Though Hogwarts Legacy is very beginner friendly, its combat system can actually be quite complex. The first step to truly understanding the game's combat is knowing how enemy shields work and, particularly, how to break them. As players gallivant around the Scottish Highlands, they're bound to come across all manner of enemies. While Spiders and Trolls may not be capable of protecting themselves from the player's spells, the many Dark Wizards that players will inevitably encounter are capable of using Protego in unique ways.
Though the player can cast Protego to shield themselves from damage, the spell works a bit differently for enemies in Hogwarts Legacy. Rather than being cast as a reaction, some Witches and Wizards the player crosses wands with will have permanent shields up that prevent incoming damage of all types until they are broken. There are three types of shields in Hogwarts Legacy: Yellow, Purple, and Red.
Hogwarts Legacy - How to Break Yellow Shields
Yellow shields are common throughout Hogwarts Legacy and are typically wielded by weaker enemies such as Ashwinder Soldiers. In order to break through these shields, players will need to cast any Control type spell, identifiable by the yellow background behind the spell symbol. The following spells are considered Control spells and can break yellow shields.
- Levioso - Learned in the very first Charms class at the beginning of the game.
- Glacius - Learned after completing Madam Kogawa's first assignment.
- Arresto Momentum - Learned after completing Madam Kogawa's second assignment.
- Transformation - Learned after completing Professor Weasley's assignment.
Hogwarts Legacy - How to Break Purple Shields
Purple shields are less common than yellow shields, but players will still run into them frequently. Players will want to know how to break these shields if they want to beat enemies like Ashwinder Assassins.
Breaking purple shields requires players to cast any Force spell, denoted by the purple background behind the spell symbol. The following spells are considered Force spells that can break purple shields.
- Accio - Learned in the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class at the beginning of the game.
- Depulso - Learned after completing Professor Sharp's first assignment.
- Descendo - Learned after completing Professor Onai's assignment.
- Flipendo - Learned after completing Professor Garlick's second assignment.
Hogwarts Legacy - How to Break Red Shields
Red shields are rare, but they aren't necessarily any harder to break so long as players have the right spells equipped to their spell sets. Enemies like the deadly Poacher and Ashwinder Duelists wield red shields in combat. Red shields can be destroyed by any Damage spell, which are easily identified by their red background. The following spells are considered Damage spells and can break red shields.
- Incendio - Learned after completing Professor Hecat's first assignment.
- Confringo - Learned after completing "In the Shadow of the Undercroft" with Sebastian.
- Expelliarmus - Learned after completing Professor Hecat's second assignment.
- Diffindo - Learned after completing Professor Sharp's second assignment.
- Bombarda - Learned after completing Professor Howin's assignment.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on April 4; the Nintendo Switch version arrives on July 25, 2023.