Without warning, the developers of Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy made us a very nice surprise this Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Published in the greatest of secrets on the official YouTube channel of the harry potter rpg, the 20-minute video then allows us to enjoy the atmosphere at Hogwarts in an ASMR style in the rain. Accompanied by unreleased footageit was above all an opportunity to see the emblematic castle at night, lit by countless lampposts, but also to visit the Hogsmeade village. If you haven’t had time to dwell on every detail of the video, we suggest you come back now to 5 secrets present in the images.
1. Attention to detail
The first sequence shows us a facade of Hogwarts in the middle of the night under a light rain. We can then admire the beautiful play of light from the scenery and the reflections on the road. In the background, we see the large Hogwarts Aviary as well as small hut which should be that of Hagrid several years later. As a reminder, the scenario of Hogwarts Legacy begins on September 1, 1890. An unfamiliar date for potterheads since it is a time not exploited in the work of JK Rowling, leaving the imagination of the developers to overflow ( while remaining faithful to the HP universe of course). We do know, however, that Albus Dumbledore entered magic school in 1892! Maybe we will meet him, in the game, as a child who knows?
The second sequence of the video takes us a little closer to an entrance to Hogwarts, with several stairs, still illuminated by a few lampposts in the dark. We can then see a fountain closer with a sculpture of dragon in its center. A creature that will also be present many times in the game as evidenced by the various trailers.
During the third sequence, we find ourselves outside of Hogwarts, not far from the botanical greenhouse (where there will be botany classes). No doubt that here the developers wanted to show us the beauty of the graphics at the level of the plants and the grass moving in the wind. When the front camera slowly fades, in the foreground are seen the same flowers that the Dementors cause to wither in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The fourth sequence offers us a more detailed overview of the Hogwarts stone railings and benches. We find one of moon symbols which is found all over Hogwarts Legacy. Even if the rain continues, the sky seems to clear to give way to some spring stars.
2. Ollivander’s shop will be in Hogsmeade!
The fifth sequence is really interesting since we find ourselves at Hogsmeade. It’s probably the end of the night and magic tools bustle about watering the flowerbeds. We see the Three Broomsticks Tavern basically and above all Ollivander’s shop on the left which confirms the presence of the latter at Hogsmeade and not at Diagon Alley! On the door of the shop on the right, we see a magic padlock shimmering in purple to symbolize the spell Alohomora. We also notice the sign indicating the Zonkos shop (for jokes and tricks).
On the right, you will find the Quidditch store! Although we still do not know if the sport will be practiced at Hogwarts, there is no doubt that the students are participating.
3. Who is this mysterious GR?
The sixth sequence is an even closer shot of Hogsmeade with some houses. One of them has the GR initials engraved on the door. Is it “Goblin Rebelion”, the place that will serve as HQ for the goblins of the dark mage, Rockwood? Knowing that officially, there is no store bearing this name or these initials, do not hesitate to theorize in the comments!
You can also see Madame Pieddodu’s tea room on the left and the post office in the background. In short, this is real Hogsmeade with all the shopping we know from movies and books!
4. Dumbledore’s Brother’s Tavern
In the seventh sequence we find ourselves below the previous sequence, in the grass. This makes it possible to observe in more detail the moths twirling around the lampposts. In the background, we see Boar’s Head Inn (Hog’s Head), run by Alberforth Dumbledore, Dumbledore’s brother. Obviously, it was not Alberforth who held the place at that time but we do not know the former owner: the game will make us discover it!
The Boar’s Head pub is far less popular than its competitor, the Three Broomsticks, but remember that’s exactly why Hermione chose it as the HQ for Dumbledore’s Army.
5. Hogsmeade Exit
The last sequence takes us out of Hogsmeade. This time thethunderstorm is there and splits the sky with its lightning (another nice way to show us how well the game’s dynamic weather is done). We then see the small shop The Magic Turnip (Magic Neep). In Scottish, “neep” means turnip, while in English it is called turnip. We don’t know much about this shop at the time of Hogwarts Legacy but it is a fruit and vegetable merchant. This is probably where we can buy ingredients for potions and seeds to grow the plants in our Magical Greenhouse.
In short, the latest sequences on Hogsmeade are real gold mines of information on the different shops that we can visit in Hogwarts Legacy. Here is a short summary to end this article:
- Ollivander : magic wand shop (confirmed)
- Hogsmeade Station (confirmed but we didn’t see the train)
- The Boar’s Head : a bar and an inn (confirmed)
- The Three Broomsticks : a bar and an inn (confirmed)
- Hogsmeade Post Office (confirmed)
- Honeydukes : confectionery store (confirmed)
- Madame Pieddodu’s tea room (confirmed)
- Zonko : prank and catch store (confirmed)
- The Magic Turnip : fruit and vegetable store (confirmed)
- Scribenpenne feather shop : sale of nibs for writing (unconfirmed)
- Gaichiffon : ready-to-wear chain (unconfirmed but it may be the clothing store seen in the gameplay trailer)
- Dervish and Bang : sale and repair of magic items (unconfirmed)
- The Quidditch Store (confirmed)
Taking place a hundred years before the events of Harry Potter and his friends, Hogwarts Legacy The Legacy of Hogwarts offers an old version of the castle but also the coats of arms of the 4 very different houses.