Hogwarts Legacy is based on the Wizarding World universe created by J.K. Rowling. You can read more about Rowling’s history of transphobic remarks as well as find resources to support LGBTQ organizations here.
Much of the fun of Hogwarts Legacy comes from building your own character and shaping your Hogwarts adventure. While the game is certainly not strict when it comes to needing to optimize your character’s build (this isn’t Elden Ring), you’d be surprised by how much fun you can have with the game’s Talent system.
Anyone looking for a few new builds can find them at the bottom of this article. For everyone else, here are a few things you need to know about how the Talent and character building system in Hogwarts Legacy works.
When Do You Unlock Talents in Hogwarts Legacy?
In order to access Hogwarts Legacy‘s Talent system, you need to complete a main story quest called “Jackdaw’s Rest.” You can’t miss this quest so long as you progress through the game’s main story.
When you receive that quest is another matter entirely. While you do need to be at least Level 5 to access Hogwarts Legacy‘s Talent system, you can (and probably will) unlock it much later than that.
Thankfully, the game uses a “catch-up” mechanic. So, if you unlock Talents at Level 10 and you start earning Talent Points at Level 5, you will automatically receive 5 Talent Points to spend once that system is unlocked. In other words, there’s no need to rush to unlock your Talents. It all works out in the end.
What Is The Level Cap and Max Number of Talent Points in Hogwarts Legacy?
The level cap in Hogwarts Legacy is 40. Since you start earning Talent Points at Level 5, that means you can only earn 35 Talent Points in the course of a single playthrough.
The bad news is that there are 48 available Talents in Hogwarts Legacy. That means that you need to identify the 13 Talents you don’t want when you’re planning on building your character.
Furthermore, it will probably take you significantly longer to unlock those last 10 Talent Points than it took you to get the first 25 or so. That’s why the builds below feature “Essential Talents,” but still leave a little room open for how you want to spend some of your remaining points.
Can You Respec Your Character in Hogwarts Legacy?
Unfortunately, there is no way to respec your character in Hogwarts Legacy as of the time of this writing. There is also no way to refund Talent Points after you’ve spent them. That means that you’ll want to be very careful when spending Talent Points and try to think ahead a bit in order to ensure you don’t miss out on certain abilities.
Hogwarts Legacy: Best Character Builds
The Completely Overpowered Stealth Build
Major Spells: Alohomora, Disillusionment, Accio, Leviosa
Essential Talents: Spell Knowledge I, Revelio Mastery, Human Demiguise, Sense of Secrecy I and II, Petrificus Totalus Mastery, Invisibility Potion Potency
Recommended Gear Traits: Binding III and Ambush III
I’ll be blunt: Stealth is incredibly overpowered in Hogwarts Legacy at the moment. It’s not always the most enjoyable way to play the game, but a fully-leveled stealth player will be able to clear some of the game’s toughest challenges with relative ease.
Once you’ve unlocked the core talents in this build (and ideally acquired Binding III and Ambush III), you’ll be able to quickly clear most groups of enemies without ever being spotted. Even bosses and other named baddies can’t stand in your way for long (even if you can’t one-shot them while stealthed as you can other enemies).
Even better, there are only four Stealth-focused Talents in the game, so you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to how you build your character outside of those core abilities. I recommend focusing on Stupefy and Protego for those times that you do need to fight, but you might have more fun enhancing your primary control spells instead. You can also go full Dark Arts if you want to lean into that element of your character. Again, you have a ton of wiggle room with this build given that the stealth abilities do so much of the work.
The Death Eater Build
Major Spells: Crucio, Imperio, Avada Kedavra, Expelliarmus, Arresto Momentum, Flipendo
Essential Talents: Imperio Mastery, Crucio Mastery, Enduring Curse, Blood Curse, Curse Sapper, Avada Kedavra Mastery, Swift, Basic Cast Mastery, Focus Potion Potency
Recommended Gear Traits: Unforgivable III and Cruelty III
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that quite a few Hogwarts Legacy players have found themselves tempted by the Dark Arts. It also probably won’t surprise you to learn that a Dark Arts build can be incredibly powerful in Hogwarts Legacy.
At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with picking up all 14 Talents available to you in the Dark Arts Talent tree. Not only do those talents buff the effects of the Unforgivable Curses (the core spells in this build), but they synergize with your three flex spells: Expelliarmus, Arresto Momentum, and Flipendo. Before long, you’ll be cursing multiple enemies at once and clearing them out with a well-timed Avada Kedavra. Of course, many of them probably won’t live long enough to see that spell given the power of the game’s upgraded “Curse” effect.
I recommend splitting your remaining points between the Room of Requirement and Core Talent Trees, but (as noted above) there’s also something to be said for investing in some stealth skills. The Spells tree is largely skippable in this build, though, given that you’re relying on a very specific set of spells. Again, though, it’s hard to go wrong once you’ve got the core pieces in place.
The Harry Potter Build
Major Spells: Expelliarmus, Accio, Disillusionment, Arresto Momentum
Essential Talents: Accio Mastery, Slowing Curse, Enduring Curse, Curse Sapper, Ancient Magic Throw Expertise, Basic Cast Mastery, Stupefy Mastery, Stupify Expertise, Disarming Curse
Recommended Gear Traits: Concentration III, Control III, and Disarming III
I’ve seen a few variations on the “Harry Potter Build” concept, but this one from FextraLife has to be the most complete and useful version of that prototype I’ve found so far.
