Our Hogwarts Legacy Guide will show you how to successfully complete Merlin's trials, which are side quests. We will also show you all the different types of trials you need to solve.
A brief overview of the most important things about Merlin's Trials:
You have to meet your schoolmate Natty in Lower Hogsfield as a part of the main quest, which is telling the game's story. Near the small village, you can see some side quests that are already marked on the map. By the water's edge, you find Nora Treadwell, who will introduce you to Merlin's first task through a short quest. This task involves lighting the heads of three columns with Incendio. After finishing the quest, you can start solving all of Merlin's Trials, which you can find on the map.
Through the quest with Nora Treadwell, you get to know that you need to use the mallow herb to be able to start a trial from Merlin. You have to pay 1x mallosweet leave to begin the trial, which runs out quickly after your first exams. Mallowsweet is also only available for purchase in limited quantities, which means that you have to grow it yourself.
You can buy the seeds, and the small pots, in which Mallowsweet grows, in Hogsmeade at "The Magic Turnip" To grow mallosweet in the room of requirement, you need a planting table on which you can place the small pots. Set up as many planting tables as you like, and increase the yield of your plants by using fertilizer.
Merlin's trials will only appear on the map when you are close to them, whether on foot or flying over. You can recognize the trials by their feather symbol on the map and the ground plate with a spiral pattern. Stand on the ground plate and press the corresponding button to use mellowsweet and begin the puzzle.
| For more tips and tricks on the main quest, as well as the side quests and other exciting content in Hogwarts Legacy, check out our guide overview. |
You will encounter nine different types of trials, which will be repeated at varying difficulty levels. We have summarized the types of trials for you, including the solution on how you can solve them.
Spells: Confringo, Incendio
Around the ground plate, you'll find three columns you need to light up, just like in Merlin's very first trial. However, once a column is lit, it starts sinking into the ground and extinguishes itself. You have to light up all of them before this happens to complete the trial.
Since the columns can be quite far apart or even hidden, it's easier to use Confringo to light them up, as it can be used over a greater distance compared to Incendio. Start with the largest column, as it usually takes the longest to sink into the ground.
Spells: Your basic spell, Confringo, Bombarda, Depulso
If you see orbs on columns around the base area, you need to destroy them, by using one of the spells we mentioned right above this text. Some columns may be inside buildings or hidden behind leaf curtains, which you can destroy by using a fire spell.
Spells: Confringo, Depulso, Bombarda
In addition to the orbs on the columns that you have to destroy, there is a task where you have to destroy large stones. These stones can be located near or at a greater distance from the baseplate and may be hidden depending on the area, whether on a hill, rock, or the ground. The best spell for destroying these stones is Confringo.
To pass this trial, you have to jump from stone to stone, which you can find around the starting platform. You need to jump on every stone without falling to the ground or jumping twice on the same stone.
The easiest way to get on all the stones is to climb onto the smallest stone and jump from there to the larger ones. Once you are on top of a stone, it will be covered in plants as a sign not to jump there again. Unfortunately, these stones are not always as easy to spot as in our example, which is shown in the picture below. Some stones are more integrated into the landscape or even located in the water, which makes it harder to find them.
Spells: Lumos
If you come across a square stone with holes through which you can see some crystals inside, standing near a starting platform of a trial, you have to look around to locate the moth swarms. Moth swarms can be recognized by the blue glowing moths that are swirling around in one place. Approach the moths and use Lumos, to make them follow you.
Lead the moths to one of the stones, into which the moths will fly, thereby lighting up the crystal inside the stone. In each of these trials, there are three stones and three moth swarms that you need to bring together to pass the trial.
Spells: Wingardium Leviosa, Accio
If you discover a plate with four holes near a base area, your task is to locate and bring five small stone balls to it. Once you find the small stone orbs, you can guide them by using Wingardium Leviosa or Accio. Since the balls are connected, you only need to grab one of them, and the others will automatically follow. If the ball you've taken touches the plate with holes, all the balls will automatically get onto the place and fit themselves into the holes.
This trial has a total of three plates, to which you must bring the balls to complete the trial. Both the balls and the plates can be hidden and scattered. The distance to Merlin's baseplate can also vary in size
Spells: Wingardium Leviosa, Depulso, Accio
Similar to the small balls, you must place the large one into a corresponding hollow to pass this trial. The huge orb can be carried by using Wingardium Leviosa or shooting it toward the hollow with Depulso. However, you can also pull it towards you with Accio if it misses the hole.
If you come across a big ball, you should first locate the place where you need to take it before transporting or shooting the ball in the wrong direction, which could make it harder for you.
Spells: Reparo
If you activate Merlin's trial near statues, and they break, your task is to repair them with Reparo. Fortunately, the statues are usually located close to the baseplate, which makes it easier. Once you have repaired all the broken statues, you have completed the trial.
Spells: Flipendo, Wingardium Leviosa
In this trial, your task is to match the symbols that are on the stone cubes to those you can see on the pillar below. You need to rotate the cubes, for which you can use Flipendo. If you want, you can use Wingardium Leviosa to lift the cube and turn it while it is in the air.
Rotate the cubes until you see the same symbols on the same side. When all the symbols match, the column will be covered in plants, and you can move on to the next pillar.
| Area | Number of Merlin's Trials |
| South Hogwarts Region | 15 |
| Forbidden Forest | 3 |
| Hogsmeade Valley | 5 |
| North Ford Bog | 4 |
| North Hogwarts Region | 5 |
| Hogwarts Valley | 16 |
| Feldcroft Region | 16 |
| South Sea Bog | 2 |
| Poidsear Coast | 10 |
| Marunweem Lake | 4 |
| Cragcroftshire | 5 |
| Manor Cape | 5 |
| Clagmar Coast | 5 |
To collect the promised rewards, as the upgrades regarding your equipment, and also be able to see how many trials you have to complete before you can collect the next reward, go to the “Challenges” tab in the menu. After that, select the “Exploration” category and scroll down to “Complete Merlin Trials”.
Tip: To get the rewards, it doesn't matter in which region and in which order you complete Merlin's trials.
We hope we could help you with the door puzzles in Hogwarts. If you have any questions or comments about the guide, feel free to leave a comment or send us a message on the social media channels and Discord (via Linktr.ee).
