Are there Hogwarts Legacy pets that you can catch and play with?

Unfortunately there are no Hogwarts Legacy pets or familiars in case you were hoping for something like Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. They just aren't a thing here. But if you're looking to go bigger we can certainly show you how get a hippogriff, thestrels, and other magical creatures to care for in your Hogwarts Legacy Room of Requirement.

To get some animals you can look after, follow Professor Weasley's main questline until you unlock the Room of Requirement, and meet a kindly house elf named Deek. He will teach you how to use a nab-sack to rescue endangered magical creatures all around Hogwarts Legacy's open world. The aim is to protect them from poachers and give them beautiful purpose-built homes in your Vivarium.

At this point you might be wondering what a Vivarium is, let alone how you'll fit a whole army of majestic creatures into one. Don't worry though, because here's how to rescue those animals and care for them properly. As they're the closest you'll get to owning a pet in Hogwarts Legacy. 

Are there pets in Hogwarts Legacy? 

You don't get an actual  pets in Hogwarts Legacy, but you do unlock the ability to catch and raise creatures in a farm-like environment. A set of missions will see you set out to protect animals from poachers that ultimately gifts you the ability to catch them and release them into special environment. From puffskeins to kneazles, thestrals to unicorns, you will be able to care for them all in the Room of Requirement's Vivarium and even breed them to raise babies!

How do I catch beasts in Hogwarts Legacy? 

After attending your first Beasts class, you will meet Hufflepuff student Poppy Sweeting, and learn how to care for magical creatures. She'll introduce you to her puffskein, Gerald, and you will now have access to the creature brush and beast feed in your spell inventory.

You can't just rush out anywhere in the game to feed and brush wild animals though. You will need to complete house elf Deek's side quest entitled The Elf, The Nab-Sack, and The Loom in order to learn how to use a nab-sack to safely catch endangered animals. This quest will only become available once you complete certain main quest objectives and acquire the Room of Requirement and Beasts Class.

How do I ride a hippogriff in Hogwarts Legacy? 

Our guide on when you unlock flying mounts in Hogwarts Legacy can answer this in more detail, but suffice it to say that you'll have to be patient. You will get to ride a hippogriff after playing a fair way through both Poppy and Natsai's storylines, when Highwing comes to rescue yourself and Natty from a castle.  Once you unlock flying mounts, you can return to the Room of Requirement any time to feed, pet, and groom them like any other magical beast. You will also be able to summon Highwing when you want to ride or fly around the world as an alternative to your Hogwarts Legacy broomstick. She's much cuddlier, after all.

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.