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The Best Hogwarts Legacy Dark Arts Build is designed for that evil Witch or Wizard in mind. This is objectively the best overall build in the game, with the ability to instantly kill anyone. Add talents, and you will be able to kill entire groups at one time!
This Hogwarts Legacy Guide was updated for the June 2024 Summer update.
Best House for the Dark Arts Build
Houses are primarily relevant for the story and role play. Consider picking a house, wand, or playstyle that fits your character’s story. This will not increase or decrease the performance of your build.
If you want to know how House and Wand influence a Hogwarts Legacy gameplay, consider checking out:
- Which house should I choose? Guide
- How to pick a Wand? Guide
Remember that this build will only be accessible much later in the game and is meant for mid-to-end gameplay around level 25 or higher. Moreover, you will need to do a lot of main and side story quests to get access to Dark Arts skills, so expect some extra work, BUT it comes with being a Dark Wizard. And finally, there is no morality system in Hogwarts Legacy. Thus, you can use this build without being considered a Dark Wizard outside of role-play.
Features and Mechanics for Best Hogwarts Legacy Dark Arts Build
The following list presents all the essential Dark Arts Build Features and Mechanics in Hogwarts Legacy:
- Preferred House: Slytherin
- Spell Combinations: Expelliarmus + Crucio + Imperio (or curse skill) + Avada Kedavra
- Important Talents: Avada Kedavra Mastery, Curse Sapper, Disarming Curse, Crucio Mastery, Imperio Mastery, optional Slowing Curse
- Key Consumables: Focus Potion, Maxima Potion and Invisibility Potion
- Optimal Armor Traits:1st Unforgiveable III (use I or II if needed), 2nd Cruelty III, 3rd Manipulation III
How do Armor Traits Work in Hogwarts Legacy Dark Arts Build?
The armor traits are unlocked after the main quest (The Elf, The Nab-Sack, and the Loom). This can be anywhere from level 15-25, depending on how much focus you give the main story. Once unlocked, you will have access to a loom where you can change traits at the cost of beast materials. You can capture magical beasts in the wild, bring them back to your room of requirement, and harvest materials needed for traits.
Next, you must find bandit camps, clear the enemies, and loot a chest. This will give you random traits from ones you don’t have. You can save just before opening the chest, loot, and load the game until you get the desired trait. Use this method or roam multiple bandit camps and collections through story activities.
How do Talents Work in Hogwarts Legacy Dark Arts Build?
Talents give a permanent bonus to your character and cannot be changed. These are unlocked through the Jackdaws Rest Quest main quest around level 10. Your character will start earning one talent point at level 5 all the way up to level 40.
What’s Max Level In Hogwarts Legacy?
The max level in Hogwarts Legacy is 40. It takes a very long time to reach max level. Also, consider that you can complete the main story and still progress your character. In fact, you’ll want to progress and/or finish most of the main story because it will unlock the critical systems needed to maximize your build.
Spell Combinations Explained
Expelliarmus unlocked by completing Professor Hecat’s Assignment 2. This early-game spell is incredibly strong due to Disarming Curse talent and another late-game talent Curse Sapper. What this will allow you to do is apply a curse using this spell. That will slightly increase damage taken but also will allow a big healing boost when the target dies if you have Curse Sapper talent. And it’s one of the earliest skills in the game!
Crucio unlocked by completing In the Shadow of the Study quest. This skill is a powerful damage over-time skill that also curses targets. The premise of the build is to curse as many enemies as possible, then hit them with Avada Kedavra to blow them all up!
Imperio unlocked by completing In the Shadow of Time. One of the best control spells in the game, making trolls stand still, and lesser enemies fight each other. They also can curse each other with a talent leading into our huge combination for massive damage.
Related: How to Unlock Unforgivable Curses Guide
Avada Kedavra unlocked by completing In the Shadow of Time quest. This skill will absolutely obliterate anything and, with its mastery perk, will kill all cursed targets. And this is the devastating combination, curse as many targets, hit them with Avada Kedavra, and everything dies.
- FLEX skill Arresto Momentum unlocked by completing Kogawa’s Assignment 2 Assignment. You will most likely not have access to Avada Kedavra for most of the game. This works as a great flex skill with the talent Slowing Curse. This will now curse and can break yellow shields as well, giving you a strong spell loadout.
Important Talents Explained
Avada Kedavra Master talent (required level 22) – killing an enemy with Avada Kedavra kills all cursed enemies.
