Hogwarts Legacy — here's everything new with the free summer update
Hogwarts Legacy just received its most substantial free update to date, introducing some new content and long-requested features to the game. Developer Avalanche Software rolled out the hefty 55GB update to all platforms — PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC — on June 6, more than a year after the game's initial release. Here's everything new you can expect to see when you hop back into the Wizarding World again.
One of the biggest additions with Hogwarts Legacy's summer update is photo mode, which will let players capture and customize their own in-game screenshots. It brings with it a lot of the features we've come to expect from photo modes in other games, like the option to change the time and season, set up characters in different poses and outfits, and apply different frames and filters, including some inspired by Hogwarts' famous houses.
To access photo mode, you'll first need to complete the main quest that unlocks the field guide. After that, press Esc on keyboard or Options/Start on controller and look at the bottom-right corner of the screen. There should be text that reads "Photo Mode" and a button next to it. Click whatever button is next to the text (it's "K" on keyboard by default), to bring up the Photo Mode menu.
A new quality-of-life feature finally lets players easily respec their character by resetting talent tree points from the Field Guide. By spending in-game gold, you can either completely reset all your spent talent points to experiment with different ways of playing or undue individual talent points.
One of the most-anticipated pieces of content the update adds is the Haunted Hogsmeade Shop quest, previously a PlayStation exclusive that's now available for players on all platforms. As the name implies, the quest takes place entirely in the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and sees players explore a spooky puzzle-filled dungeon. To start the quest, you must first complete Professor Weasley's first quest assignment in Hogwarts Legacy.
With this update, Avalanche Software is bringing other exclusives to all players as well, such as the onyx Hippogriff mount (previously a pre-order bonus) and the Felix Felicis potion recipe (another PlayStation exclusive). Several new cosmetics are also being added, including the Azkaban coat and prisoner’s outfit, Harry's taped-up spectacles, and a new broom.
If you haven't yet ventured into the wizarding world, you can try Hogwarts Legacy for free with a PlayStation Plus premium membership right now. Granted, the free trial is pretty short at just 45 minutes, but it should at least give you a clue whether Hogwarts Legacy will appeal to you over the long haul, which is useful to know before deciding to buy the full game. Note that any progress you make during the trial will carry over to the full game if you end up purchasing it.
