Harry Potter sometimes feels like it was tailor made to become a video game. The spells of the Wizarding World can be dropped straight into an interactive medium, the setting offers a variety of character classes to specialize in, and it’s full of locations that fans have been dying to explore for decades.
Hogwarts Legacy delivers on the promise of bringing that into a game, letting you play as a fifth-year student balancing magical lessons with making friends and uncovering a dark magical mystery. One aspect that’ll particularly please fans of the franchise is getting the Sorting Hat placed on your personalized character’s head and living out the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone fantasy.
But is there a way to decide which Hogwarts house you’re placed in?
The Sorting Ceremony
You’ll encounter the Sorting Hat early on in the game, though the introductory tutorial missions that establish the plot mean you won’t actually arrive in Hogwarts until about an hour of gameplay has passed. As in the movies and books, the Sorting Hat is then placed on your head, and it analyzes your personality to decide which house is the best fit.
In-game, this takes the form of a quick personality test to decide whether you’re Gryffindor (brave), Ravenclaw (brainy), Slytherin (evil), or Hufflepuff (miscellaneous). The game acknowledges in advance that many players will have already made their minds up, with the hat saying:
“You come here with preferences and preconceptions — certain expectations.”
After this, you’re given the choice of saying, “I can’t wait to start classes,” or “I can’t wait to explore.” Though you might think saying you want to start classes will lean you toward Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, or saying you want to explore tips you toward Gryffindor and Slytherin, this choice doesn’t actually affect anything.
The hat then detects “something in you,” and you have the choice of replying “Daring,” “Curiosity,” “Loyalty,” or “Ambition.” Daring is the Gryffindor option, Curiosity is Ravenclaw, Loyalty is Hufflepuff, and Ambition is Slytherin. The hat will then choose a house for you based on your responses.
“Please, please. Anything but Slytherin, anything but Slytherin!”
Fortunately, you’re not locked into the hat’s choice (though maybe you should listen to it, as this is its one job). You’re then taken to a screen describing the house it’s picked for you and given the option to “Accept House” or “Choose a Different House.”
Gryffindor is described as “known for daring, bravery and chivalry,” Hufflepuff is “known for patience, loyalty and hard work,” Slytherin is “known for cunning, ambition and a hunger for power,” and Ravenclaw for “intelligence, creativity and wit.”
If you opt for a different house, you can simply select the one you wish from a menu of all four. This arguably takes away a lot of the fun of being “sorted” based on your personality, though the game forcing you into a house you don’t want, potentially meaning you have to replay the entire hour-long introduction to try again would be too big a hurdle to clear.
After sorting
Once you’ve picked your house, you’ll be escorted to your dormitory and common room by the Deputy Headmistress, where you’ll meet the students that you’ll be living alongside throughout your time in Hogwarts.
It’s worth underlining that your house choice doesn’t change much, though mid-way through the game there will be one house-specific quest to undertake. Other than that there’s no impact on character progression, though you will get to know your fellow house members better than those in rival houses. In addition, your house will occasionally be brought up in dialogue with other characters, though it doesn’t affect their opinion of you.
Another option
There’s another completely different way to be sorted that may appeal to longtime fans. It’s possible to link your account from the Harry Potter Fan Club to your WB Games account, allowing you to bring your house and personalized wand into the game. The Harry Potter Fan Club has a much more comprehensive Sorting Hat quiz, so this is an option if you think Hogwarts Legacy‘s version is a bit too straightforward.
Hogwarts Legacy is released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC on Feb. 10, with PS4 and Xbox One releases on April 4, and the Nintendo Switch on July 25.