How to cast spells in Hogwarts Legacy

Learning how to cast spells in Hogwarts Legacy is one of the first things you'll pick up. It is, after all, imperative to the game's combat system that you do. But spells like Lumos can serve a purpose both on and off the battlefield, making knowing how to sling spells a necessary trick even if you're not itching to get into a fight. What kind of witch or wizard would you be without them?

Down below, we're going to explain how to get spells in Hogwarts Legacy for those of you who can't get the hang of it. They're needed to open locks, illuminate dark areas, and even complete most of the puzzles you'll find scattered throughout the halls of Hogwarts and its surrounding area.

Before we dive into the details, consider checking out our other guides on the game. We've already answered questions like can you have pets in Hogwarts Legacy, what we know about the Deathly Hallows, and if you can cast the unforgivable curses littered throughout the lore.

How to cast spells in Hogwarts Legacy

As you learn and unlock more spells in Hogwarts Legacy, they'll be assigned to the face buttons on your controllers: the shapes or letters depending on your platform of choice.

But those buttons are how you interact with the world, too. Having Flipendo assigned to the button you use to talk to a classmate, for example, would lead to all sorts of issues. So how do you separate the two? Easy.

In Hogwarts Legacy, you need to hold down R2 to cast any spell. Sort of like the trigger that it is, R2 acts as a modifier, changing the purpose of the face buttons from interactive actions to spell-slinging ones instead.

In some situations, you can even fast-cast a spell with R1 to fling objects like boxes or rocks at a targetted enemy, giving you even more ways to mix things up.

But you're not limited to just four spells at any one time, either. While you have R2 held down, you can switch to different spellbooks (or loadouts) using the D-Pad, allowing for even more flexibility in your combos.

If you need to learn more about all the ways you can use your wand, check out the Hogwarts Legacy spells list. And for the wands you can use, you might want to read about the Hogwarts Legacy Elder Wand, too. Also be sure to check out our guide to beating the pensieve guardian if you're having trouble with it.