Hogwarts Legacy’s map is so big that walking isn’t enough to explore everything. Luckily, flying is an unlockable feature in the game.
Wizards and witches will gain access to a flying broom sometime in the story.
We will show you when and where to unlock the broom and even how to upgrade your broom to fly faster.
Getting your broom as soon as possible is important, especially when exploring the Highlands area.
Unlocking Your Broom
You only get your broom when you reach Madam Kogawa in the main storyline quest. She is outside the Hogwarts castle, near the Beasts Classroom.
Madam Kogawa will teach everyone how to call and fly their brooms. You’ll have a quick tutorial on how to ride the broom during the quest.
We’ll show the other mechanics later in the guide.
After flying through the rings, Everett Clopton will invite you to a tour around Hogwarts.
Once you return, Madam Kogawa will scold both of you for touring the grounds.
This finishes the story, but you still need to unlock the broom. The quest only unlocks the broom slot.
Go to Hogsmeade and enter the Spintwitches Sporting Needs. There are five different brooms to choose from.
These brooms don’t have anything special other than their cosmetic appearance.
The brooms cost 600 Galleons each. After purchasing one, you can equip it on your gear inventory screen on the right-hand side.
Flying Mechanics
To call the broom, you must hold L1 or LB and press circle or B, depending on your platform.
Holding R2 or RT accelerates the broom forward. Holding L2 or LT gives you a speed burst – separate from the acceleration button.
On the lower-right screen, you will notice a stamina bar on top of your health bar.
The stamina bar pertains to how long you can hold the speed burst.
Once it runs out, you can release the speed burst button and let it refresh.
If you hold the speed burst button even when your stamina is out, you will not regain stamina, and your speed will slow down.
I tested one mechanic where I held the speed burst button even with the stamina bar depleted. I gained a sudden burst of stamina, and it highlighted the stamina bar with more energy.
It might’ve been with the upgraded broom, but it is worth noting you can do this.
When you start flying, you’ll gain momentum as you speed up or use the speed burst.
Once your speed burst runs out, you’ll slow down, but if you maintain a straight direction, you’ll still be fast.
You’ll lose your max speed when you start turning after a huge speed burst.
Upgrading Your Broom
Upgrades come from the Spintwitches Sporting Needs store. Look for Albie Weekes, the store owner. He’ll offer some side quests that involve broom racing.
Finish the side quest and return to him. You’ll be able to get the upgrade once you finish them. However, you don’t get it right away.
You’ll have to buy the upgrade from him for a hefty price.
When purchased, the upgrade will automatically attach to your brooms. You don’t have to equip or attach anything after buying the upgrade.
Side quests and puzzles
Most of the side quests revolve around finishing broom races and popping balloons in an area.
For the broom racing, you’ll need to go through each ring as fast as you can until you reach the end.
There is a time limit you need to beat, and you’ll be racing with someone else. You’ll notice a few yellow balls in the air as you go through the rings.
Fly through these yellow balls to refresh your flying stamina bar and gain a burst of speed.
For the balloon-popping puzzles, the minimap will have a purple circle. This is the radius where the balloons are hidden.
They are easy to spot since you are flying. Look for the balloons vertically since some might be hidden behind rocks, mountain passages, houses, or even small bridges.
These balloons are usually connected. The balloon placements are designed to be next to each other where you can pass through all five in one go.
What to Do Next?
The best tip is to finish the main storyline immediately until you unlock the broom. There are many puzzles, collectibles, gear rewards, and even unlocking fast travel points around the world.
It will take you a lot of time to get around doing these activities without the broom. Once you unlock flying, I suggest finishing the Merlin Trials to increase your gear capacity first.
Inventory slots are hard to manage because it is so limited.
Afterward, you can start collecting Demiguise Moon Statues to unlock lockpicking or Alohomora.
