There are many aspects of the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy that are understandably exciting eager fans. With more details about the game being slowly revealed as it nears release, hype surrounding the title is only growing in scale.
While Hogwarts Legacy has many interesting gameplay elements, there is one in particular that aims to set the title apart from other Harry Potter games. The holistic and deeply detailed open-world that Legacy is aiming to provide is set to foster huge amounts of exploration, and there are many iconic locations from the wider franchise that are already confirmed to feature within the game.
Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts School
Of course, the primary location that will be present within the game is the iconic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With Legacy seeing players take control of a Hogwarts student in their fifth year, a huge amount of the school will be available for exploration. After a player chooses their Hogwarts house, the corresponding Common Room will be available to explore, as well as classrooms, the castle grounds, the Great Hall, the winding corridors, and more. The school will essentially be explorable in its entirety to truly encapsulate a feeling of immersion and freedom for the player.
With Hogwarts Legacy also set to include secrets and puzzles throughout the game, the ancient magical school is sure to be full of them. Considering how integral the school is to the core theme and plot of Legacy, players should expect Hogwarts to be thoroughly detailed and expansive.
Hogwarts Legacy: The Room of Requirement
An extremely important and iconic location that is confirmed to be explorable within Hogwarts Legacy is the Room of Requirement. A secret location within the school itself, the room is one of the rarest and most powerful secrets at Hogwarts, transforming itself into whatever the chosen witch or wizard that it reveals itself to needs at that time.
It is currently unknown as to how the player will come across this mythical location, but it is clear that the Room of Requirement will feature many different aspects that will require exploration due to the ever-shifting nature of the area itself. For example, it appears that the room will be a kind of hub within Hogwarts Legacy for potion brewing, as well as containing a vivarium that will allow players to oversee the growth of magical creatures.
Perhaps most interestingly, the Room of Requirement can morph into a picturesque countryside landscape, in which the player can build and customize their very own cottage. Due to the sheer magnitude of its magical qualities, the Room of Requirement is likely to be the subject of intense exploration among players within Hogwarts Legacy.
Hogwarts Legacy: The Forbidden Forest
As well as heavily showcasing the school itself, the dark and mysterious outskirts of Hogwarts will also be the subject of exploration, namely the sinister Forbidden Forest. An unpredictable yet fascinating and ancient place, the Forbidden Forest is sure to provide some of the most engaging and tense exploration within Hogwarts Legacy.
Full of potential companions as well as enemies, the Forbidden Forest is sure to be a great starter-location to test out the combat of Hogwarts Legacy, outside the constrictions and limitations of the classroom. Given the Forbidden Forest's penchant for dormant secrets and hidden truths, it is sure to provide a serious amount of rewarding exploration despite the dangers that the forest inherently possesses.
Hogwarts Legacy: Hogsmeade
Another fan-favorite Harry Potter location that is confirmed to exist within Hogwarts Legacy is the quaint town of Hogsmeade. A key-location inside the original books and films, Hogsmeade is a very important location that many fans always assumed was going to be present within the game.
Hogsmeade is reportedly the only all-wizarding town in all of Britain, originally being founded in the early 1700s. With all Hogwarts students who are above their third year being allowed occasional weekend access to Hogsmeade, it very well may be a key location in developing bonds with the many companions of Hogwarts Legacy. Being near Hogwarts itself, Hogsmeade is known for its rustic pubs and shops, which should also be open to exploration by the player. In addition to the surface-level coziness of the town, Hogsmeade is also known for its secret passageways, which will surely come into play during exploration.
Interestingly, Hogsmeade was also the grounds of a goblin rebellion in the 1600s, with the antagonistic goblins of Hogwarts Legacy staging another rebellion within the main story of the game. While there are of course many other currently unnamed locations and brand-new areas that will further bolster the scope of exploration within Hogwarts Legacy, fans should be more than happy with the current roster of confirmed locations.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release in 2022 on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.