Hogwarts Legacyincludes many ghost NPC characters who, in many ways, are an underused series staple from theHarry Potteruniverse, with some fantastic, funny, or often crucial ghost characters, like Nearly Headless Nick and Moaning Myrtle.Hogwarts Legacyalso includes some memorable encounters with ghosts. However, these aren’t necessarily available to all players or are limited to one-liner NPC comments as players wander the halls of Hogwarts Castle, encountering ghosts sword-fighting or dancing in places like the Deathday Party Room.
The game’s vast RPG open world often feels very rich owing to the number of things to see and do while exploring, and some of the best features areHogwarts Legacy’s random interactions. Players can talk to NPC quest givers and witness random encounters, like when Peeves the ghost torments a student in Hogwarts Castle. However, although some of the game’s most popular experiences include ghosts, interactions are limited and could be further utilized in any potential future DLC content.
RELATED:Hogwarts Legacy: The Lore Behind Peeves
Hogwarts Legacy’s Memorable Ghost Encounters
Fastidio is the ghostly star of the PlayStation-exclusiveMinding Your Own Business side quest. In one of the game’s most action-packed quests, Fastidio tries to torment and trick players with mannequins that come to life and even throw objects at players in a reflection of the player’s ability to wield and throw items using Ancient Magic. It’s a memorable side quest, so it would be great to have similar encounters elsewhere. The Ghost of Our Love side quest is also another ghost-themed mission that features floating candles rather than spectral beings.
Peeves is another ofHogwarts Legacy’s best ghostswho players can see do various mischievous things around the castle, including sliding down stairwell banisters and even telling on Sebastian for accessing the Restricted Section of the Library. However, players can’t talk with ghosts like Peeves during encounters around the castle. This lack of interaction seems like a missed opportunity to learn more about these characters and their possible knowledge of Hogwarts' secrets and mysteries.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Ghost DLC Opportunities And The Importance Of Ghosts
Owing to the popularity of ghost side quests and memorable ghost encounters inHogwarts Legacy, it makes sense for the game to do more with the ghosts in any potential future DLC or updates. It could also be a handy means of adding additional content, as the ghosts at Hogwarts are likely to possess a lot of knowledge of Hogwarts Castle and its secrets, so they can help players uncoverHogwarts Legacy’s secret locations, like the Deathday Party Room. This could be especially handy for the House ghosts, who only make passing comments, such as the Bloody Baron’s comments on players' success against Ranrok.
When ghosts also play a significant role in theHarry Pottermovies, it also makes sense for them to feature more prominently in possible updates. For instance, Helena Ravenclaw, also known as the Gray Lady, proves essential in stopping Voldemort when she reveals the location of one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. However, Harry has to gain her trust to release the information, as she says Tom Riddle lied to her. Many ghosts also help Harry defeat Voldemort, and Moaning Myrtle’s knowledge is invaluable in helping Harry progress through the Triwizard Tournament. AlthoughHogwarts Legacyisn’t canonand is set in the 1800s, ghosts could play a more prominent role in helping or hindering the player.
How players treat the ghosts and other NPCs could be equally crucial, especially ifHogwarts Legacyadds a morality systemin a later expansion. If ghosts play a more significant role, it’s another opportunity for players to choose whether to be good or bad, with potentially more impactful results beyond the grave. In any potential DLC or content update, it would be ideal for players to have more opportunities to interact withHogwarts Legacy’s ghosts rather than being passive bystanders to their activities.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One versions release on April 4 and the Nintendo Switch version releases July 25.
