzle of sorts, you’ll get the Map with Floating Candles. 

Slytherin Map of Floating Candles Richard Jackdaw Quest

Starting Location: Squid Cave underneath Hogwarts

Scrope‘s Last Hope Quest: Players will need to make their way to a cave under Hogwarts with a large red squid painted on the wall that’s known as Apollonia’s Grotto. You unlock a hidden section of the cave by putting a piece of toast on the pedestal. Open the chest inside to get the Map with Floating Candles.

Where to find the Ghost of Our Love treasure

Make sure it’s night: The final reward for running through this quest can only be obtained at night. So make sure to change the time of day if you need to. You can do this by going into the map and pressing the Wait button (F for Windows, Right Stick for Xbox and Steam Deck).

What to do: Fast travel to the Forbidden Forest Floo Flame and head towards the stone bridge (not the wooden one). While next to the bridge, cast Lumos with your wand. A set of floating candles will appear in the air. Follow them over the wooden bridge and into the forest until you come upon a set of chairs and a table with a chest next to them. Open the chest to claim your rewards. 

Reward: 400 Galleons, 180 Experience Points, and Random Gear.

House-specific quests

The Ghost of Our Love quest with the Map of Floating Candles is one of the most unique quests in Hogwarts Legacy since it’s different depending on what house you’ve been sorted into. These tales will lead players in very different locations and give them a different understanding of the wizarding world in the process. 

Regardless of what house you are in and what quest you go on, you’ll get the same rewards at the very end. However, some of the quests are more interesting than the others. It might just be worth playing the game over again to experience the different versions of this quest.

Hogwarts Legacy really does all it can to help you feel like a magical witch or wizard.

One of the ways it does this is by allowing you to grow your own plants to use in potions.

However, while small potting tables are made available early on, you'll need to work a bit harder to unlock Large Potting Tables with Large Pots. We'll go over how to obtain these large pots as well as how to conjure them in The Room of Requirement.

All of the attention to detail and the ability to brew potions and grow plants to help in battle are some of the things that make Hogwarts Legacy one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

How to get a large pot in Hogwarts Legacy

Relatively early into your Hogwarts Legacy experience, you'll receive the "Tomes and Tribulations" quest. Completing it unlocks the Room of Requirement, giving you a place to decorate, brew potions, and grow magical plants.

However, you'll only have access to a limited number of decor, furniture, and pots at the start. Unfortunately, you won't be able to grow anything in large pots from the get-go, but this is easily remedied.

You'll want to grow plants as they can be used in combat to damage or weaken enemies. They can also be brewed into helpful potions that restore health or boost your stats in battle. For instance, Focus Potion, which reduces spell cooldowns, can be brewed after you've grown Fluxweed Stem in a large pot (as long as you have the two other necessary ingredients to create the potion).

Unlike combatant plants, Mallowsweet can be used to activate Merlin Trials. Here's how to get a large pot so you can start growing more magical plants.

1. Travel to Hogsmeade.
2. Enter the Tomes and Scrolls shop (it's the first building from the main Hogsmeade entrance).
3. Talk to the shopkeeper.
4. Purchase Large Potting Table with a Large Pot for 1,000 Galleons. (You can also purchase other items for the Room of Requirement here).

Pro tip: If you need money, wander around Hogsmeade and open all of the Eye Chests or regular chests you can find. Eye Chests have 500 Galleons each and you can always sell clothing to most shop owners to make some quick cash.

How to use a Large Pot in Hogwarts Legacy

1. Return to The Room of Requirement at Hogwarts (go to the Hogwarts map, click on the Sun icon, and then choose the Room of Requirement Floo Flame in a tall tower).
2. Use the Conjuring spell to access your list of conjurable items.
3. Select the Herbology icon.
4. Select the third icon on the left side of the menu that shows a large plant.
5. Select the style of Large Potting table that you want to place (a table with one Large Pot requires 10 Moonstones while a table with two Large Pots requires 30 Moonstones).
6. Make any adjustments that you might want to and then place it somewhere.
7. Back out of the Conjuration menu.
8. Interact with the table and choose what seed you want to grow (seeds can be purchased from The Magic Neep shop at Hogsmeade).
9. Wait for the plant to finish growing.
10. Harvest when the plant is ready.