As this is basically a roleplaying build, you’re essentially trying to stick to the primary abilities that Harry himself uses most often in the books/movies. As Harry Potter fans know, that means relying heavily on Stupefy and Expelliarmus. Thankfully, those happen to be two of the most useful spells in Hogwarts Legacy. Expelliarmus allows you to curse and disarm large groups of enemies (with the proper upgrades), while the upgraded version of Stupefy can freeze and destroy even the toughest enemies pretty much on its own.
I also like the idea of upgrading your Stealth abilities to at least Sense of Secrecy II. It’s thematically appropriate (Harry loved that Invisibility Cloak), and that skill will at least help you position yourself for battles against larger groups of enemies.
The biggest potential downside to this kind of build is that it requires you to dig a little deeper into the Core and Dark Arts trees. That means that it doesn’t leave you with a lot of leftover talent points to work with. If you want to incorporate some more Spell Talents into your rotation, I would recommend cutting out some of the Dark Arts abilities and experimenting with a few of the more potent combos. It’s not as powerful, but it is a touch closer to Harry’s character and pretty fun in its own right.
The Merlin Build
Major Spells: Glacius, Depulso/Incdendio, Arresto Momentum, Expelliarmus
Essential Talents: Glacius Mastery, Descendo Mastery, Slowing Curse, Disarming Curse, Evasion Absorption, Protego Expertise, Basic Cast Airborne Absorption, Protego Mastery
Recommended Gear Traits: Ancient Magic III, Disarming III, and Control III
The basic idea behind this build is pretty simple, but there are a lot of directions you can take it in.
As the name suggests, this build is designed to emphasize powerful Ancient Magic attacks and advanced versions of various “Control” spells. On their own, those spells don’t really do a ton of damage. Actually, some of them don’t do any direct damage. Combine and upgrade them, though, and you’ll soon find yourself capable of dictating the terms of pretty much every fight. Seriously, there will be many times when your enemies’ feet won’t touch the ground or their backs won’t leave the floor.
The typical fight with this build will see you curse targets with Arresto Momentum and Expelliarmus before quickly building up your Ancient Magic meter for powerful finishing attacks. You’ll also be using Protego extensively to punish enemies who dare to try to attack you. It can also be fun to incorporate the advanced Transformation talent (though it’s not always easy to work that spell into the rotation before you’ve finished most fights).
From there, the rest of this build is really up to you. Glacius offers an invaluable way to isolate larger targets, while some combination of Depulo and Incendio (useful AoE abilities) will help you take out larger batches of lesser foes. Ultimately, though, you’re looking to build around those core control spells and get your damage in through the effects you’ll build up along the way.
The Potions and Plants Build
Major Spells: Expelliarmus, Confringo, Depulso, Bombarda, Transformation
Essential Talents: Noxious, Focus Potion Potency, Thunderbrew Potency, Focus Potion Potency, Confringo Mastery, Depulso Mastery, Basic Cast Mastery, Fertiliser, Edurus Potion Potency, Maxima Potion Potency, Bombarda Mastery
Recommended Gear Traits: Herbology III, Fangs III, and Concentration III
To be honest, I find the Talents in the Room of Requirement Tree (which this build relies on) to be a little dull compared to some of the other Talents in the game. However, I will say that you can pull off some pretty crazy things if you’re committed to properly investing in those abilities.
This build depends on certain items that most other builds in the game will pretty much ignore entirely. If you’re able to stay stocked on potions and plants, though, you’ll soon find that the character you get from this build will be just shy of being invincible. Your plants will deal a ton of passive damage, Thunderbrew will greatly reduce your cooldown times, and Maxima will ensure that you’re always getting the most out of your upgraded damage spells.
It’s all about the preparation process with this build. Chug a few potions, throw your plants into combat areas, and then let loose with the full force of your suddenly enhanced spells. You’ll be spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement gathering the necessary materials, but the results are undeniable.
While it can be annoying to ensure that you’re able to constantly access an adequate supply of potions and plants this really is one of the most enjoyable ways to play the game once you get it going. It’s pure chaos in the best way possible, and it’s perfect for those on a second playthrough who want to explore a different side of the adventure.
The Dark Souls Build
Major Spells: Diffindo, Depulso, Descendo, Flipendo
Essential Talents: Diffindo Mastery, Wiggenweld Potency 1, Wiggenweld Potency II, Edurus Potion Potency, Thunderbrew Potency, Protego Absorption, Protego Expertise, Protego Mastery, Evasion Absorption, Swift
Recommended Gear Traits: Laceration III and Concentration III
First off, I have to give full credit to Game8 for coming up with a version of this build. I also have to warn you that if you’re looking for a build that is traditionally “good,” this isn’t it. What this build is, though, is an attempt to replicate the sensation of playing Hogwarts Legacy as if you were a melee-focused Dark Souls character.
The slashing spell Diffindo is the key to this entire concept. It’s the closest you get to a melee attack ability in this game, and it’s honestly pretty powerful once you spend the right upgrades on it. Seriously, you’ll be wondering why it’s not an Unforgivable Curse when you’re unleashing sweeping strikes upon waves of enemies.
If you want, you can also weave in some abilities that don’t do a lot of direct damage on their own but do support your Diffindo strikes. It just depends on how strictly you want to role-play this concept. Regardless, you will be using Protego liberally in combat, while occasionally weaving in an Ancient Magic attack (thematically bolstered by your Evasion Absorption “rolls”). Of course, you’ll be able to rely on potions as Estus Flask substitutes all the while.
Granted, this build essentially unofficially unlocks the game’s hardest difficulty mode, but that just adds to the Dark Souls theme.