There are three unforgivable curses that you can learn in Hogwarts Legacy, each of them more deadly than the last. While you can choose not to explore dark magic, you’re probably going to have more fun if you do.
Before you can begin learning dark magic, you’ll need to put in a bit of legwork first and progress the story to a certain point. This guide will walk you through what you need to do to learn the first of the curses, Crucio.
Quest Prerequisites
As you may have guessed, you aren’t going to learn the unforgivable curses from your professors as you do with most of the other spells you can use. Instead, you are going to need the help of a friend who walks a bit closer to the dark side.
While it isn’t technically the main quest, one of the most important story arcs in the game will be surrounding your relationship with Sebastian Sallow. You’ll need to complete a few of his quests as you are progressing through the main story. First, you’ll need to find the Map Chamber and complete Percival Rackham’s Trial. In addition, you will also need to complete a handful of classmate quests such as The High Keep. Doing so will open up more of the main quests, and let you progress your relationship with Sebastian further.
Into The Scriptorium
After completing the necessary prerequisites, you’ll unlock In The Shadow Of The Study. In this quest, you, Sebastian, and Ominis will venture into the Slytherin Scriptorium in search of answers to the curse that afflicts Sebastian’s sister.
To enter the Scriptorium, you’ll need to first light three braziers in a set amount of time. The first two are nearest to Sebastian, from where you entered the hallway, and the third is near Ominis. Start by lighting the one near Ominis, and then quickly light the other two. Once the door is open, head down the stairs and repair the stone picture. This will cause Ominis to hear the whispers of parseltongue, prompting him to speak the ancient language and open the door.
The Three Slytherin Locks
In the next room, you’ll have to solve three puzzles that correspond to each of the three locks. Look for the sigils on the snake-barred gates for the answer to each lock. Then use the left joystick to turn the top table on the lock mechanism, and the right joystick for the bottom.
You’ll only have a little bit of time to align the correct sigils before being attacked by the snake surrounding the lock. It doesn’t do a lot of damage, but it will make you want to get it right the first time. The first two locks are fairly easy to solve. The third will require you to look at the sigils on the locked gate, and then run all the way around the room to the other side to find the lock.
How To Learn Crucio
After making your way through the third gate, you’ll enter the room where Noctua Gaunt died. She, too, entered the Scriptorium in search of answers but did so alone. After you enter the room, you are immediately locked in. On the far end of the room is a magical door. Before it, Crucio is ominously etched into the stone floor.
After reading the note found next to Noctua’s remains, you learn that she too was trapped in here, and the only way to escape was to cast Crucio on someone. Although she was opposed to using dark magic, she couldn’t have cast the curse even if she wanted to since it required her to cast it on someone.
After realizing this, Sebastian informs the party that one of them will have to cast the curse on another to avoid sharing Noctua’s fate. Ominis refuses, and Sebastian then gives you the choice to learn it and cast it on him, or he can cast it on you. Choosing the former will grant you immediate access to the spell and is the first way you can learn it. If you choose not to learn it now, you can always learn it from Sebastian later by visiting him in the Undercroft.