- Why? One of the best talents in the game, with the only thing that can one-shot an entire group of enemies.
Curse Sapper talent (required level 22) – defeating a cursed enemy restores some of your health.
- Why? Combine Avada Kedavra group killing potential with healing, and you have a combination that clears a room and heals you to full!
Disarming Curse talent (required level 5) – Expelliarmus has the same effect as a curse on enemies. Cursed enemies take increased damage.
- Why? This is very useful early on in the game with a base game spell that can curse. Additionally, Knockback Curse is a good choice as well.
Crucio Master talent (required level 16) – striking an enemy cursed by Crucio releases a projectile that curses a nearby enemy.
- Why? making this skill AoE fits the build perfectly.
Imperio Mastery talent (required level 16) – an enemy under your control with Imperio curses other targets with each successful strike.
- Why? as you can imagine, the more cursed targets, the better!
Slowing Curse talent (required level 16) – Arresto Momentum has the same effect as a curse or enemies. Cursed enemies take increased damage.
- Why? It will take you a long while to reach the apex of this build, which is a good skill.
Talents & Levels for The Hogwarts Legacy the Dark Arts Build
The following list includes all talents and levels for The Hogwarts Legacy Dark Arts Build. Remember that you may not have all the spells at the listed level, so be flexible with your selection. This level selection will optimize the type of build we are going for, but feel free to swap around as you see fit.
- Talents Level 5: Disarming Curse (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 6: Stunning Curse (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 7: Swift (Core)
- Talents Level 8: Wiggenweld Potency I (Core)
- Talents Level 9: Blood Curse (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 10: Accio Mastery (Spell)
- Talents Level 11: Spell Knowledge I (Core)
- Talents Level 12: Diffindo Mastery (Spell)
- Talents Level 13: Basic Cast Mastery (Core)
- Talents Level 14: Spell Knowledge II (Core)
- Talents Level 15: Save for level 16
- Talents Level 16: Slowing Curse (Dark Arts) / Enduring Curse (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 17: Wiggenweld Potency II (Core)
- Talents Level 18: Crucio Mastery (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 19: Imperio Mastery (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 20: Glacius Mastery (Spell)
- Talents Level 21: Maxima Potion Potency (Room of Requirement)
- Talents Level 22: Curse Sapper (Dark Arts)
- Talents Level 23: Focus Potion Potency (Room of Requirement)
- Talents Level 24 to 27: work on filling out important talents until you get Avada Kedavra at level 28.
- Talents Level 28: Avada Kedavra Mastery
- Talents Level 29-40: fill in the gaps for spells, consumables and core combat that you use.
Consumables Explained
Potions and plants arrive very early in the game and are strong aids in combat. Once you start to unlock the room of requirement and beast taming through the main quest, you will be able to farm many materials, making the mats much easier to obtain.
- Focus Potion reduces the cooldown on spells allowing you to use super long cooldown curses more frequently.
- Maxima Potion increases the drinker’s spell damage for a limited amount of time. That that you need more damage, but why not!
- Invisibility Potion makes you invisible for a short period. You can actually curse enemies while invisible before you start fights or use this to get away and away for long spell cooldowns.
Armor Traits Explained
An important thing to note about Armor traits is that they are multiplicative. This means they get stronger the more you equip your armor. You have 6 slots and generally want all 6 to be uniform for maximum results. However, this build doesn’t necessarily need 6 armor traits to be effective, so feel free to mix, match, and do a 3/3 setup. Hogwsmead Brood and Peck has materials for sale if your beast taming isn’t up to a high enough level.
- Unforgivable III significantly increased damage dealt to cursed targets. It is the best option since the entire build premise focuses on cursing targets.
- Cruelty III Significantly increased damage with Crucio. A good alternative if you want to focus on an early-game spell.
- Manipulation III Imperio target does significantly increased damage. Another alternative is Imperio.
Combat & Rotation
Now that you have a general idea of the build, it will look like this.
- Curse as many targets as possible, Expelliarmus, Crucio, Imperio (or flex skill), then hit the Avada Kedavra, and everything is dead!
- Now you will have a long cooldown on spells, pop a Focus Potion to speed it up.
- Cycle between Glacius and Diffindo for a great burst damage combination in the meantime.
- Use Accio, Levioso or other control spells until your combo is ready and use Expelliarmus on cool down.
- Then set up the combo, curse as many targets, drop the hammer Avada Kedavra and everything is dead!
Rinse and repeat!
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