Hogwarts Legacy launched to pretty positive reviews, and those who bought it likely found it to be a fun, albeit somewhat shallow experience. That, at least, was my experience, as while I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Hogwarts - and what a recreation it is - I found the story to be a little lackluster. But who cares about the story? What I really wanted was to feel like a student and not a hero, and I know I'm not alone.
Well, apparently the game sold well enough that Hogwarts Legacy is rumored to be getting DLC, and a pretty hefty expansion at that. It's reportedly adding 10 to 15 hours of extra content to the game in what is being referred to as the Definitive Edition, which is all incredibly exciting (if true). However, there's one part about this rumored DLC that has me particularly excited, and that's the potential to see Hogwarts Legacy finally become the school sim it should have always been without using mods.
Hogwarts Legacy's DLC Could Add More School Activities
Playing Gobstones Or Wizard Chess Is A Dream
The initial report about Hogwarts Legacy's rumored DLC by Insider Gaming has a bunch of promising tidbits, such as the fact that it'll supposedly be around 15 hours long, feature new story content, and cost around $30. That all sounds great, but there's one particular detail that got me excited, and that's the bit about adding new activities. If there was one thing Hogwarts Legacy is sorely missing, it's activities. Of course, there were the Merlin trials and a handful of secrets to uncover, but there weren't any immersive minigames or activities that players could engage with.
The Harry Potter prequel is a unique wizarding experience, but there are other games like Hogwarts Legacy that can give players even more to enjoy.
Sure, one could stumble across other students playing Wizard Chess or Gobstones in the courtyard, but where's the fun in that? I want to play Wizard Chess, not watch some random kid play it instead. Naturally, there are plenty of Hogwarts Legacy mods that make it more immersive, but those on console don't really have access to those mods. So, if I'm right in thinking that these "activities" are actually minigames like the fanbase has been asking for since day one, then that's pretty exciting.
I'm not really asking for much here, just a chess minigame and maybe the ability to return to classes for a fun cutscene every now and then for immersion's sake. This was all missing from the original experience, which often meant that I spent more time outside Hogwarts, during the school year no less, than actually in it. It's a travesty when the best part and area of a game is sorely underutilized. Frankly, outside of some side quests and whenever the game forces the player to, there's literally no reason to stick around in Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Legacy's Definitive Edition Could Finally Give Console Players The Modded Experience
Finally Getting To Experience Classes In A Game All About A Wizarding School
Of course, PC players, for the most part, have had these features for a little while now, including the ability to revisit classrooms and study there. This is all through the magic of mods - something that never fails to impress me - and it has completely transformed the entire game. Long gone are the days of needing roleplaying suggestions for Hogwarts Legacy like us console users, as PC players can simply download a bunch of mods to fix all the immersion-breaking aspects of the game.
That's why I'm excited about this potential DLC as, while I couldn't care less about whatever story it has cooking up - although there is one potential Hogwarts Legacy DLC plotline that interests me - I am excited for the prospect of finally being able to roleplay within this universe. If the Definitive Edition essentially does what mods have been doing for the PC version, and perhaps even more, then it could make Hogwarts Legacy a truly memorable experience. It's not that the game is bad now, it's just that it never quite reached the potential it promised in those initial trailers.
Of course, there is the chance that the Hogwarts Legacy DLC won't add any roleplaying features, and that would be incredibly disappointing. However, I'm choosing to believe, potentially very naively, that the reason these features haven't been patched in since the game's initial launch, is because they were being saved for this exact moment.
Sure, a lot of this should have been free updates, like how Cyberpunk 2077 added in all of its major content fixes and immersion features, or even Warner Bros.' failure Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. However, in theory, at least, by making it all a premium experience and taking so long to release it, this DLC could actually be something substantial.
Hogwarts Legacy's DLC Will Hopefully Make It The Game It Always Should Have Been
A Perfect Foundation For A Likely Sequel
The enormous success of Hogwarts Legacy felt like it caught Warner Bros. off guard, as if it wasn't expecting the millions of Harry Potter fans to go out in droves and buy as many copies as possible. After all, Hogwarts Legacy didn't have planned DLC, which means that if this Definitive Edition is true, it was made in reaction to the success rather than in preparation for it. In a way, that's a good thing, as it means that the developers can tailor the DLC to what the fans actually want, rather than guessing beforehand what features they may like.
It also means that, like most games in this almost always frustrating modern world, it can be fixed post-launch, rather than come out as the premium experience it always should have been. As someone who studied film at university, the idea of fixing something in post is fairly normalized, but it's not hard to understand the frustration of everyone when a game like Star Wars: Outlaws, or even Hogwarts Legacy gets released a little underbaked.
Although each House offers a unique experience, one Hogwarts Legacy House stands out as the best from a gameplay standpoint (and one as the worst).
Hogwarts Legacy should have leaned into its school sim elements a little harder, not just because that's what I want, but because it's a fundamental part of the Harry Potter universe. It's a book series about a boy who goes to a magical school, so to remove that school almost entirely from the picture beyond it being a pretty backdrop for the photo mode is bizarre. Hopefully, this Definitive Edition of Hogwarts Legacy will come with some more immersive minigames and school sim elements and finally make it the game it should have been from the beginning.
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
Custom Image by: Tom Wilson
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