Set approximately one hundred years before Harry Potter's time, Hogwarts Legacy follows a fifth-year student as they immerse themselves in the wonderful world of magic. Due to the game's unique setting and premise, players will encounter several things that have never appeared in the franchise before, such as characters, creatures, and enemies.
While progressing through Hogwarts Legacy, the player will be forced to battle a variety of unique foes, some of which can pose quite a challenge. Most of the game's first few hours pit players against relatively straightforward opponents, but this approach changes during Percival Rackham’s Trial, wherein the player will be forced to defeat a Pensieve Guardian.
Percival Rackham’s Trial
Players will eventually meet Percival Rackham while progressing through the main story of Hogwarts Legacy. During this encounter, Rackham will ask the young protagonist to complete a series of trials, from which some pretty crucial information about the past can be uncovered. These trials can be quite laborious due to their focus on puzzles, but the greatest challenge usually comes from the enemies lurking within them.
To begin the first trail, Professor Fig and the protagonist must journey to San Bakar's Tower just north of Hogsmeade, defeat the goblins who have set up camp there, and uncover the secret doorway on the tower's bottom floor. Upon entering through the door, the player must then complete a series of puzzles while battling their way to the final area, where they will be faced with a Pensieve Guardian, the strongest opponent in Hogwarts Legacy so far.
Breaking Pensieve Guardian Orbs
Upon beginning the battle against the Pensieve Guardian, players will be subjected to a variety of devastating attacks. While dodging the entity's red ground pound attack and parrying its projectiles isn't overly difficult, some might struggle with destroying the orbs the Pensieve Guardian summons from its hands.
If these orbs are permitted enough time to grow, the blast they deliver can be quite devastating, so it's better if players focus on destroying them before they can erupt. The best way to ensure these orbs cannot explode is to cast a specific spell while the orbs are growing. The required spells will vary depending on the color of the orb, so players may need to assign different spells to their spell slot diamond during the fight.
To destroy a red orb, the player must cast a red spell like Confringo or Incendio; purple spells like Accio or Depulso can be used to destroy a purple orb, and Levioso or Glacius will destroy a yellow orb. To ensure these orbs never get the chance to explode, players should have a variant of each of these spells equipped and should be ready to cast them at any given moment.
To further increase one's chance of survival, Ancient Magic should be cast as often as possible, as the damage dealt by this form of magic can take significant chunks of the Pensieve Guardian's health away. To fill the Ancient Magic meter, the player should dish out magic combos and collect the glowing objects that materialize after doing so. Having a few Wiggenweld Potions can also be a big help if the protagonist is running low on health.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC. PS4, Xbox One, and Switch versions are currently in development.