Become a magic potter

You can make battles go a lot smoother if you bring the right plants and potions along with you.

One way to ensure that you have Venomous Tentacula or other large plants is to grow your own from seeds in The Room of Requirement.

You can easily obtain seeds from The Magic Neep shop in Hogsmeade, and additional furniture you might want for this special room can likewise be found at the Tomes and Scrolls shop.

Take time to grow your own plants, and you won't have to spend as much money in order to have them ready for battle. Good luck out there and have fun potting away!

As a student at Hogwarts, you quickly learn that several ingredients are necessary when brewing potions. One of these important ingredients is the disgusting-yet-oh-so-important Troll Bogey. But you won't just find these lying around the ground. No, you have to work for them by spending your hard-earned Galleons at a shop in Hogsmeade or by defeating trolls.

In this guide, I'll go over where to get Troll Bogeys, where to find troll lairs, and will also offer tips on how to defeat these massive enemies. 

Where to buy Troll Bogeys

There are two ways that you can acquire Troll Bogeys in Hogwarts Legacy. 

1. J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade: These sell for 100 Galleons each, but Pippin will only have a certain number of them available. The West Hogsmeade Floo Flame puts you right next to this shop. 
2. Defeat a troll: These massive enemies reside in lairs and random locations around the World Map. Defeating them in battle makes them drop Troll Bogeys.

Where to find Troll Lairs in Hogwarts Legacy

Troll Lairs are marked by a cave-like icon on the World Map. Take a look around and you can travel to these locations to take on these massive enemies. The more Floo Flame locations you've unlocked, the easier it will be to get to them all. It also helps to have unlocked a broom and upgraded its speed to go faster since many of these troll locations are relatively far from Hogwarts castle. 

Troll Lair locations

Tip: Zoom out all the way on the world map to see what areas of the map are called to make it easier to know where to go to find Troll Lairs. 

• South Sea Bog near Northern South Sea Bog Floo Flame
• At the southwest section of the Hogwarts Valley part of the map
• Around Feldcroft in the Feldcroft Region of the map
• Near Poidsear Castle in the Poidsear Coast part of the map

Can you cast Petrificus Totalus on Trolls?

Yes, you certainly can! Petrificus Totalus doesn't petrify the troll, but it does cause a decent amount of damage. You'll have to be very sneaky when going up behind the troll and cannot allow it or any of its allies to see you. Of course, once you do use the body-binding curse on a troll, the jig is up and all enemies in the area will be alerted to your presence including the massive enemy itself. 

Best way to defeat trolls in Hogwarts Legacy

Combat in Hogwarts Legacy is phenomenal, which is one reason why this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. There are basic trolls and then there are the far more dangerous armored trolls in Hogwarts Legacy. Regardless of which one you're fighting, they are both powerful and will take some work to defeat. Here are tips on how to beat them. 

• Bring plenty of Wiggenweld Potions: You'll likely need to heal several times during a troll battle. Make things easier by having a large supply of healing potions with you. 
• Use potions to raise your stats: Edurus Potion raises your defense, Thunderbrew Potion attacks enemies nearby, Focus Potion reduces spell cooldowns and Maxima Potion makes your spells stronger. You can buy these at J. Pippins Potions in Hogsmeade or you can brew them yourself in the Room of Requirement.
• Dodge and Counter: When the red symbol appears around your head that means that a massive attack is about to come at you. The only way to avoid it is to dodge. Trolls sometimes hit multiple times in a row so dodge all of their attacks and then work on hitting them again. If a yellow symbol appears around your head then press the Protego button to block (and counter if you've leveled the skill up). This will protect you and can hurt the troll in turn. 
• Throw stuff: You can cause a ton of damage by throwing objects around the area at a troll. Make use of anything you can get your hands on to whittle that health down faster. 
• Use Flippendo on its club: When you've unlocked Flippendo, you can cast it at a troll to make the club hit it in the face. 
• Volley basic spells with your most powerful ones:  You'll want to use attacks like Confringo, Incendio, and basically any red spells to cause more damage. It can take a while for your strongest attack spell cooldowns to complete so work on using your basic attack as much as you can and then hurling your strongest attacks whenever they're available. If you've unlocked multiple Spell Sets then swap between them to hit him with everything you've got. 
• Use your Ancient Magic attacks: When your Ancient Magic Meter is filled to a certain degree you'll be able to use powerful attacks on your enemies. For this reason, you should always make an effort to grab any Ancient Magic drops from enemies and then do an Ancient Magic attack when you can. 

