Recently, Warner Bros. announced that they had commissioned Jam City to make a Harry Potter mobile game. Warner Bros. stuck Jam City with a new label, Portkey Games if only to be more fitting with the theme.
Jam City are the developers behind Cookie Jam, Marvel Avengers Academy, and Family Guy: Another Freakin’ Mobile Game. Founded in 2010, Jam City has seen a great deal of success with 500 employees across the United States. If the games are not telling enough for the talent within the company, Jam City was founded by MySpace co-founders Chris DeWolfe, Aber Whitcomb, and former 20th Century Fox executive Josh Yguado.
As such, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is in very good hands. It is an RPG where you will be able to create your own character and become a student at Hogwarts. There, you will learn all the canon subjects including Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Flying, and Herbology. These subjects will become available as you gain experience and advance school years.
Jam City states that the game is set before Harry Potter’s arrival at Hogwarts, despite the name of the game. They will be basing the majority of the game on what is seen in both the books and films. Visually speaking, spells will likely look similar to how they do in the films rather than the books.
The Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery game debuted at A Celebration of Harry Potter, an event in late January at the Universal Orlando Resort, and it appears to be the Harry Potter mobile game we’ve been waiting for. Demos were played and plenty of feedback was heard, as you can see in the video Jam City posted after the event. It seems that people really enjoyed the game for the most part. Those who enjoyed the game the most seemed to be the adults and parents attending the event, the children were less enthused but still excited.
Hogwarts Mystery is more than just attending class, however, there is a plot involved. Though unrelated to actual books, the plot is sure to have plenty of Easter eggs for mega fans.
Now that we’ve been able to hop into the game, we’ve got a plethora of great Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery tips for our readers below to guide you through the new mobile game.
Update 4/25/18: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery is now LIVE! You can download it below, and we’ve added tons of essential Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery Tips right below.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Tips
If ever you need to know how to learn a specific spell, brew a certain potion, grind for coins, or the best microtransaction deals, go no further than this page right here. We’ll have extensive guides at your disposal for whatever you might need in Hogwarts Mystery.
For the best rewards, always choose the 8 hours classes. The trick, however, is to keep an eye on your energy. Once you’ve depleted it, put your phone down and go back to work; the game will notify you when your energy is full again. This will take a little over an hour and a half, depending on your experience level.
That said, once you have the required amount of stars, you cannot simply wait for the class to end. If you want the most rewards out of the deal, you will have to come back each time your energy is filled again. Otherwise, the game will keep the number of stars you managed to earn and you will not get any of the extra rewards.
What Should I Name My Character?
What you name your character does not affect the story or gameplay, but the gender does. Whatever gender you pick, Rowan will be that gender too. Rowan will also be in the whatever house you pick.
If you do want that perfect name, however, there are a few Harry Potter name generators out there. The Bloomsbury one, for example, actually picks names from the books. Though be careful, not all names make for a good combination, like Remus Prince – one of these things is not like the other.
How to Get Energy
It’s likely that your energy will deplete rather quickly, as it’s a way for the game to get you to spend real money on gems. But if you’re wondering how to get a little extra energy in Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery, here is every way you can do so:
- Wait for your energy meter to refill
- Try and level up as quickly as possible. Leveling refills your energy meter in Hogwarts Mystery.
- Spend the gems. Unfortunately, it’s the quickest and easiest way to get energy. You can also earn gems in-game.
- Complete Activities and choose energy as your reward.
- Find Energy Locations. There are various spots on the map that will give you one free energy unit every six hours. Castle Grounds (the stick on the ground), Lower Floor West (second knight holding a sword past the great hall, and the torch to the right of the Great Hall), Lower Floor East (there’s a stack of books on the bench), East Towers (first blank portrait), West Towers (second portrait).
How Long Does Energy take to fill up?
Well, let’s do a little math. It’s 4 minutes per point and at your starting level, you have a total of 24 energy points. Multiply 4 by 24 and that’s 96 minutes. Divide that by 60 and we get about 1.6, which is a little over an hour and a half.
How to Reset Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery
Wondering how to reset Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery? It’s not as simple as you would think, unfortunately, but we’re here to help. There are a few workarounds that will allow you to restart your progress.
- First, you’ll need an active Facebook account (ugh, I know, right?!).
- Next, link Hogwarts Mystery to that Facebook account.
- Log out of Facebook.
- Delete the game from your phone.
- Clear your internet browser cache and cookies.
- Log back into Facebook.
