The Black Lake is one of the most iconicHarry Potterlocations inHogwarts Legacy, home to a giant squid that sometimes bursts out of the water as players swoop by. InHogwarts Legacy, players can swim freely across the surface of the Black Lake and dive into particular spots during side quests like The Lost Astrolabe and Mer-ky Depths. However, apart from a small glimpse through the Slytherin Common Room windows, players cannot see what else might lurk underwater.
Although the future of any potentialHogwarts LegacyDLC is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, particularly withHarry Potter: Quidditch Championsannounced, the Black Lake could have set the stage for some incredible post-launch content. The thirst for Quidditch is strong, but there’s also a desire for more things to do and places to explore across the vast open-world RPG map. The Black Lake could be a serious contender for a new map zone rich with DLC content like spells, quests, exploration challenges, and magical creature encounters.
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How Hogwarts Legacy’s Black Lake Could Create Opportunities For New Spells, Quests, and Exploration Challenges
InHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, fans saw what magical creatures live in the Black Lake surrounding Hogwarts Castle, such as troublesome Grindylows and Sirens. As the setting of one of the Triwizard Tournament quests, players also saw new types of spells and plants with magical properties that enabled Harry and the other champions to breathe underwater, including Gillyweed, Krum’s shark head, and Cedric’s bubble head charm. Although the Triwizard Tournament doesn’t fit intoHogwarts Legacy’s timeline, giving players the freedom to explore under the Black Lake could give them similarHogwarts Legacyspells, abilities, and magical plants with underwater properties. It could open up a sizable area of exploration rather than restricting players to an awkward, infrequent, and slightly disappointing diving cutscene.
Turning the Black Lake into an explorable zone could also open the door to new types of quests and expandHogwarts Legacy’s exploration challenges, such as popping balloons. Typically, underwater levels in video games can be tricky to pull off, butHogwarts Legacyhas the advantage of a vast lore to draw upon. Quests don’t have to be limited to fetch-and-retrieve activities as seen in diving-related side quests. Instead, they could also be about encountering water-based magical creatures and enable players to see the giant squid fully in the flesh for the first time.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Black Lake Could Add New Magical Creatures and Breeding Opportunities
Hogwarts Legacy’s non-movie magical creaturesinclude many cute and imaginative creations, like the adorable Snidgets and ferocious Dug-Bogs. Letting players explore underwater freely in the Black Lake could have provided more opportunities for more magical creatures, whether seen in theHarry Pottermovies or otherwise - or even meeting the Merpeople mentioned in the Mer-ky Depths side quest, indicating their presence in the Black Lake.
Whether as new enemies or friendly encounters, underwater magical creatures could also provide new underwaterHogwarts Legacyvivarium biomesin the Room of Requirement, drawing upon Newt Scamander’s water tank for inspiration fromFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The Black Lake has incredible DLC opportunities, some that may have been too big forHogwarts Legacyto make the best use of at launch. However, whether underwater exploration might appear in a sequel remains to be seen.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions launching May 5 and a Switch port releasing July 25.