Yuck, Troll Bogeys!

Trolls aren't easy to take down, especially early on the game before you've had a chance to really level up your spells or learn more powerful ones. But they can be defeated if you prepare accordingly and take care to dodge from their attacks when they come at you. 

You'll be able to get Troll Bogeys a whole lot faster if you come into a battle prepared with potions that boost your stats. Not to mention, you ought to have as many healing potions as you can get your hands on in case you get hurt. Those trolls do some massive damage with each hit. 

Collecting Demiguise Moon Statues is one of the most important side quests you complete during your Hogwarts Legacy playthrough.

After you return a specific number of these figures to Gladwin Moon, you'll learn stronger levels of Alohomora, allowing you to open locked chests and doors throughout Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the World Map.

But these tricky little Demiguise statues aren't easy to find. Here are the quickest ways to find all 30 of them.

How to get Alohomora in Hogwarts Legacy

Instead of learning Alohomora (the unlocking spell) from a professor in Hogwarts Legacy, you learn it from Hogwarts' caretaker, Godwin Moon.

He initially only teaches a basic Level 1 spell, but players can unlock a Level 2 and Level 3 Alohomora spell to open more rewarding chests and doors if they give Moon enough Demiguise Statues.

Godwin Moon's main quest mission "The Caretaker's Lunar Lament" unlocks relatively early on in the story.

Just keep doing main quests until you get to it. The ability to unlock so many abilities is one reason that this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there.

All 30 Demiguise Statues in Hogwarts Legacy

There are technically 33 Demiguise Statues in the game, but the first three are acquired during the initial "The Caretaker's Lunar Lament" quest. So these are the remaining 30 that you need to find on your own.

Note that Demiguise Statues can only be collected at night when they change from solid statues to transparent objects.

You can change the time of day by going into the map and then pressing the Wait button as indicated at the bottom of the screen.

Here is where to find all 30 Demiguise Statues.

Hogwarts (10 Demiguise Statues)

Hogwarts Astronomy Wing

• Demiguise Statue #1: The Astronomy Wing → Professor Fig's Office Floo Flame.
  • Head up the stairs of the classroom and into Fig's office. It's on a table next to the fireplace.
• Demiguise Statue #2: The Astronomy Wing → The Transfiguration Classroom Floo Flame.
  • Turn around and head into the double doors on your left. Go up the small flight of stairs and then go down several flights on the right until you see an armored horse. Turn around the corner and go right at the sleeping dragon statue. Unlock a Level 1 lock on a door to the right and you'll see the statue on some furniture near the door within the room.
• Demiguise Statue #3: Astronomy Wing → Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower.
  • Go down the stairs until you get to the ground level. Open the Level 2 locked door on the left and the statue is inside on a desk.

Hogwarts Great Hall

• Demiguise Statue #4: The Great Hall → Great Hall Floo Flame.
  • Head to the right of the Hufflepuff dining table and open the Level 1 locked door. You'll see it on a table near a chair.

