I still remember the first time I stepped into Hogwarts Legacy back in 2023. The castle breathed, the staircases moved, and I felt like a first-year again. But by my third playthrough in 2026, I noticed something that bugged me more than a Dementor's chill: my characters all felt the same. Sure, I could choose a house, but my magic? Same spells, same progression, same destiny. Where was the Seamus Finnigan-style pyrotechnic chaos? Where was the Gilderoy Lockhart memory-charm specialist, minus the fraud? Why did my wizarding education feel like a group tour instead of a personal journey? ⚡

In Harry Potter, magic is not just a binary between wizard and muggle. There are subtle differences between magic users. Some are better at particular spells than others. Lockhart claims to be effective at memory charms. McGonagall describes Seamus as someone with a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics. Those details add character by showing what they can do rather than telling. They make Hogwarts students recognizable. Hogwarts Legacy does not effectively show this. There is no player agency over what magic they specialize in, save for the conscious decision to pursue the three Unforgivable Curses. That means most people's playthrough of the 2023 game will look similar once the credits roll. Is that not a shame for an RPG that sold itself on freedom? 🧙

This is where FromSoftware's Souls games could offer inspiration. Not the brutal difficulty, not the stamina bars, not the dodge-roll combat. I am talking about class-based character building. In Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring, your starting class matters. A Pyromancer begins with fire magic and a different stat spread than a Cleric or a Thief. That choice defines early game, shapes your identity, and makes you think about your build. A Hogwarts Legacy sequel could borrow that philosophy and instantly give gamers a choice. It would make them aware from the get-go that their time in the wizarding world will likely be unique from most others. It would accentuate the role-playing feeling of the follow-up without turning Hogwarts into Lordran. 🪄

How do you weave that into the story? Diagon Alley. The location has not featured in Hogwarts Legacy because the player character is quickly swept into the world. But using Diagon Alley as a catalyst to justify a Souls-esque starting class system could bring a well-known but absent Harry Potter spot to the series. Imagine this: before you board the Hogwarts Express, you walk through Diagon Alley with a limited budget or a family vault. You choose your wand at Ollivanders. You pick up books at Flourish and Blotts. You buy robes at Madam Malkin's. You visit Magical Menagerie for a pet, Slug & Jiggers for ingredients, or Gambol and Japes for a bit of mischief. Each choice adds a starting perk, spell, or stat affinity. It makes the setting feel closer to the main campaign and not just as generic window dressing. 📚

Here is a rough table of what that could look like:

Of course, some will say Hogwarts Legacy is not a Soulslike, and it should not be. I agree. But class-based building is not about difficulty. It is about identity. The 2023 game already mimics Assassin's Creed and Fable in structure. Adding a Souls-like starting build philosophy would not break that. It would deepen it. A sequel could let players respec later, but the first hours would matter. Your first wand, your first books, your first pet, your first spell specialization. That is the magic of role-playing. 🎮

In 2026, the sequel is all but confirmed, and expectations are higher than ever. After Baldur's Gate 3 and other RPGs raised the bar, players expect meaningful choices. If Hogwarts Legacy 2 just gives us the same spells, the same progression, and the same silent protagonist energy, will it capture that 2023 magic again? I doubt it. We need specialization. We need Diagon Alley as a character creation dungeon. We need starting classes that make my Ravenclaw Charms prodigy feel different from my Slytherin Dark Arts duelist. I want my Hufflepuff Magizoologist to bond with beasts while my Gryffindor Pyromancer burns every Acromantula in sight. Let me choose my wand, my books, my pet, and my destiny. Is that not what Hogwarts is all about? ✨