For every friendly witch or wizard in Hogwarts Legacy, there are two that want to stop you from making your way through the game — not to mention all the other monsters you’ll have to face. In this guide, we’ll briefly explain how enemies work, and then go over all the game’s enemies. They have been organized by species.
Since the game hasn’t launched, this guide is naturally not complete. For now, it will serve as a repository for all the enemies we’ve spotted in the promo material and gameplay showcases. Once the game launches, it will instead serve as a list of all the enemies in game, and will also include any relevant information, plus tips on defeating them. We’ve included some basic “facts” about enemies, but this is only speculation based on what we can glean from the preview footage.
General Info
Every enemy in the game has a level, which is displayed on their health bar. If an enemy’s level is equal to or lower than your level, it will be displayed in green. An enemy with a higher level than you will have their level number displayed in red. It will be more difficult to defeat enemies who are higher level than you.
List of Enemies in Hogwarts Legacy
Humans
Poacher Animagi are among the toughest enemies you can encounter. Their mastery over transfiguration magic allows them to turn into powerful wolves which can viciously attack you, or they can maintain their distance in human form and cast powerful Reducto curses.
The most difficult aspect of fighting a Poacher Animagus (on Hard difficulty) is that their entire health bar will reset once you’ve dispatched their wolf form, meaning you should be in a rush to get them back into human form in order to deal actual damage.
You can use Depulso to completely negate and redirect their Reducto curse to one of their allies! A redirected Reducto curse will instantly kill the enemy it has been redirect to.
A Transformed Poacher Animagus can be reverted back to its Human Form by casting the Transformation Spell. This will both turn the Animagus human and also stun them for a long time, letting you take them out before they turn back into a wolf.
Assassins are formidable enemies twhose primary method of attack is to summon several undead Inferi in combat, while also using powerful Reducto curses to deal sizable damage.
Assassins will summon up to 3 Inferi at the same time, and will summon another pack of up to 3 after the first is destroyed. However, once you kill an Assassin, their summoned Inferi will die as well.
For this reason, it is almost always ideal to take out Assassins themselves, rather than their minions. One useful tip for doing so is to use the slow, easy-to-block Inferi in order to cast Protegoand then Stupefythe Assassin.
Assassins will always try to position themselves behind their summoned minions, so it is good to lock on to them to not lose track.
An ashwinder Assassin’s ReductoCurse can be redirected by using Depulso during their attack. This will completely negate the spell and redirect it towards any other enemy in the vicinity, dealing massive damage. For most regular enemies, this will instantly kill them. For larger enemies like Trolls or Executioners, it will still deal a very considerable amount of damage.
Duelists are elite enemies that are typically found amongst weaker companions. They tend to prefer flanking attacks, so it is best practice to try to keep track of them to keep them from catching you by surprise with their Reducto Curse! As well, they will often attempt to catch their opponent off-guard by casting two Expulso spells in quick succession.
Unlike other Reducto casters, a Duelist’s Reducto Curse can only be reflected by the Diffindo Spell, which will interrupt the attack and deal massive damage. This acts in the same way Depulso does against a Poacher Animagus or an Ashwinder Assassin.
Executioners are extremely resilient, with a lot of health and the inability to be picked up or thrown by spells or other effects.
Executioners can summon lightning storms upon the battlefield, or cast Expulso. In either case, Expelliarmus can be especially effective in dealing with them.
By casting Expelliarmus while an Executioner is summoning their Lightning Storm, it will redirect the attack, dealing massive damage to them and nearby allies. This is actually the fastest way to deal with Executioners.
Expulso can be countered with Protego & Stupefy, which is especially effective against them.
You can use also use Arresto Momentum to prolong a Lightning Storm after it was cast, giving you the opportunity to use it as a powerful area-of-effect to damage their allies by forcing them into the spell.
