The release of Hogwarts Legacy is a huge event, and the game world is full of mysteries, mechanics, and secrets. To ensure your adventure gets off to a perfect start, we’ve compiled the top tips and tricks that will save you hours of real-world time.

1. Storytelling is more important than research

Once you arrive at Hogwarts, you’ll feel an overwhelming urge to explore every nook and cranny of the castle. Don’t rush. In the first few hours of the game, most mechanics and secrets will be inaccessible to you. Focus on completing the main story quests. Once you finish the prologue and progress through the story, the game will automatically grant you access to fully explore the world.

2. When will they give out brooms and mounts?

Many players want to take to the skies right away, especially owners of the Deluxe Edition with its exclusive mountable animals. But you won’t be able to fly at the start.
The broomstick becomes available after about 6–7 hours of gameplay, once you’ve completed the flying lesson quest. After that, you can buy your first broomstick in Hogsmeade for a few hundred gold.

Access to mounts will become available later in the story.

3. Transmogrification and the Secret Form for Quidditch

In the open world, you can find circular platforms that aren’t shown on the map. Land on one of these platforms with your broom and activate it with a fire spell. Once you find two of these locations, you’ll receive a Quidditch uniform skin.

Important note about appearance: The game features a transmogrification system. If you don’t like the look of a powerful hat or cloak, simply go to your inventory and change its appearance to any item you’ve previously found. Your stats will remain the same, and your wizard will always look stylish.

4. How to Open Chests with an Eye (Gold Farming)

The economy in Hogwarts Legacy is harsh—everything is very expensive. The best way to get rich quickly is to look for chests with a giant eye (there are especially many of them in Hogsmeade).
To open such a chest, it must not see you. Use the invisibility spell (Disillusionment Charm), sneak up, and grab 500 gold coins. Be sure to collect all the loot around you to sell it to merchants.

5. Inventory Management—The Key to Success

At the start of the game, you’ll have a critically low amount of inventory space.

Sell, don’t destroy: Always sell old gear in Hogsmeade. Only destroy items as a last resort if you find a powerful item right in the middle of a mission and have no room in your bag (you won’t receive any resources when you destroy items).

Expanding Slots: To increase your inventory capacity, complete Merlin’s Trials scattered throughout the open world.

6. What should you buy first?

Don’t waste gold on new hairstyles or ready-made potions and plants—it’s unreasonably expensive. Buy only recipes and blueprints.
Top priorities for purchases:

Sweet Mallow Recipe. You need this plant to start Merlin’s Trials. Grow it constantly and in large quantities.

A large pot. A basic small pot isn’t suitable for growing all types of plants, so buying a large pot for your plants is a must.

7. The Rescue Room and Fantastic Beasts

The legendary Rescue Room will unlock as you progress through the main storyline. Don’t worry if it seems cramped at first—it will expand as you make progress. Access to rescuing and breeding magical creatures (the vivarium) will become available closer to the second half of the game.

8. Decor and the Endless Moonstone

To decorate the Rescue Room, you’ll need furniture blueprints (hidden in hundreds of collection chests on the map) and a Moonstone.
Moonstones are mined from blue crystals in the open world. If you urgently need some stone for building, simply remove the standard paintings and rugs that are initially hanging in your Rescue Room—the game will return the resources to you.

9. Stealth — Imba

Don’t underestimate stealth. Silently eliminating enemies while under the effects of an invisibility spell kills them permanently (rather than just temporarily stunning them). In battles against “tough” opponents on high difficulty levels, stealth will save you a lot of time and potions. Plus, you get an achievement for 50 stealth kills.

10. Combat Tactic: The “Protego” and “Ostalbeney” Combo

There are two types of dodging in the game: rolling and the Protego magic shield.
Secret mechanic: If you press the Protego button to parry an attack at the right moment, you’ll simply block the damage. But if you hold down the Protego button, your character will automatically launch a powerful counterattack with the Stupefy spell. Get into the habit of doing this, and battles will become much easier.

11. Best Talents (Where to Spend Points)

The maximum level in the game is 35. You won’t be able to max out all your skills, and you can’t reset your talents. Choose wisely!
We recommend prioritizing the following:

New spell panels (Core Talent Tree): The four basic slots are definitely not enough. Immediately take talents for additional magic “wheels” (up to 3 additional panels).

Basic Spell Mastery: Normal attacks will recharge your powerful spells faster.

Protego Absorption: A successful parry will fill the Ancient Magic bar faster.

12. How to Unlock Dark Magic (Unforgivable Curses)

Spells like Avada Kedavra, Crucio, and Imperius aren’t unlocked right away. They’re tied to the side quest line involving Sebastian Sallow, a Slytherin student. You’ll meet him early on, but the actual quests to learn the Dark Arts won’t appear until much later. Whether to study them or not is entirely up to you.