- Go to the Apps and Websites settings through the Facebook app, and choose to remove Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. This will wipe out all of your previous save data, allowing you to reset your progress.
Why would anyone ask how to reset Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery, you ask? Simple. They want to change houses or pick a different wand. In order to do either of those things, unfortunately, you’ll have to go through the above steps.
How To Level Up Empathy, Courage, And Knowledge
Since all three are very important for certain dialogue options and the main quest line, it is tantamount that players stay on top of their empathy (heart icon), courage (shield icon), and knowledge (book icon) levels. These will help you make the decisions you want to make (or need to) when interacting with certain characters, like Merula or Professor Snape.
You can gain empathy by attending Charms, courage by flying lessons, and knowledge through Potions class. Again, remember to take the 8-hour classes for maximum rewards. In addition, the higher your experience level, the better rewards you will earn.
The Snape Problem
Unfortunately, even if you choose Slytherin, Professor Snape will not like you. He will automatically single you out for disparaging comments and humiliation because of your brother. This creates a situation not unlike what Harry Potter had to go through, so now you will really know what it is like to be in Harry’s shoes.
Even if you flatter Snape and do all you can to appease him, his opinion of you will not change. Thus far, it seems that it does not matter what relationship you have with your professors, so don’t worry, Snape hating you will not affect your levels or rewards.
The Merula Problem
Perhaps in other games, we could give this character what’s coming to her and not get caught, but you’re supposed to be 11. You can deal with her through reason, leaving her alone, or aggression. Depending on how Gryffindor-ish you’re feeling, the future quests will reflect your decision.
If you pick aggression, you must be reduced to the means Harry and his father before him used – dueling. Since no one in the canon universe seems to have a problem with this, including Prefect Felix, you will learn two spells to combat Merula.
Going any further will breech spoiler territory, so you must trust that Merula will be dealt with in time regardless of which option you choose. She is Draco to your Harry, so don’t think that she’s leaving anytime soon. In addition, keep in mind that during Potions class, Professor Snape will always choose Merula over you.
The sooner you accept this, the easier dealing with both of them will get. Though, after the dueling incident, Snape does unleash a little of his wrath on Merula. Whether this happens or not will depend on what dialogue choices you make, but I can assure you it is as satisfying as it sounds.
How to Get House Points
Wondering how to get house points in Hogwarts Mystery? You can earn house points in Hogwarts Mystery by playing the game. All you have to do is attend classes (and perform well) and hang out with friends. The fastest way is through any 8-hour classes, as they will net you the most rewards. In addition, Dumbledore will reward your house 100 points at the end of your first year, so you don’t have too much to worry about if you’re an active player.
It has not been confirmed what you will win at the end of each year if you win the House Cup. Some sources state that it depends on your performance, others say it doesn’t matter. When this information becomes more concrete, this section will be updated.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Microtransactions
In case you cannot read the image above, the microtransaction as follows: $0.99 USD for 25 gems, $4.99 for 130 gems, $9.99 for 275 gems, $19.99 for 575 gems, $49.99 for 1,500 gems, and finally $99.99 for 3,125 gems.
For coins, the prices are $0.99 for 250 coins, $4.99 for 1,500 coins, $9.99 for 3,500 coins, $19.99 for 7,500 coins, and $49.99 for 22,500 coins. You can also buy energy with your gems at the rates of 20 gems for 10 energy, 55 gems for 30 energy, and 100 gems for 60 energy.
As to the best bundle for your buck, I’m afraid there is no significant price drop per unit with each subsequent price tier. For gems, each tier saves you about .002 cents per gem, cumulative. Meaning that by the end, at $99.99 for 3,125, you are saving about .010 cents per gem. Or about $31.25 if you bought the same amount at the first tier. Coins save you even less per tier, at about 0.0006 per coin, cumulative.
As such, it comes down to much you are willing to spend on Hogwarts Mystery. If you are willing to spend some money, then I suggest waiting for a sale to get more for your dollar.
Where Can I Spend Gems And Coins?
You can spend gems and coins on character customization, energy refill without waiting, and unlock quests without waiting. Keep in mind that some quests cost coins, priced at around 100 to 200 coins in your first year. Character customization is somewhat worth it, as there are some very cool outfits available as you level up and unlock them. They are just very expensive so it will take a lot of work before you can pay for them without spending real money.
As to refilling your energy with gems, it is not entirely worth it. You will end up spending real money, as you will not accumulate gems fast enough. It is best to refrain and let your energy come back on its own.
