Fact Check: Is the Whomping Willow in Hogwarts Legacy?

Hogwarts Legacy is set almost a hundred years before the Whomping Willow (Images via Hogwarts Legacy and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Hogwarts Legacy is set almost a hundred years before the Whomping Willow (Images via Hogwarts Legacy and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Hogwarts Legacy has been among the most exciting and highly-anticipated releases this year, especially for fans of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World.

With so much to enjoy in the open-world adventure that Avalanche Software has created, many fans are curious about some of the things they can expect to find when exploring.

One of the more popular questions that many in the community have been asking for quite some time is if players will get to encounter the Whomping Willow in the RPG.

Unfortunately, there is no Whomping Willow in Hogwarts Legacy. The sentient tree that was made famous by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is not a part of the game due to the different timeline in which it is set.

While the forbidden forest is an area that players can explore in the game, the Whomping Willow will unfortunately not be a part of the experience.


Hogwarts Legacy is set almost a hundred years before events involving Whomping Willow

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The primary reason why the Whomping Willow is not a part of Hogwarts Legacy has to do with the game's setting and the time during which the narrative takes place.

The story revolves around the player’s journey as a fifth-year student and their time in Hogwarts. The lore takes place in 1890. It is a known fact from the Harry Potter books and movies that the Whomping Willow was planted in 1971 in order to conceal the passage that lead to the Shrieking Shack.

It was often mentioned in the books how the Whomping Willow was a means to allow Remus Lupin to retreat from his fellow students during a new moon, as he would transform into his werewolf state. He would use the Shrieking Shack as a means of concealing his affliction from the rest of his classmates.

During this time of the narrative, it was Professor Pomona Sprout who taught sixth-year Herbology and how to care for younger Willows to a generation of Hogwarts students. This included Nymphadora Tonks.

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Hence, it’s quite logical that Avalanche Software chose to leave out the Whomping Willow from Hogwarts Legacy. Lore-wise, it would not have made sense to include the sentient tree in the game.

It’s quite disappointing for many that the famous Whomping Willow that broke Harry’s Broom will not be a part of the game. However, when it comes to staying true to the Wizarding World lore, it is indeed fortunate that the developers stuck strictly to the timeline.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh
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