Defense against the Dark Arts is a key part of a Hogwarts education by the time Harry Potter is enrolled at the school of witchcraft and wizardry. This makes sense, given the times happening in the Harry Potter books, and it looks like the skill will be important in Hogwarts Legacy as well. The recent gameplay shown off at the Hogwarts Legacy State of Play has highlighted this a bit. It touches on Dark Wizards during the 1800s who’ve sided with Ranrok’s goblin rebellion, and the growing evil that seems to be circling the Scottish landscape Hogwarts is nestled on. In between these revealed plot points is also plenty of footage of players casting spells and curses.

Towards the end of the trailer, a rather alarming couple of seconds pops up. The player’s character appears, and sounds, to have cast the killing curse, Avada Kedavra. For veteran fans and newcomers alike, Avada Kedavra is easily recognizable. As one of the three unforgivable curses, it plays a prominent role in the Harry Potter series, as its titular character is the only person to have ever survived being struck by it. The green flash means instant death for any witch or wizard that’s a victim, and the State of Play confirms that Hogwarts Legacy players can use the killing curse.

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Using Dark Magic in Hogwarts Legacy

hogwarts legacy student uses killing curse

The use of the killing curse by players likely means that Hogwarts Legacy will allow fans to experiment with other forms of Dark Magic during playthroughs. Playing with morality in games can be an exciting way to test one’s boundaries, but given the lore Harry Potter has established, this choice should be done carefully. It’s well established that the unforgivable curses are "unforgivable" for a reason. Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra each torture, remove agency, and kill, respectively. These curses are intended to be malicious in their use, and using them in Hogwarts Legacy’s combat and dueling should bear consequences.

Players who choose to go down a dark path in the wizarding world that Hogwarts Legacy has built shouldn’t be able to do so without consequence, and they definitely shouldn’t be rewarded for it. If there are different ways to accomplish a task, then using the Dark Arts to get something done should come with ramifications. Much like the village of Hogsmeade is a privilege for students at Hogwarts, being able to access certain quest lines or companions should be affected by how the player conducts themselves.

If someone chooses to take a dark and dangerous path in Hogwarts Legacy, they should be allowed. However, using Dark Magic like the unforgivable curses, outside the preparation space within the Room of Requirement, should have a negative impact on the player. Characters like Tom Riddle, Severus Snape, and Igor Karkaroff were often shunned by their peers, and their meddling in the Dark Arts showed their true character. While not every opportunity was made inaccessible to them, their social groups and lives were at best tarnished by their association with the Dark Arts.

The same should happen for the player’s character. Seeing the morality one uses in Hogwarts Legacy have an effect on their playthrough would not only give the world more depth, but also show how actions have consequences. With all the spells highlighted in Hogwarts Legacy’s State of Play, it’s obvious that there are other magical options available for tense encounters. Dark Magic might not even be a true last resort, and if treated as a negative alternative, it could make the world of Harry Potter feel even more alive while playing.

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Curses in Hogwarts Legacy

hogwarts legacy combat magic spells duels

Since Hogwarts Legacy won’t have multiplayer, the spells and curses that players use are also going to be a major part of what pushes the game forward. Whether it be Dark Magic or more traditional options, the implementation of magic as a whole is going to be incredibly important. While the game shouldn’t reward players for using Dark Magic, it also shouldn’t immediately punish people for experimenting with it either. Learning new spells and curses will likely be very important, and players should have the option to try whatever magic they want.

There are going to be some outliers to this, like the unforgivable curses, but aside from using Avada Kedavra, Crucio, or Imperio, players should be able to test some of the gray options. Fiendfyre and Petrificus Totalus, while still curses, aren’t as nefarious as the unforgivable curses. The latter can become uncontrollable and thus should be limited in its use, but even Hermione Granger uses the Full Body Binding Curse in the Harry Potter series. This shows a clear gray area between the damage that the unforgivable curses can do, and what the more benign options in a witch or wizard’s arsenal are capable of.

Playing with this gray area could add to what makes Hogwarts Legacy stand out in the face of every other Harry Potter game. Concept art for Hogwarts Legacy has shown off incredible landscapes, stunning assets, and all-around enticing entries in the Harry Potter universe, but the magic that flows through all of this is what will connect fans to the game. Being too restrictive won’t allow Hogwarts to feel like the pinnacle of young wizarding minds that it is, but allowing too much freedom without consequence starts to pull it away from the established canon that fans have come to know. The sweet spot between these two things is what will be important.

The gameplay trailer for Hogwarts Legacy shows a game that looks like it will be able to find this middle ground. Everything shown off at the State of Play makes Hogwarts Legacy appear as the premier Harry Potter experience. Flying on brooms and using spell combos looks exciting, with the mysteries that Hogwarts is known for ever-present. Even better, all of this is pulled into a world where players have the chance to tell their own stories as a student of Hogwarts.

While ideally most of these students would follow in the footsteps of Sirius Black, there’s no denying that some will still take after Slytherins like Voldemort. However, they shouldn’t be able to do so without feeling the repercussions of making a Horcrux.

Hogwarts Legacy will launch holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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