In Hogwarts Legacy, players will take control of a fifth-year student who possesses a fascinating power. Most of the game requires said student to attend various classes and complete assignments, but players will have a lot of time to explore the world when they are taking a break from their studies.
Exploring the world of Hogwarts Legacy is breathtaking, not only because of the beautiful environments but also because of the magical creatures scattered throughout. Players will encounter a variety of fantastic beasts on their travels outside of Hogwarts, but finding certain creatures can be a little trick, given the size of the world. Though the protagonist can see Thestrals because he witnessed death, that doesn't mean he can easily find them.
Capturing Beasts
Upon unlocking the Room of Requirement and completing a few tasks for Deek, players can begin the quest entitled The Elf, The Nab-Sack, and the Loom, a charming quest that tasks the protagonist with rescuing a series of magical creatures. Upon completing the quest, players will unlock the Nab-Sack, a handy item that allows its users to safely capture beasts and escort them to different locations.
For the protagonist, these beasts can be deposited in the Room of Requirement, where they can be brushed, fed, and bred. With poachers roaming the lands, Deek suggests that capturing creatures is much safer for them, so players should make the time to capture whatever beasts they find on their travels, so long as they have room for them.
Thestral Locations
While it's possible to stumble upon magical beasts randomly by simply exploring the world of Hogwarts Legacy, they can also be found at their dens. There are countless creature dens scattered throughout the map, each marked with a paw print, so all the player needs to do is hover the cursor over the marker to see what beasts reside there.
Players will need to capture two Thestrals if they hope to complete the Foal of the Dead quest, but finding them can be quite challenging as they are quite rare creatures. In all of Hogwarts Legacy, there are only two Thestral Dens on the map, and players will likely prefer traveling to one of them more than the other.
How To Capture A Thestral
Just north of Hogsmeade is a swamp that houses several interesting secrets, the Thestral Den especially. Unlike most of the creatures in Hogwarts Legacy, Thestrals will fly away from the player if they are spooked, so it's better to approach the beasts after activating the Disillusionment Charm so as not to risk them getting away.
Once the player is close enough to a Thestral, they should then make use of the Arresto Momentum or Levioso spell to prevent the creature from flying away. Next, they should activate the Nab-Sack to begin the process of capturing one. It is possible for a Thestral to escape during this process, however, so players should be ready to stop them from fleeing with a spell if it looks like they are getting away.
This same process can also be used to capture a Thestral at the Thestral Den east of Marunweem Lake, but it is likely players will not yet have reached this location at this point in the game. That said, it might be necessary to travel to this den if players wish to obtain a Shiny version of a Thestral.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC. PS4, Xbox One, and Switch versions are currently in development.