The Lumos spell in Hogwarts Legacy will benefit you throughout the game to not only provide you with ample light in dark situations, but also to help you in solving puzzles that are sprinkled throughout the castle and the world surrounding it.
I had a short conversation with a friend about how I wouldn’t want to be roaming the halls of Hogwarts all alone at night because the creepy factor would be through the roof. We mentioned the hazards of a portal we might step into, or a trap floor into an unknown area, plus someone who’s not on your friend’s list could be following you without you even realizing it.
I’m not even talking about ghosts, either.
If Harry can get his hands on an invisibility cloak, you know other people have something of the same wardrobe. And if not, there’s the invisibility potion that you can craft in-game as well. If they don’t have either, well, we’re talking about roaming the halls at night, so perhaps they know the Disillusionment spell.
Actually, just imagine stepping into the Great Hall where the Sorting Hat does its thing and it’s empty, but all those candles overhead are still lit up.
And suddenly they’re not.
That’s a bit different than you not paying your electrical bill and the electricity shutting off. Your hairs are gonna stand on end if a lit area goes dark at the drop of a dime, because that typically means Bad Things are happening.
Luckily, you’ve got Lumos.
The light-up-the-area-around-me-before-I-shit-myself spell.
While that’s all meant to be a bit of a joke, Lumos is an important spell, and possibly a vital one. As such, it’s one of the very first ones we get a handle on (really wanted to say ‘wandle’ there, but refrained).
How to Cast the Lumos Spell in Hogwarts Legacy
Lumos is the second spell you automatically obtain in Hogwarts Legacy, within the quest that starts your “magical adventure” (feel free to vom at my childlike use of words)–The Path to Hogwarts. In fact, during the first pitch-black scene, Professor Fig will be the one to first cast Lumos for the both of you. It’s not until a statue’s reflection is following Professor Fig’s lit wand that he asks you to use the spell.
It really is kind of a swish-and-flick and has one of the easiest paths to follow.
As noted in the first screenshot, in order to learn Lumos, I must press the following buttons on my controller, as the cursor moves over them:
- A, A, A
After we’ve learned the spell, notice the bottom right in the second screenshot, how the Lumos icon appears at the top of a diamond-shaped action bar. The center portion tells you which modifier you need to press before you can even cast a spell.
In my case, it would be Right Trigger and Y.
The Right Trigger must be held down in order to cast Lumos–which is also vital to know in combat as you’ll be pressing Y to defend against attacks. If you try to defend against an attack with Y and have the RT held, you’re going to cast Lumos as well as get hit by the enemy.
When to Use the Lumos Spell in Hogwarts Legacy
Of course you might be in an area that’ll casting Lumos in will obviously be beneficial to you–such as a dark cave, or if you can’t quite find something in a darker-than-normal room. But this spell isn’t just for lighting your way.
- Dark Mirrors
Throughout the Hogwarts Legacy world you’ll come across these mirrors that will highlight blue when Revelio is used nearby one. These mirrors, when approached, are black and have no reflection to them. As learned in the quest Like a Moth to a Frame, you’ll need to cast Lumos in front of these mirrors in order for a reflection to appear. Said reflection will be a nearby area where a butterfly lingers…
- Butterflies
The butterflies go hand-in-hand with the dark mirrors. When you come across one after a mirror gives its location away, you’ll need to Lumos the butterfly and take it back to its mirror, then turn off your lit wand so it’ll rest in place at the bottom section of the mirror.
If, while running with the butterfly, you disrupt your Lumos and your wand goes out, the butterfly will automatically return back to its location.
- Devil’s Snare
I believe that’s what it’s called…but they’re an infiltration of black vines, like found in the quest Venomous Valor. They’ll damage you if they touch you, but they also hate the light, so you can Lumos them away from you, or cast a fire spell to light a torch to clear the way.
