Summary
Hogwarts Legacy 2has the opportunity to improve uponHogwarts Legacy’s best and worst moments, delivering an even greater experience for fans. While the original did a great job of immersing fans in the Wizarding World, some aspects of its storyline and connection to the lore failed to connect. One mission stands out asHogwarts Legacy’s very best, effectively implementingthe largerHarry Potterlore, and making players feel the impact of their characters’ legacy. In designingHogwarts Legacy 2’s quests and storyline, this mission provides its developer with one obvious source of inspiration to pull from.
Hogwarts Legacy 2could go several ways with its quest design, as no official details regarding the title’s setting, era, or narrative have been shared. 2023’sHogwarts Legacysaw players create a student and choose a house, before embarking on a quest to preserve an ancient form of magic and save the Wizarding World. The title’s quests span a wide range of objective, battle, and puzzle challenges, with players learning and utilizing a host of classic spells. However, one quest placed the setting, characters, and conflict ofHogwarts Legacyto the side, immersing players in a lore-heavy set piece, delivering the absolute best experience the title had to offer.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Niamh Fitzgerald Trial Offers the Best Implementation of its Core Concepts
While fans were satisfied with much ofHogwarts Legacy’s world and narrative, such as exploring the castle and its grounds, its 1800s setting kept it far removed from the largerHarry Potterlore. That is until players reach the Niamh Fitzgerald Trial, which sees them read a book in the back of the Headmaster’s Office, before entering its reality-bending pages. It is here that players come face-to-face with the most lore-heavy, and familiar, connection to the game’s iconic source material. Tasked with defeating a physical representation of Death itself, players journey through a warped retelling of theTale of the Three BrothersfromHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Niamh Fitzgerald Trialoffers the very best implementation of its goals and core concepts, immersing players in one of the most important legends in Wizarding World lore. More importantly, the quest delivers a unique twist that compliments the narrative ofHogwarts Legacyand the player’s journey thus far. From a quest design perspective, it also delivers some of the most inspired set pieces, visuals, and quest progressionHogwarts Legacyhas to offer, with players navigating a host of unique scenarios while acquiring the Deathly Hallows. Encapsulating the very best of what a Wizarding World video game can offer longtime fans, the Niamh Fitzgerald Trial provides a compelling case for more quests to follow suit inHogwarts Legacy 2.
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Level Design Could Take Fitzgerald’s Trial to the Next Level
Hogwarts Legacyexcelled when it leaned into the lore of the Wizarding World. Using the Niamh Fitzgerald Trial as a source of inspiration,Hogwarts Legacy 2could take the series to new heights. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor’s narrative, the title could elevate the ancient magic at its center to an ever greater place amongthe Wizarding World’s central conflicts. What’s more, the title could offer fans a glimpse at how these early events shaped the Wizarding World by the time Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Legacy 2has not yet been announced, but the title is already under a lot of pressure to improve upon its predecessor. By leaning harder into theHarry Pottercanon and relevant lore, while keeping a distance from its era and characters, the title can draw fans even deeper into its unique take on the Wizarding World. Niamh Fitzgerald’s Trial offers a great blueprint on how to craft such a narrative and build out familiar, yet fresh, questlines. However, fans may not need to wait untilHogwarts Legacy 2to return to the titular school grounds, as aDirector’s Cut ofHogwarts Legacyis rumored to already be in development.
