Hogwarts Legacy is of an entirely different caliber. While most of the mainstream Harry Potter video games simply adapt the plots from the books and films, Hogwarts Legacy features an entirely original plot and, aside from a few ghosts, poltergeists, and talking paintings, new characters. For many, this was a nice change, as it had been over a decade since fans had gotten a full-blown triple-A console game from the franchise, rather than a free-to-play mobile title.

Naturally, the game’s story was shrouded in mystery, with Warner Bros. and developer Avalanche Games remaining tight-lipped and revealing only sparse plot details. Luckily, since the game’s release on February 10th, we’ve been able to play through the entire main story, which means we can reveal some key details about the plot of Hogwarts Legacy. Consider this your official warning: spoilers ahead.

What is Hogwarts Legacy about?

As detailed in our full review, you play as a newly enrolled student at Hogwarts who begins your education a little late as a 5th year. On your way to Hogwarts, you’ll be accompanied by a professor who will be your future mentor. Eliezer Fig, your carriage is ambushed by a giant dragon. You and Fig manage to escape in the nick of time using a Portkey, and discover a mysterious ancient magic that only you can see and feel.

It’s not long before the game’s two villains attack you. Both are trying to use this power for themselves: Lanroc, the evil leader of the Goblin Rebellion, and Victor Rookwood, who has made an uneasy alliance with Lanroc for reasons unknown.

After hunting down several magical MacGuffins, you and Fig gain access to the Map Room. The Map Room is a kind of secret vault deep beneath Hogwarts, where portraits of the four members of the Guardians are kept: Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, Niamh Fitzgerald, and San Bacar. .

This group of former Hogwarts professors (who, by the way, are now deceased and currently exist as talking paintings) are dedicated to keeping the existence of the aforementioned ancient power a secret from the wizarding world. And in case you were wondering, no, tragically, this mysterious power has no official name.

The Keepers’ Trials

As you complete the four Guardians’ Trials, which revolve around dimensional travel and magical portals, you will eventually learn the truth about the mysterious ancient magic thanks to a series of memories you relive in the Pensieve. At one point, after saving a nearby village from a terrible drought, the Guardians encounter Isidora Morganac. Morganac, like Percival and Character, is able to harness and sense this ancient magic. The game also highlights that they have something in common: all three of them enrolled in Hogwarts as fifth-year students. As you may have guessed by now, the reasons for this are never explained.

In an attempt to heal her father from the severe depression and grief caused by the death of her son, Isidora uses her unique abilities to extract and dissolve the pain that consumed her father. This physically manifests as a glowing, pulsating mass of energy that closely resembles the ancient magic encountered throughout the game. While Isidora receives punishment from the Guardians for her actions, she continues to ease the pain of other wizards, eventually turning to her students after becoming a professor at Hogwarts. Over time, she becomes addicted to the “pain” she inflicts on her subjects, and begins to suck some of it for herself.

She is eventually captured by the four Guardians, and the five of them find themselves inside a huge warehouse built across from them, deep underground. It is a treasure trove of ancient magic extracted by Isidora, and is held safe by technology developed by the famous goblin craftsman Beagbar. The battle ends with the deaths of Niamh and Isidora, but the three remaining Guardians remain to pick up the pieces.

How does Hogwarts Legacy end?

As the character begins to track down other ancient magical deposits buried deep underground, he eventually learns that Ranroc wants to recover them for the Goblins. This is fueled by the idea that the items they create are of the Goblins, not of the humans. They make them. After discovering Beagbar’s diary, he tracks down each and every one of these deposits to extract the ancient magic they contain, which he will use to rebel against the magical world, a magical world in which the Goblins (and for that matter, some other species as well) have been mistreated and oppressed in the past. The karma between Victor and Ranroc also becomes clear. It turns out that the Rookwood family estate is located in one of these deposits, which leads to the formation of an uneasy alliance. In case it wasn’t already clear, Victor Rookwood is a descendant of one of the Guardians, Charles, but it seems his apple fell far from the tree.

After destroying one of Lanrok’s mines (used to generate energy from the reservoir), the character has a near-death experience after Lanrok murders his brother, Rodgok. The two get into an argument after Rodgok refuses to support his brother’s rebellion, eventually deciding to help our character instead. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Rodgok reveals the location of the last (and largest) reservoir, which was directly below the Map Room.

Stopping Ranrok

To stop Ranroc once and for all, our hero and Professor Fig, along with the other professors of Hogwarts, make a mad dash to the last remaining reservoir while helping to repel the impending Goblin invasion. Unfortunately, Ranroc is able to reach the reservoir and absorb everything. He transforms into a gigantic, energy-filled dragon and tries to destroy the entire school. Luckily, our heroes are able to defeat Ranroc and contain the energy, but Professor Fig is mortally wounded in the final battle.

It has been reported that your decisions throughout the game may subtly affect the ending, but we are sure that the key plot points will always be the same regardless of your decisions. During our playthrough, we revealed that we will keep this source of ancient magic secret until we find a safe way to destroy it. This also explains why the events of Hogwarts Legacy are self-contained and unlikely to affect or mention future storylines.

Of course, this story summary only touches on the most important storylines. If you want to try Hogwarts Legacy, rest assured that there are plenty of side quests and other storylines to explore.