One of the most well-known points about the original Harry Potter stories is that the titular main character, Harry Potter, began his adventures at Hogwarts as a first-year student. On the other hand, Hogwarts Legacy has your playable character join the school late as a fifth-year rather than earlier. While this may seem like a random decision, the reasoning is explained in the game’s lore for us to uncover today. If you’re interested in learning more, continue reading to discover why your character starts as a 5th-year student in Hogwarts Legacy.
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Why is your Character a 5th Year Student in Hogwarts Legacy?
When thinking about what a typical school year would look like for a first-year student, a few ideas come to mind. We’ve never visited Hogwarts, know little to no magic, and have to build new friendships from scratch that we’ll continue to develop over time. This is how most young wizards gain their skills, and it’s often considered a slow process since you spend the entirety of your Hogwarts school adventures and time beyond learning magic.
This isn’t the case for the main character of Hogwarts Legacy.
Immediately after starting the game and beginning the tutorial, it’s clear that your character possesses a rare form of magic and naturally masters new spells almost instantly. We play as a unique, gifted student who, despite never attending Hogwarts, has magical abilities surpassing most of our classmates. Now imagine being there for five years, being better than nearly every single student you encounter, and making little to no progress in your magical development. A situation like this would be even more strange than it already is.
We can also look at this from the flip side: what if, as first-years, we had very limited magical abilities? By the time you reach the mid-game, you would only have a couple of spells at your disposal instead of having a dozen. Being a fifth-year allows for quicker learning and more powerful abilities, making the overall experience much more fun.
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The last and perhaps most important part of why you start as a 5th-year student in Hogwarts Legacy is the game’s story. Your character is responsible for uncovering ancient magic’s secrets while also combating an upcoming Goblin Rebellion. Being slightly older allows you to do this more effectively with powerful spells and allies, as opposed to being an eleven-year-old child figuring out what’s happening. Being older also allows your character to freely use Unforgivable Curses, to the dismay of everyone around you. It provides more freedom for playing without suffering the major repercussions that a first-year would experience.
Hogwarts Legacy is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch through the official website. If you’re interested in learning more about the game, check out All Companions in Hogwarts Legacy Listed and How to Get and Use the Broom in Hogwarts Legacy.
