Hogwarts Legacy is a dream come true for Harry Potter fanatics wanting a sim of their favorite magical characters, giving them untold freedom to explore the famous fictional school. For followers of the lore and those seeking famous landmarks from the series, there are constant questions about what pieces of Harry Potter canon appear in Hogwarts Legacy, even the Whomping Willow. For those wondering whether the famously cantankerous sentient tree makes an appearance in the game, we’ve got you covered with the answers.
Where is the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter in Hogwarts Legacy?
The Whomping Willow isn’t in Hogwarts Legacy as it hasn’t been planted yet in the timeline. As established in Harry Potter lore, the most famous Whomping Willow (as it is a species of tree) was planted in 1971 to conceal a passage leading to the Shrieking Shack. Fans of the series will remember this as it features heavily in one of the best Harry Potter movies, Prisoner of Azkaban, while the tree first famously appears in one of the franchise’s worst films, Chamber of Secrets.
At one point in the series, Professor Pomona Sprout taught sixth-year Herbology students to care for younger Willows, in a generation of students including Nymphadora Tonks. But the planting of the famous Whomping Willow was also used as a careful measure to allow Remus Lupin to retreat away from fellow students and transform into his werewolf state in the Shrieking Shack. The Willow violently barred entry by any would-be victims. But this tree was planted well after the timeline of Hogwarts Legacy, with the game taking place in 1890.
It’s undeniably a bit disappointing that fans can’t find this great tree on the school grounds, but there are plenty of other secrets to discover, and fans of the lore will be pleased to find the game follows this closely.
Hogwarts Legacy released worldwide on February 10, 2023, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
