Hogwarts Legacy

Commentary: The game lets you dive into an unseen era of the wizarding world, and it's a joy to explore.

The world opens up in a big way once you finish your first flying lesson and get your own broom. The game encourages you to use every tool in your arsenal, instead getting comfortable with a few basic combos and relying on them to get through every battle. Crucially, the flow of quests gives you time to get comfortable with each new ability before introducing another -- you'll attend a class and then use what you've learnt in a few story missions or side quests. You can also apply the appearance of any previous clothing to new ones, so you aren't stuck looking ridiculous just because a certain item has higher stats. These are varied and fun in terms of gameplay, exploration and puzzle-solving, but feel even more worthwhile since they present opportunities to learn more about the quest-givers and world. The development team's love for Harry Potter is apparent in every aspect of Hogwarts Legacy, but shines most brightly in the world and its characters. (It's frustrating that you can't pause during cutscenes though.) This characterisation is woven through the main story and its side quests, which range from investigating one of the castle's mysteries and sneakily grabbing potion ingredients to wandering into a dangerous cave. The house you end up in doesn't seem to change much beyond the common room, your uniform and some throwaway lines. In 1998, my Mum handed me a copy of Philosopher's Stone -- Sorcerer's Stone in the US -- and that first chapter sucked me right in its magical universe. After creating your character, you're whisked off on a brief opening adventure before reaching the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The customization options are a key element in living out your wizarding world fantasy, and they're a joy. Rowling's inflammatory comments about transgender people](/culture/entertainment/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-backlash-calling-j-k-rowling-transphobic/), sucked the remaining fun out of the franchise, and I figured it was time to move on.

The most ambitious game ever to emerge from the franchise will delight fans — unless they join the boycott.

For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. You'll enjoy access to several newsletters including FirstFT, a daily newsletter with the global stories you need to know as well as Editor's Choice, a weekly newsletter featuring the editor's favourite stories. Access our essential offering with over 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering markets, politics, business, tech and more.

Hogwarts Legacy lets players live out their Harry Potter fantasies in the form of a massive open world game that exceeds expectations.

Our initial playthrough of Hogwarts Legacy took about 20 hours, and that was with completing all the main story quests and many side quests. This way, players can play through all of Hogwarts Legacy in traditional school robes and not have to walk around with dorky-looking hats simply because they have better stats. In typical open-world fashion, the Hogwarts Legacy map is peppered with activities for players to complete, and while not all of these activities are particularly engaging, one can't complain about having a lack of things to do in the game. There's so much to do in the game that it really ran the risk of collapsing in on itself or feeling half-baked, but everything is polished to a sheen. Hogwarts Legacy is a game that may have benefited from using a silent protagonist, as the main character doesn't have much in the way of a discernible personality and cutting out their pointless dialogue (which usually amounts to "Yes, I agree" or "No, I don't agree" with more words) would have sped things up considerably. One potential problem with having a system like this in Hogwarts Legacy is it forces players to wear items that do not match what a However, Hogwarts Legacy gives players the option to equip items and enjoy their stats without actually displaying them on their character. These problems plague the main quests too, but to a lesser extent, and in general, the main story path offers a lot more variety. Hogwarts Legacy players take on the role of a new Hogwarts student who has a strange connection to a powerful form of ancient magic. There are no real consequences for utilizing Unforgivable Curses, and in fact, Avada Kedavra is necessary to make some of the later fights in the game more tolerable. [Trolls in Hogwarts Legacy](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-trolls-harry-potter-philosopher-stone-finisher-combat/) are spell-sponges with absurdly large health bars, especially later in the game, and so the battles against them can turn into 10 to 15-minute affairs. [Hogwarts Legacy combat](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-combat-finishers-duels-animation-enemies/) is an exhilarating test of quick thinking and strategy, with players having to act fast to evade incoming attacks while also keeping their combos up.

The open world Harry Potter action-RPG Hogwarts Legacy features a transgender character players can meet and interact with.

Others have accused the studio of including a "token transgender character" to try to get some of the heat off itself. [Hogwarts Legacy lets players visit Hogsmeade](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-hogsmeade-emphasis-good-lighter-tone/), a small magical village located relatively close to Hogwarts castle. [transgender character in Hogwarts Legacy](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-transgender-character-creation-options/) has sparked a mixed response. Time will tell how Harry Potter fans ultimately react to the character once the Without going into spoilers, players have the option to ask Ryan about why she trusts a certain other character in the game. [boycott of Hogwarts Legacy](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-social-media-boycotts-jk-rowling-goblin-rebellion/), with some claiming that buying the game amounts to supporting Rowling's transphobic views.

It doesn't seem that Twitch creators are able to opt out of the Hogwarts Legacy ads.

Some smaller creators have replied, saying that they will take part in the boycott, or at least turn their ads off while the ad is live on Twitch. This comes after a creator was made aware of Hogwarts Legacy ads that were apparently interrupting her streams, prompting her to stop streaming while the campaign is in place. Other content creators are opting to turn their ads off for the duration of the campaign, refusing to platform the [Harry Potter](https://www.thegamer.com/tag/harry-potter/) series on their streams.

'Hogwarts Legacy' has seemingly introduced the 'Harry Potter' series' first trans character amid the on-going J.K. Rowling controversy.

