With no shortage of puzzles to complete, one set you'll need to solve to keep the story going is the first of many Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trials. Not to be confused with Merlin's Trials, there are countless more to solve after that, but they're completely optional. Recommended, but optional. Here's how to solve the lot.
In most RPGs, there's typically some kind of major trial and challenge to progress the player's character or the story. These trials are scattered throughout the open and all involve manipulating various objects and materials with your spells to activate an emblem nearby. Each one is different, but here's how to complete the first of many
While you're here, if you're looking for more Hogwarts Legacy content, then be sure to check out our Hogwarts Legacy spells list to get an idea of which ones to aim for. Using them, you'll learn about Demiguise statues, dragon statues, and how to open the Clock Tower doors.
How to complete the first Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trial
A few hours into the game, you'll meet someone by the name of Nora Treadwell in Lower Hogsfield. She'll introduce you to the concept of Merlin Trials and ask that you solve the first one for her.
For this first trial (and any subsequent ones), you'll need to first place a Mallowsweet on the swirl on the ground. Just grab some from the nearby chest by the tent if you don't have any. From there, cast Incendio at the topper on each of the three glowing spires starting from the rightmost one and going left. This will get them to sink into the ground.
- Check out: How to open eyeball chests
Once all three have been done, the trial will be completed. Light them in the wrong order, and they'll go out. Light them too slowly and - you guessed it - they'll go out. It's about speed and accuracy.
For trials going forward, you'll need to do something similar, placing Mallowsweet on the ground before manipulating any out-of-place objects in a way that causes the swirl to open up, spawning a gazebo with the spirit of Merlin underneath.
What are the Merlin Trials rewards in Hogwarts Legacy?
The main reason to complete Merlin Trials scattered around the open world of Hogwarts Legacy is to expand the amount of gear you can carry around at one time.
By default, you can only carry a total of 20 pieces, and you won't be able to open any chests if your slots are full. So if you're sick of destroying gear or running off to sell them to a store just to forget where you saw that chest anyway, get completing Merlin Trials.
All Merlin Trials locations and solutions
Over time, we'll work to list out every Merlin Trial location in the game and show you exactly how to solve each one. Some can be more complex than others, and there's nothing worse than scratching your head for half an hour when you could be running around doing virtually anything else.
And that's all that we have for you on completing Merlin's Trials. Be sure to check out some of our other Hogwarts Legacy guides as well, such as our Potions list, our list of mods we'd like to see, and our Hogwarts Legacy DLC guide.