Summary
Hogwarts Legacyhas many forms of progression to track players' achievements, andChallengesare chief among these and unlock rewards upon completion. Challenges are split into five categories: Combat, Quests, Exploration, Field Guide Pages, and Room of Requirement.
Within theExploration Challenges category, players will find six unique challenges that encourage the exploration of both Hogwarts and the surrounding Scottish Highlands. Each challenge has numerous checkpoints that provide players with some of the best rewards inHogwarts Legacy, like unique brooms andfancy new outfitsfor example.
Updated July 25, 2025 by Joe Grantham:Hogwarts Legacy has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations in terms of sales and now with the release of the game on Nintendo Switch, more and more want-to-be wizards and witches are finally getting their hands on the game.
Whether players are completely new to Hogwarts Legacy or experiencing the game with a different character and House, the variousExploration Challenges are a constant source of fun. Heading into the game knowing exactly what these challenges entail can help players who like to complete games in full. On the other hand,Hogwarts Legacy’s Exploration Challengesalso encourage natural exploration.
Complete 8 more Landing Platforms
Quidditch Captain’s Cape
When players first spot a Landing Platform and land on it to see what it is, they will be slightly disappointed to find out that’s all it is, something to land on. However, after exploring more of the stunning map, players will find that these platforms are increasingly harder to locate, making the challenge more fun, especially on the expansive Poidsear Coast.
There are twenty Landing Platforms in total, all best found from atop a broom or one of the othermagical mounts available inHogwarts Legacy. While this Exploration Challenge may not be the most engaging, it does encourage natural exploration and rewards players with components of a Quidditch captain’s outfit. When players are flying around regions they have been in before, they will see Landing Platforms and wonder if they have already unlocked that one. Thankfully, any completed Landing Platforms will be lit by four flames.
Increased storage for Gear (+4 slots)
Solve 20 more Merlin Trials
Out of all the Exploration Challenges inHogwarts Legacy, completing all the Merlin Trials is by far the most time-consuming and difficult. This is simply because there are ninety-five of them scattered throughout the game. While these puzzles are certainly fun at first, and there is a healthy amount of variety with different spells being required, they soon become repetitive and tedious.
For reaching each tier of the Complete Merlin Trials challenge, players will increase their gear storage by an extra four slots, meaning they can carry more at once before having tovisit a vendor to sell unwanted gear. Unlike other challenges though, the Merlin Trials can only be started after placing some Mallowsweet Leaves, meaning players should always make sure they are stocked up before heading out on their travels. To acquire more Mallowsweet Leaves, players can either grow their own or buy them from merchants.
Collect all traces from 2 Ancient Magic Hotspots
1 extra bar for the Ancient Magic meter
Collect all traces from 6 more Ancient Magic Hotspots
Collect all traces from 12 more Ancient Magic Hotspots
Ancient Magic is integral to the main story and is the rare power that the main character possesses. To gain more bars on their Ancient Magic meters, and in turn, obliterate more enemies withepic-looking Ancient Magic Finishers, players can collect traces of Ancient Magic around the map.
There are twenty of these Ancient Magic hotspots in total, and they can usually be found in old ruins. Each hotspot poses its mini puzzle often involving platforming, and players must navigate the ruins to reach successive traces of Ancient Magic, with some being harder to reach than others.As each location is unique, this is one of the more funHogwarts LegacyExploration Challenges.
Successfully view constellations from 5 unique Astronomy Tables
Successfully view constellations from 5 more unique Astronomy Tables
Starry-Eyed Seer’s Cape
While players can find Astronomy tables from the start of the game, it is only after attending Astronomy class and receiving a telescopefrom Ravenclaw companion Amit Thakkar, that they can stargaze. Naturally, they will also have to wait for nighttime which can be done in the map menu if it is still daytime.
With sufficient darkness and telescopes in place, players will soon find, perhaps to their pleasant surprise, that Astronomy is one of the most fun things to do in the game. By zooming in and out, as well as rotating their telescope, players have to line up their view of the stars with the constellation they are looking for. For finding and completing Astronomy tables, players are rewarded with components of the Starry-Eyed Seer’s outfit set.
Solve 1 more Hogwarts Secret
Fashionable Dress Robes (Ron Weasley’s Yule Ball Dress Robes)
The castle of Hogwarts is well known for holding many mysteries and secrets, but there are three in particular which count towards the Solve Hogwarts Secrets challenge. The first two secrets to be solved are some ofthe best puzzles inHogwarts Legacyand can be found at the Viaduct Courtyard Bridge and inside the Clock Tower.
To solve the final secret, however, players must progress to and complete The Polyjuice Plot quest where they will find a key that unlocks the door to one of the mostsecret locations inHogwarts Legacy. This challenge, while fun in its own right, also presents players with two of the best outfits in the game; namely Professor Black’s Tailored Tailcoat, as well as the Fashionable Dress Robes, which a certain Ronald Weasley will reluctantly wear to the Yule Ball over a century later.
Pop 2 sets of balloons while on a broom
Pop 5 more sets of balloons while on a broom
Pop 10 more sets of balloons while on a broom
Pop 15 more sets of balloons while on a broom
Bright Spark Broom
Popping balloons is easily the most fun Exploration Challenge as players get to fly around the stunning landscapes of the Scottish Highlands on their broom or mount of choice. Each set contains five balloons which, when popped, will count as progress toward the challenge.
Trying to pop all five balloons in one clean run is extremely fun, but if this is not enough then the rewards unlocked from this challenge make it more than worth the time investment. The Pop Balloons challenge has four tiers and each one provides players with some ofthe best-looking brooms inHogwarts Legacy.
