Witches and wizards, flying brooms, wands, and spells. Those are just some of the things that immediately come to mind when talking about Harry Potter or Hogwarts Legacy. But why is it that the next thing that pops up is: ‘Can I annihilate everyone that comes before me?’ Because humans are weird, that’s why.

When Hogwarts Legacy first came out, everyone expected yet another virtuous video game, preaching a grand moral message along the lines of: ‘Friendship is sacred, and evil never prevails.’ And sure, you can be a goody-goody if you want to. But you can also choose to have a higher body count than He Who Must Not Be Named. 

So, to answer your question: Can you kill characters in Hogwarts Legacy? Yes, you most definitely can.

How Can I Kill in Hogwarts Legacy?

From the minute you start exploring the Scottish Highlands, you turn into a mean, green killing machine. Dugbogs, Ashwinders, poachers, even skeletons (Inferi) must succumb to your wand in order to progress through the game. Here is a list of our favorite spells to extinguish adversaries:

• Basic cast – Even though the name suggests this is a basic move, there is a reason why it’s effective: it’s easy to use. No need to fiddle around the gear slot, with a push of one button, your enemies are gone. Ok, you might need to push that one button ten times, but sometimes that’s all you feel like doing. 
• Petrificus Totalus – Sneak up to your rival by using your Disillusionment Charm and paralyze them (to death) with this simple spell. It might be a lazy solution for some, but it gets the job done on most low level goons.
• Bombarda and Confringo – Launch a fireball or cause an explosion on impact with these Damage spells. Alongside Incendio, these are especially powerful against spiders. 
• Ancient Magic – By using other spells and inflicting damage onto your foes, you are also filling up your Ancient Magic meter. Once it’s full it allows you to deliver a death blow to most opponents. 
• Crucio – For those patient players out there, you have the option to wield one of the three Unforgivable Curses that relentlessly inflicts damage on the villain’s HP while they remain under its grip. This spell is only available to those who choose to learn it, and unfortunately, unavailable in certain battles. 
• Avada Kedavra – The cream of the crop among spells, the crown jewel of the Unforgivable Curses that permanently wipes out anyone who unwittingly becomes the target of the wand that wields its power. The downside to this killing curse is that you only get to (choose) to learn it near the end of the main quest. Also, it is not available in all battles even after you acquire it.  

Can You Torture and Kill Students and Professors in Hogwarts Legacy?

Now that we’ve established that you are indeed able to kill and torture in the game, one puzzle remains: can I do it to everyone? The simple answer is no, you can’t. 

There are certain mods available for PC players, but that’s a discussion for another day.

While the game offers the possibility to erase the existence of certain goblins, dark witches and wizards, trolls, and various creatures, you are not able to harm any of your fellow students or professors. At least not physically. For all those who wish to inflict emotional damage, the game provides you with plenty of opportunities to cast a sarcastic remark, judge people and even decide on the faith of certain friends. We warned you, didn’t we?

Can I Be Evil In Hogwarts Legacy?

Well, you can choose to be a Slytherin, so that’s pretty much the same, ain’t it? Those of you with an itch to become truly wicked, you are out of luck. No matter whom you kill, you won’t turn to the dark side. Even though choosing certain dialogues might make you sound like you were groomed by Voldemort, there are no options to join Ranrok and Rookwood on their mission to rebel against wizardkind. 

Conclusion

As we mentioned before, the first thought that comes to your mind when thinking about Hogwarts Legacy isn’t violence and killings. But, then again, we have to remember that it was developed under the watchful eye of Warner Bros., the same studio responsible for Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon and The Matrix trilogy. There was a great debate on Reddit discussing the sheer amount of destruction needed to progress through the main quest, so if you think your character possesses high ethics, think again.

But morals aside, Hogwarts Legacy is definitely a fun game to play, and it also has a T rating, so it’s definitely not as hard core as Assasin’s Creed or Elden Ring. Despite that, you will still have the opportunity to finish off many evil thugs by using some pretty cool spells. What’s not to like?