So here’s the deal: Hogwarts Legacy lets you loose in the castle within the first hour, and the temptation is to sprint for the Highlands. Don’t. The first stretch of the story is where the game hands you your tools, and a few early habits make the next fifty hours smoother.
Here’s the starter checklist I wish I’d had on day one.
Your First Week at a Glance
| Task | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Follow the main story through your first classes | Hogwarts | Core spells and the first side quests unlock here |
| Touch every Floo Flame you pass | Castle, Hogsmeade, Highlands | Fast travel network |
| Grab Field Guide pages | Everywhere, use Revelio | Free XP and lore |
| Finish Flying Class | Main quest with Professor Kogawa | Unlocks broom buying in Hogsmeade |
| Start the Merlin Trials | Nora Treadwell, Lower Hogsfield | More gear inventory space |
| Collect Demiguise Moons | Statues, at night | Alohomora upgrades from Gladwin Moon |
| Reach Jackdaw’s Rest | Main quest | Opens the Talent tree |
Step by Step: Your First Hours
1. Mainline the Early Story
The Setup: the opening quests are not filler. Your core spells come from classes and their assignments (Glacius, for example, comes from one of Professor Kogawa’s assignments, and Expelliarmus from Professor Hecat’s). Running off to explore at this point means facing bandits with half a spellbook.
2. Light Up the Floo Network
The Grand Staircase is gorgeous the first time and a chore the tenth. Every Floo Flame you get close to becomes a fast travel point, so make a habit of walking past them. Hogsmeade is only a Floo trip away once you have the flame there, which matters because you’ll be selling gear constantly.
3. Use Revelio Constantly
Revelio, learned in the tutorial stretch, highlights collectibles and interactable objects around you. Field Guide pages are everywhere in the castle, each one is XP, and the ones you find with Revelio carry a little piece of Hogwarts history. Some pages need other spells, like Accio or Lumos, to grab. The devs hid this in plain sight.
4. Get Your Broom
The main quest Flying Class, taught by Professor Kogawa, is your ticket. Afterwards, Albie Weekes at Spintwitches Sporting Needs in Hogsmeade sells brooms for 600 gold each. Look, I get it, the Highlands are pretty on foot. They are prettier at broom speed.
5. Unlock Talents at Jackdaw’s Rest
Talents open after the main quest Jackdaw’s Rest. From level 5 you earn a talent point per level, and since the June 2024 Summer Update you can reset your talents if you build yourself into a corner. A lifesaver for anyone who regrets an early pick.
Side Systems Worth Starting Early
Merlin Trials and Inventory Space
Your gear inventory is small at the start, and it fills fast. The fix is the Merlin Trials: talk to Nora Treadwell near Lower Hogsfield to start the quest, and you will learn to use Mallowsweet leaves to open the trial sites. There are 95 trials, and finishing them is what expands your gear slots: inventory starts at 20 and tops out at 40 once you have solved 52 trials. You claim each increase from the Exploration section of the Challenges menu.
Demiguise Moons and Alohomora
Gladwin Moon, the caretaker, teaches Alohomora. Upgrading it to open tougher locks costs Demiguise Moons, which you collect from glowing Demiguise statues. The moons can only be picked up at night, so swap the time of day when you see a statue.
- Level I: unlocks the easiest locks.
- Level II: bring Gladwin 9 Demiguise Moons.
- Level III: needs more moons on top of that, so keep collecting.
Spell Combos
Combat clicks once you stop casting one spell at a time. Pull an enemy in with Accio and hit them with Incendio, which is short range on its own. Lucan Brattleby, who runs the Crossed Wands dueling club, is a good place to practice. Build the habit now and every later fight gets easier.
Small Things That Make the World Feel Alive
- Sell Everything: every merchant buys gear, and gold is tight early. Don’t hoard.
- Pet the Cats: yes, you can, and yes, it matters to your soul.
- Talk to Portraits and Mirrors: the castle is full of characters with something to say.
- Visit Your Common Room: each house has its own, and the non Gryffindor ones were barely seen before this game.
- Speak to Everyone: most side quests start with a conversation.
Lore Deep Dive: the game is set in the late 1800s, more than a century before Harry Potter arrives. The Field Guide pages are where a lot of that older Hogwarts history lives, so they’re worth reading, not just collecting.
Planning your routes? The Hogwarts Legacy interactive map marks Floo Flames, Demiguise statues and Merlin Trials. Our Hogwarts Legacy hub has every other guide, and if you’re still deciding whether to start a run, read is Hogwarts Legacy worth playing in 2026. You won’t be alone: the live Hogwarts Legacy player count shows how many players are in the castle on Steam right now.
Hogwarts Legacy Beginner FAQ
What should I do first in Hogwarts Legacy?
Follow the main story through your first classes, touch every Floo Flame you pass and grab Field Guide pages with Revelio. Exploration gets much easier once you have more spells and a broom.
When do you get a broom in Hogwarts Legacy?
After the main quest Flying Class. Then buy one for 600 gold from Albie Weekes at Spintwitches in Hogsmeade.
How do you get more inventory space?
Complete Merlin Trials and claim the gear slot rewards from the Exploration challenges.
When do Talents unlock?
After the main quest Jackdaw’s Rest. You earn a talent point per level from level 5.
The Payoff: a few hours of patience gets you your core spells, a broom, fast travel and a bigger bag. Anyway, go pet a cat on your way out. You’ve earned it.
