Hogwarts Legacy is a lengthy RPG, with a variety of NPCs to meet, quests to complete, and decisions to make. Since we’ve now had approximately a month to deeply delve and digest the game’s many missions, it is increasingly clear that certain quests stand out from the rest thanks to their memorable storylines, compelling characters, callbacks to Wizarding World lore, and exciting moments. Whether you’ve already done everything the Harry Potter prequel RPG has to offer, or are a new player gearing up for your first semester at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, here are the fifteen best quests in Hogwarts Legacy, ranked. Warning: spoilers ahead.
The Best Quests in Hogwarts Legacy – Ranked
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15. Venomous Valour
Although this early game sidequest might not quite stack up against some of the later-game moments, it nevertheless serves as a fun homage to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. “Venomous Valour” tasks players with exploring a dilapidated Herbology wing of Hogwarts, overgrown with deadly plants like Venomous Tentacula and Devil’s Snare. Watching the sunlight-hating Devil’s Snare vines recoil at the cast of the Lumos charm was truly a sight to behold in my first playthrough. Even though there are no enemies to fight, Venomous Valour still is worthy of a spot on the game’s best quests list.
14. The Elf, The Nab Sack, and the Loom
Around midway through the story, players will learn how to rescue magical creatures using a special tool called the Nab-sack. This magic item allows your witch or wizard to vacuum magical creatures into a bag, so they can be transported to the safe-haven of the Room of Requirement’s Vivariums, far away from poachers. The quest is straightforward, but serves as an excellent tutorial to the magical creature rescue gameplay mechanics in Hogwarts Legacy.
13. The Plight of the House-Elf
“The Plight of the House-Elf” is one of the more somber quests in the game and demonstrates the harsh reality for House-Elves in the late 1800s Wizarding World setting. The side mission involves Deek, your Room of Requirement compatriot, who enlists your witch or wizard to check on his fellow House-Elf friend, Tobbs, a slave serving under a cruel master. While I won’t completely spoil the conclusion, the quest involves a descent into a spider-infested cave, including a challenging battle against a fearsome Acromantula. Even if you don’t plan on completing every sidequest in Hogwarts Legacy, don’t skip out on “The Plight of the House-Elf.”
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12. In the Shadow of the Study
No offense to Poppy Sweeting or Natasai Onai, but Sebastian Sallow has the best relationship quest line in Hogwarts Legacy, with a story that centers around the Slytherin student’s tireless battle to find a cure for his cursed sister, leading him into exploration of the dark arts. One earlier mission in Sebastian’s character arc has your created character, Sallow, and his blind, parcel-tongued friend, Ominis Gaunt, exploring one of Salazar’s Slytherin’s secret passages to find the Hogwarts co-founder’s Scriptorium. With lethal snake-themed puzzles, an aesthetic reminiscent of the Chamber of Secrets, and a Saw-like dilemma that forces players to either use Crucio (AKA the torture curse) on themselves or Sebastian in order to enter Slytherin’s Scriptorium, “In the Shadow of the Study” proves itself as an excellent Hogwarts Legacy quest that is built upon through later missions in Sebastian’s storyline.
11. Welcome to Hogsmeade
Your first day at Hogwarts is capped off well-constructed exploration of a notable Wizarding World location. The mission “Welcome to Hogsmeade” centers around visiting the all-wizarding village of the same name, with your choice to be joined by either Natasi Onai or Sebastian Sallow. During “Welcome to Hogsmeade,” you get to craft your own wand at Ollivanders, acquire some magical items, meet NPCs, such as Sirona Ryan, fight a troll, and experience the first encounter with Hogwarts Legacy’s secondary antagonist, Victor Rookwood. The only thing that keeps this quest outside the top ten is that it feels more choreographed and less organic than some of the game’s better quests.
10. Flying Class
This was the moment when I realized that Avalanche Software had accomplished something special in Hogwarts Legacy. In a mission that harkens back to the memorable broom lesson scenes from the Harry Potter films and books, “Flying Class” gives your witch or wizard their first opportunity to take to the skies. The quest involves you and a classmate shirking school rules and going on a short flight adventure around Hogwarts Castle, allowing players to learn the game’s broom controls. After “Flying Class,” acquiring a broom of your own becomes a top priority, as the magic item truly opens the game’s vast world for exploration.
9. In the Shadow of the Relic / In the Shadow of Fate
While technically two missions, the conclusion of Sebastian Sallow’s relationship quest line is very well-written, serving as the shocking end to the young Slytherin’s efforts to save his sister from a curse. Sebastian’s willingness to embrace dark magic and cross moral lines leads to a disturbing dilemma for players to resolve. Even better, you can also learn the killing curse “Avada Kedavra” during the end of “In the Shadow of the Relic,” if you so desire.
