Raimonds Lauzums
June 23, 2023
Hogwarts Legacy | Major and Minor Differences Between Houses
Explore unique common rooms, quests, characters, and dialogue based on your Hogwarts House in Hogwarts Legacy. Unparalleled replayability for Potter fans!
>By: Alexis Askew
Every Harry Potter fan has, at some point, wanted to explore their Hogwarts House; in Hogwarts Legacy, you get to do just that. Starting up the game, if you don’t already have a house in mind, you may be wondering how your choice affects your story, or if replaying the game in a different house is worth the experience.
Each house offers a unique perspective, but the overall story is the same. There are a few major and minor differences that may determine which house you choose, so if you’re fine with some spoilers, this article will help you make a decision.
Gryffindor Common Room
The most obvious difference between houses are the common rooms themselves. Each common room is uniquely designed with their assigned color schemes and resides in different parts of the castle. We only saw one common room in the movies and a few in the books, so their layouts are fresh and exciting.
The Gryffindor common room looks very similar to the movie’s adaptation of it. The entrance to the common room is the portrait of the Fat Lady in the Faculty Tower and the password is given to you by Professor Weasley when you arrive. The inside looks almost identical to the movies and previous Harry Potter games. It is filled with red and gold colors with a large fireplace, a golden snitch flying around, and a student being a bit too daring on top of the fireplace.
Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin common room is in the dungeon, just like in the books. The entrance in the dungeon is marked by a curling snake design on the floor in front of a blank wall. Only Slytherin students will see this snake at work, as it snakes up the wall and reveals an entrance to the large underwater common room. Inside, the room is dim, lit by golden lamps and the green glow of diluted sunlight through the waters of the Black Lake. Students can be seen playing chess and pressing their faces against the windows in hopes of seeing a giant squid or mermaid.
Ravenclaw Common Room
The Ravenclaw common room sits higher than all the others, at the top of a winding staircase. The room is decorated in blue and silver with stars and constellations painted on the ceiling. The design relies heavily on astronomy, but it makes it one of the most beautiful common rooms. This one is unique, since it is the only one with a staircase that allows students rooftop access where they can view the stars from the center of Hogwarts. Students can be found sitting by the fire, studying, or looking through their telescopes.
Hufflepuff Common Room
The Hufflepuff common room was the only one that was not described in the Harry Potter books, and so the designers relied solely on their own creative imagination. The design is very similar to that of a hobbit hole from Lord of the Rings, with small round doors and low ceilings. Herbology is the theme for this house, with different plants hanging from the ceilings or sitting by chairs.
Just like the books, the Hufflepuff common room is located next to the kitchen. The entrance is through one of the large barrels and you must tap it in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. If you try to access it, and you aren’t a Hufflepuff, it’ll shoot water in your face.
A Different Main Story Quest
There is one main quest in particular that is very different depending on which house you are in, each of them involving the ghost Richard Jackdaw.
If you are in Ravenclaw, then Mr. Ollivander will send you an owl. When you meet him at his shop, he will ask you to help him find a wand that was stolen by Richard Jackdaw. This quest will send you to the Owlery where you will have to solve a puzzle before Jackdaw reveals himself. It is the simplest version of this main quest compared to the other houses.
If you choose Gryffindor, then you will join Nearly Headless Nick at the Headless Hunt where you will meet Jackdaw. While not complex, this version of the quest is exciting because you get to interact with one of the only characters from the Harry Potter books that make an appearance in this game.
If you’ve been sorted into Slytherin, then you’re in store for a quest filled with mystery and combat. After finding letters left by Scrope, Professor Black’s house elf, he will ask you to find a Black family heirloom, because Jackdaw can’t seem to stop stealing heirlooms. This will lead you to a cave filled with enemies in order to find the object in question and Jackdaw.
Last, and arguably the best, is Hufflepuff. If you’ve chosen this house then you get to leave Hogwarts entirely, and visit Azkaban Prison. It is the only quest that takes you to this location and there is no way for you to go there if you are in any other house, making it one of the most exciting versions of this quest.
Meeting Characters Early
Throughout the game, you get to meet side characters in different classes and throughout the castle, where they’ll give you a side quest or two. There are a variety of characters in a variety of houses, some more prominent than others, and if you choose their house, you get to meet them early.
If you join Slytherin then you get to meet fan-favorites Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt earlier on and get to know them before your adventures together to learn more about the dark arts.
In Gryffindor, you get to meet Garreth Weasely and a few others. Natsai Onai can be seen there, but unfortunately you don’t get a chance to talk to her just yet.
In Hufflepuff you get to meet Adelaide and Lenora early, but they don’t appear much in the story. Unfortunately, Poppy Sweeting, the Hufflepuff girl you can go on a few adventures with later on, isn’t a character you get to talk to just yet but it lines up with her introverted nature.
Ravenclaw is the only house where there isn’t a character with a relationship quest line, but you still have Amit Thakker as a stargazing companion.
Different Dialogue
Besides the characters you get to meet in your common room, dialogue with other characters outside of your house will be different as well. At the start of the game, when Professor Weasley is taking you to your common room, her instructions will vary. If you choose Gryffindor, she will get more personal and tell you a bit about her past since it was her house as a student.
Lines will vary in gameplay as well as you and other characters talk about your houses. For instance, in Sebastian Sallow’s side quest, there are a few times when the two of you make fun of each other's houses and his line will vary depending on the house you choose.
Experiencing the story as a different character, with different values, can help you experience the game through a whole new lens. Knowing what’s in store ahead of time isn’t always a bad thing, especially when you plan on dedicating another fifty hours of your life to an adventure. With each house containing unique experiences, the replay-ability of Hogwarts Legacy is unlike any other game out there.
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