When crafting the look of the main character at the beginning of the game, players have the option to choose from a variety of looks that mix and match feminine and masculine characteristics. And no matter the look of the character, players can choose from either masculine- or feminine-sounding voices, which are available in multiple registers. We know our fans fell in love with the Wizarding World, and we believe they fell in love with it for the right reasons. As a result, Potter fans are deciding whether to purchase Hogwarts Legacy when some of the profits will go back to Rowling. [Hogwarts Legacy](https://ew.com/gaming/hogwarts-legacy-simon-pegg-phineas-nigellus-black/), the hotly anticipated open-world role-playing game set in the world of Harry Potter, features a character called Sirona Ryan, a witch that serves as the owner of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village. Hogwarts Legacy has been a hot-button topic among the Harry Potter fandom in light of Rowling's continued comments about trans people.

The new 'Harry Potter' video game, 'Hogwarts Legacy,' features the series' first trans character amid controversy over J.K. Rowling comments.

“Sirona” is a traditional Celtic name, but some people have zeroed in on the choice to give a trans woman a name that starts with “Sir.” It even seems oddly inline with Rowling’s own habit of giving some characters comically stereotypical names like Cho Chang, Seamus Finnigan, or Anthony Goldstein. I don’t know how it appears in the final product but one of the sources I talked to described it as ‘performative bullshit.’” But this stab at broadening representation hasn’t exactly gone over well — not necessarily with Rowling’s defenders, but rather Potter fans who have raised questions and criticisms over the intent behind the character’s inclusion and her incredibly minor role in the game. Ryan is a witch that runs the Three Broomsticks, an inn and pub in Hogsmeade Village, that the player interacts with during a mission involving a goblin. [Harry Potter](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/harry-potter/) video game is ostensibly trying to distance itself from [J.K. Which is more than I can say for some of my own classmates.

Hogwarts Legacy, the new video game stemming from author J.K. Rowling's “Harry Potter" fiction, is launching this week to big sales and big controversy.

It has not yet published a review of the game. Rowling, but because we feel the continued popularity of Harry Potter only provides her with a larger platform and further legitimizes her views, which we in turn feel are harmful to trans people.” Rowling” that states inconclusively: “As critics, our job is to answer the question of whether or not we find Hogwarts Legacy to be fun to play and why; whether it’s ethical to play is a separate but still very important question.” (Access to the game, so far, is controlled by Warner Bros., which like any other publisher, chooses which outlets to send review copies to.) Among her many comments on gender since then, she has mocked the idea that the phrase “people who menstruate” could refer to anything other than women. [published an essay](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/jk-rowlings-anti-transgender-stance-and-hogwarts-legacy/1100-6501632/)by Earl about Rowling’s views and the game. [told Axios](https://www.axios.com/2022/08/25/warner-bros-games-discovery-david-haddad): “We're going to stay very focused on the game that we built and the great job that the Avalanche studio has done.” He added: “We want everybody that loves this world and loves these stories and loves these characters.” [the Washington Post recently described](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/23/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-trans/)as “the pain and difficulty in being a Harry Potter fan of late.” [let players make trans characters](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-02/harry-potter-video-game-will-allow-for-transgender-characters)by [decoupling body and voice selections from gendered terms](https://www.axios.com/2022/11/21/character-creation-lgbtq-hogwarts-legacy-world-of-warcraft)in the users’ character creation process has been viewed as a subtle repudiation of Rowling. [actors for the Potter movies](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/harry-potter-cast-how-stars-feel-about-j-k-rowling-controversy/)who have [distanced themselves](https://ew.com/celebrity/sebastian-croft-apologizes-hogwarts-legacy-video-game-casting-backlash/#:~:text=Croft%20took%20a%20moment%20to,aware%20of%20JK%20Rowling's%20views.)from Rowling and overtly supported trans rights. - A Canadian outlet, TheGamer, is among those that won’t review Hogwarts Legacy. [accused of transphobia](https://www.glamour.com/story/a-complete-breakdown-of-the-jk-rowling-transgender-comments-controversy)— she denies it — since 2018, when she “liked” a tweet that said that trans women are “men in dresses” ( [per Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/03/the-metamorphosis-of-j-k-rowling-00043835), she said it was for research purposes).

In almost every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG many have always wanted.

However, if you’re as much of a loot hoarder as I am and were hoping to gather up all the treasures in the world and dump them in a closet like in Skyrim you’ll be painfully disappointed by Legacy’s abysmal inventory space, which only lets you hold a couple dozen items and aggravatingly fills up in no time at all. This means you’ll miss out on tons of items early on unless you go to your menu and decide which precious treasure to throw overboard every time you open a chest. I will say though, with the wizarding buffet of endless ways to waste your time, it’s a pretty glaring omission that Quidditch is nowhere to be found. None of it is particularly game-changing stuff, but it managed to capture my attention enough for me to spend a good chunk of time looking at my equipment. I was able to get through the main story in 32 hours, but even though I was in something of a hurry to complete it I found staying on task almost impossible. Because you can only have so many spells equipped at any time, the one part of combat that’s a bit of a drag is the somewhat clunky process for switching between, which takes some serious getting used to. What’s especially weird is that it’s not like there aren’t other enemy types to be found in Legacy – you’ll find giant, evil frogs and zombies roaming about, to name a few – it’s just that they’re scarcely used in any of the main dungeons or levels. It’s a huge and important part of the Hogwarts fantasy that Legacy just knocks out of the park. That’s a shame, since the Harry Potter universe is known for having all manner of beasts and villains to face off against, and yet here there’s practically no variety. It’s understandable since there’s so much packed into this beast of an adventure, but the PS5’s promises of the death of loading screens haven’t quite been lived up to here as it’s clearly struggling to keep up with the spellcraft and whimsy of the Wizarding World. But none of these has come close to fulfilling that fantasy of receiving a Hogwarts admission letter that opens the door to a secret world. Unexpectedly, I even found myself looking forward to hanging out with my professors, whether it was my main man Professor Fig, who serves as both something of a mentor and as a sidekick, or the wise-cracking charms teacher Professor Ronen, who made me love him mostly by making fun of me.

