Hogwarts Legacy beasts: How to get all creatures & Vivariums

But back to the beasts! Classic Wizarding World fauna such as Nifflers and Thestrals can be caught, tamed and even bred once you've learned the necessary skills.

You can also use animals as rideable mounts to get around the world should your flying broomstick prove too pedestrian for your tastes.

There's plenty of taming and animal husbandry to get stuck in with, so read on to become a certified Fantastic Beast whisperer!

How many Hogwarts Legacy beasts are there?

There are a total of 13 beasts to catch in Hogwarts Legacy: Diricawl, Fwooper, Giant Purple Toad, Graphorn, Hippogriff, Jobberknoll, Kneazle, Mooncalf, Niffler, Puffskein, Thestral, Unicorn and Phoenix. Some of these are even 'mounts' you can ride around on!

It's also worth noting that there are different colour variations to consider, too, if you really want to get the full collection. Colour-coded Nifflers are hard to resist, after all. Perhaps taking inspiration from shiny Pokémon, players have taken to calling these Hogwarts Legacy's shiny beasts.

How to catch beasts in Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy will teach you how to catch beasts in a main story mission called The Elf, the Nab-Sack and the Loom, which is the 23rd entry on the long list of Hogwarts Legacy chapters.

In that mission, Deek will give you a magical 'Nab Sack' that feels very similar to Newt Scamander's enchanted briefcase from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films. Once you've received the Nab Sack, you can channel your inner Magizoologist and rescue endangered beasts from nasty poachers whenever you happen to spot them.

To use the Nab Sack to catch beasts, you must equip it like you would a spell, and then cast it as you would a spell, making sure that you're aiming/firing at the creature in question. Follow the button prompts (it's Square on PlayStation, which must be X on an Xbox controller) as they appear on screen and the creature will be yours.

Note: if a beast is particularly keen on running away from you, don't forget that you can use Accio or Levioso to hold the creature in place, before you use the Nab Sack to seal the deal. The Harry Potter universe has never felt more like Pokémon.

How to ride animals in Hogwarts Legacy

When exactly can you start riding around the world on your Hippogriff? You'll unlock the ability to ride around on 'mounts' in a mission called The High Keep, which is the 25th chapter of the game's main story.

Once you've completed that mission, which sees you teaming up with Natty to save some captured Hippogriffs, you'll be able to ride one at any time (and you'll also gain access to any other mounts, such as the Thestral, that you might have received as a pre-order bonus).

To mount your Hippogriff on PS5, press L1 to bring up the skill wheel and then press Triangle to select the creature. On Xbox, that would be LB to bring up the skill wheel and Y to select the Hippogriff.

Later in the game, after you complete San Bakar's Trial, you will also be able to use a Graphorn as a mount. So, you won't be short of options when it comes to riding around on powerful beasties.

How to upgrade Vivarium in Hogwarts Legacy?

In the mission where catching creatures is introduced (The Elf, the Nab-Sack and the Loom), you will also gain access to a Vivarium in the Room of Requirement. Head into this magical safari park and press R1 (or RB on Xbox) to bring up a special menu that controls which creatures are in there.

One thing that will become apparent quite quickly is that your Vivarium does not have room for every animal in the game. In fact, it can only house four different species at any given time. So, you might be wondering if it is possible to expand that number.

The answer you're actually looking for is this: rather than expanding or upgrading this one Vivarium, what you can do is unlock more Vivariums for the Room of Requirement:

• To unlock the second Vivarium (a coastal version), you must complete a side mission called The Plight of the House-Elf - this will become available after the main mission called The High Keep.
• To unlock the third Vivarium (swamp biome), you need to finish the side quest named Foal of the Dead - that becomes available after the main story chapter dubbed Charles Rookwood’s Trial.

Once you have all three Vivariums up and running, you should be able to house every species safely and securely away from poachers.

Remember that if you feed and groom your animals using the tricks that Deek taught you (they're all equipped like spells), you'll be able to receive resources from your creatures - like feathers and fur - that you can use to upgrade your gear or make traits at The Loom.

