Hogwarts Legacy 2 must finally make your house important

Hogwarts Legacy 2 is a matter of if, not when, so it's only natural that fans have been firing off their ideas for the next entry in the franchise. Some players want to see proper choices and consequences for using the Unforgivable Curses, others want a greater focus on class, and many want more challenging combat with increased weapon variety. But above all, many players have shared their desire for a deeper house system in Avalanche Software's follow-up to its 2023 mega-hit.

The original The legacy of HogwartsHouse's view of Houses wasn't terrible, just limited. The House Cup was awarded to the player's house of choice once the Field Guide had been completed, making an iconic aspect of Hogwarts feel largely undeserved. Not all House-exclusive quests felt like they were created equal, and one House even lacked a companion entirely. While some aspects of the original game's system can certainly remain the same – the house selection that affected clothing options was fun and immersive – there's a lot Avalanche can do to elevate the four iconic factions of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 is expected to be released in 2027 or 2028, as WB has said that its biggest game franchises will return in those years. With Harry Potter The HBO series is coming next year, and Avalanche Software is hiring fast, this window seems really profitable.

How Hogwarts Legacy 2 can fix its house problem

A meaningful House Cup
House vs. House competitions
Bonus House-specific choices and details
House exclusive spells
Romance/deeper bonds with housemates

First of all, making the House Cup something extra to strive for as opposed to just a guaranteed unlock would be a neat mechanic to make the House pick important. To accomplish this, a simple scoring mechanic can be introduced, where players earn points for everything they do in their playthrough. Each difficult enemy defeated, side quest completed, and animal rescued can increase the score of the player's chosen house, while deaths, implied dialogue choices, and use of curses can detract from the score. About classes in The legacy of Hogwarts take a more meaningful role in the sequel, arriving late or on time can affect one's score, while success or failure in the mini-games can also change the standings.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

The house cup can also rely on winning house-specific competitions. Obviously, quidditch is the most prominent example of house fighting within Harry Potter universe, and it will hopefully be playable in Hogwarts Legacy 2 Even if Quidditch master exists. In addition to this, house versus house broom races, battle tournaments, collect-a-thon mini-games and so on can be held from time to time, again giving players a chance to win or lose points. If there is a real-time leaderboard, players can also keep an eye on which House is in second place, and do everything to prevent them from scoring.

Outside the house cup, Hogwarts Legacy 2 have some ways to make House choice affect the core game loop. If dialogue choices are introduced, they can open up extra solutions to situations – perhaps choosing Gryffindor could open up a brave side route that shortens a combat encounter, while Slytherin being the player's house of choice could open up some sneaky ways to avoid enemies. Housemasters can teach players a House/exclusive spell to make the playthrough a little different, while spending extra time with the companions of one's chosen House can unlock exclusive relationship and/or romance rewards.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 must avoid its Ravenclaw mistake

While a House Cup, special dialogue and choices, and exclusive spells would go a long way to making Houses better, the most important thing Avalanche Software can do is make sure all Houses feel the same. If House-exclusive main quests return, it's important to make sure no player feels left out – many were jealous of Hufflepuff's trip to Azkaban in the first game. Exclusive story missions need to be just as fun next time, or they really aren't worth completing at all. Each house also needs a companion; in the original game Ravenclaw had nothing, so this time it needs its own version of Polly, Sebastian and Natsai. If this obvious weak point is addressed, and steps are taken to make the house cup feel less noticeable next time, then one's house selection can be really exciting as opposed to just serving as a gateway to a change of clothes and another common room.