The character, Sirona Ryan, runs the Three Broomsticks tavern and is first encountered in the second main story quest. Sirona's inclusion in Hogwarts Legacy is ...

We know our fans fell in love with the Wizarding World, and we believe they fell in love with it for the right reasons," he said. a friend?](/articles/the-last-of-us-hbo-who-is-kathleen-and-why-is-she-so-mad-at-henry) [Hogwarts Legacy Review14h ago - In almost every way, this is the Harry Potter RPG I’ve always wanted to play.](/articles/hogwarts-legacy-review-harry-potter-ps5-xbox-pc) We have a diverse cast of characters that players will encounter throughout the game." The Character Creator is just one example of that and of course, the large, diverse cast of characters present throughout the game have also had a huge amount of thought from Avalanche and Warner Bros. Offering players choices in the way they play the game is an element that we have worked on since the start of development. IGN asked Portkey to comment on Sirona's inclusion in the game, and a representative for the developer responded via email:

We're still playing through this lengthy adventure, but the early hours reveal a deep and expansive game of exploration and magic.

The game will launch on PS4 and Xbox One on April 4, with a subsequent launch on Switch scheduled for July 25. Upgrades and leveling happen through the completion of missions and challenges in the world, and it’s a lot of fun. While the dialogue and voice acting thus far have been excellent, the story is struggling a bit with pacing and finding a groove. They’ve thrown a lot of options at the player, from broom-riding to spider-fighting to classes with eccentric and prickly professors. In recent hours, I’ve taken to my broom, and I’ve been flying outside the castle, which is both enjoyable and makes for a rewarding navigation experience. In that time, my most notable impression is that the developers have captured what is distinct and memorable about this fiction.

IGN added a disclaimer about J.K. Rowling's past comments about transgenderism and women's rights while reviewing the “Hogwarts Legacy” RPG game on Monday.

"In nearly every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG I’ve always wanted to play. "As critics, our job is to answer the question of whether or not we find Hogwarts Legacy to be fun to play and why; whether it’s ethical to play is a separate but still very important question," it said. While the bulk of the article focused primarily on the game play, the review also featured a disclaimer in a box titled "Concerning J.K. Rowling, whose comments about transgender people in recent years have left a sour taste in the mouths of many current and former Potter fans, both at IGN and in the world at large. It’s certainly weighed down by technical issues, a lackluster main story, and some poor enemy variety, but even those couldn’t come close to breaking its enchanting spell over me," Northup ruled. The website released a lengthy review of "Harry Potter" game ahead of its release on Thursday.

"Hogwarts Legacy," a video game set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World will include the franchise's first transgender character, Sirona Ryan.

“Hogwarts Legacy” is scheduled to launch Feb. “Faced with perilous dangers, players will defend Hogwarts against deadly enemies and uncover the secrets of the wizarding world’s forgotten past.” “While remaining true to J.K. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.” [GameRevolution](https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/934065-hogwarts-legacy-trans-character-transgender-sirona-ryan)): “Hadn’t seen him in years when he came in a few months ago. Rowling’s Wizarding World of more than 100 years ago — will include the franchise’s first transgender character.

Your 100% completion guide for Hogwarts Legacy - Hogwarts Legacy is a new open world title set in the Harry Potter univers...

For the final section of our Hogwarts Legacy guide, we'll share some tips and tricks for beginners, covering points we think are important to know as you play the game. You will unlock a way to increase your gear slots, but until that happens, always sell the stuff you don't want at shops in Hogsmeade. Features like The Room of Requirement and riding a broomstick have featured quite heavily in footage shown prior to release, but it takes quite a lot of time before you actually gain access to them. For this part of our Hogwarts Legacy guide, we're going to focus on Trophies. This will help you to get a better grasp of the early game much quicker and know what to look out for. There are 12 Assignments in the game, and they represent optional objectives you can complete for teachers in order to unlock new Spells.

Everything you need to start off in the Harry Potter video game…

Hogwarts Legacy (PS4) Hogwarts Legacy (PS5) Hogwarts Legacy spell locations

Hogwarts Legacy, despite being enmeshed in a near-constant state of controversy, is already breaking sales records on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and unless the game ...

I thought I would update this post now that I’ve had the chance to play the game a few hours before Early Access begins on consoles (and a bit longer if you’re on PC, unfortunately). I’ll have proper impressions up later and a full review down the road (this game is huge) but for now, I can honestly say this is the most fun I’ve had in an RPG in years—at least in an RPG that isn’t a Dark Souls / Bloodborne / Elden Ring game. The game is beautiful, by the way. There’s a fascinating mysterious plot that kicks off right away, but you almost forget all about it as you enter Hogwarts, sit with the Sorting Hat to pick a House and then head off to class, to Hogsmeade, and to all the adventure you encounter along the way. Comments which use derogatory language, in this thread or anywhere else on the sub, will be removed and the user will be banned, with the duration/permanency at the mod team’s discretion. Rowling has put a damper on things, but I believe you can purchase and enjoy the game whether or not you agree with Rowling’s politics. Hogwarts Legacy has been shaping up into what looks like a very good game (I had many doubts early on but I’ve come to be pretty excited about the game). So 9pm PST / 10pm MST / 11pm CST on the 6th, and then 12am EST on the 7th (at least, that’s what the below map appears to convey despite the Hogwarts Legacy tweet’s text): The open-world Harry Potter game allows players to explore the magical school Hogwarts as a young witch or wizard as they attend school, fight monsters, fly on broomsticks and cast spells—all in a fantastical open-world. Whenever the clock strikes midnight and the carriage turns back into a pumpkin and the dress into rags, lose your glass slippers and hop into the game. If you pre-ordered the game’s physical Collector’s Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition on console or PC you’ll get 72 hours of early access. The most highly-anticipated game of 2023 (so far) is almost upon us.

