Summary
- Hogwarts Legacy, the best-selling game of 2023, may be getting a sequel in the near future to capitalize on its success.
- The game's sequel will need to address criticism of its half-baked RPG elements, particularly the lack of emphasis on gear and upgrades.
- Introducing wands as a new gear type in the sequel could enhance the gameplay experience, but the series' lore about wands choosing wizards may present a challenge that can be overcome with in-universe explanations.
Still the best-selling game of 2023, beating out Zelda, Star Wars, and now somehow even Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy has been an absolute sales juggernaut this year. And where there's success, there's almost always a desire for higher-ups to want more of it, making it very likely that Hogwarts Legacy will get a sequel sometime in the near future, though that hasn't been officially announced or confirmed just yet. But if/when a Hogwarts Legacy sequel does happen, it's going to need to make some sizable changes.
Though it sold absurdly well, Hogwarts Legacy wasn't a perfect game, and according to some critics, it was far from it. One of the game's biggest issues was its half-baked approach to the RPG genre, and if a sequel is going to rectify that problem, then it's going to need to start making gear more central to the gameplay experience. Though, there might be some in-universe Harry Potter lore that prevents that from becoming the case.
Hogwarts Legacy's Wands Might Become a Problem in a Sequel
Hogwarts Legacy's Sequel Needs to Lean More Into RPG Wand Loot
As mentioned above, one of the biggest complaints coming out of Hogwarts Legacy was its half-baked RPG elements. While side quests, skill trees, and different types of gear were all present in Hogwarts Legacy, they all felt a bit underdone, with the latter feeling particularly disappointing. Finding and upgrading gear is often one of the core pillars of the RPG experience, and while Hogwarts Legacy lets players find and upgrade a handful of clothing items, they don't exactly stand out all too much and players aren't given much incentive to seek them out.
A potential Hogwarts Legacy sequel has a glaringly obvious new gear type just waiting to appear in-game, and that's wands. One of the most important aspects of the Wizarding World, it would make complete sense for wands to become a new gear type in the next Hogwarts Legacy. On top of incremental stat boosts, new wand types could offer special abilities, such as making certain spell types more powerful like a dark wizard wand that increases the attack power of more damage-focused spells. Essentially acting as the series' only weapon, it would make complete sense for a Hogwarts Legacy sequel to give players different rarities and types of wands during their adventure.
Harry Potter Lore Might Hamper Hogwarts Legacy's Wands
But there's one big issue with introducing wands as a new gear type for Hogwarts Legacy, and that's the series' in-universe lore. One of the best-known conceits of the Wizarding World is that the "Wand chooses the Wizard," essentially meaning that a wizard only really gets one wand in their lifetime. The bond between the wand and the wizard only grows stronger over time, and that usually restricts other wizards from stealing and using it. Therefore, it might not make a lot of sense for Hogwarts Legacy's protagonist to be running around stealing other wizards' and witches' wands.
That being said, there is a way that a Hogwarts Legacy sequel can explain away this concept with in-universe, canon lore. While it's true that the wand chooses the wizard, it's also true that if a wizard is defeated in a duel, the bond between them and their wand is practically severed, meaning that the wand now belongs to the victor. So, if the player is defeating wizards and witches in duels, then that technically means their wands would then be bonded with the player, allowing them to use and switch between them all freely.
Hogwarts Legacy
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- February 10, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
- Cross Save
- you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
Explore an Open World
The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to be
Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World Adventure
Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- Franchise
- Harry Potter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- Metascore
- 84
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
