How to block & parry attacks in Hogwarts Legacy

Hold down block to parry

Hogwarts Legacy uses many open world combat staples, including several that are pretty much a given at this point from most AAA studios. In addition to the dodge roll, your avatar can also block and parry. For those of you who typically can’t stand parry mechanics in games, you’re in luck! The newest wizarding game on the block marries the two to the same button and simplifies things. Here’s how to block and parry in Hogwarts Legacy.

Pressing the block button will cast Protego, and create a shield around your character

Protego is your base level block spell, and you’ll acquire it very early on in Hogwarts Legacy‘s intro. Think of it like a shield block, able to protect the player from most hazards and attacks from enemy combatants.

Note however that it does have its limits. Protego will be broken if your opponent casts a spell that manipulates your character (pulling you close or causing you to levitate), or if a foe hits you with a powerful attack that you need to dodge instead. This goes both ways, so be sure to take advantage of enemies leaving themselves open with a Protego cast (especially other spellcasters).

Holding down block will parry, and cast Stupefy (a stunning spell)

If you hold down the Protego button, you’ll actually morph it into a parry. This takes the form of a Stupefy counterattack: the stunning spell from the Harry Potter franchise.

Stupefy not only stuns the enemy, but also opens them up to extra damage. When stunned (or manipulated, in some cases), enemies will sport gold damage numbers above their heads, indicating guaranteed critical hits.

This Stupefy cast can be aimed, and doesn’t need to hit the target of the original parry. When you’re actively holding down the button to anticipate a Stupefy cast, whip the camera around and aim at a high priority target (like a weaker support enemy), then rapidly take them out with damage spells.