Experience Ollivanders wand shop by letting your wand choose you or customizing one by changing its style, wood, length, flexibility, and core.

Source Images: Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Source images: Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. See which core best suits your needs in this To learn more about your wand’s flexibility, check out the Your wand can be anywhere from 9 1⁄2 inches to 14 1⁄2 inches long, with increments every quarter inch. Ollivanders wand shop uses three different cores — dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, and phoenix feather. There are 19 different flexibility options to choose from in Hogwarts Legacy. To see all of the wand variations, look through the gallery below. It’s purely cosmetic, so create a wand that you’re happy with! Once you have selected and purchased your wand at Ollivanders, you cannot change your wand. If not, you’ll be given a wand with random characteristics. Keep reading to see all of the options you can choose from, and if your wand affects your in-game strength.

Despite repeated controversies over J.K. Rowling's views, it seems the wizarding world may have debuted its first transgender character.

Rowling](https://deadline.com/tag/j-k-rowling/)’s views about the [transgender](https://deadline.com/tag/transgender/) community, it seems the wizarding world may have debuted its first transgender character. “We met when I was waiting tables here as a student — well before I bought the place,” Sirona says. For us, it’s making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.” In Hogwarts Legacy, the open-world role-playing game debuting this Friday, Sirona Ryan is a witch who owns and runs the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village. That they have a home here and that it’s a good place to tell their story.”

Choosing the best difficulty and image quality settings in Hogwarts Legacy can make a big difference to gameplay and the overall enjoyment of players.

The best image quality settings in Hogwarts Legacy will come down to a combination of personal preference and the type of display that players are using. Players will also be able to decide whether to cap the frame rate from this menu, with the setting being enabled by default. This is because players will be able to change the difficulty setting at any time simply by pausing the game and navigating to the "Gameplay Options" menu. Completionists may also be interested to learn that there are no trophies/achievements tied to the player's difficulty setting, meaning that all of them can be unlocked while playing the game on the "Story" setting if players so wish. There are four different difficulty settings available, with the main differences between them being how much damage enemies are able to deal to players and how much they are able to absorb. For those curious about what all of the difficulty settings in Hogwarts Legacy mean or which display option will be better for them, this guide should have all of the answers.

Did you know that you can visit the infamous prison known as Azkaban in Hogwarts Legacy? We touch you how in this Hogwarts Legacy guide.

Anne is incarcerated in Azkaban, and so, in your mission to seek answers to the unsolved mystery, you’ll have to visit the prison. Still, traveling to the ghastly prison is a dangerous affair, and players have to be well-prepared before going there. [takes place before the film series](https://clutchpoints.com/hogwarts-legacy-release-date), but since Azkaban is almost as ancient a place could be in the Wizarding World, it’s a place that definitely exists already in the game.

Will the house you're sorted into affect the game? Can you change houses later? Find out how much being in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin ...

Your Hogwarts house will determine the following: If you want to wear clothes of a specific color, such as red, blue, yellow, or green, take that into consideration when choosing a house. This question is the only question that will affect which house you’re sorted into. Instead, you’ll only be given the “start classes”/”explore” question, which has no bearing on the house sorting outcome. For the uninitiated, the four Hogwarts houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. I detect something in you.

Players can improve their relationship with these companions, which could help in certain parts of the game. Sadly, players cannot romance companions in the ...

Natsai is the companion from Gryffindor. Amit is the companion from Ravenclaw. Should you need help in Charms, Natsai is the one you should approach. Sebastian is the companion from Slytherin. Unsurprisingly, his specialty is also the Dark Arts. The problem, however, is that his sister, Anne, is suffering from a mysterious curse.

In The Southern Wing, there is a set of toilets that are broken. Through the central door, you'll find a secret room that also houses a Demiguise statue. The ...

The Pitt-Upon-Ford Demiguise statue is in a building next to a carriage and a large purple tree. It’s situated two houses to the left of the vendor in town. The Lower Hogsfield Demiguise statue can be found in the Bickel house, just inside the front gate of the location. There are 11 Demiguise Statues to find in The Highlands. The last large house before the bridge houses the Demiguise statue on its top floor. The Irondale Demiguise statue is behind the counter in a house near the center of town. To find it, go to the vendor, then go right. In the building to the right of J. It’s on the bottom of a small green shelf. The classroom is locked, but once inside you’ll find a Demiguise statue sitting on a desk. In The Southern Wing, there is a set of toilets that are broken. At the bottom of The Astronomy Wing, there’s a symbol door.

Here is our Hogwarts Legacy Potions Guide, from what each of the various potions do, to their ingredients, and more.

This includes more potions, their ingredients and effects, and how to brew them. As such, it is important to have a few bottles on your person at all times. As such, it is not a surprise that Hogwarts Legacy implemented that into the game.

Here is our Hogwarts Legacy Plants guide, which contains a list of the plants in the game, how and where to get them, and what they do.

