Hogwarts Legacy – Why Do You Start as a 5th year?

The hype of HP fans about Hogwarts Legacy is more than real. Every Potterhead is thrilled to get this game that takes place long before the Harry Potter series, so there are plenty of mysteries to be had and discovered. One of the things that players have been discussing is why will we be playing our character in Hogwarts Legacy from the 5th year. Why was that year so crucial that the game developers decided to pick it? Read on and find out.

Why You Are Starting as a 5th Year in Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy Story Explains the Reasoning

There are two main reasons why players start as a 5th-year student in Hogwarts Legacy – an in-game story reason and a real-life reason. Be aware that in-game spoilers follow.

Hogwarts Legacy opens with the player receiving their letter to Hogwarts, accompanied to the School for Witch Craft and Wizardry by Eleazar Fig. It’s not long before you encounter a dragon on the way to the school that derails your journey. It’s apparent during these opening hours that the player has a connection to a mysterious form of magic. They become a threat to the game’s villains Ranrok and Rookwood as a result.

Later in the game, it becomes apparent that two other characters who started fifth years also have a connection to the magic. While the game doesn’t reveal why the players gained magic so late, it seems to be a necessary requirement to be aware of this ancient magic. It’s possible the ancient magic caused the player to develop late in life.

Related: Hogwarts Legacy: The Best NPCs in the Game

The Decision Allows for a More Mature Protagonist

The best yet strongest reason given on why your character won’t be starting as a 1st-year student is simply that they wouldn’t know much at that point. If you remember the original Harry Potter story, Harry knew almost nothing when he enrolled in Hogwarts. If you were to start as a freshman you would have to go on and learn every spell there is and that would mean a lot of monotonous gameplay that wouldn’t involve any serious fighting or any other fun activities (like flying).

Let’s face it, it’s much more fun that you get to play as a teenager of 15 than as a kid that is 9 years old. When you are in 5th year you know all the basic spells, but still have the freedom to branch out in whichever direction you want. By that time you would also know how to ride a broom and play Quidditch and wander around different areas of school and outside of it (where freshmen aren’t allowed). Also starting out as an older student means that you are closer to the age where you can experience romance with other characters. You are a lot more autonomous person in 5th grade than you are before.

If any other developers plan to make an HP game in the future that will put our character in the first year, they would have a big task on their hands. Making an interesting and immersive experience of this sort that would catch the player’s attention is not going to be easy. On the other hand, we may get a game in the style of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and play entirely as adults. Who knows?

We hope you enjoyed our article. Read more about Hogwarts Legacy in our article where we investigate how to get 100% completion in the game and in our story about importing Harry Potter Fan Club House and Wand into HW. Follow our Facebook page for more daily updates about Hogwarts Legacy and other trending games.