How to cast Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

You’ll learn various spells throughout your journey in Hogwarts Legacy that can be used against enemies in combat. One of the most powerful spells in the game is Petrificus Totalus, which allows you to perform a stealth kill and go unnoticed.

The unique mechanics behind this spell make learning how to use it a little confusing, though. Here’s everything you need to know about how to properly cast Petrificus Totalus on an unsuspecting foe in Hogwarts Legacy.

When do you learn Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy?

You’ll learn Petrificus Totalus during the main quest “Secrets of the Restricted Section.” This quest requires you to sneak into the restricted section of the school’s library alongside Sebastian Sallow, steal the key from the librarian’s desk, and enter the restricted section. Once you’ve completed the quest, the spell will appear under the “Essential” section of your abilities list, and you’ll be able to cast it. But before you can use this skill and perform a stealth kill, you must follow a handful of specific steps.

Casting Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

While the game’s stealth-kill mechanic might be a bit confusing at first, it becomes second nature once you get the hang of it. All you need to do to cast Petrificus Totalus is sneak up on an enemy undetected by approaching them from behind while invisible and press the corresponding prompt that appears on your screen. What button the prompt will be largely depends on the console you’re playing on.

If you’re still unsure how to use Petrificus Totalus, follow these steps:

1. Before you can cast the spell on an enemy, you must use Disillusionment to make your character become invisible.
2. Sneak behind an enemy that’s unaware of your presence and the game will prompt you to cast Petrificus Totalus.
3. When prompted, simply press the button shown on your screen.
   • X on Xbox
   • Square on PlayStation
   • F on keyboard
   • Y on Switch

If you successfully cast Petrificus Totalus and eliminate your target, you’ll remain in stealth mode and won’t need to use the Disillusionment spell again. You’ll only leave stealth mode if another enemy looks directly at you and detects your presence.

Stronger enemies won’t be one-shot by this ability, but instead will take a chunk of damage before quickly freeing themselves from the spell’s effect. In this case, I recommend preparing for a fight; while this skill is great for initiating fights and getting the upper hand, you’ll need to fight back since the enemy will be more than aware of your location.

If the prompt to cast Petrificus Totalus doesn’t appear immediately, you may be too far from the enemy. In my experience, I had to be almost touching the enemy to get the prompt to appear.

How to use Petrificus Totalus on multiple enemies at once

Yes, you can use this spell on multiple enemies at once. If you cast Petrificus Totalus in an area with two or more enemies close to each other, you can take them both out if you press the prompt button fast enough. You’ll have to be hidden, though, and sneaking up on two enemies is much more challenging than just one.

If you upgrade Petrificus Totalus, you’ll only need to press the prompt button once, and it will automatically hit both enemies, as shown in the video above.

How to upgrade Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy

Like other spells in Hogwarts Legacy, Petrificus Totalus only gets stronger when you invest Talent Points into it. And if you’re like me and you’re a particular fan of stealth play, it’s worth the upgrade. The final level of the Stealth tree in the Talents menu is dedicated to mastery over Petrificus Totalus, and you’ll only be able to invest points into it after you’ve leveled up your character quite a bit.

To upgrade this Petrificus Totalus, head to the Talents menu, then click on “Stealth.” At level 22, you’ll be able to purchase the upgrade for a single Talent Point to gain an additional effect that emanates an area of effect which impacts nearby enemies.

This article has been updated to reflect the game’s arrival on Switch.