8. Minding Your Own Business (PlayStation Exclusive)
It’s a shame that “Minding Your Own Business” is PlayStation exclusive, as it would rate much higher otherwise. This sidequest is very long, highly bizarre, and is truly unlike any other in the game. What starts with “a too good to be true” deal to acquire a Hogsmeade shop devolves into a spooky escape from a ghost’s dungeon full of puzzles and features numerous boss battles, with some creepy mannequins to boot. However, as great as the PlayStation-exclusive quest is, it would be unfair to rank it any higher, when PC and Xbox players are excluded from the fun.
7. The Final Repository
The game’s last story mission is one for the ages. requiring players to use all of their combat knowledge and skills in a final battle underneath Hogwarts. The grand finale features a gauntlet of trolls and goblins, followed by a no holds barred boss fight against the archvillain, Ranrok, who transforms into an energy-imbued dragon. “The Final Repository” is epic, absurd, and serves as a worthy conclusion to the main story of Hogwarts Legacy.
6. The Path to Hogwarts
To bookend to the final quest with the first, “The Path to Hogwarts” is an excellent introductory mission, setting the stage for everything to come in the game. Your character’s “Path to Hogwarts” is far different from the traditional route, as instead of Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express, your road to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry features a dragon attack, exploration of ruins, and even the legendary Gringotts Bank (and that’s only about half of it). Avalanche Software could have made a quick, easy tutorial and sent players on their way to Hogwarts, but instead the studio (rightly) created a quest full of exciting twists and turns, making the mission easily rate among the game’s best.
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5. San Bakar’s Trial
The final Pensieve trial deserves recognition among Hogwarts Legacy’s top five best quests. In order to complete “San Bakar’s Trial,” players must tame a Graphorn named “The Lord of the Shore.” Unlike the other Magical Creatures, you can’t merely sneak up and vacuum the Alpha-male Graphorn into your Nab-Sack, but must battle the beast in an epic boss fight. Make sure to bring plenty of Wiggenweld Potion, as the Lord of the Shore is arguably the toughest boss in the game. He has brutal, quick tail-whipping attacks, and a surprisingly confusing attack timing. Once you manage to subdue the gargantuan beast, you get the opportunity to ride the creature, and bulldoze dark wizards blocking your path on the way back to San Bakar’s Pensieve.
4. Prisoner of Love
How is it possible that of all the Hogwarts Houses, Hufflepuff has not just the best exclusive quest, but one of the greatest in the entire game?! All joking aside, despite Hogwarts Legacy’s otherwise fun, whimsical tone, “Prisoner of Love” has a shockingly dark, eerie mood, with a tragic story about a woman falsely imprisoned for murder at Azkaban Prison. The quest gives Hufflepuff witches or wizards the chance to explore the iconic penitentiary of the Wizarding World, complete with dementors and psychotic inmates. “Prisoner of Love” is a short, but high quality quest that you will remember long after the credits roll.
3. The Polyjuice Plot
The funniest quest in Hogwarts Legacy is “The Polyjuice Plot,” which requires players to infiltrate Headmaster Nigellus Black’s office. With the office entrance password protected, Professor Fig provides your created witch or wizard with some Polyjuice Potion, allowing your character to morph into the Headmaster’s doppelganger for a short time, in order to coax the password from Black’s House-elf, Scrope. In the process of finding Scrope, as the Headmaster impostor, you will encounter a number of Hogwarts professors and students, giving players the opportunity to select some hilarious dialogue options.
2. Niamh Fitzgerald’s Trial
Hogwarts Legacy’s penultimate trial is among the game’s greatest quests, due in large part to its trippy black and white storybook setting. “Niamh Fitzgerald’s Trial” is special because over the course of the mission, players get the opportunity to wield the Invisibility Cloak, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone, forming the Potterverse’s holy trinity known as the Deathly Hallows. In order to complete the trial, players must evade Death and its minions using the aforementioned items of the Deathly Hallows, combining stealth and direct combat. With its superb art style and excellent fan-service, “Niamh Fitzgerald’s Trial” is one of Hogwarts Legacy’s greatest moments, hands down.
1. The High Keep
“The High Keep” is the quintessential Hogwarts Legacy quest. The story mission involves ascending a castle full of puzzles and poachers, providing a fun balance between intellect and action, and requires the use of a wide array of classic Harry Potter spells to reach the highest tower. However, “The High Keep” truly goes into overdrive during a short cutscene when you reach the top of Falbarton Castle, free two captive Hippogriffs (Highwing and Caligo), and fly from the tower in a daring escape while under fire from unforgivable curses. The end of “The High Keep” rewards players with the greatest set piece in the entire game: a Hippogriff flight through the night sky. As the Hogwarts Express chugs along below, with the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry setting the backdrop, your created character and Natsai Onai scream and shout in excitement, as they triumphantly soar above Hogwarts Legacy’s open world on the backs of the majestic beasts. Simply, this quest has everything: puzzles, stealth, action, magical creature rescue, and flight. All these factors coalesce into an undeniable truth that “The High Keep” is clearly the best quest in Hogwarts Legacy.
Published: Mar 2, 2023 11:44 pm