Hogwarts Legacyis one of many open-world action-RPGs where the protagonist character is somehow instantly trusted to run errands for just about any NPC character they come into contact with on their adventures. This allows for players to receive as many side quests as they can handle on their plate at once, while still remembering to eventually return to Hogwarts for their mandatory classes and curriculum-related activities. This creates a fun loop where side quests will populate Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the Highlands as players progress throughHogwarts Legacy’s critical narrative path.
It is often best to wait until further into the story for this reason because players need to wait until more spells are unlocked to have access to other side quests anyhow. Checking back on the map at any point will also likely reveal a new side quest for players to begin, especially if they are in an area they have not been to before. Players can reminisce about their adoration forHarry Potterlorethis way if field guide pages and other references are found, but one side quest in particular is seemingly a direct nod to one of the most memorable lamentations fromHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
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Hogwarts Legacy Includes Many Fun Nods to Harry Potter
Essentially all of what players see within Hogwarts and most of Hogsmeade is an obvious pull from either theHarry Pottermovies or books, but givena late-1800s makeover forHogwarts Legacy. If certain events or activities were still around in that particular era thenHogwarts Legacydoes well to include it somehow, even if Quidditch and Wizard’s Chess are not fully interactable mini-games like fans hoped they would be.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Grand Staircase is also different from how fans may remember it, and it is uncertain whether this change was made purely out of convenience since it does not spontaneously change where staircases in the atrium are positioned. Courtyards are extremely similar to what fans will remember fromHarry Pottermovies, though, as well as the wooden bridge. Memorabilia fromHarry Potterlore is strewn about in different collections players amass in their adventures, such as decorations they can conjure in their Room of Requirement.
Hogsmeade then sort of behaves as the commercial village it is known as, as well as a take on the popular Diagon Alley because players can purchase their wares at shops such as Pippin’s Potions and let a wand pick them out at Ollivanders. These all become moments that fans can relate back to a memory fromHarry Potter, and one of the most on-the-nose references happens blatantly within a side quest while atHogwarts Legacy’s Three Broomsticks pub.
Hogwarts Legacy’s ‘Follow the Butterflies’ Quest References Ron Weasley’s Arachnophobia
Players can find Clementine Willardsey in Hogsmeade’s Three Broomsticks to beginHogwarts Legacy’s ‘Follow the Butterflies’ side quest. This quest is essentially a guided tutorial on what players should do if they happen to find a cluster of butterflies in the open world, but the way that it is presented to players seems like a clear nod to when Hagrid unsubtly suggests that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley should follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest inHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Upon acknowledging that this is what they must do, Ron laments, “Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be ‘follow the butterflies?’” due to his great fear of spiders.Giant spiders do appear frequently as enemies inHogwarts Legacy, but this side quest gives players the blissful reprieve that Ron desperately sought. Butterflies can then be found infrequently in the Highlands and followed to otherwise inaccessible loot that appears before them.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on May 5, and the Nintendo Switch version arrives May 29, 2025.
