Hogwarts Legacydoes an excellent job of capturing the fantasy of being a student in a magical school. Players can learn spells and use them to solve puzzles or duel with terrible enemies. Interestingly, the game also allows players to dabble in dark magic, and gamers can even learn the three Unforgivable Curses. Having the ability to perform the killing curse is impressive, but the way it is implemented inHogwarts Legacydoesn’t entirely make sense.
AlthoughAvada Kedavra wasn’t nerfedin what it does, it lacks the feeling of being significantly more powerful than other spells. This is because players can perform spell combinations that can also do an incredible amount of damage. This leaves Avada Kedavra in the position where it is just one possible killing curse among many others, which makes it a little less special and makes one question why it is unforgivable.
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How Avada Kedavra Works in Hogwarts Legacy
In theHarry Potternovels, there are plenty of spells that can cause great damage, but there are three curses in particular that are punished intensely if any witch or wizard uses them. These are known asthe Unforgivable Curses, and the killing curse, also known as Avada Kedavra, is one of the most feared. As the name suggests, it instantly kills the target. Famously, Harry Potter survives it after Voldemort tries to kill him using it.
InHogwarts Legacy, players can learn the killing curse, though this is only available quite late into the game. Gaining this dark skill requires players tobefriendHogwarts Legacy’s Sebastian Sallowand follow his questline. As players would expect, it is quite a powerful spell. It deals 10 million damage, making it capable of blowing through almost everything. The spell is certainly one to be feared, but when one compares it to the other magic on offer, it begins to make less sense.
Why Avada Kedrava Doesn’t Make Sense in Hogwarts Legacy
Being able to deal 10 million damage with one spell is impressive, but players can do similarly impressive things using spell combinations. As the TikTok user @incomplexity illustrated, byusing aHogwarts Legacyspell combothat comprises Expelliarmus, Descendo, Glacius, and Diffindo, players can devastate an enemy. Pitted next to amazing combos like these, Avada Kedavra doesn’t seem as powerful as it usually does, and one is forced to question why the killing curse is unforgivable at all considering what wizards can do without it.
One of the possible explanations could be that other spells do have some secondary use, while the killing curse exists solely to extinguish life. Furthermore, it requires the intent to kill, which is proof that the user had dark intentions when casting the spell. This is different from a spell like Expelliarmus which is not inherently deadly but which Harry Potter nevertheless uses to defeat Voldemort. Fortunately, gamers can use the killing curse without fear of being chucked intoAzkaban prison, whichHogwarts Legacyplayers can visit in a quest.
Part ofHogwarts Legacy’s charm is that it gives players the freedom to choose which path they will take whether they will be a good wizard or embrace the life of a dark wizard. Having the ability to learn Unforgivable Curses is an extension of this, and players who don’t want to learn the killing curse can avoid it entirely.Completionists should playHogwarts Legacyfrom the perspective of all four houses, however, and eventually learn Avada Kedavra.
Hogwarts Legacyis available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is set to release on April 4 for PS4 and Xbox One, and July 25 for Nintendo Switch.
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