- Foraging: As with most plants, you will most likely be able to find some in the wild. The vines of the plants have spikes and can deal a lot of damage. - Growing them yourself: Players can grow their own plants, granted they have the seeds. These plants, on the other hand, can be used in potion-making. As the name implies, these plants are purely for combat. Herbology is one of the various subjects offered at Hogwarts, and as such, it plays a role in this game.

Rowling's consistent anti-transgender rhetoric for the past few years. Many Harry Potter fans have vowed not to buy Hogwarts Legacy as not to benefit Rowling ...

We know our fans fell in love with the Wizarding World, and we believe they fell in love with it for the right reasons," he said. We have a diverse cast of characters that players will encounter throughout the game." The Character Creator is just one example of that and of course, the large, diverse cast of characters present throughout the game have also had a huge amount of thought from Avalanche and Warner Bros. Offering players choices in the way they play the game is an element that we have worked on since the start of development. "It has been a high priority throughout the development of Hogwarts Legacy to create a game that is representative and diverse, aligning with our wonderful fan community. IGN asked Portkey to comment on Sirona's inclusion in the game, and a representative for the developer responded via email:

The early access to Hogwarts Legacy has led to a literal witch hunt for content creators who are streaming or even thinking of playing it.

It is up to you if you will watch content creators who are playing the game. What I’m trying to say is that because of this game, various content creators are now in the crosshairs of various groups of people. All I am saying is that it is up to you whether you want to support this game or not. These replies consisted of them telling the Vtuber to either not play the game, to play something else, or that they would not be watching them if they will. This is because a vast majority of the comments on that tweet were all attacking either the game, the Harry Potter IP, JK Rowling, or all of them. This includes her transphobic statements, the anti-Semitic and racist content of her books, and more.

Check out our Hogwarts Legacy vs Harry Potter movies comparison. Hogwarts Legacy lets us walk around the iconic magical school from the Harry Potter series, ...

Hogwarts Legacy allows you to customize your character fully, but once you've started the game is there any way to change them?

Can you change your character’s appearance in Hogwarts legacy? You’ll be able to change your hair as soon as you have access to Hogsmeade, which happens within the first hour or so of the game. Any character can have any hairstyle, so you’re not restricted to specific witch or wizard styles.

Warner Bros. Games today announced Hogwarts Legacy, the new open-world, single-player, action RPG (role-playing game), is now available for PlayStatio.

Website: [http://www.hogwartslegacy.com](https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__http%3A%2Fwww.hogwartslegacy.com__%3B%21%21AQdq3sQhfUj4q8uUguY%21nMR8w5MNxlAPt0Ys4G7AD0XSINCwkvri9Q3IUPepXfVE5v05TbIt8hPm0Os80_GlNFCWAYRrqnObYxSPAdzgEkVBYGpU%24&esheet=53303538&newsitemid=20230207005193&lan=en-US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hogwartslegacy.com&index=8&md5=67a03f62b2653f1d7bd1d75f1eeef177) Games in 2016 and is currently working on Hogwarts Legacy, a new, open world, action RPG set in the Wizarding World. The label was created to bring gamers and fans new gaming experiences that allow them to delve into the magic of the Wizarding World in immersive ways where they can define their own Wizarding World story. S for $69.99 (SRP). Games, is the games label dedicated to creating new Wizarding World mobile and video game experiences that place the player at the center of their own adventure, inspired by J.K. S for $79.99 (SRP). "Hogwarts Legacy truly fulfills the fantasy of being a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and delivers the Wizarding World game fans have been dreaming of for years,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. At the onset of their adventure, players can customize their character’s appearance with a range of options to be the witch or wizard they want to be. Games today announced Hogwarts Legacy, the new open-world, single-player, action RPG (role-playing game), is now available for PlayStation®5 (PS5™), Xbox Series X Games under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy introduces an original story that puts players at the center of their own Wizarding World adventure. S and PC for the Digital Deluxe Edition with the physical Deluxe Edition and physical and digital Standard Editions launching on Feb. [BUSINESS WIRE](https://www.businesswire.com/))--Warner Bros.

The hotly anticipated video game set in the "Harry Potter" universe releases Friday and appears to feature a transgender character, which would be a first ...

That they have a home here and that it’s a good place to tell their story.” Others have pointed out the name “Sirona” refers to [a Celtic goddess of healing and rebirth](https://www.names.org/n/sirona/about). So far, she has not commented on the “Hogwarts Legacy” character. Fans regularly debate how much and when they should invest in the franchise given Rowling’s views. Though Rowling has said she supports trans people, she also has expressed [gender essentialist](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095846595;jsessionid=7A937D1614036C1A0575AC681D4D8204) ideas and criticized mainstream transgender rights movements. “When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman … For us, it’s making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back. [actors like Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/entertainment/daniel-radcliffe-responds-jk-rowling-trans-tweets-trnd/index.html), and have deeply divided the vast “Harry Potter” fandom. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.” [periodically adding comment](https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/21/opinions/jk-rowling-harry-potter-dumbledore-gay-controversy-thomas/index.html) or context to the Harry Potter canon. [in a 2020 essay defending her views](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/10/entertainment/jk-rowling/index.html). [controversy surrounding “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling’s views](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/03/entertainment/harry-potter-sites-condemn-rowling-intl-scli-gbr/index.html) on transgender people.

Controversial open-world game 'Hogwarts Legacy' has introduced the series' first canonically transgender character.

