The Dark Arts and the Unforgivable Curses have always been taboo subjects in the Wizarding World… however, Hogwarts Legacy is the first game that offers us an opportunity dabble in these mysterious arts, allowing us to wield the famous (infamous, that is) Unforgivable Curses! The Dark Arts are as powerful as they are feared, so there is a little bit of work that goes in obtaining them in the game. In this guide we will walk you through this process!
What Are the Dark Arts Spells
There are four Unforgivable Curses in the game:
- Blasting Curse (
Confringo)
- While the game doesn’t specifically tag Confringo as one of the Dark Arts Spells, canonically it is still considered Dark Magic —
Sebastian Sallow mentions it as the Forbidden Spell that Hogwarts professors refuse to teach their students.
- Cruciatus Curse (
Crucio)
- Imperius Curse (
Imperio)
- Killing Curse (
Avada Kedavra)
Confringo will be the only spell you will have to learn to progress the game. The remaining 3 Dark Arts Spells are optional and will have to be learned from Sebastian Sallow’s Relationship Questline. These 3 are entirely up to you to unlock, should you decide to take on the path of a Dark Witch or Wizard… (by the way, if you do, you should totally check out our Dark Arts Build!)
How to Unlock Confringo
The first Dark Magic spell that you will learn in Hogwarts Legacy is the Blasting Curse, Confringo. This spell can be unlocked fairly early into the game, serving as a powerful long-range fire spell that will ignite your enemies.
You will be able to unlock it by pursuing the Main Story Quests, during In the Shadow of the Undercroft. This Spell has no special prerequisite conditions; it will be taught to you by Sebastian Sallow after he shows you the Undercroft.
How to Unlock Crucio
The second Dark Magic spell that you will learn in Hogwarts Legacy is the Cruciatus Curse, Crucio. This spell can be unlocked about mid-way into the game or so, serving as a powerful stun effect that also adds the Cursed Status and a damage-over-time effect to the target that you cast it on (the damage-over-time seems to be quite appropriate for what is canonically known as “The Torture Spell”).
You will be able to unlock it by pursuing Sebastian Sallow’s Relationship Quests — Crucio will become available during In the Shadow of the Study. As we have mentioned earlier, learning Crucio is not mandatory for progressing the game. If you want to learn the spell, you will have to respond to Sebastian accordingly once he inquires about your commitment to learning the spell.
This will happen after Sebastian reveals that he knows how to cast the Cruciatus Curse. He will offer to either teach you the spell or cast it on you to pass the obstacle of the quest. When faced with this predicament, you will have three different options you can choose from:
- Tell Sebastian that you don’t wish to learn the spell and allow him to cast it on you. (You WON’T learn the spell.)
- Tell Sebastian that you wish to learn the spell and cast it on him. (You will learn the spell.)
- Tell Sebastian that you wish to learn the spell but you want him to cast it on you. (You will learn the spell.)
If you choose the first option, reloading a previous save will be the only way for you to learn the Crucio spell after this point. Choosing either the second or the third option will permanently unlock the Crucio spell for your character.
How to Unlock Imperio
The second Dark Magic spell that you will learn in Hogwarts Legacy is the Imperius Curse, Imperio — this spell can be unlocked shortly after acquiring the Crucio spell. Imperio can turn any enemy into an ally for 20 seconds. This spell can be used on large creatures as well, turning dangerous foes like Trolls or Acromantulas into very powerful battle companions.
You will be able to unlock it by pursuing Sebastian Sallow’s Relationship Quests — Imperio will become available during In the Shadow of Time.
During this quest, you will uncover a diary which reveals that the Imperius Curse will play a major role in the completion of your task — as a preventive measure, Sebastian will offer to teach you the spell. Once again, when faced with this possibility, you will be given two different options you can choose from:
- Tell Sebastian that you have no interest in learning the Imperius spell. (You WON’T learn the spell.)
- Tell Sebastian that you are interested in learning the Imperius spell. (You will learn the spell.)
Once again, this is the only opportunity you will get to learn Imperio without reloading your save.
How to Unlock Avada Kedavra
The final Dark Magic spell that you will learn in Hogwarts Legacy is the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. This spell can be unlocked towards the later part of the game, and it can easily become the most powerful spell in your arsenal, instantly killing any opponent you use it on. We discuss how to make the most out of this spell and other Dark Arts spells in our Dark Arts Build guide!
This spell can be unlocked towards the end of Sebastian Sallow’s Relationship Questline, during the In the Shadow of the Relic. However, note that the quest won’t trigger until you finish Professor Weasley’s Assignment first.
Learning Avada Kedavra is not mandatory for progressing the game, however, we definitely recommend it if you wish to become a true Dark Wizard/Witch.
After the shocking events of In the Shadow of the Relic quest (yes, we don’t like spoilers either), Sebastian can be asked to teach you Avada Kedavra. However, you should keep in mind that, in doing so, it’s best to comfort Sebastian in regards to the events that have just unfolded before attempting to persuade him.
Once you comforted Sebastian, you will be prompted with two options:
- Tell Sebastian that absolutely no one should know how to cast Avada Kedavra. (You WON’T learn the spell.)
- Tell Sebastian that you wish to be taught how to cast Avada Kedavra. (You will learn the spell.)
As with the other Dark Art Spells, should you change your mind later in the game, the only way to get the option to learn Avada Kedavra will be to reload back to the quest and pick the right option. So, choose wisely!
Now that you know how to unlock all of the Dark Arts Spells, we hope that you join the dark side and enjoy the cookies! Let us know in the comment section below which one of the Dark Arts Spells is your favorite!
