The world of Hogwarts Legacy is filled to the brim with magical creatures and curious oddities, and an intuitive player might have figured out how a small side quest contains a cleverly hidden reference to one of Harry Potter's best friends. This is just one of a plethora of Easter Eggs and references in the game.
Hogwarts Legacy is set in the same magical world that the Harry Potter books and movies have established over decades. The game takes place a few decades before the adventures of Harry Potter and follows an equally interesting story of a young wizard with the ability to sense ancient magic. This Action RPG title lets players step into the shoes of this young wizard, who has to complete their fifth year at Hogwarts while thwarting an evil plot by Dark Wizards and Goblins. The game's expansive open-world structure allows players to explore the halls of the legendary school, fly around the school grounds, or even walk through places like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade; locations that most players have come to know and love through the books and movies.
Hogwarts Legacy encourages players to carefully comb through every inch of Hogwarts and other areas to find secrets and hidden opportunities. In one such adventure, Reddit user Leon_Depisa figured out how a small side quest called "Follow The Butterflies" contains a cleverly hidden reference to one Ronald Weasley. The side quest in question is offered by Clementine Willardsey at Hogsmeade and has the players go through a casual jaunt across the Forbidden Forest. Avid fans of the franchise will recognize that in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, and Ron have to follow a trail of spiders into the Forbidden Forest. Ron, who has severe Arachnophobia, is terrified at the prospect and complains, "Why spiders? Why couldn't it be "follow the butterflies"?"
Some players were quick to mention how the reference passed them by and congratulated Avalanche Studios on masterfully hiding such small references. The Arcomantulas in Hogwarts Legacy aren't the biggest magical beasts, but still scary and massive enough to give anyone the creeps. While some players mention being slightly uncomfortable, others mention how the Acromantulas might cause players with Arachnophobia to have a much more severe reaction. While most players agree that even though the six-legged foes can be defeated with skillful spell casting or chucking Chinese Chomping Cabbages, it's better not to fight them if it can't be helped.
This is not the only reference from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that exists in Hogwarts Legacy, as the girls' bathroom in Slytherin dungeons where the entrance to the fabled chamber exists can be visited. And if the chamber is not enough, observant players can spot Salazar Slytherin's pet Basilisk crawling around a part of the castle. As players continue to explore the world of Hogwarts Legacy, other Easter Eggs are bound to be discovered, hidden away carefully by developers as a sign of respect.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on April 4, and the Nintendo Switch version is arriving on July 25, 2023.