Short Play Sessions
One of the main problems with Hogwarts Mystery is the extremely short play session. Unlike other games, which usually have 30 minutes to an hour play sessions, Hogwarts Mystery lasts about 5 to 10 minutes.
While you are in class and with no energy, there is quite literally nothing else for you to do. You have to wait the hour and a half for your energy to come back, or spend real money on gems. Hopefully, Jam City will work on this in the future and allow for longer sessions without pushing people towards microtransactions.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Download
The game is currently available to download on Google Play, the App Store, and the Hogwarts Mystery APK is available over at APK Pure.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Launch Trailer
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Characters
The characters within Hogwarts Mystery are both old and new. You will meet all of them as you level up and progress through your Hogwarts years. For example, you will meet Hagrid in year one, but you won’t meet Professor Sprout until year two.
In addition, the friends you make will vary from year to year, so be sure to keep an eye on any new faces you might see in class or in the great hall.
Here is a list of characters found in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery:
- Rubeus Hagrid
- Professor Filius Flitwick
- Professor Pomona Sprout
- Professor Severus Snape
- Professor Minerva McGonagall
- Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
- Bill Weasley
- Penny Haywood
- Rowan Khanna
- Charlie Weasley
- Nymphadora Tonks
- Rolanda Hooch
- Merula
- Ben Copper
- Tulip Karasu
- Barnaby Lee
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery News
Judging by the time period, the trailer, and the characters involved, it is all but confirmed that Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will take place in 1983, Bill Weasley’s third year. But you won’t meet him until your second year.
In 1984, Bill discovers his love for curse-breaking, as he goes on a quest to find the Cursed Vaults within Hogwarts. Luckily, in Hogwarts Mystery, you get to join him on his adventures, likely dragging Rowan along too.
This is a quest that involves breaking an ice-related curse to open a door, a scene depicted in the Hogwarts Mystery trailer. If you want to know more details of the plot with some spoilers, head over to the Harry Potter Wikia.
If any more news arises with more details, we will update this section.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Prices Slashed
According to Eurogamer, they noticed that Warner Bros. has apparently decided to reduce the prices of Hogwarts Mystery‘s microtransactions. The prices are now 130 gems for 99p, “down from £4.99. The offer will apparently last just 48 hours.” Other players are being offered other prices, however, with the deal being around “130 gems, but for 79p, and down from a different price – £2.99.”
The varying deals are likely due to testing. The developers are trying to see who will spend money on what prices, especially after the major backlash the game received for its pay-to-play model. Whether price slashes are enough to fix the situation, we will have to see; it depends on what else they change, like how fast your energy goes. As it is, reducing the price of renewing energy probably won’t satisfy fans.
Keep in mind that all of these prices are in pounds, as Eurogamer is a British-owned site. That said, you might have noticed that the original prices in pounds are the same as the prices in USD discussed above. This is in complete disregard for any currency conversion rates, which implies that Hogwarts Mystery‘s microtransactions have not been worked on beyond original USD pricing.
As such, it is clear that someone is trying to respond to fans’ displeasure. Hopefully, we will see better fixes in the future.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Features Original Harry Potter Cast
Jam City, the developers of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, have announced that the original cast from the Harry Potter film series will be “providing voice work for the game.” Not everyone from the films is included, however, as we can see that Robbie Coltrane will not be voicing Rubeus Hagrid.
The voices featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery includes:
- Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall
- Michael Gambon as Professor Dumbledore
- Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick
- Sally Mortemore as Madam Irma Pince
- Gemma Jones as Madam Pomfrey
- Zoe Wanamaker as Madam Hooch
Maggie Smith is especially thrilled about her role in the project, as she states that if she “could attend Hogwarts as a student” she would be “most excited to attend the potions class taught by Severus because it is the most exotic.” Well, we certainly can’t argue with that! Who wouldn’t want to learn how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper on death?
Co-found and CEO of Jam City Chris DeWolfe makes it clear that the decision to include the original voice cast was “to make players really feel for the first time like they’re attending Hogwarts” and “truly giving fans their own Hogwarts experience.”
It is every Harry Potter fan’s dream to receive their Hogwarts letter and attend the school of witchcraft and wizardry; hopefully, DeWolfe is right and these familiar voices will bring us closer to those magical halls.
Looking forward to Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery? Let us know in the comments or Tweet at us @heavysangames.
See Also:
- Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Tips: The Ultimate Guide (Updated!)
- 10 Run Sausage Run Tips You Need to Know
- Bloons Tower Defense 5: BTD5 Tips and Tricks