Hogwarts Legacy lets a fifth year student walk around with Crucio, Imperio and Avada Kedavra on their spell wheel, and nobody at school says a word. The devs clearly didn’t playtest the ethics, but the mechanics are rock solid: all three Unforgivable Curses come from one optional companion questline, and if you skip it, you never see them outside the Dark Arts Battle Arena.
Here’s what actually happens under the hood: each curse is a dialogue choice inside a specific Sebastian Sallow quest. Say yes at the right moment and the spell is yours. Below is the exact quest order, the level gates, the dialogue lines and the fallback if you said no.
Where the Curses Come From: Sebastian Sallow’s Questline
Sebastian is the Slytherin classmate you meet early in the main story. His side questline follows his hunt for a cure for his twin sister Anne, and the curses are part of that slide.
- The Trigger: “In the Shadow of the Bloodline” appears in your quest log once you’ve progressed the main story past Astronomy Class and Sebastian’s earlier story quests (In the Shadow of the Undercroft and In the Shadow of the Estate).
- The Start: Sebastian and Ominis Gaunt are arguing on the stairwell near the Great Hall Floo Flame. Walk up and talk to them.
- Optional? Completely. You can finish the main story without ever touching this chain, and inside the chain every curse is a choice you can turn down.
The Full Quest Order and Level Gates
Science time. The chain has nine side quests, and the curses sit in quests two, four and seven. The level numbers below are what the quest data shows; a few guides list a higher figure for In the Shadow of Time, so treat that one as “around 17” and check your own quest log.
| # | Quest | Level | Curse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the Shadow of the Bloodline | No gate | None |
| 2 | In the Shadow of the Study | 16 | Crucio |
| 3 | In the Shadow of Discovery | Story gated | None |
| 4 | In the Shadow of Time | 17 (some guides say 20) | Imperio |
| 5 | In the Shadow of Distance | Story gated | None |
| 6 | In the Shadow of Hope | Story gated | None |
| 7 | In the Shadow of the Relic | 28 | Avada Kedavra |
| 8 | In the Shadow of Fate | After Relic | None (the turn-him-in choice) |
| 9 | In the Shadow of Friendship | After Fate | None (finale) |
In the Shadow of the Relic also needs the main quest Lodgok’s Loyalty done, so Avada Kedavra is genuinely late game. The first two curses come much earlier.
How to Learn Crucio (In the Shadow of the Study)
This one needs level 16, the Bloodline quest and some main story progress past The High Keep.
- Meet Sebastian outside the Slytherin common room. If he isn’t there, stand in the glowing quest circle and he shows up.
- Talk Ominis around. Only a Gaunt can open the way, and Ominis really doesn’t want to.
- Light three braziers with Incendio (two to the north of Ominis, one to the east) to open the door. Do it quickly; Confringo also works and reaches the far ones more easily.
- Work through Slytherin’s Scriptorium. Ominis opens the serpent door with Parseltongue, then you solve the Slytherin dial locks.
- Take the Crucio choice. At the cursed door, one of you has to cast the Cruciatus Curse on the other. Pick the option to learn it: “Teach me the Cruciatus Curse and I’ll cast it on you” works. Either learning option gives you the spell; the choice only changes who casts it on whom in the scene.
How to Learn Imperio (In the Shadow of Time)
After In the Shadow of Discovery, Sebastian sends you to the Feldcroft Catacomb. Burn the spider webs with Incendio, move the bone piles with Accio and Wingardium Leviosa, and in the second chamber Sebastian brings up the Imperius Curse. Answer “Yes, I’d like to learn the Imperius Curse.” The quest ends with a fight in Feldcroft and a talk with his uncle Solomon.
How to Learn Avada Kedavra (In the Shadow of the Relic)
Ominis and Anne are waiting at the catacomb entrance in the Feldcroft region. Follow Sebastian through to the far exit, and when he asks about the Killing Curse, choose “Everyone should know that curse,” then “Yes, please” when he offers to teach it. “No one should know that curse” skips it.
What Each Curse Actually Does
For the tech nerds: all three sit on long cooldowns, and two of them apply the Cursed status, which makes the target take extra damage from your follow up spells. That combo is where the real value lives.
| Curse | Effect | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Crucio | Damage over time, applies Cursed | Opener on a tanky target before your combo |
| Imperio | Enemy fights on your side for a short time, applies Cursed | Breaking up big groups and turning a heavy hitter |
| Avada Kedavra | Kills most standard enemies outright | Deleting the most dangerous enemy in the fight |
- Exploit Alert: Imperio on the strongest enemy in a camp is the best value cast of the three. Its friends attack it, it attacks them, and it’s Cursed for your follow up.
- No Penalties: There’s no morality meter. Ominis voices his disgust in the story, but casting the curses in fights changes nothing about how NPCs treat you.
- Loadout Check: Learning a curse doesn’t slot it. Open your spell sets and assign it, or you’ll be digging for it mid fight.
Said No? How to Get a Missed Curse Back
The quest text calls the Avada Kedavra conversation your one chance, but player reports and several guides agree on a fallback: once you’ve finished Sebastian’s chain, you can find him in the Undercroft and he offers any curse you skipped. The catch is the finale. In the Shadow of Fate, the quest right after the Relic, asks whether to turn Sebastian in. Turn him in and he’s gone for good, so pick “We must not turn Sebastian in” if you still need a curse. Grab what you missed before that, or keep him around.
A manual save before every Sebastian quest is still the safest move: it lets you replay one dialogue choice instead of hoping the fallback works.
Where This Fits in Your Playthrough
Crucio and Imperio land in the mid game, long before the endgame. The Hogwarts Legacy interactive map helps you find Feldcroft and its catacombs fast, and our Hogwarts Legacy 2026 verdict covers what else is waiting beyond the story. The game still pulls a healthy crowd on PC too; the live Hogwarts Legacy player count shows how many people are casting spells on Steam right now. For everything else, start at our Hogwarts Legacy hub.
Unforgivable Curses FAQ
What level do you need for Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy?
In the Shadow of the Relic is a level 28 quest, and it also needs the main quest Lodgok’s Loyalty and all earlier Sebastian quests done.
Which quest gives Crucio?
In the Shadow of the Study, Sebastian’s second side quest, available from level 16. You learn it inside Slytherin’s Scriptorium.
Which quest gives Imperio?
In the Shadow of Time, which starts after In the Shadow of Discovery and takes you into the Feldcroft Catacomb.
Can you learn the Unforgivable Curses if you refused them?
Yes, after finishing Sebastian’s questline you can ask him in the Undercroft, as long as you didn’t turn him in during In the Shadow of Fate.
Are there consequences for using Unforgivable Curses?
No. There’s no morality system, so casting them in combat has no effect on the story or on how characters treat you.
Test Results: Three curses, three dialogue choices, one questline. Hit level 16, win Ominis over, light the braziers, and the rest falls into place. Save before every Sebastian conversation and you’ll never be locked out of anything.