Rowling did not include a transgender character inside the Harry Potter series, but ironically, the rules of her Wizarding World provide many opportunities for magic users to experiment with gender norms. Sirona is a witch that runs a tavern in Hogsmeade Village, an NPC (non-player character) that the player can speak to. There are several instances of characters changing and choosing their identities. Hogwart Legacy, as the developer is keen to emphasize, was created without the involvement of Rowling. Sirona is Harry Potter’s first canonical trans character, and she seems to have been inserted into the franchise in response to controversy, without the input of Rowling. The character seems likely to have been created as a gesture of goodwill towards the trans community, especially in response to the Rowling controversy, but her existence sparked mockery online, as gamers poked fun at her unfortunate name.

While J.K. Rowling had nothing to do with Hogwarts Legacy's development, there are those who still think the game should be boycotted as a means to protest her ...

[Twitch streamers have even called for a boycott](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-boycott-twitch/) of the streaming giant itself in response to advertisements promoting the Hogwarts Legacy game, whereas other streamers are streaming it without caring about the potential harassment from viewers. [Hogwarts Legacy](http://gamerant.com/tag/harry-potter-hogwarts-legacy/) together on Twitch, but the chat quickly became toxic, with people berating the streamers by calling them bigots for playing the game and fighting with other viewers. Considering this, it's no surprise that Twitch streamers have been streaming the game, but some of those streamers have been subject to harassment from angry viewers in their Twitch chat. Some have gone as far as to say that buying Hogwarts Legacy is the same as outright supporting Rowling's transphobia. Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most divisive video game releases in recent memory, with Rowling had nothing to do with Hogwarts Legacy's development, there are those who still think the game should be boycotted as a means to protest her transphobic views.

Hogwarts Legacy's Twitch drop promotion allows you to acquire some early in-game cosmetics. Here's how you claim your rewards.

To be more specific, you’ll receive the following drops in this order for every 30 minutes that you’ve watched a supported stream (up until the two-hour limit): Once you’ve linked your Twitch and WB accounts, you just need to watch a Hogwarts Legacy Twitch stream that has drops enabled for the game (more on that in a bit). If you watch developer Avalanche Software’s Twitch stream for 20 minutes (while your accounts are connected and enabled, of course), you’ll also receive the following item: Since individual Twitch streamers stream at different times, it’s tough to offer a solid schedule for those first four items. If that tag is present on a stream, then you will be able to receive drops from watching that stream. From there, you should be able to receive drops up until February 24th. While you can claim them regardless of whether you are able to play the game yet, you obviously can’t do anything with them until the game is unlocked for your platform/region. From there, you just need to play Hogwarts Legacy, open the pause menu, choose “Character,” and look for your rewards under the “Change Appearance” option. Some viewers have reported receiving them earlier than that, but it may be best to wait until the PC Early Access period begins just to be safe. Make sure you are logged into your Twitch account while you watch. Connect your Twitch Account to your Warner Bros. While those rewards are purely cosmetic in this instance, they’ll almost certainly be prized by Hogwarts attendees looking for a little extra style at the start of the game.

Commentary: The game lets you dive into an unseen era of the wizarding world, and it's an absolute joy to explore.

The game encourages you to use every tool in your arsenal, instead getting comfortable with a few basic combos and relying on them to get through every battle. The world opens up in a big way once you finish your first flying lesson and get your own broom. Crucially, the flow of quests gives you time to get comfortable with each new ability before introducing another -- you'll attend a class and then use what you've learnt in a few story missions or side quests. These are varied and fun in terms of gameplay, exploration and puzzle-solving, but feel even more worthwhile since they present opportunities to learn more about the quest-givers and world. The development team's love for Harry Potter is apparent in every aspect of Hogwarts Legacy, but shines most brightly in the world and its characters. (It's frustrating that you can't pause during cutscenes though.) This characterisation is woven through the main story and its side quests, which range from investigating one of the castle's mysteries and sneakily grabbing potion ingredients to wandering into a dangerous cave. The house you end up in doesn't seem to change much beyond the common room, your uniform and some throwaway lines. After creating your character, you're whisked off on a brief opening adventure before reaching the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The customization options are a key element in living out your wizarding world fantasy, and they're a joy. This open-world action RPG game, developed by Avalanche Software, is designed to let us live out our fantasies of enrolling at the iconic School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a new student. In 1998, my mum handed me a copy of Philosopher's Stone -- called Sorcerer's Stone in the US -- and that first chapter sucked me right into its magical universe. Rowling's inflammatory comments about transgender people](/culture/entertainment/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-backlash-calling-j-k-rowling-transphobic/), sucked the remaining fun out of the franchise, and I figured it was time to move on.

Early Access for Hogwarts Legacy pre-orders of the Collector's and Digital Deluxe editions of the game on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC is now live.

In any case, the game is great and so magical. You can read all about the game’s download size, PC requirements and more I checked my receipt and no, that wasn’t the case. Early Access for Hogwarts Legacy pre-orders of the Collector’s and Digital Deluxe editions of the game on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC is now live. You can hop into the game right now and start playing. In my Steam account, despite pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe version of the game, the Play button was greyed out.

As you play Hogwarts Legacy, you'll run into locked doors that are surrounded by magical beasts. Simply solve an easy math problem to open them!

- Input the magical beasts from step four on their respective triangles. - Add the two numbers on the corners of the triangle together. If you’re having a hard time finding the triangles, use revelio near the Arithmancy door, and look around to see highlighted triangles on the wall. In this case, it would be 21 - 13 = 8 for the top triangle and 17 - 14 = 3 for the bottom triangle. The resulting number will be associated with a magical beast that you’ll have to input into triangles around the door. Continue reading to find out what beasts should take over the last corner, and how to solve the Arithmancy door puzzles.

