The Ashwinders are a deadly faction of dark wizards who are pitted against the player in Hogwarts Legacy. There are a number of different kinds of evil witches and wizards in their ranks, each with their own specific strengths and weaknesses. The Ashwinder Ranger acts as a sort of support caster and is capable of making otherwise trivial fights very frustrating. It's important that players know the best way to deal with these enemies so that they can remain in control on the battlefield.
By themselves, Ashwinder Rangers are not very dangerous at all. They really start to pose a threat when they are paired together with other powerful Hogwarts Legacy enemies such as Ashwinder Duelists or Ashwinder Executioners. There are a few very easy ways to deal with Ashwinder Rangers and some things that players should always keep in mind when coming to blows with this enemy type.
What Are Ashwinder Rangers?
The Field Guide describes Ashwinder Rangers as witches who use the Full Body-Bind Curse, also known as Petrificus Totalus, to "capture and terrorise their victims." From a lore perspective, that makes Ashwinder Rangers pretty terrifying, as they likely act as Victor Rookwood's primary manhunters, interrogators, and torturers. In game, however, these enemies can be found fairly commonly in bandit camps, battle arenas, and as enemies in numerous story quests. They can be identified by the green-colored flat cap that they wear.
Ashwinder Ranger Defenses
It's worth noting that Ashwinder Rangers have not mastered Shield Charms, and are completely defenseless against the player's spells. Being relatively small in size, they are also fully susceptible to Force and Control spells like Levioso, Arresto Momentum, Accio, and Depulso. The one thing that sets them apart from other enemies is that they have no specific weakness, as there aren't any spells that will have special effects on these enemies.
Ashwinder Ranger Attacks
Ashwinder Rangers only have two attacks, and, odds are, players will only ever see one of them. The main spell that these enemies cast is Petrificus Totalus, but it functions quite differently than the player's own version of that spell. This variant of the spell is a long-ranged, unblockable attack that binds the player in place unless they press the correct button to break free or until they get hit.
If the player presses the wrong button then they will be stuck in place and the Ashwinder Ranger will fire off an unnamed damaging spell at the player. Thankfully, players can use Hogwarts Legacy's dodge roll to avoid getting hit by Petrificus Totalus altogether.
Ashwinder Ranger Strategies
The main strategy players should use when facing these enemies is to take them out first. While it may be tempting to focus on the high damaging Hogwarts Legacy enemies in the area, the constant barrage of Petrificus Totalus spells will quickly begin to overwhelm the player, leaving them vulnerable to very powerful attacks from other enemies.
Using Accio is a great way to pull Ashwinder Rangers out of cover and into range of Damage spells like Incendio. If players prefer the sneaky approach, they can be beaten at their own game if the player uses Petrificus Totalus. Finally, it may sometimes be worth expending some Ancient Magic in order to get these enemies out of the way quickly.
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 is arriving on July 25, 2023.