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The announcement of Hogwarts Legacy in September 2020 made Potterheads tingle with excitement. With just over a week left for the game to be released, fans of the boy-who-lived can feel the magic in the air.
After being delayed twice since its announcement, Hogwarts Legacy is finally ready to transport fans into the magical world on February 10, 2023. PS4 and Xbox One players will only get it on April 4, which is still earlier than Switch users who have been promised access by July 25, barring any other setbacks. The game was initially designed for the PlayStation, with users even getting an exclusive quest. PC gamers may find it worthwhile to bring out their controllers for this one.
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Occurring in the 1890s, the game is set an entire century before the exploits of our favorite bespectacled nerd and allows players to be the witch or wizard they always dreamed of being. With vast options of customizations available, each can make their avatars and wands as they prefer.
The game is entirely single-player and allows up to 4 save slots, to provide for multiple users. Owing to the popularity of the Potterverse, most households may see multiple generations vying for a turn.
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System requirements and 9 other things you should know about Hogwarts Legacy
1) Magical role playing
Hogwarts Legacy promises to be a content-rich RPG with roughly 35 hours needed to complete the storyline, while 100% completion would require around twice that time.
True to its genre, the game encourages witches and wizards to walk their own path and features multiple endings. There isn't a morality system implemented, meaning players can even choose evil and use dark magic, shockingly including the unforgivable curses as well.
Each decision has its own implications and would lead players down very different paths. However, For those who spent their 11th birthday waiting for a letter from Hogwarts, it doesn't get any better than this.
2) System requirements
Hogwarts Legacy is available onwards of the PS4 and Xbox One for the two consoles, respectively, alongside the Nintendo Switch and PC. The game isn’t resource-heavy and delivers for Potter fans without a high-end machine. PC users can check the table below to compare their systems' specifications.
3) Preorder and preload
One of the most awaited releases of this year, Hogwarts Legacy allows you to pre-load the game to avoid excessive load on the servers on release. Four editions of the game are available: Standard, Deluxe, Digital Deluxe, and Collector's edition, each with different rewards and some cosmetics.
The game can already be pre-ordered, and the Deluxe editions allow purchasers access to the game 72 hours before the rest. Expected to take about 85GB of hard disk space, the game will be available to preload on February 5 or 7, depending on whether the Deluxe edition is purchased.
4) Sorting ceremony sorted
Instead of waiting for Hogwarts Legacy, readers can get sorted into their houses on the official Wizarding World website while also earning some cool house-specific threads. Though all players get a quest early on in the game, which pertains to the sorting ceremony, the Wizarding World official website has a mini-game that determines the House just like in the game.
Not only that, but players can also discover their first wand and Patronus, and all these can then be accessed in the game by linking your Wizarding World account with your WB games account.
Some may prefer waiting to experience these in the natural course of the game, but for those who have had their heart broken twice, fortnight matters after waiting for 3 years.
5) Locations to explore
Due to its time period, Hogwarts Legacy might not feature familiar characters, but it appears to have some familiar places. As you explore areas outside the castle throughout the school year, seasons will also keep changing.
Though students would be spending most of their time inside the castle walls, the nearby village of Hogsmeade is available for outings and serves as a marketplace, while the Forbidden Forest features a hostile environment players must be careful while traversing.
6) Companion characters
Like most other games of the same genre, Hogwarts Legacy features interactable characters with their own storylines who you can assist and befriend to have them accompany you across your adventures. The companions reportedly are:
Natsai Onai: A Gryffindor and "a brave adventurer driven by the justice she seeks."
Poppy Sweeting: A Hufflepuff with "a kind heart and loves magical beasts."
Sebastian Sallow: A Slytherin "unafraid of detention or breaking the rules."
Amit Thakkar: A Ravenclaw who's a "bright and well-read" aspiring wizard historian.
It’s commendable that the game shifts away from the established narrative that housemates are the only logical best friends and is inclusive towards individuals who were otherwise considered outsiders.
7) Classroom learning
Hogwarts Legacy is quite in line with the books and reality because attending classes is the primary way to advance your character and learn new spells and potions.
Players must attend Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Herbology classes to fully prepare for the game's challenges. There will likely be puzzles and dungeons one can’t complete without attending the relevant classes needed to learn the skills required.
Likewise, discovering potion recipes, growing plants, and taming magical creatures will all play essential roles in ensuring your character is well-equipped. It can heal itself while fending off magical enemies. Your strength and survivability depend on what you've learned and how well you've learned it.
8) Combat system
All the time spent in the classrooms pays off when in a tight spot. The Hogwarts Legacy trailer offers a good glimpse at what combat would look like, and it is just as hair-raising as one would expect magical fights to be, with opponents often outnumbering the player.
With over 20 slottable spells that can be learned over the game, players can slot up to 16 spells in four slots to create combinations that can be fired off in rapid succession. Attacks can be heavy or light, with each spell having a cooldown time. Combat isn't just magic, though, and allows plants and animals to be utilized to gain an edge.
9) Storyline
Though the plot is in line with the lore of the wizarding world created by J.K Rowling, the storyline is independently developed by Avalanche Software and Portkey games. The studio states:
"You have received a late acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and soon discover that you are no ordinary student: you possess an unusual ability to perceive and master Ancient Magic...Only you can decide if you will protect this secret for the good of all, or yield to the temptation of more sinister magic."
Step into the shoes of a student attending their final year in Hogwarts directly, attending classes and learning magic alongside other students. One can explore the world by getting lost in more than 100 side quests whose outcomes would affect the main storyline.
On the other hand, the wizarding world is dealing with a goblin rebellion led by Ranrok, a goblin who is angry with wizards for their treatment of his people. On the other hand, he has allied with a dangerous Dark Wizard faction leader named Victor Rookwood. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
10) The Room of Requirements
One of the most exciting secrets of Hogwarts was the Room of Requirements, and the developers have done honor to its intrigue by including it in the game. A mysterious room appears only to those who greatly need it and is always what is needed. It can be customized and upgraded quite extensively and even features a realm within a realm - a peaceful sanctuary where captured beasts can be set free and taken care of.
The Magical world has always held a firm place in the minds of us muggles, and while Hogwarts Legacy promises to scratch a lifelong itch, aspiring witches and wizards would be well served by picking up their favorite Harry Potter novel and losing themselves in the world of magic. After all, what better preparation for the game than a quick re-read of the series, which ignited the love for all things magical in the first place.
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