(CNN) - The much-anticipated videogame “Hogwarts Legacy” is set for launch on certain consoles Friday. The game will feature the first transgender character ...

not a wizard.” The game will feature the first transgender character in the Harry Potter franchise. New Harry Potter game ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ will feature first transgender character

The much-anticipated videogame “Hogwarts Legacy” is set for launch on certain consoles Friday.

not a wizard.” The game will feature the first transgender character in the Harry Potter franchise. New Harry Potter game ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ will feature first transgender character

Claim: The “Hogwarts Legacy” video game, set in the Wizarding World of the "Harry Potter" book series by J.K. Rowling, introduces a transgender character to the ...

[Axios](https://www.axios.com/2023/02/06/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-launch) in response to questions about boycotts: "We're going to stay very focused on the game that we built and the great job that the Avalanche studio has done. [opted](https://www.axios.com/2023/02/06/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-launch) to boycott the game, while others have published reviews with caveats stating Rowlings' views. [introduced](https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/hogwarts-legacy-transgender-character-jk-rowling-harry-potter-wizarding-world-1235514416/) in the game to Sirona Ryan, the proprietor of Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade village. [2018](https://www.axios.com/2023/02/06/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-launch), Rowling has been accused of being transphobic, which she denies. However, it's still difficult for any trans person to look at any element of the Harry Potter franchise and not see the harm that continues to be perpetuated by the woman who created it. [...] As critics, our job is to answer the question of whether or not we find Hogwarts Legacy to be fun to play and why; whether it's ethical to play is a separate but still very important question. Rowling is not directly involved in the game, and although WB Interactive's president failed to condemn Rowling's words, the developers inside the company have worked to let you create a transgender character in the game. [added](https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-us/faq), "Each experience offered under Portkey Games will take place in the wizarding world and will be authentic to it. Rowling is not involved in the creation of the game, but as creator of the wizarding world and one of the world's greatest storytellers, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. Rowling has entrusted the design and creation of the games to Warner Bros. Games and the developers involved who are collaborating with her team on all aspects of the games." 10, 2023, on some gaming consoles and with a wider release in April, the open-world, role-playing game is set in Rowling's Wizarding World of more than a 100 years ago.

An upcoming Harry Potter video game is rife with controversy online because of Rowling's history of incendiary comments on transgender people.

In a positive [review](https://www.ign.com/articles/hogwarts-legacy-review-harry-potter-ps5-xbox-pc), IGN included a statement titled “Concerning J.K. “If you are not willing to give up a piece of entertainment in solidarity against the harm J.K. [tweeted](https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1269382518362509313?s=20&t=g0g80nrjW_NbQJgWZOhDbQ)), inspiring backlash from critics who said her tweet excludes transgender people. [article](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-to-help-trans-people-by-donating-to-charity/1100-6511097/) listing charities in support of trans people, along with an [analysis](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/jk-rowlings-anti-transgender-stance-and-hogwarts-legacy/1100-6501632/) of Rowling’s comments and rising anti-LGBTQ legislation and protests worldwide, the latter authored by Earl. In June 2020, she ridiculed an article headline for using the phrase “people who menstruate” (“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. In response to backlash, she [tweeted](https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1269389298664701952?s=20&t=HvsofpXgAxn_rNRjnApwxQ) “if sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased,” adding that she knows and loves transgender people but criticized the alleged erasing of the concept of sex. Popular streamer xQc, who has more than 11 million Twitch However, some fans and gamers are boycotting the game in protest of J.K. Rowling’s comments and voiced support for transgender people in their reviews. The highly anticipated Harry Potter video game debuts this week, but it’s been plagued by controversy and boycotts as players grapple with whether to support J.K. [transgender woman character](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/entertainment/harry-potter-legacy-trans-character-cec/index.html) in the Harry Potter universe, though her name, Sirona Ryan, has attracted some [criticism](https://www.thegamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-sirona-ryan-trans-character-name/) for allegedly [sounding masculine](https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/hogwarts-legacy-trans-character-name-sirona-ryan/) (beginning with the prefix “Sir” and ending with common male name “Ryan”)—but others [noted](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/entertainment/harry-potter-legacy-trans-character-cec/index.html) the name [Sirona](https://www.names.org/n/sirona/about) refers to a Celtic goddess of healing and rebirth. [Will Overgard](https://twitter.com/Will_Overgard/status/1614874335839420416) and [Nikatine](https://twitter.com/NikatinePrime/status/1622312576897138688?s=20&t=rb02d41dK_8NpoRZc_sefA)—have publicly voiced opposition to the game.

The much-anticipated videogame “Hogwarts Legacy” is set for launch on certain consoles Friday.

not a wizard.” The game will feature the first transgender character in the Harry Potter franchise. New Harry Potter game ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ will feature first transgender character

Do you get the chance to take The Elder Wand for your own in Hogwarts Legacy? Find out in our guide.

Sadly, outside of this mission, you do not get to use The Elder Wand in Hogwarts Legacy. . [Hogwarts Legacy killing curse](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/guide/hogwarts-legacy-avada-kedavra-how-to-get-the-killing-curse/) [Hogwarts Legacy Hippogriff](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/guide/hogwarts-legacy-hippogriff-mount/)

The character creator in Hogwarts Legacy allows you to customize your characters face, hair, and gender, but can you change your appearance later?

You can change everything, but your face shape and skin color in Hogwarts Legacy. Continue reading to learn more about what you can and can’t change about your character’s appearance. You can change most of your appearance fairly early on in Hogwarts Legacy after you arrive in Hogsmeade, but you can’t change everything!