Rangers prefer to maintain their distance when met in battle. They are able to cast Petrificus Totalus, which they will often cast from a ledge or overhang in order to try to freeze you, opening you up for damage from other sources.
Using Accio to bring them toward you can immediately nullify their ranged advantage. Alternatively, approaching them can keep them on the defensive, preventing their attacks.
You can knock them out for an extended amount of time by blocking one of their ally’s basic attacks with Protego and redirecting Stupefy towards them.
Scouts are the weakest enemies in both Ashwinder and Poacher ranks. They are unable to use Protego charm, so they can be easily dispatched with any spell combo, and they have no special abilities to fight back with, meaning that you can expect only basic attacks from them.
Scouts can typically be ignored as they are the weakest enemies and are usually accompanied by deadlier foes. You can dispatch them at the beginning of the fight to reduce the overall number of your enemies, or leave them until the end in favor of eliminating bigger threats.
Soldiers occupy a middling role for Ashwinders and Poahcers: they are tougher than Scouts and Trackers, but not as deadly as Duelists or Assassins. Their most dangerous attribute is that they are able to cast an assortment of spells, with the deadliest being Incendio (which, for them, shoots like a fireball). They will often attempt to flank or surround you while their companions attack you, closing in the distance and casting Incendio on you, dealing a large amount of damage.
It can be easy to counter them simply by using Protego and Stupefy, allowing you to dispatch them easily thanks to their low health.
Alternatively, their shields can be broken with any Control Spell or Curse Effect, stunning them long enough for you to finish them off.
As they are about to cast Incendio, you can use Glacius to create a steam explosion and kill them instantly and dealing some damage to nearby enemies.
Stalkers have a tendency to flank their targets, and their shields prevent them from being as easily dispatched as Trackers or Scout, and roughly on par with Soldiers. Still, they are relatively weak aside from their powerful casts of Confringo.
You can easily Protego those casts, however, in order to break their shields.
If you cast Glacius just as they are about to cast Confringo, they will explode, killing them instantly and damaging their nearby allies.
You can also break a Stalker’s shield with a Control Spell or a Curse!
Trackers are one of the weaker enemies in Hogwarts Legacy, being barely harder than Scouts. Since they can’t use Protego, and are only able to use Basic Cast as an attack, they are usually fine to ignore, and simple to deal with at any point.
Poacher Trackers can be dispatched easily at the beginning of any fight since they don’t have access to a Shield Spell, or they can simply be used as a resource for redirecting Stupefy against their allies.
Goblins
Assassins are unpredictable opponents with supernatural speed. They require a Control Spell to break theirs shield.
Since Assassins are extremely fast, Arresto Momentum can be very effective at slowing them down and breaking their shield, letting you hit them without the chance for them to dodge.
A Assassin’s attacks can only be dodged, meaning that Protego will be ineffective against them and you will instead need to roll out of the way. Their attacks also deal a large amount of damage. Combined, this means that you should take them out quickly, while keeping your eye on them.
Commanders are extremely tough opponents with aggressive attacks, making them very dangerous on the battlefield. In order to have a chance against them, you will need to use a Force Spell such as Accio, Depulso, Descendo, or Flipendo.
A Commander’s attacks can be typically blocked with the Protego charm, but if they are close you should watch out for their unblockable leap attack, which must be dodged.
Casting Descendo during one of their unblockable leap attacks deals massive damage, making short work of Commanders.
Commanders will also unleash powerful long-range Area-of-Effect attacks that you will need to avoid.
Rangers, as their name implies, prefer ranged attacks using their deadly crossbows. They can be usually found on ramparts, ledges, or inside lookout towers, shooting down at you. Those goblins are quite weak compared to other goblins, but their positioning and range makes them deadly.
You can use a properly timed Ancient Magic Throw to catch their bolts and throw them back at them, dealing significant damage.
Since they can usually be found on high ledges, ramparts, and lookout towers, using Accio to bring them to you or Depulso to throw them down can be very effective.