If you end up with too many creatures, you can also sell your spare animals to the store in Hogsmeade named Brood and Peck. They promise to find good homes for them, so you don't have to worry about selling your adorable friends into a terrible situation.

Where to find all Hogwarts Legacy beast locations

If you want to discover fantastic beasts in Hogwarts Legacy in an organic-ish way, look for the paw print-shaped icons on the open world map. These are dens where animals can be found, and they have some quite cute detailing (eg Niffler dens are stuffed with hoarded coins). If you're being a bit more methodical, though, we've got the info for you below!

Diricawl

• Where to find den: Hogwarts Valley (see video guide)
• Produces: Diricawl Feathers
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Fwooper

• Where to find den: Marunweem (see video guide)
• Produces: Fwooper Feather
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Giant Purple Toad

• Where to find den: West Forbidden Forest (see video guide)
• What does it produce: Toad Warts
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Graphorn

• Where to find den: Southern Calgmar Coast (see video guide)
• Produces: Graphorn Horn
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Hippogriff

• Where to find den: Feldcroft (see video guide)
• Produces: Hippogriff Feather
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Jobberknoll

• Where to find den: Upper Hogsfield (see video guide)
• Produces: Jobberknoll Feather
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Kneazle

• Where to find den: Irondale (see video guide)
• Produces: Kneazle Fur
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Mooncalf

• Where to find den: Pitt-upon-Ford (see video guide)
• Produces: Mooncalf Fur
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Niffler

• Where to find den: Feldcroft Catacomb (video guide embedded above)
• Produces: Niffler fur
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Puffskein

• Where to find den: Jackdaw's Tomb (see video guide)
• Produces: Puffskein Fur
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Thestral

• Where to find den: North Ford Bog (see video guide)
• Produces: Thestral Hair
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

Unicorn

• Where to find den: Forbidden Forrest (see video guide)
• Produces: Unicorn Hair
• Used for: Upgrading gear and making traits

How do you get a Phoenix in Hogwarts Legacy?

There are 13 creatures to catch in Hogwarts Legacy, and the last one you're likely to get is the Phoenix.

This is one is a bit different - you won't find a Phoenix den anywhere on the map. Instead, to get a Phoenix in Hogwarts Legacy, you must complete all of Deek's side quests, the last of which is called Phoenix Rising.

This quest line will lead you to a cave called Phoenix Mountain, which is where you'll find and catch the one Phoenix that's available in the game. Check out the video below if you want to see how it goes down.

To unlock this quest, you need to reach level 20 as well as completing Niamh Fitzgerald's Trial and Deek's Foal of the Dead side quest. Once you've done that and nabbed yourself a Phoenix, well, Ash Ketchum would be proud. You've gone and caught them all!

Can you catch Dragons in Hogwarts Legacy?

While Dragons exist in Hogwarts Legacy, you cannot catch or ride them like you can with other beasts and creatures.

You'll encounter a Dragon in Horntail Hall during the Fire and Vice quest, given by Poppy Sweeting, which unlocks after you complete the Charles Rookwood Trial quest.

While this quest ends with you finding a Dragon egg, you are not able to keep it, and must return it to the Dragon's nest during a later quest from Poppy.

With no current plans for any Hogwarts Legacy DLC, it doesn't look like you'll be able to ride Dragons any time soon.

Read more on Hogwarts Legacy:

• Hogwarts Legacy review- our full verdict
• Hogwarts Legacy potions- all recipes to know
• Hogwarts Legacy plants - what do they do?
• Hogwarts Legacy level cap - how to spend talent points
• Hogwarts Legacy Daedalian Key locations- House token guide
• Hogwarts Legacy best gear - the strongest outfits
• Hogwarts Legacy gold - get rich!
• Hogwarts Legacy release date - staggered launch explained
• Hogwarts Legacy Demiguise Statues - moon statue locations
• Hogwarts Legacy mods - the best fan-made cheats
• Hogwarts Legacy New Game Plus - does it exist?
• Hogwarts Legacy multiplayer- is it co-op?

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