How to unlock Hogwarts Legacy Level 1 locks

(Image credit: Avalanche Software)

To open Hogwarts Legacy level 1 locks you'll need to find caretaker Gladwin Moon who will teach you Alohomora, the unlocking charm. For a price. To master the spell and level it up you'll have to collect demiguise statues but it's worth for all the extra stuff you can get from unlocking doors.

You'll start seeing Level 1 locks in Hogwarts Legacy almost as soon as you start playing. However, like almost everything here, you'll have to play through enough main missions to progress the story before you can do anything about it.

Alohomora is one of the most useful Hogwarts Legacy spells, though, thanks to the access it gives you to new areas. However, it won't help you open the tricky Hogwarts Legacy eyeball chests as they need a different spell. They're not going to shift Hogwarts Legacy puzzle doors either, so check our guide there for more.

For now, if you want to open Hogwarts Legacy level 1 locks only, read on and I'll explain how to get you through those doors.

How to unlock Level 1 locks in Hogwarts Legacy

During the main quest you'll find a mission called The Caretaker's Lunar Lament where you'll learn Alohomora to open level 1 locks.

To get to this stage, progress the story until you're summoned by caretaker Gladwyn Moon. He'll ask you to remove two Hogwarts Legacy demiguise statues nearby that's he's too afraid to go near. To help you do that Gladwyn teaches you Alohomora to unlock the level 1 door ahead. This won't take up space in your Hogwarts Legacy spell slots, it's just something you'll cast whenever the lock prompt appears.

Once that's done Gladwyn explains that there are statues all over Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and other areas to take care of. Remove them and he'll teach you more advanced forms of Alohomora to open level 2 and 3 locks as you hit certain targets.

How to open locks with Alohomora

Unlocking a lock with Alohomora in Hogwarts Legacy — (Image credit: Avalanche Software)

When unlocking Level 1 doors your goal is to turn the outer and inner dials until they start making an uninterrupted mechanical whirring sound. That signals they're in the right position.

To do that turn the dials with your joysticks if you're playing on console, or use the Q, E, A, and D keys on your keyboard if you're using a PC. Listen and watch carefully for small movements or sounds to get the positions exactly right.

With this new found access you might well find yourself gathering a lot more items fast so remember to sell any unwanted stuff to vendors, since your Hogwarts Legacy gear slots will fill up quickly unless you upgrade them!

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling's public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

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Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and TechRadar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.

With contributions from

Leon HurleyManaging editor for guides