A Ranger’s attack can’t be blocked by Protego, meaning that you will always have to dodge them or send them back at them.
Sentinels are highly-damaging magic users. While they lack in health, they more than make up for it in utility, making them dangerous foes. You can break a Sentinel’s shield with any Damage Spell or Curse.
They prefer to sit in the back line and focus on empowering their allies, rather than attacking you. This means that Accio can be very effective, forcing them to meet you head on.
Using Bombarda while they channel their empowering magic can instantly execute them and damage their allies, as it forces their spell to backfire and cause an explosion!
Warriors are the frontline of any goblin encampment, assaulting their foes with mundane weaponry. They are the grunts of the Goblin forces, and are typically easily dispatched due to their lack of magic, though if one does hit you it can be quite damaging.
The most effective spell to use against Warriors is Expelliarmus, which will harm and stun them easily.
You can also use Ancient Magic Throw to catch their weapons and throw them back at them, dealing huge damage. However, this can only be done if you use the proper talent for it (Ancient Magic Throw Expertise).
Warriors don’t possess any unblockable attacks, meaning that you can completely negate their attacks if you time your Protego charm properly, stunning them in the process.
Beasts & Monsters
Spiders
Note: Thornback and Venomous variants of spider types are nearly identical in all ways, except that Venomous spiders will inflict poison with their attacks, which can be immediately counteracted with a Wiggenweld Potion.
Hatchlings are extremely weak on their own, but they attack in groups. So long as you focus on clearing them out, you should be fine, but if you take your time then they are likely to swarm you.
Hatchlings can be destroyed with a single Basic Cast, though Bombarda can be effective if you want to clear out several at once.
Scurriours are the most common arachnid variant that you will encounter. They rely on powerful lunging attacks and burrowing to surprise and damage their opponents. You can block a lunging attack with a correctly timed Protego.
You can use Flipendo or Levioso to instantly execute and destroy a Scurriour that attempts to burrow.
Just like with any other spider, Scurriours are extremely weak to Fire Magic, meaning that you can use Incendio or Confringo to deal with them easily. You can use Fire Magic on a spider that has low health to ignite it, creating a panic effect that will force it to chaotically flee and run in circles. If you damage a spider in this panicked state, it will explode, damaging nearby spiders.
In addition to regular lunging attacks, Ambushers will attempt to shoot webs to damage you and make you easy prey for other spiders.
Luckily, these attacks can be blocked with Protego.
They have weak undersides, so casting Flipendo or Levioso on them will expose them to massive damage.
Just like with any other spider, Ambsuhers are extremely weak to Fire Magic, meaning that you can use Incendio or Confringo to deal with them easily. You can use Fire Magic on a spider that has low health to ignite it, creating a panic effect that will force it to chaotically flee and run in circles. If you damage a spider in this panicked state, it will explode, damaging nearby spiders.
Shooters prefer to maintain their distance at all times and shoot acidic venom at you, making them tricky to deal with amongst all the other spiders in a swarm. Thankfully, they are extremely weak compared to their brethren, meaning that you can often kill them quickly once you start targeting them. If left to their own devices, however, Shooters can pose a great danger as they continuously spit their venom toward you.
A Shooter’s acidic venom can be blocked with the Protego Charm!
Because they are ranged enemies, bringing them to you with Accio can be especially effective.
You can use Incendio or Confringo to ignite a Shooter’s acidic venom right before they release it. This will instantly detonate the spider and deal significant amounts of damage!
Just like with any other spider, Shooters are extremely weak to Fire Magic, meaning that you can use Incendio or Confringo to deal with them easily. You can use Fire Magic on a spider that has low health to ignite it, creating a panic effect that will force it to chaotically flee and run in circles. If you damage a spider in this panicked state, it will explode, damaging nearby spiders.
Matriarchs are the toughest spiders you’ll regularly find, with lots of health, high damage, and always accompanied by other spiders. They typically go for combo lunge attacks that can’t be blocked by the Protego.
You can only avoid a Matriarch’s attacks by dodging.
By casting Descendo just before a Matriarch lunges, you can impale her fangs into the ground, giving you a chance to get critical hits on her while she is stunned.
Unlike most spiders in the game, Matriarchs are not weak to Fire Magic, though they will be thrown onto their backs if you cast Incendio during one of their lunge attacks.
You can use Imperio to pacify a Matriarch which will allow you to freely damage it or to turn it against its brood. By doing so, you will gain a very powerful ally that will decimate any nearby enemy.
All the tips that apply to Matriarchs also apply to any spider bosses in the game, such as the Acromantula.
Dugbogs
All three types of Dugbogs (The Stoneback, Cottongrass, and Great Spined Dugbogs) operate virtually identically to one another, and so all tips apply to all three variants.
Dugbogs are tough, froglike creatures that attempt to blend into their enviroment to attack unsuspecting prey. They are typically found on the coasts of rivers, lakes, and the sea in packs of 3 or more. Alone, Dugbogs are dangerous, thanks to their leap and tongue attacks and high health, so a group of them can be a very challenging encounter.
A Dugbog’s tongue attack can be completely blocked by a well-timed Protego charm, or you can use Levioso while it charges it’s tongue attack to lift its tongue in the air. Follow it up with Diffindo to deal massive critical damage.
A group of Dugbogs will often try to overwhelm you with lunge-attacks that can only be dodged. While you will not be able to block those attacks with Protego, you can use any Force Spell such as Accio, Depulso, Descendo, or Flipendo to flip it on its back after you dodge a lunge attack. Flipping a Dugbog on its back will weaken it considerably, allowing you to deal high amounts of damage with any Damage Spell.
Inferius
An Inferius is a frightening undead creature revived by a Dark Wizard. Due to their nature, Inferi are completely immune to most forms of magic, being invulnerable even to the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, until they are first set ablaze by any Fire Magic.
You can achieve this by using either one of Incendio or Confringo, or by throwing an explosive barrel with the Ancient Magic Throw. Once an Inferius is set ablaze, you can damage it with any sort of Spell, Basic Attack, or Environmental Object, their anti-magic protection having been broken.
Inferi that are set ablaze are particularly weak to explosions. This means that you can destroy an Inferius by casting Bombarda once it is set ablaze.
Trolls
All four types of Trolls (The River, Forest, Mountain and Armored Trolls) operate virtually identically to one another, except for their amount of health, and so the following tips apply to any of the four variants.
Trolls are massive, towering enemies that you will regularly encounter on your adventure as bosses and minibosses. They deal huge damage, have lots of health, and have a wide variety of moves, though they are thankfully also fairly slow with many counters.
You can use Protego to counter their overhead swings, followed up by Flipendo to fling the Troll’s bat into his face to deal huge damage to him and stagger him, giving you a chance to pile on more.
You can also use Protego to block a boulder thrown by the Troll, followed up by a quick Ancient Magic Throw to achieve the same effect: massive damage and a stagger.
You can avoid the Troll’s charge attack by rolling to his left side, causing him to crash into a wall. This will deal some damage to him and stun him.
Keep in mind, however, that you will fail to avoid his charge if you attempt to dodge to its right side. Dodging to its right will result in you being damaged by a shockwave from his charge attack.
You can use Imperio to pacify the Troll entirely and bring him to your side. If there are other enemies around, this will cause him to target them. Otherwise, this will at least ensure that the Troll remains still and passive while you chip away at his health.
Trolls can be somewhat controlled with Glacius and Arresto Momentum, which you can use to interrupt a Troll’s attack for a few moments.
Mongrels
Dark Mongrels are wolf-like creatures that stalk the plains and forests of the Highlands. They can usually be encountered in a pack, however, you may find instances where you will encounter only a single Dark Mongrel. They attack their prey quickly and try to overwhelm it through sheer numbers. Dark Mongrels will always attempt to flank you whenever you encounter them in a pack, so be wary.
Dark Mongrels are weak to all manners of magic, allowing you to dispatch most very simply.
Most effectively, casting Depulso when a Dark Mongrel lunges toward you will result in an instant execution.
Pensieve Guardians
Pensieve Guardians are golems within the Keepers’ Trials that have been animated by Ancient Magic. They are formiddable melee-oriented foes who are especially resistant to some kinds of magic, making them ideal for their purpose.
Pensieve Sentries are golems animated by Ancient Magic that can unleash deadly attacks against unsuspecting Wizards or Witches. While they are quite resilient, Pensieve Sentries approach their targets slowly, leaving them open to a variety of attacks.
A Pensieve Sentry will perform a fast lunge attack once close to its target that can be completely blocked with Protego.
Pensieve Sentries can be usually found in groups, meaning that you will rarely find a single sentry. While they act as a group, Pensieve Sentries attempt to encircle their target, resorting to a powerful leap attack that deals Area-of-Effect damage if the distance between themselves and their target is too high.
A Pensieve Sentry’s leap attack can’t be blocked by Protego, meaning that you will be forced to dodge out of the way. You will notice an indicator on the ground for the landing area of the Pensieve Sentry, as well as the radius in which you can be damaged if you remain in it.
Pensieve Sentinels are weaker golems formed by Ancient Magic that can unleash an infinite barrage of ranged attacks. Their preferred method of harming their opponents is hurling their weapons directly at them, immediately summoning another one after their attack is complete.
A Pensieve Sentinel’s ranged attacks can be blocked by the Protego charm! Having no unblockable attacks means that you can safely ignore their attacks as long as you properly time your Protego.
Pensieve Sentinels are not affected by Expelliarmus, as they will simply summon another weapon!
Pensieve Protectors are resilient golems formed by Ancient Magic that can be devastating once they close the distance between themselves and their foes.
You can use Expelliarmus to disarm a Pensieve Protector, forcing it to summon a new weapon. This will momentarily stop their powerful attacks.
You can also use any powerful Damage Spell such as Diffindo, Bombarda, or Confringo immediately after casting Expelliarmus to disable them and force them on their knees. Doing so will increase any further damage dealt to a Pensieve Protector while it is in that state.
Pensieve Guardians are incredibly powerful golems powered by Ancient Magic that act as bosses! They have a variety of attacks, both blockable and unblockable while also displaying a strong resilience to magic.
A Pensieve Guardian is weak to Ancient Magic, being forced onto one of his knees whenever it is hit by such an attack! During its weakened state, a Pensieve Guardian will receive increased damage from all sources. However, once it recovers, it will unleash a shockwave that can’t be blocked by Protego as it stands on both feet,
A Pensieve Guardian will release unblockable shockwaves that travel in a straight line! Those shockwaves can deal extreme amounts of damage, meaning that dodging them is absolutely mandatory.
A Pensieve Guardian will release energy bolts from time to time that can be blocked with Protego. Since they are quite hard to distinguish as the battle can be chaotic, you should always check the orange Protego prompt above your character.
Pensieve Guardians will create orbs of magic which are attuned to a specific type of magical school (Force Spells/Control Spells/Damage Spells) that can deal high amounts of damage! You can counter those orbs and force them to explode while they are created by simply using a spell that fits the specific type of magical school. The orbs will glow a certain color to emphasize which magical school they belong to, with Purple belonging to Force Spells, Yellow belonging to Control Spells, and Red belonging to Damage Spells.
We hope this guide on the enemies of Hogwarts Legacy was helpful! Questions, suggestions, and general thoughts are welcome in the comments below.
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DanielD
Unabashed FromSoftware fanboy still learning to take his time with games (and everything else, really). The time he doesn't spend on games is spent on music, books, or occasionally going outside.
