Hogwarts Legacy is available worldwide for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and is already the biggest Harry Potter game in the series’ history (as everyone expected it would be). It’s received a lot of praise from us and many fans, but a few things are missing. Let’s look at a few, and how they could be implemented in the future, perhaps as DLC.
Actual School Schedule
It’s been said several times, but it bears repeating – the fact that Hogwarts Legacy is missing an actual school schedule is a bummer. Hanging out with Dinah Heckert to gain resistance or counters to Dark Arts spells? Making potions with Aesop Sharp for perks to increase the number of potions gained when brewing? Maybe some gardening with Mirabel Garlick to grow better versions of certain plants and ingredients? There are tons of possibilities, and it would have fit well with the actual books.
OWL Exams
In the Epilogue, which opens up after you finish all the side quests, puzzles and stories while hitting level 34, students study for their OWL Exams (in cutscenes, of course). We then cut to the actual House Cup ceremony, and – surprise, surprise – your house wins. Why not factor the OWL Exams into the post-game? Maybe passing them could unlock certain “Ultimate” spells or better gear. Your skill in certain subjects could also dictate how much easier (or harder) it is to ace the exam. Again, a lot of potential that’s wasted by being relegated to a cutscene.
More Spells
From a franchise that boasts a crazy amount of spells (roughly 80, just in the books), Hogwarts Legacy feels a bit lackluster in spell variety. Granted, all of the classics are here, from Wingardium Leviosa to Avada Kedavra, and they’re all done very well. But having more than a handful of spells for each magic type while including some, like Episkey for healing light wounds or Confundo as a non-Curse (but less potent) version of Imperio, would be nice.
More Imaginative Gear Traits
Though it’s not a particularly deep loot game, there is a substantial amount of loot and Gear Traits to unlock in Hogwarts Legacy. However, many traits are pretty straightforward and unimaginative, increasing damage dealt by certain types of magic, reducing damage taken from different enemy types, and so on. Having traits that more drastically alter the spells you can cast in interesting ways, or promoting unique play styles, would have been a great addition.
There could even be trait sets which bestow bonuses depending on the number of related traits equipped. For example, equipping Ancient Magic 1 and 2 could grant Ancient Magic Focus 1 as a bonus.
More Post-Game Content
You could be forgiven for thinking that level 34 is the cap since it’s necessary to win the House Cup. All the side quests are completed, leaving very little left to do. However, the actual cap is 40 and hitting it requires grinding out combat XP. The three Battle Arenas are repeatable and facilitate this purpose, but why isn’t there more post-game content? More activities to complete after the story is over that provide unique rewards, or an end-game mode that could push your build-crafting to the limit – like a rogue-lite mode – would be great.
Quidditch
It was confirmed long before release that Quidditch wouldn’t be playable, and its absence is even part of the story. Nevertheless, having some form of DLC that allows for playing the sport would be nice and provide a strong change of pace from broom races. It could even be a separate mode with different templates for each role with unique skills and gear, topped off with offline and online tournaments. After all, not having it when most everything else from the Harry Potter series is included just feels wrong.
Inventory Space
At the start, you get 20 slots in your inventory for gear. You’ll quickly fill these up, though, and even when completing some optional trials to increase the capacity to 40, it never feels like enough. Why isn’t there a personal bank or something for the player to use? Perhaps a trunk like Harry Potter had with a whopping 200 or 300 slots to keep everything?
If Gear Traits are revamped to be more exciting and build-defining, it would be nice to have all that space to experiment with a different set-up. Furthermore, any gear that doesn’t fit into your current inventory could be sent to your trunk for safekeeping, reducing the constant inventory management to free up space.
Loadouts
If more inventory space is added, the loot becomes more interesting, and more spells are introduced, Hogwarts Legacy would need loadouts. Even now, it would be nice to equip different loadouts of spells, gear, and traits and switch to them at a moment’s notice in combat. You could even have certain builds that are better at exploration, while some excel at fighting certain enemy types, and others lean more towards a specific magic type. Of course, being able to save transmogs for changing to specific looks at a given moment would also be nice.
Consequences of Using Curses
Aside from the general lack of impact that many decisions have, one of the most immersion-breaking things is the lack of consequences when using Unforgivable Curses. In the books, simply using an Unforgivable Curse is enough to send you to Azkaban for life. The fact that you’re going around in-game, Avada Kedavraing your enemies with no actual repercussions is insane (Dark Arts Arena aside).
Why not have it affect the ending? Or perhaps unlock an optional boss against Dementors if you’re particularly egregious? Why not go the Fable route and have your character’s appearance slowly become more sinister as they fall deeper and deeper into the Dark Arts? Any one of these would be nice as opposed to simple warnings from classmates.
Curfews and Stealth
Since there are no set schedules, curfews don’t mean anything in the game. Unless it’s for storyline reasons, that is. Then they’re forced on you in annoying ways, like the stealth gameplay. If curfews existed in a more organic form – like each activity you do in Hogsmeade or on school grounds advancing the timer gradually until it got late – then the stealth sections would make more sense.
Getting caught would have lasting consequences, like penalties from certain professors or points deducted from your House. The secret passages in the castle would also become more valuable, encouraging you to use them for excursions or a consequence-free return without any sneaking required.