We know plenty of players will want to maintain the Hogwarts fantasy in proper Hogwarts attire, not a random suit of armor. But are you able to change the ...

[Hogwarts Legacy Hippogriff](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/guide/hogwarts-legacy-hippogriff-mount/) [Hogwarts Legacy killing curse](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/guide/hogwarts-legacy-avada-kedavra-how-to-get-the-killing-curse/) The final place you’ll receive clothing items is from challenges. You can find other appearances and other clothing items in a few different places. Thankfully, yes, and we have a guide explaining how to change appearance but keep stats and all about Hogwart Legacy’s transmog system below. Some feel right at home for a student joining Hogwarts in the fifth year, however, others seem a little bit out of place.

Hogwarts Legacy players that want to speed up their travel around the open world will want to get a broom as soon as possible.

Once Hogwarts Legacy players have a broom at their disposal, they will find it much easier to explore the game's massive open world. [Hogwarts Legacy players can't purchase brand-new broom models](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-brooms/), but they can customize the look of their broom at Spintwich's Sporting Needs in Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, Hogwarts Legacy players don't get to keep their brooms when class is done, but they can purchase a broom of their own. Assuming the prerequisites are met, players will have the opportunity to purchase a broom for 600 gold. To speed up travel around the game's open world, Hogwarts Legacy players need to get their hands a broom, purchasable from a shop in Hogsmeade after certain requirements are met. As one might imagine, Flying Class acts as a broom flying tutorial in Hogwarts Legacy, teaching players the basics of how to use their broom.

From Hogwarts' familiar grounds to the quaint Hogsmeade Village, and even the depths of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, we've visited various locations from the Harry ...

Hogwarts Legacy's PC edition is having issues. Here are some ideas to get the game running at a playable framerate.

I plan to go back into settings and start ticking up some of the quality settings back to Ultra and testing this out, but for a quick and easy fix, these two steps helped enormously. Ultimately, to get a steady framerate and no stuttering I did two things: I turned down my graphical settings across the board to High and I turned Ray-Tracing back off. So I turned on Ray-Tracing and the game ground to a halt. My game automatically set my settings to Ultra with Nvidia DLSS set to Quality, but turned off all Ray-Tracing settings. Well, that depends a lot on your PC and your settings, but the short answer is: Not great, but not terrible, either, if you know what you’re doing. I run my Windows 11 OS on an NVMe drive and my games off of SSD drives.

A complete guide to Hogwarts Legacy, featuring main story walkthroughs, tips and tricks, and information about every side quest and collectible.

This section of the guide will include walkthroughs for some of the more difficult side quests and assignments. Being able to customize the playable character's outfit is an important part of Hogwarts Legacy for many players, but there's actually a lot more to Gear than just cosmetic flair. As is the case with most other modern open-world games, Hogwarts Legacy is full to the brim with side content. Even after all of the tutorials, there's a good chance that some players will be left with questions, either about how to do certain things or when certain mechanics become available. As a result, most of the game's core mechanics are fully explained in a very deliberate and easy-to-understand way, though that's not to say that there aren't still a few things that have the potential to confuse players. With this in mind, it's the perfect game for those wishing to live out their childhood fantasies of being a witch or wizard and a highly entertaining title for everybody else.

The website used to track down content creators who play Hogwarts Legacy on Twitch has now been taken down.

[Sam Gibbs](https://twitter.com/iamsamgibbs), has not given an explanation as to why they have taken the website down. Amano Pikamee, the Vtuber we mentioned in our previous article who planned on streaming the game, had to cancel it after the backlash she received. The Hogwarts Legacy stream was supposed to be her first stream after a month-long break. Yesterday, the Twitch channel GirlfriendReviews received harassment over their decision to stream Hogwarts Legacy. The website, aptly called “Have they streamed THAT wizard game?”, has now been taken down. There have been various cases already of Twitch streamers receiving harassment for streaming the game.

In the prologue for Hogwarts Legacy, players will need to activate three knight statues --here's how it's done.

[using Lumos](https://gamerant.com/harry-potter-spells-not-in-movies/) will cause the knights to push their swords into the floor, but if players walk away, the statues will return to their original position. [The key here is to walk to the spot (or sprint)](https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-how-to-run-faster-sprint/) to the point where all three statue lines intersect. A brief tutorial with a knight statue will force players to use Lumos to line up the statue with its reflection.

Everything you need to know about the Harry Potter open-world RPG video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' as we near launch.

For me, simply restarting Steam did the trick and I was able to login to my PC copy of the game (I was playing on PS5 but soon realized it would be a competition between myself and my children for play time!). I hope you enjoy the game, too, or if you’re boycotting it, I hope you can find something else magical to play. I prefer, at least in this case, to separate the art from the artist and enjoy the hard work and imagination that the game developers clearly poured into the open-world RPG. While you will be able to fly around on a broomstick, Quidditch is not in the game (though it would make a great DLC). The graphical hit is minimal, and I plan on increasing specific settings from High to Ultra one by one. You should get a good sense of what early critics think of the game today, however. Hogwarts Legacy releases on PC (via Steam and the Epic Game Store), PS5 and Xbox Series X on February 10th. The ‘Play’ button was grayed out even when the game was downloaded. Rowling’s [statements on the trans-rights debate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMB1prgwOVo) (yet another unfortunate example of politics and the pop culture wars spilling over into something that’s supposed to be good clean fun). Avalanche Software has been working on this game for the past few years. The story is set a hundred years before the events of the Harry Potter books. You can fight magical beasts like dragons and trolls, take a break in the cozy Vivarium (see video below) and go to various nearby locations like the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade.