The second Gameplay Showcase from Hogwarts Legacy certainly gave us a lot to be excited for, ranging from the open world to a closer look at combat. But perhaps the most exciting part of the showcase was its final section, relating to the extent of customization and personalization demonstrated in the Room of Requirement and “Viavarium” (where you will keep your rescued, pet beasts).
The amount of customization for the Room of Requirement is staggering
The section of the showcase began by showing off the Room of Requirement, which will serve as your main hub in the game. The team started by showing off the customization/personalization possible in this room, and we have to say, it is amazing how much you are able to customize this room. In a system similar to Fallout 4’s base building or the Sims, you can add or remove all kinds of decorative objects, customize their color and size, and place them seemingly anywhere reasonable. You can even customize the architecture and the “utility objects” like the workbench, planting station, and loom to suit your style.
There does appear to be a limit to these objects in the form of a “Conjuration Budget” bar, though this limit seems to be quite high based on how little of the bar was filled up in the showcase. Conjuring objects is not free, as they requires Moonstones, which can be found in the world and given as rewards for tasks and quests.
Gear can be personalized, upgraded, and given magical “traits”
After showing off the customization of the Room itself, the team showed off some of the objects in it. They focused especially on the Loom, where you will upgrade, customize, and organize your gear. As well as having cosmetic differences that can be altered, each piece of gear can also be upgraded to improve its stats. But, more interestingly, you can also add a number of helpful “traits” to your gear, which can give you specific advantages depending on playstyle, enemy type, and presumably much more.
In addition to this, the team also passed by the Planting Station, where you will be able to cultivate plants, and an Identification Table, which will be used to identify magical objects. They did not spend any time giving an example as to how those work, however, so the exact mechanics for these is still a mystery.
The “Bavarium” is where your beasts are housed, and is as customizable as the attached Room of Requirement
After finishing up in the Room of Requirement, the team made their way through an open door and into a bigger-on-the-inside “Bavarium,” which is where your pet beasts will be stored. In addition to having the same level and kind of customization options as the Room of Requirement, this zone is also where players will be engaging in “Beast Care”, which included feeding, petting, and otherwise caring for rescued beasts. These beasts include adorable and majestic creatures such as Nifflers, Mooncalfs, Grabhorns, and Kneazles, all of which are lovingly animated and perfectly whimsical.
Beast Care has it’s own mechanics, including toys, renaming, and automated utility items
Beast Care is a tad more complex than just petting on animals, however; it also serves a mechanical purpose, with equally mechanical systems. The animals housed within the Bavarium produce “forgables”, like fur and feathers, which can be used to upgrade gear and produce forged items. In order to facilitate this, items that automatically feed beasts or enable breeding can be placed around, in order to maximize this production. Other mechanics, like a toy box and the ability to name your beasts, are more cosmetic, but are an important element in any game that wants you to care for animals.
This new gameplay showcase gave players who love customization, upgrades, and adorable animals something to really look forward to when they finally get to play the game, releasing on current-gen consoles and PC on February 10th.
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Graves
Graves is an avid writer, web designer, and gamer, with more ideas than he could hope to achieve in a lifetime. But, armed with a mug of coffee and an overactive imagination, he'll try. When he isn't working on a creative project, he is painting miniatures, reading cheesy sci-fi novels, or making music.
