Anyone who grew up reading theHarry Potterseries probably went through a phase where they secretly hoped that they would get a mysterious letter in the mail on their 11th birthday, inviting them toHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. NowHarry Potterfans can really live out the fantasy by playingHogwarts Legacy,coming to next-gen consoles next year. It promises an adventure of epic proportions in and around Hogwarts, all about mastering magic while uncovering ancient secrets and attending the school during the late 1800s.
Of course,Hogwarts Legacywouldn’t be a completeHarry Pottergame if it didn’t feature any magical creatures. The fantastic beasts of the wizarding world are so important to the setting that they’ve spawned their own series of films starring Newt Scamander, Magizoologist andHarry Potterdeep lore mainstay. Plenty of creatures were showcased at the first trailer for the game revealed at the latest PS5 showcase.
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Boggarts
These mysterious shapeshifters are liable to keep players on their toes. They don’t just transform into anything – they’ll take the form of a person’s worst fear, making them intimidating by nature. Thankfully,Hogwarts Legacylooks like it’ll teach players to deal with these creatures as a part ofDefense Against The Dark Artsclasses. Beyond their attempts at intimidation, they might not be much of a threat in the game, since they seem easy to leave contained in closets. One wonders if some element of player choice or character customization will determine the player character’s worst fear.
Hippogriffs
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanbrought these lesser-known cousins of griffins to the forefront. Half griffin and half mare, these proud and noble creatures fly masterfully but have something of a temper. Based on a brief flying shot in the trailer, it looks like players might get to interact withhippogriffs inHogwarts Legacy.It wouldn’t be surprising if they came up as a core part of a Care for Magical Creatures class and served as some means of fast travel besides things like broomsticks.
Inferi
This is something of a darker creature that’s liable to serve as a significant threat. There’s a form of dark magic that can animate human corpses into mindless but highly aggressive undead minions known as Inferi. IfHarry Potter’s own encounterwith them is anything to go off of, they’re not to be trifled with. However, the name somewhat ironically hints at their weakness: they have an aversion to fire. If the team at Avalanche Software keeps that bit of lore in the game, players would be wise to pack some sort of fire spell before exploring ruins and dark wizard lairs.
Dementors
The soul-sucking wraiths known as Dementors made their first appearance inPrisoner of Azkabanas well, but plague Harry Potter and his allies throughout the series. A swarm of them appears in the trailer forHogwarts Legacy,suggesting that players will be forced to confront themoutside of magizoology studies. It’s likely that they’ll appear as a late-game enemy, since the most reliable way to combat them is using the Patronus Charm, which is famously difficult to master. Dementors might serve as an obstacle that keeps players from entering certain areas or achieving certain objectives until the late game.
Graphorns
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Themdid more than just launch Newt Scamander intothe forefront ofHarry Pottermedia. It also introduced fans to a wealth of new creatures, including the graphorn. These titans have a gait and posture sort of like a rhinoceros, but they have a vast crown of horns and a mass of tentacles that cover their mouths. Based on the trailer, players will have to contest with graphorns at some points, but they can also be tamed or calmed down. Notes taken in Care for Magical Creatures might be lifesavers in this game.
Mooncalves
Another creature that got some attentionmore recently inFantastic Beastsis the mooncalf. These odd little creatures have long necks and huge, round blue eyes; supposedly they only emerge from their burrows during full moons, a likely namesake. They seem pretty docile, but considering there’s a short of a Hogwarts student feeding a group of mooncalves, players should expect to come across them in the classroom, and perhaps elsewhere too.
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Trolls
Trolls are classic fantasy brutes. Not evenwizards in theHarry Potteruniverseare free from contending with them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione famously had to battle a troll during their very first year at Hogwarts. Though these slow, hulking creatures might not be the quickest or cleverest enemies inHogwarts Legacy,they are famously durable and usually come equipped with oversized clubs. For all the tricks that Hogwarts is sure to teach players over the course of the game, trolls are likely to be a regular nemesis to players, soaking up damage while dishing it out.
Giant Spiders
Unfortunately for arachnophobes, trolls aren’t the only classic fantasy monster that will show up in this game. There’s a shot of a student fighting off a giant spider, which makes it likely that the Forbidden Forest and other deep, dark locations like it will feature large spiders in scores. These spiders might be Acromantulas like Aragog, meaning a much bigger spider might still be waiting in the wings. Interestingly, the game takes place well before Aragog arrived and populatedthe grounds of Hogwartswith his kind. Considering the Forbidden Forest’s reputation, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were always wolf-sized spiders lurking out there.
Dragons
The trailer saves perhaps the most climactic magical creature of all for the end: there will be dragons inHogwarts Legacy.As one would expect, the player is dwarfed by dragons, and they look like they’ll serve up some very dramatic battles, perhaps towards the end of the game. It’s a little hard to know what to expect from the dragons inHogwarts Legacy,since the setting’s lore is rich with a wide range of dragon species that Avalanche Software could incorporate. It could be that the player will have several dragon encounters throughout the game, gradually leading up to some of the deadliest species in the world.
Thestrals?
Finally, it looks likely that thestrals will appear in the game. Although they’re not objectively confirmed, there are multiple shots in the trailer that involve a flying carriage seemingly pulled by nothing. It’s not unlikely that those carriages are actually being pulled by thestrals, the skeletal winged horses only visible to those who have witnessed a death.
With that in mind, it’s not unlikely that there will be a plot point involving the player seeing thestrals for the first time. Altogether, these magical creatures only scratch the surface ofwhatHarry Potter’s world has to offer. Odds are many more fantastic beasts will come to the forefront once Avalanche is ready to tell us where to find them.
Hogwarts Legacyreleases in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
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