New Hogwarts Legacy gameplay is finally here, offering an in-depth look at flying brooms, open-world exploration, the village of Hogsmeade, the mythical Hippogriff, the Room of Requirement, and a lot more in the Avalanche Harry Potter sandbox game – plenty to get excited about as we await the Hogwarts Legacy release date.
Stepping outside of Hogwarts castle, you can jump onto your best Hogwarts Legacy broom any time you like and shoot off to explore the surrounding Scottish Highlands, and the all-wizarding village of Hogsmeade. The scenery is just gorgeous – autumnal golden browns make way for pale, still snow as Avalanche shows off Hogwarts Legacy’s seasonal weather system.
We also get a look at the technicalities behind broom flight. Equipped with a small energy meter, the higher you fly, the quicker your broom’s power will drain. For casual exploration, you need to stay close to the ground, but Avalanche promises that you will gradually be able to upgrade your broom throughout Hogwarts Legacy, allowing for further and higher flight.
Alternatively, you can travel using a Hippogriff, the mythical winged creature that’s half horse, half eagle. As you might imagine, your Hippogriff is a lot more versatile than your broom, letting you soar high above the open-world landscape at much faster speeds.
Not that you’ll want to miss what’s happening down below. Stepping into the village of Hogsmeade, there are dozens of sidequests and little, ambient moments to get involved in, with the mountains surrounding Hogwarts offering one of the most scenic open worlds in recent memory.
There’s plenty of interaction, too. As well as random encounters and creature mobs, you can visit local hamlets to get a drink at the bar with one of the many Hogwarts Legacy characters, or listen to a busker (a wizard busker, mind you) and drop coins in his floating tip cup. The world of Hogwarts Legacy is also, apparently, completely seamless, meaning you can go back to school, land your broom or Hippogriff in the front yard, then stroll to classes without any loading.
And speaking of the castle itself, the Hogwarts Legacy Room of Requirement is designed as a kind of personal hub, where you change the architecture, pick and move different furniture around, and customise your gear. You can se the loom to make your own outfits, add defensive magic to your clothing, and learn new recipes, as well conjuring different objects and scenery to make the Room feel more alive and keeping all the mythical creatures and pets that you’ve gathered in your own little pen. Feed them, take care of them, and harvest feathers and fur to create more custom gear – the Room of Requirement feels like a whole game in and of itself.
There’s a lot to look forward to in Hogwarts Legacy, so make sure you’re prepared by checking out the full Hogwarts Legacy system requirements and learn how you can get Hogwarts Legacy early access if you just can’t wait too much longer. You can also check the system spec you need to meet the minimum Hogwarts Legacy PC requirements, or find out how to import your house and wand in Hogwarts Legacy to add even more custom flair to your wizarding adventure.
The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. While WB Games says “JK Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game”, it is based on her work and it’s still unclear if she will receive royalties from its sales. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two important charities we encourage you to check out: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, and Mermaids in the UK.