Hogwarts Legacy is confirmed to not have multiplayer, but it could be reconsidered for 1v1 wand duels between peers in post-launch DLC.
Hogwarts Legacy features a bunch of content in its open-world that was showcased earlier in the summer. Players will have access to many activities in-and-around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, adding onto Hogwarts Legacy’s already ambitious scale. Since its last gameplay showcase, however, Hogwarts Legacy has doled out tiny morsels of footage for fans, including ASMR panning shots of its immersive and nostalgic locales.
The recent news of Hogwarts Legacy’s delay was quickly subsided by the announcement that it would have a “world premiere new look” shared at Gamescom this upcoming Tuesday. But when looking further ahead to what gameplay may be included as post-launch content, it is anyone’s guess what may appear. It has already been confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy will not have multiplayer, but there is a case to be made for its potential DLC to feature 1v1 competitive duels.
Wand-wielding and spell-casting was introduced during Hogwarts Legacy’s PlayStation State of Play this summer. This spell-based combat allows for long-ranged attacks with colorful effects unique to each charm and curse that players and their enemies exchange.
In Harry Potter’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class, as well as Hogwarts Legacy’s, duels are depicted as a formal, competitive activity restricting two opponents to a narrow stage. Opponents each take an end of the stage, draw their wands, and bow to one another before they cast their spells.
The intention in classroom or competitive duels is not necessarily to harm one’s opponent, though dueling is meant to offer practice for students in a real-life scenario where they would be defending themselves from anyone who did wish them harm. Hilariously, Hogwarts Legacy’s first duel shows the player-character hoisting their opponent midair, then firing multiple spells at them before knocking them backward and off the stage.
This combat obviously extends to players' encounters with real threats outside the castle, but it should also be considered for post-launch DLC with duels that could be held between players online. If multiplayer was introduced in DLC for Hogwarts Legacy, apart from the base game, there could be fun, gamified incentives for players to duel their peers in the classroom with spells that they had learned throughout the game.
Unfortunately, Hogwarts Legacy has already confirmed in its official website’s FAQ that it is “a single player experience and does not have online or co-op gameplay.” This is a clear statement that dissolves any speculation about whether it would have multiplayer, and it can be assumed that post-launch DLC would also not have multiplayer as a result.
But if Avalanche decided to implement multiplayer in DLC exclusively, they could keep their promise of a single-player experience for the base game while allowing players to duel one another in post-launch content. It would likely be a huge undertaking to implement online gameplay throughout Hogwarts Legacy’s open-world action-RPG, but having lobby queues open up for players in the Defense Against the Arts classroom in a post-launch patch would make for an exciting reason to return to the dueling arena.
It could be argued that 1v1 duels within the castle walls may not be enough of an incentive to include multiplayer gameplay in an otherwise single-player experience, but it would be a fun post-launch addition that could add to its shelf-life and reward players who have learned unique spells to cast on their opponents in a friendly, competitive atmosphere where characters cannot be maimed or killed.
Hogwarts Legacy launches on February 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version also in development.
Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies student who loves popular nerd culture and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared’s first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.