Hogwarts Annex

• Demiguise #5: The Library Annex → Library Floo Flame.
  • Turn around and head into the Restricted section (gated area). Head downstairs and jump over the first opening into the floor below you. To the right of the Eye Chest you'll see a lamp and the Demiguise Statue.
• Demiguise Statue #6: The Library Annex → Potions Class Floo Flame.
  • Head through the double doors and then down the spiral staircase on the left. Open the Level 1 locked door and then head down the hall until you can unlock another door on the left. The Demiguise statue is in this small room below the Potions Class.
• Demiguise Statue #7: The Library Annex → Divinations Classroom Floo Flame.
  • Head up the spiral stairs and climb the dropping ladder to the Divination Classroom. You’ll find it on Professor Onai's desk.

Bell Tower Wing

• Demiguise Statue #8: The Bell Tower Wing → Beasts Classroom Floo Flame.
  • Turn around and unlock the Level 2 door on the Grounds Keepers building behind you. Go inside and head down the stairs to get this statue.
• Demiguise Statue #9: Bell Tower Wing → Hogwarts North Exit Floo Flame.
  • Turn around and look for a Level 1 locked door on the ground beyond the staircase. The Demiguise Statue is in a small room inside.

Hogwarts South Wing  

• Demiguise Statue #10: South Wing → Clock Tower Courtyard Floo Flame.
  • Turn around and go through the door behind the gate and head over the bridge through the next double doors. Head left and then unlock the Level 1 lock to get into the wizard's bathroom. Go through the out-of-order stall to find a secret room with a Demiguise Statue.

Hogsmeade (9 Demiguise Statues)

There are nine Demiguise Statues hidden throughout Hogsmeade and you'll need to know some higher up Alohomora spells to get them all.

• Demiguise Statue #1: Near a window in the Tombs and Scrolls store.
• Demiguise Statue #2: Enter the house that’s south of Ollivanders and you’ll find the statue on the second floor.
• Demiguise Statue #3: Inside the small back room of the Hog’s Head.
• Demiguise Statue #4: Inside The Three Broomsticks upstairs behind a Level 1 lock.
• Demiguise Statue #5: Enter the house on the right of The Three Broomsticks and you’ll find it on a small table.
• Demiguise Statue #6: Enter the house on the right of J Pippins Potions and you’ll find it on the second floor.
• Demiguise Statue #7: On the counter in the Gladrags Wizardwear store.
• Demiguise Statue #8: Enter the northern waterwheel house.
• Demiguise Statue #9: Enter the Level 1 Alohomora locked door across the street from Brood and Peck.

World Map (11 Demiguise Statues)

There are a total of 11 Demiguise Statues hidden throughout the World Map.

South Hogwarts Region

• Demiguise Statue #1: World Map → Aranshire Floo Flame.
  • Enter the closest house to the Floo Flame in Aranshire and you’ll find it on the second floor next to the bed.
• Demiguise Statue #2: World Map → Lower Hogwarts Field Floo Flame.
  • Enter the closest house to the Lower Hogsfield Floo Flame and you'll find it on the ground right next to the door.

North Ford Bog

• Demiguise Statue #3: World Map → Pitt-Upon-Ford Floo Flame.
  • Enter the house with a carriage out front at Pitt-Upon-Ford and go up to the top floor to see this statue on the floor between a mirror and a lamp.

Hogsmeade Valley

• Demiguise Statue #4: World Map → Upper Hogsfield Floo Flame.
  • Enter the house that has a well in front of it (across the street from the Hamlet Shops) and you’ll find the statue on a stool.

Hogwarts Valley

• Demiguise Statue #5: World Map → Keenbridge Floo Flame.
  • Go to the house behind Keenbridge Hamlet Shop that has pumpkins growing around it. Unlock the Level 1 locked door and you'll see the statue right inside on a table.
• Demiguise Statue #6: World Map → Brocburrow Floo Flame.
  • Go to the house on the other side of the road from the Brocburrow Floo Flame and you'll see the statue on the floor next to a red privacy screen.

Feldcroft Region

• Demiguise Statue #7: World Map → Irondale Floo Flame.
  • Enter the closest house to the Irondale Floo Flame and check on the floor behind the counter (next to the stove and fruit).
• Demiguise Statue #8: World Map → Feldcroft Floo Flame.
  • Go to the house that the Floo Flame is facing and unlock a Level 2 Alohormora door to get inside. The statue is on the window sill in front of the stairs as you enter.

