The latest PlayStation State of Play has brought a ton of new information about Avalanche Studios’ upcoming open-world action RPG, Hogwarts Legacy. Although it won’t be airing until this holiday season, the broadcast showed off a lot of new games and shed some light on the plot details.
More specifically, we’ve got our first glimpse of the Hogwarts Legacy’s villains – one is completely new to the wizarding world, while the other may have a familial relationship with the wizarding world. another wizard mentioned in the original series.
Who is Ranrok?
During the roughly 20-minute presentation, we learned that one of the things your wizard or witch will be tasked with is to stop a rebellion led by a Goblin named Ranrok. This is not the first time something like this has happened in the Wizarding World. As Harry Potter Wiki note, prior to the events of the Hogwarts Legacy, three elven uprisings had occurred before, with the first dating back to 1612.
The relationship between elves and wizards/witches is strained, with the treatment of elves by wizardkind being the main driving force behind these rebellions. Considered by many wizards to be inferior to the wizardkind in the Harry Potter series, Goblins are subject to prejudice and discrimination. One such example includes the law forbidding goblins to carry wands.
In a detailed PlayStation Blog on Hogwarts Legacy, Avalanche Studios Community Manager, Chandler Wood, noted that Ranrok’s hatred of wizards had distorted his “worldview”. Avalanche lead narrator Moira Squier said that Ranrok had “seen the spark of magic that wizards had been trying to hide – even from themselves – and he wanted that power in particular.”
More interestingly, we can see throughout the gameplay presentation that the elves in the Hogwarts Legacy will use magic in the game. We even see Ranrok casting spells on his own without a wand, although it has been confirmed that elves can use magic without a wand.
Victor Rookwood and his possible connections
Victor Rookwood is the second villain we’re briefly introduced to in Hogwarts’ Legacy State. Rookwood leads a group of dark wizards who form an unlikely alliance with Ranrok in the Hogwarts Legacy.
Based on them, it’s possible that Victor Rookwood may be related to another sorcerer: Augustus Rookwood. Augustus is another dark wizard, a devoted follower of Lord Voldemort and a Death Eater. As Igor Karkaroff alleges in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Rookwood worked as a double agent for Voldemort while working at the Department of Mysteries before being captured and imprisoned in Azkaban. While Avalanche Software has yet to confirm or deny this relationship, it is interesting that the two share the same last name and are believed to be associated with wizards and witches who practice dark magic.
While a lot of the Hogwarts Legacy, especially from a narrative standpoint, remains unknown, Avalanche Software has a lot to work with. Harry Potter timeline shows that the 1800s were largely unexplored in books and movies. Most events in the Harry Potter timeline are primarily centered around the 1900s, with the Fantastic Beasts films set in the 1920s and Harry Potter adventures set in the 1990s. It’s interesting to see how many established universes from a lore and narrative standpoint will find their way into the Hogwarts Legacy in significant events similar to the First and Second Wizarding Wars.
That’s all we know for now about the Hogwarts Legacy villains, but we’ll be sure to learn more before its release. this vacation. Prior to its recent reveal, the game had caused a stir about its connection to Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who became notable for her misleading comments In recent years. Warner Bros. told the author is not directly related to the game, but the leader said “She has the right to express her personal views”. Reports since then have suggested that the game will allow transgender characters to be created.
That was not confirmed in the most recent State of Play, but we did find out Hogwarts Legacy gameplay and story details in addition to revealing the villain, as well as confirming that Hogwarts Legacy is coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Taylor is Associate Technology Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
