In Hogwarts Legacy, players are free to explore and interact with the wizarding world however they see fit, whether that means being a kind, helpful friend or an evil dark witch or wizard – but even after factoring in free will, there are still some ways in which the magical RPG’s story and world affect Harry Potter canon. For the most part, developer Avalanche Software was able to recreate the exact environments depicted by the books (and movies). However, a few details in Hogwarts Legacy have some strange or unexpected implications, which could certainly be interpreted as altering Harry Potter lore.
Being a video game, there are some elements of Hogwarts Legacy that wouldn’t work if they adhered to the rules of the books and the movies. For example, in Harry Potter, using an Unforgivable Curse would usually land a witch or a wizard a life sentence in Azkaban. While it is possible to visit Azkaban in Hogwarts Legacy, using dark magic has little to no consequences. This doesn’t align with the rules of Harry Potter, but the converse would give players no freedom to experiment. Such changes are necessary for the sake of gameplay, but others, which are more concerned with Hogwarts Legacy‘s narrative, do have some impact on canon.
Wandless Magic Is Uncharacteristically Nonexistent In Hogwarts Legacy
One of the ways in which Hogwarts Legacy changes Harry Potter canon is through its explanation of wandless magic. In one of the game’s first quests, the player meets Natsai Onai, a friendly Gryffindor student attending Charms class. After the lesson concludes, she opens up about her past, describing that she is a transfer student from Uagadou – the wizarding world’s largest magic school, located in Uganda.
She reveals that part of Uagadou’s curriculum teaches wandless magic and that wands are a rarity there because wandless magic is just as powerful as magic with a wand. However, this makes little sense in light of Harry Potter lore. Almost every witch and wizard in canon uses a wand, even those that have proved they are capable of wandless magic on occasion (such as Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore).
If magic produced without a wand is just as potent as magic produced with a wand, it begs the question of why powerful witches and wizards continue to use wands to cast spells, even though they aren’t necessary. After all, it would certainly be more convenient not to constantly worry about breaking the thing, or to try and quickly retrieve it out of the pockets of a robe in a life-or-death situation.
Even Natsai opts to use a wand, just like she opts not to show her Animagus form for a long time, which makes her rank poorly among the Hogwarts Legacy companions in the end. It’s possible that her comment was just an oversight on the part of the developers and not an intentional change to Harry Potter lore, but its connotation is one that cannot be ignored, and that some players have already expressed their qualms with.
Hogwarts Legacy Alters The Elder Wand’s Identity
While the advantages and disadvantages of both wandless and wand-based magic may be up in the air after Natsai’s comment, there’s an even larger way in which Hogwarts Legacy breaks Harry Potter canon, and it has to do with one specific wand – the Elder Wand. In fact, there are two manners in which the game’s protagonist warps the history and identity of this infamous magical artifact, both of which have to do with actually obtaining and using the Elder Wand in Hogwarts Legacy.
During the RPG’s main quest line, the fifth-year student will have to undergo various trials, proving that they’re ready to harness ancient magic for themselves. Whereas the other trials stick to tried-and-true methods, like Pensieve Guardians and illusory ancient magic puzzles, Niamh Fitzgerald’s trial tasks them with something a bit more drastic. A book of hers, which they’ll need to retrieve from Headmaster’s office, plunges them into a battle with Death himself. During the fight, they’ll find and use the Elder Wand. It’s a temporary measure, but one that changes Harry Potter lore in Hogwarts Legacy nonetheless, due to the uncanonical means through which it’s obtained.
Although it may not be immediately evident, there’s another way in which players can get their hands on the Elder Wand in-game, and its implications are even more bizarre than those presented by Niamh’s trial. Strangely, it’s actually possible to create an Elder Wand through Hogwarts Legacy‘s wand customization, which becomes available to the player within the first few hours of gameplay. It’s also possible to be assigned the wand by choosing a specific set of answers during the Harry Potter Fan Club‘s wand quiz, which can then be connected to Hogwarts Legacy and used to automatically generate the appropriate in-game wand.
This means that apart from the first few introductory quests, it’s feasible for a late-blooming fifth-year student with no prior magic education to be taking on their quests with one of the most powerful items in wizarding world existence. Hogwarts Legacy‘s Elder Wand breaks canon not only by how easily the protagonist can access it (both during Niamh’s trial, and through the wand selection process in gameplay), but also through the subsequent suggestion of a second or duplicate Elder Wand existing.
Generally, the game does a stellar job of sticking to Harry Potter canon, but there are still some minor lore inconsistencies, specifically relating to wands. Natsai’s statement regarding wandless and wand-based spells being equally capable begs the question of why almost all witches and wizards continue to use wands. Similarly, the contents of Niamh’s trial and the opportunity to create a second Elder Wand dissolves some rigid outlines concerning the wand’s very nature. However, it’s not too difficult to overlook the ways in which Hogwarts Legacy breaks Harry Potter canon, considering all that the rest of the game brings to the table.
