Hogwarts Legacy allows players to choose their House after arriving at Hogwarts, but there are many ways for the game to make this choice more interesting. Determining which Hogwarts House someone belongs to is a popular trend for real fans and fictional characters from other fandoms, and the choice often stems from a person’s personality and backstory. While the book series and movies fail to expand on many Houses besides Gryffindor, Hogwarts Legacy has the opportunity to develop each group in unique ways. The official Hogwarts Legacy website states that players can choose their House rather than be sorted into one, a likely relief for players wishing to complete several walkthroughs of the game.
Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the 1800s, where players take control of a young witch or wizard joining the school as a fifth year. A recent State of Play gameplay for Hogwarts Legacy revealed new missions, mechanics, activities, and characters players can partake in. The player character’s importance is unknown, but it appears the rising Goblin Rebellion and a group of Dark Wizards are hunting them. Players can become close friends with other characters in the school and unlock backstory, missions, and other information. Thankfully, since there are likely many mechanics and gameplay systems that haven’t been revealed, players could likely experience new ways for their House to matter.
Individual Houses in Hogwarts Legacy didn’t have much gameplay in the trailer. However, viewers receive a glimpse of the common rooms for each House and briefly see some interactions with House-specific characters. While players can meet characters from each House, it’s likely the first friend and companion players obtain are from their own. Avalanche Software and WB Entertainment could implement new ways for Houses to matter and change gameplay in the game’s final product. Since Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t release until 2022’s holiday season, Houses should evolve past the player’s wardrobe color.
Hogwarts Legacy Should Feature Character Stats For Houses
As an RPG, Hogwarts Legacy could likely feature individual stats for the player character that determine different skills and conversations. Gameplay trailers have revealed that players can invest points in various skills to unlock spells and other mechanics, but personality traits should also affect stats. Similar to Dungeons & Dragons’ Strixhaven book, Hogwarts Legacy should feature different characteristics that impact conversations and correspond with House choice. For example, Ravenclaw is a House known for its intelligence, meaning player characters from Ravenclaw should receive unique dialogue options or gameplay opportunities that benefit from increased awareness or wisdom. This essential shift could make Houses matter more in gameplay.
While Hogwarts Legacy may take inspiration from Harry Potter, the expanded narrative and worldbuilding can stop stereotyping and marginalizing the finer points of the universe. For example, Houses like Slytherin are frequently depicted as evil, while Houses like Hufflepuff receive little development. Hogwarts Legacy can increase its replayability and craft a more exciting narrative by making house choices matter. Since each Hogwarts House is unique in many ways, player characters that join different Houses should reflect those differences and culminate into tangible strengths, weaknesses, and strategies that become available depending on the Sorting Hat’s decision.
Hogwarts Legacy Houses Need Unique Story Missions
Character missions and backstories in Hogwarts Legacy are unlocked by growing closer to other students, but different Houses should also feature unique questlines. Many events in the Harry Potter universe correspond with the House a character belongs to, such as the House Cup, Quidditch, and common rooms. These unique locations and competitions should allow players to pursue quests exclusive to Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, or Gryffindors. Similar to the character builds and stats Houses should provide, students should be able to complete these quests and claim unique rewards that impact their playthrough in unique ways. In addition, many established figures in Harry Potter lore (like the Founders or Professors) influence Hogwarts’ Houses in different ways, which should come across in gameplay.
While students at Hogwarts appear to share many classes, each House’s social circles and backgrounds in Hogwarts Legacy can provide a different wizarding experience from the first time players arrive. The stereotypes awarded to each House can make for exciting quests that justify or subvert those perceptions. Several personality traits correspond with each House that could influence the creation of a unique House quest. For example, Gryffindor represents bravery, Slytherin represents ambition, Ravenclaw represents intelligence, and Hufflepuff represents loyalty. Depending on the mechanics included in the final product, questlines could be designed to reflect and depend on these qualities.
Hogwarts Legacy Houses Should Unlock Unique Abilities
Hogwarts Legacy features Harry Potter lore without using any well-known characters, but the core inspirations provide a starting point to make Hogwarts a unique in-game location. However, to maintain the game’s replayability, Houses should influence player loadouts. Each House has a different Founder with independent strengths, providing Avalanche Studios and WB Entertainment with varying inspirations for offensive and defensive abilities. Hogwarts Legacy could feature abilities from Harry Potter, like Parseltongue, to make certain Houses more appealing and worthwhile. Parseltongue is often affiliated with Slytherin and could become an exclusive ability for players that choose that House. Hufflepuff’s aptitude for loyalty and trustworthiness could allow players to better communicate with magical animals that appear throughout the world. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor correlate to different strengths with magical charms (like Memory charms), which Avalanche Studios could also add as House exclusive abilities.
Hogwarts Legacy‘s gameplay trailer reveals that Hogwarts Castle hides many secrets and puzzles throughout the halls. Players have the opportunity to explore these secrets and unravel the school’s mysteries. Hidden dungeons also lurk outside the castle and are believed to have been created by Merlin. Developing unique solutions to each dungeon based on the player’s House and abilities would create memorable experiences for each adventure and save file. As a single-player RPG, Hogwarts Legacy‘s replayability is the key to extending its lifespan. It’s unknown whether WB Entertainment will develop sequels for this project, but maintaining the importance of Houses is vital for continuity and future content.
While Hogwarts Legacy‘s latest gameplay trailer revealed many new mechanics in the game, fans are likely in for more reveals and discoveries in the coming months. 2022 is less than half over, and several influential industry events are coming soon. As one of the most critical choices in the Harry Potter mythos, Hogwarts Legacy should make the player’s House choice one of the most transformative choices of the game.
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
In the USA:
- Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
- The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
In Canada:
- Trans Lifeline: (877) 330-6366
- Youth Line: 1-800-268-9688
In the UK:
- Switchboard: 01273 204050
- Mermaids: 0808 801 0400