Marunweem  Lake

• Demiguise Statue #9: World Map → Marunweem Floo Flame.
  • Go to the house that's closest to the bulletin board. You'll know you're in the right place when you see a stack of cauldrons near the door. Enter the house and look behind the left counter on the ground for the statue.

Manor Cape

• Demiguise Statue #10: World Map → Bainburgh Floo flame.
  • Enter the house across the way from the Hamlet Shop that has cages in the yard. You’ll find the statue on a small table next to a chair inside.

Cragcroftshire

• Demiguise Statue #11: World Map → Cragcroft Floo Flame.
  • Head north a little ways and enter the house next to the Hamlet shop. You’ll find the statue next to the bed on the second floor.

Demiguise in the moonlight

With plenty of Demiguise Statues turned into Gladwin Moon, no locked door or chest will be able to resist your charms.

Make sure to be on the lookout for these figurines wherever you go so you don't miss any. You'll want to make sure that it's nighttime, or else you won't be able to collect them.

Having Alohomora Level 3 unlocked early in the game allows you to get more treasures and other rewards along your journey that would otherwise be barred to you.

So you might want to take some time to collect as many of these as you can from the start before working on the other main quests in earnest.

As you wander beyond the castle grounds in Hogwarts Legacy you will come upon dozens of Merlin Challenges — circular platforms that react when Mallowsweet is placed on them. If you take the time to solve these puzzles, you'll be rewarded with experience points that you can use to level up your character's abilities. 

To unlock Merlin Trials, you'll first need to complete the "Trials of Merlin" sidequest which becomes available relatively early on. There are dozens of fun puzzles to complete in Hogwarts Legacy, which is one reason that this is one of the best PC games and best Xbox games out there. 

Merlin Trial Locations

Merlin Trials can be found all over the world map and are marked by a Mallowsweet Leaf symbol that kind of looks like a feather. Simply mark one of these as a waypoint, then make your way there by foot, broom, or beast in order to take on the Merlin Trial challenge that awaits you. 

How to solve all Merlin Trials in Hogwarts Legacy

Each Trial of Merlin in Hogwarts Legacy is unique to some extent, but they all fall into one of nine different puzzle types that require specific spells to solve. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what kind of puzzle you're after, but if you do a bit of poking around you'll find puzzle elements from one of the nine possible puzzle types. 

If you're having issues locating puzzle parts then use Revelio to make them glow blue. You might need to search around the Merlin Trial platform, but don't get too far or the parts you solved already will be reset. Here's how to solve each of the nine Merlin Trials puzzle types. 

Statue Repair Merlin Trial

Required Spell: Reparo

Use Revelio to locate destroyed statues near the Merlin Trial platform. Then go up to each broken statue and repair it with Reparo.

Sphere smashing Merlin Trial

Required Spell: Confringo

These challenges feature three groupings of stone spheres on raised pedestals. Your goal is to find these groupings and blast all of the balls with Confringo.

Platforming across stones Merlin Trial

Required Spell: None

You'll know it's this challenge if you see a line of white stone platforms that have a purple shimmer to them when the Merlin Trial is activated. The goal is to jump on all of them, but if you fall you have to start over. With far-apart stones, your best bet is to get a running jump from one platform to the next.

Cube symbol alignment Merlin Trial

Required Spell: Flippendo

This challenge involves totems that are made of two stone cubes stacked on top of each other. You'll need to use Flippendo from the correct angles in order to line up the symbol of the top cube with the bottom cube. You'll need to do this for three stone stacks in the area.

Exploding stones Merlin Trial

Required Spell: Confringo or Incendio

If you see cracked stone with green highlights, you'll want to go to all of them and use either Confringo or Incendio to destroy them all. There are typically five of these in an area.

Torch lighting Merlin Trial

Required Spell: Confringo