Avalanche Software grabbed the Harry Potter lore and ran with it, giving us a more unique and interesting twist on the Harry Potter universe. Something, the spin-off movies couldn’t even pull off. We get to explore a vast open world but from a story perspective, we start as a fifth year in Hogwarts Legacy.
In Hogwarts Legacy, you start as a 5th year and this is important from a story and gameplay perspective. It allows players to jump right into the action, without the need of attending classes and tutorials.
Can You Have Multiple Characters in Hogwarts Legacy?
Why Start As a Fifth Year?
So, why on Earth do you start off as a Fifth Year in Hogwarts Legacy? This has spun up some interesting conversations in the gaming and Harry Potter Community.
The Story
If you don’t know what’s been going on so far, let’s bring you up to speed. The story revolves around the protagonist, of course, getting accepted particularly late and traveling via coach instead of a boat, and starting as a fifth year in Hogwarts.
The Protagonist is revealed to know an esoteric and ancient type of magic, something that’s supposed to be the center of attention for the antagonist, Ranrok. Ranrok is a Goblin consumed by hatred for wizardkind and works with the Dark Wizards.
Hogwarts students are enrolled at the age of 11 years as Year One Students all the way up to the age of 17 or 18 Years as Seventh or Final Years Students. So, as a Fifth Year, you’re already aware of the ins and outs of magic.
Gameplay
This makes loads of sense from a gameplay perspective. You won’t have to go into classes and learn the most basic magical spells, something we’ve already seen and experienced in prior Harry Potter games that follows the books and movies.
Despite starting off as a student in our Fifth Year, your character wields an esoteric and rare form of magic and can easily master spells in contrast to your peers. The protagonist is “gifted” and far surpasses other Fifth Year students.
Hogwarts Legacy is a game that has its own story and isn’t designed with a Hogwarts Simulator approach in mind. And to be fair, most users prefer to skip the basics and tutorials and get straight into the action.
You Already Know Spells From The Get-Go
Starting off as a Fifth Year means more flexibility to learn future spells while also having a few spells and knowing the ins and outs of magic already. It wouldn’t make sense for a preteen to use Avada Kedavra, the killing curse in contrast to a rebellious teenager.
You’ll be able to tap into more powerful spells and unlock your hidden magical potential. You’ll make use of Unforgivable Curses and more freedom of control in contrast to the repercussions faced by first-year Hogwarts students.
Game Design
Starting off as a First Year would be torture from a character design perspective. Imagine your character growing incrementally with every five to seven hours of playtime. Paired with the fact that you create a custom character, that would’ve meant extra workload for the developers.
Conclusion
Hopefully, that answers your questions about why you start off as a Fifth Year in Hogwarts Legacy, keeping things spoiler free. And if you’re still not satisfied, try out the game. It’s loads of fun with its vast open world, beautiful graphics, and standalone story.