The Harry Potter franchise is an incredibly deep and rich universe that has been built up by mainly the books, and the movies thereafter.
From the mythical creatures to the diverse spells and the wizards and witches that use them, there is a whole lot of lore and history that is filled in every metaphorical nook and corner of this magical world.
So clearly, Avalanche Studios could have a lot of fun when it came to dropping in references and Easter eggs that gave the attentive players a fun reward if they diligently explored everything that Hogwarts Legacy had to offer.
If you too want to know where to find some of the best Easter eggs in Hogwarts Legacy, you’re in the right place.
The nine best Hogwarts Legacy Easter eggs and where to find them
Never tickle a sleeping dragon
While this may be one of the lesser-known facts about Hogwarts and the franchise as well, the phrase ‘Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus’ happens to be the motto of Hogwarts as a whole, written in Latin. In English, the phrase translates to ‘Never tickle a sleeping dragon.’
Now you can theorize about the meaning of the motto all you want, but what’s interesting about this is its unique appearance in Hogwarts Legacy. No, you don’t exactly see the words scribbled anywhere across the castle of Hogwarts, other than on the Field Guide Page found on the Sleeping Dragon Statue, in its original Latin.
Other than the statue, you can find the animated form of Hogwarts’ motto on a giant mural that can be found in the hall that connects most parts of the castle with each other. The moving mural depicts a scene where a tiny man actually tickles a sleeping dragon and flees once it awakens with an enraged roar.
Giant Squid
In the Harry Potter franchise, the Giant Squid was a magical beast that lived in the Great Lake on the grounds of Hogwarts castle. Despite the general fear surrounding it, the Giant Squid was actually semi-domesticated and quite friendly.
In Hogwarts Legacy, players themselves will be able to sneak in a sighting of the Giant Squid during Flying Lake as they zoom above the lake it resides in. Another way to get a glance at the awesome spectacle of a creature is by firing a spell against the windows of the Slytherin Common Room, after which you should see a large squid tentacle slam against the window.
Howler
Remember a scene in the Harry Potter books and movies where Ron Weasley received a very animated, furious letter that basically transported his mother’s scolding—along with the voice and everything—all the way from his home to Hogwarts? Well, these are called Howlers in the Wizarding world, and it looks like you can catch another student getting a solid earful from their folks in Hogwarts Legacy as well.
There isn’t a particular location in the game where you come across this scene; as long as you are frequently making rounds of the interiors of the school, you should sooner or later come across a student that has a floating letter blasting their ear off in front of other students before it blows up into hundreds of pieces of paper, in the classic style depicted within the books and movies.
The Chamber of Secrets
Yes, the area where the climax scene took place in the second part of the books and movies is also apparently a part of the magical school in Hogwarts Legacy. While you can definitely visit the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and gawk at the sheer implications that this Easter egg possesses, you, unfortunately, cannot enter into the infamous location and have a legendary fight against the Basilisk yourself.
If you do want to visit this heritage site for yourself, however, you will need to know the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is found within the abandoned girls’ bathroom on the second floor; yes, this also happens to be the same bathroom where Moaning Myrtle dies. So this is kind of like two Easter eggs in one. Sadly, however, you won’t be coming across Moaning Myrtle here. Can’t have it all now, can we?
At the entrance of the chamber where you should find a bunch of sinks, if your character uses the Revelio spell on them, you will uncover a Revelio page—a type of collectible. The note reveals that someone scraped a small snake on one of the taps, which is most likely a reference to Harry opening the Chamber of Secrets during his second year at Hogwarts.
According to the books, even though the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets is located on the second floor, the actual chamber secretly resides beneath the castle. Perhaps an area reserved for an upcoming DLC?
Polyjuice Potion
This incredibly difficult-to-brew potion makes its appearance in Hogwarts Legacy, first, as a little Easter egg to the books and movies. Simply make your way to the Witch’s bathroom in the castle and head to the stall that is furthest from the wall there. Inside, you should find a Polyjuice Potion brewing station, just like what Hermione was doing in the Chamber of Secrets. A whole bunch of bathroom Easter eggs, huh?
There is another appearance of Polyjuice Potion in the game, however, and this is a major one. In one of the main missions of the game ‘The Polyjuice Plot,’ the player is given Polyjuice Potion by Professor Fig so they can look and sound like Professor Black, leading to a whole series of convoluted events that unfold thereafter.
Prefect’s bathroom
In the original books and movies for Harry Potter, the Prefect’s bathroom was the place where Harry figured out the answer to the Golden Egg after getting dragged into the Triwizard Tournament.
If you haven’t gotten your itch to discover Hogwarts’ bathroom-related Easter eggs scratched already, boy do we have good news for you. Yes, another bathroom awaits you as you can also make your way to the iconic Prefect’s bathroom in Hogwarts Legacy as well.
The bathroom is located at the Faculty Tower and has almost completely followed the design of the Prefect’s bathroom from the film since the two look almost identical. Perhaps Hogwarts is due for a renovation one of these days.
The Goblet of Fire casket
Even though the Triwizard Tournament was only brought about in the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, the fierce and unforgiving competition dated back to the 13th century of the Wizarding world.
In Hogwarts Legacy, players can find the casket of the Goblet of Fire within the central Trophy Room just past the Floo Flame found at the top of the Grand Staircase. One of the field guide pages can also be found inside the casket.
The Triwizard Tournament saw students write their names on pieces of paper and place them inside the casket, after which the ‘Impartial Judge’—the Goblet of Fire—would choose students to represent their respective schools during the upcoming tasks of the tournament.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Just like the plethora of beasts found in the prequel to the Harry Potter franchise that was released after the main books and movies ended, you as the player in Hogwarts Legacy are also able to find these fantastic beasts in the game.
There are quite a number of beasts that you can collect in Hogwarts Legacy, many of whose species have a big presence in the Wizarding world. Hippogriffs and Thestrals made quite frequent appearances during Harry’s lifetime in Hogwarts, while the Niffler was basically the mascot of the Fantastic Beasts series as a whole.
You are only able to collect these fantastic beasts in Hogwarts Legacy later on in the story when you as the player receive a magical bag to collect these creatures in, which in itself is a big reference to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Deathly Hallows
According to the lore in the Harry Potter books, the Deathly Hallows are three immensely powerful magical objects that are apparently created by Death. They are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility.
These three items have unique powers; the Elder Wand was referred to as an unbeatable wand with unmatchable power; the Resurrection Stone could summon the spirits of the dead, and the Cloak of Invisibility would render its user entirely invisible. The good news is, these objects are present in the game but through limited means.
During the third Keeper Trial, which acts as a series of tests to determine whether you can harness the power of ancient magic, you enter a storybook where you’ll come across the three Deathly Hallows.
Related: Can you reset your Talents in Hogwarts Legacy?
The test gives you access to a “mysterious cloak,” a “mysterious stone,” and a “mysterious wand” in that order. After you finish the third Keeper trial, you will not be able to use any of the Deathly Hallows in Hogwarts Legacy, however. The three items are incredibly powerful, and their inclusion during the regular gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy would have ruined the experience, almost making it feel like you were playing the game on God Mode.
