Summary
The open world inHogwarts Legacyis vast, and players have praised it for being convenient and easy to explore, though one fan can’t help but feel its mountain ranges were a big missed opportunity. Not only isHogwarts Legacythe best-selling gameof 2023, but its public reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Fans of theHarry Potterfranchise were starved for an open-world role-playing title set in the Wizarding World, and Avalanche Software somehow managed to deliver on a decade of player expectations.
While there are obvious improvements to be made in the sequel, the bread-and-butter ofHogwarts Legacyis its open world. From brooms and mounts to spells and side quests, every single facet of the game is in service to exploring the iconic castle and the surrounding wilderness of Hogsmeade Valley. Players are rewarded for their effort through cosmetics, conjurations, and even power upgrades separate from the leveling system inHogwarts Legacy.
However, a fan who goes by Tsarinya made the argument that there are two annoying spots on the game’s world map that should have had some kind of content. Namely, the mountain ranges near Feldcroft and Marunweem Lake are inaccessible, even when flying on a broom. Given the focus onGoblins as antagonists inHogwarts Legacy, having a few extra mines to explore arguably could have made those zones memorable in their own way.
It’s no secret thatHogwarts Legacyplayers were annoyed by the inability to fly across Hogsmeade, especially due to its position on the overall map. While the game stated an acceptable lore reason for disallowing the use of a broom or mount in the wizarding village, it still made for an annoying restriction. The mountain ranges suffer from a similar issue, and thoughHogwarts Legacyfeatures fast travel, it does make manual travel to Feldcroft and back needlessly tedious.
Given that Avalanche Software hasn’t announced anyDLCs forHogwarts Legacy, and with rumors of the developers already working on the sequel, there’s likely zero likelihood of the world map being expanded with new content in any meaningful way. That being said, it’s certainly valuable feedback to the team at Avalanche, as chances are thatHogwarts Legacyplayers will be returning to the Scottish highlands in the next game – at least to some degree. Whereas Quidditch was always going to be a pipe dream to implement, the sequel could certainly benefit from having a less restrictive open world layout.
