Hogwarts Legacy: Why You Should Complete Merlin Trials

Despite the controversy, "Hogwarts Legacy" is a big game with lots to see and do. It can take upwards of 35 hours to beat it and closer to 50 for those completing all the side content (per HowLongToBeat). Given the large world and sheer amount of stuff to do, it can be easy for an aspiring witch or wizard to overlook something. One activity that players definitely shouldn't skip, however, is the Merlin Trials.

The Merlin Trials consist of a whopping 95 puzzles spread across the world of "Hogwarts Legacy." Wizarding students will need to explore the castle they call home as well as the Forbidden Forest and even go off campus to track down all these puzzles. Then, they still have to actually solve the puzzles, proving their cleverness and skill.

Even before they can begin taking on the Merlin Trials, players will need to unlock them by completing the Trials of Merlin quest found in Lower Hogsfield. This all adds up to a significant investment of time and energy. It's all worth it in the end, however, considering the rewards that come with completing the Merlin Trials.

Being an action RPG, "Hogwarts Legacy" makes looting and gear management a part of the experience. Players will quickly find themselves overloaded with items as loot is plentiful, but they're limited to a meager 20 gear slots. Students who want to avoid constant trips to the shops to sell items off and can't stand the waste of dropping or destroying items will want to expand their inventory as soon as possible. That's where the Merlin Trials come in.

Once the Merlin Trials have been unlocked, players need only search them out — they're marked by feathers on the map — and complete them to start upgrading their inventory. Completing challenges unlocks tiers, with each tier requiring more challenges to be completed. Fortunately, the early tiers only require completing a handful of challenges, so players will be able to start moving up the track quickly.

Each completed tier will award two more inventory slots with the maximum capacity ultimately doubling to 40 for those who finish all the trials. While the early tiers should be simple enough, finding and completing all the trials will require a bit of work.

In the end, most players will probably find this worthwhile. The trials can be a fun diversion in and of themselves and, by saving a student from having to constantly unload gear, they could actually save on time (and headaches) in the long run.