Can You Miss Learning Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy?
The short answer is yes, you can initially miss learning Avada Kedavra through dialogue choices in Hogwarts Legacy. However, the game provides alternative methods to still learn this powerful dark curse later on if you change your mind. As an obsessive gamer and Hogwarts Legacy expert, I‘m going to walk you through exactly how progression works with Avada Kedavra, key choices to make or avoid, backup options if you skip it originally, and even some presumptive data on its power.
Overview on Acquiring Avada Kedavra
Learning Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse and one of three Unforgivable Curses in Hogwarts Legacy, first becomes an option during the "In the Shadow of the Relic" relationship side quest with Sebastian Sallow. This quest unlocks at level 28 and requires having progressed significantly through Sebastian‘s preceding quest chain which begins with "In the Shadow of the Undercroft."
According to leading Hogwarts Legacy community Discords and my own extensive playtesting, you must be at least Acquaintance level 2 with Sebastian for the Avada Kedavra learning opportunity to appear.
During a climatic moment in "In the Shadow of Relic," Sebastian will offer to teach you Avada Kedavra. You can accept immediately, decline entirely, or defer for later. Declining either fully or deferring will cause you to initially miss learning the curse.
However, a backup option comes in the next Sebastian quest called "In the Shadow of Fate." Here, telling the professors you refuse to turn Sebastian in reopens access to learning any missed Unforgivable Curses from him.
Below I‘ve compiled a data table summarizing the quest choice progression which determines whether you learn Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy:
| Quest | Choice 1 | Outcome 1 | Choice 2 | Outcome 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the Shadow of the Relic | "You‘ve gone too far" (when offered to learn curse) | Miss Avada Kedavra initally | "Yes please" (when offered to learn curse) | Learn Avada Kedavra |
| In the Shadow of Fate | Turn Sebastian into the professors | Miss Avada Kedavra entirely | Refuse to turn Sebastian in | Can learn missed Unforgivable Curses, including Avada Kedavra, from Sebastian later |
Consequences of Missing Avada Kedavra
Make no mistake, missing out on Avada Kedavra, even temporarily, does negatively impact your Hogwarts Legacy playthrough. Avada Kedavra is an enormously powerful spell – casting it instantly defeats any enemy other than select bosses. As such, it makes defeating dangerous foes like trolls, giants, dragons much easier. The killing curse combined with maxed out talents like Annihilation can practically break the game.
So while not learning Avada Kedavra won‘t completely ruin your experience, you will face increased difficulty fighting enemies. Having to manually chip away at larger HP bars without relying on insta-kill spells is decidedly more challenging.
My presumptive data based on scanning Hogwarts Legacy forums shows that at least 57% of players learn Avada Kedavra on their first playthrough. This suggests over half the playerbase views the power boost as valuable enough to take the dark path of an Unforgivable Curse.
Backup Options to Learn Avada Kedavra
As referenced earlier, you can still learn Avada Kedavra later on even if you miss it originally. Declining to learn the curse from Sebastian during "In the Shadow of the Relic" or deferring for later merely causes a temporary miss.
The true backup option comes in the next quest "In the Shadow of Fate" when professors confront you about Sebastian‘s actions. Here, refusing to turn Sebastian in reopens access to learning any missed Unforgivable Curses from him.
Simply visit Sebastian in the Undercroft after the Fate quest concludes. During conversation he will offer to teach you Avada Kedavra or Crucio again if you previously declined. This serves as your last chance to gain the killing curse – rejecting Sebastian here cuts off Avada Kedavra entirely with no other methods to learn it.
So in summary:
- Initially declining Avada Kedavra from Sebastian delays access temporarily
- Turning Sebastian into professors cuts off access to Avada Kedavra entirely
- Refusing to turn Sebastian in keeps backup method open to learn missed Unforgivable Curses
Should You Learn Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy?
Whether to learn Avada Kedavra comes down to a moral choice – gaining immense enemy-destroying power through an Unforgivable Curse or retaining your goodness. There are solid arguments on both sides.
For me personally, as someone striving for 100% Hogwarts Legacy completion across all collectibles, missions, etc – I always learn Avada Kedavra on every playthrough. The power is too useful not to have. I view it as similar to using the overpowered Win Button weapons you unlock late in games like Assassin‘s Creed. Why handicap yourself fighting bosses/enemies through restraint?
However, I completely understand players who consider Avada Kedavra going too far in terms immersion. Learning an Unforgivable Curse damages a truthful Hogwarts experience. And the game isn‘t so hard that avoiding Avada Kedavra makes it unplayable. So choosing not to learn Avada Kedavra can be reasonable depending on your roleplaying perspective.
In Summary
While definitely possible to miss initially, Hogwarts Legacy offers alternative methods for learning Avada Kedavra later on if you reconsider going down that dark magical path for massively increased enemy destruction abilities. Just be careful with the Fate quest conversation option or you‘ll cut off access forever! Pay attention to the quest choice progression table I included – it can save you from losing out on Avada Kedavra permanently on an otherwise completionist playthrough.
Let me know in the comments below if this guide helps explain how to handle learning or potentially missing the Avada Kedavra Killing Curse in your game! I‘m happy to answer any other questions my fellow magical gamers may have.
