Elden RingandHogwarts Legacyare two fairly different games. WhileElden Ringis a melee-focused, brutally difficult journey through a wonderfully dark and oppressive fantasy world,Hogwarts Legacyis a bit more of a whimsical, lighthearted, and magical adventure through one of the most nostalgic locations in all of popular culture, with spell-based combat and calm exploration being the focus of its own gameplay.
That being said,Elden RingandHogwarts Legacyaren’t totally opposed to one another. Both games use a third-person perspective, both put an emphasis on open-world exploration, and most interestingly, both have their fair share of magic spells. But when it comes toElden RingandHogwarts Legacy’s magic, both games could find themselves in the same boat pretty soon.
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Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy’s DLC Might Be in the Same Boat With Their Spells
In the past,FromSoftware gameshave had some notoriously lackluster magic combat options. While there were always plenty of spells in theDark Soulstrilogy, the vast majority of the offensive spell types felt simply too weak in practice, leaving them pretty redundant when compared to the game’s melee options. WithElden Ring, FromSoftware sought to finally change this, and for the most part, it succeeded.
At launch,Elden Ringboasted an eye-watering total of 171 magical spells, covering both Incantations and Sorceries. For reference,Skyrimhas 96 spells. What’s even more impressive than the sheer quantity ofElden Ring’s spellsis the quality of them. While not all of them are wholly original, and many are upgraded versions of base spells that essentially just add another projectile to the cast, almost every spell inElden Ringis worth picking for one reason or another, and each one has its own visually-impressive, unique animation and effect.
ButElden Ringis set to receive a large-scale expansion soon, and it could run into a big issue with its magic. TitledElden RingShadow of the Erdtree, this DLC expansion is set to bethe biggest DLC that FromSoftware has ever produced, which is really saying something. So, naturally, fans can probably expect to see a slew of new spells in the game. But with 171 spells already available,Elden Ring’s DLC might not be able to really add anything that fans haven’t already seen.
Hogwarts Legacycould end up being in a similar boat. ThoughHogwarts Legacyhas much fewer spells thanElden Ring, clocking in at only 31, a lot of effort has seemingly gone into making each one feel truly distinct and worthwhile, with unique visuals, animations, and effects across the board for each one.Hogwarts Legacy’s current spells really cover just about everything that players could need or want from aHarry Pottergame, with offensive spells like Stupefy and Flipendo, utility charms like Lumos and Reparo, and even all three Unforgivable Curses.
IfHogwarts Legacyever receives its long-rumored DLC, it’ll surely add a good few new spells to the game, just likeElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree, but really there isn’t a big need for them. Though many fans are desperate to seeiconic spells like Expecto Patronum, Reducto, and Confundo come toHogwarts Legacy, they might end up feeling a little redundant, withHogwarts Legacy’s current spell list covering pretty much all the bases from a purely technical and gameplay standpoint. So, much likeElden Ring,Hogwarts Legacywould have a tough time making any additional DLC spells stand out from the crowd.
Elden Ringis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
