You're flying over the rolling greens of the Hogwarts Valley, the sun is setting, and your gear slots are full—again. It's the classic Hogwarts Legacy dilemma. You’ve probably spent hours hunting down those swirling stone circles, throwing Mallowsweet around like it’s confetti, and still, that progress bar in your challenge menu hasn't budged. Honestly, the Hogwarts Valley Merlin Trials are some of the most frustratingly tucked-away puzzles in the entire Highlands.
There are 16 of them here. That’s a lot for one region. While some are basically "baby's first puzzle," others require you to have specific spells like Flipendo or Confringo just to even start. If you’re stuck at 15/16 and losing your mind, you aren’t alone. Most people miss the one hidden in the goblin camp or the "parkour" trial that feels more like a physics glitch than a wizarding test.
Finding the Trials (Stop Relying on Your Mini-Map)
Basically, if you aren't spamming Revelio while on your broom, you’re doing it wrong. The map doesn't just hand these to you. You have to be within a certain radius for the leaf icon to pop up.
A common mistake? Staying on the main roads. Several trials in Hogwarts Valley are perched on cliffsides or hidden behind ruin walls that block your line of sight. One of the sneakiest is located near the Mine's Eye. You’ll find yourself looking at the entrance to the mine, thinking the trial is inside or on the tracks, but it’s actually tucked into the rock face nearby.
The Mallowsweet Problem
You can't do anything without Mallowsweet. Period. If you're running low, don't waste your gold buying individual leaves from The Magic Neep. Just buy the seeds once and plant them in the Room of Requirement. Use a large potting table or even a bunch of small ones. They grow in 10 minutes. You’ll need a stack of about 50 to clear the whole map, so just let them grow while you’re out hunting trolls.
The Tricky Puzzles Most People Mess Up
Not all Merlin Trials are created equal. In the valley, you’re going to run into a few specific types that cause the most headaches.
The "Sinking" Torch Trial
Southwest of the main river bridge, there’s a trial that involves lighting three braziers. Sounds easy, right? Except they start sinking into the ground the moment you hit the first one.
The Fix: You have to light them in order of height. Find the tallest one first, then the medium, then the shortest. If you're too slow, Arresto Momentum can sometimes give you an extra second, but honestly, just using Confringo from a distance usually does the trick.
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The Flipping Cubes (The Flipendo Nightmare)
You’ll see these stone pillars with cubes on top covered in weird symbols. This isn't a "hit it until it works" situation. You need to match the symbol on the top cube to the symbol on the base.
- Position yourself directly in front of a symbol.
- Cast Flipendo to flip the cube toward or away from you.
- Move to the side if you need to flip it horizontally.
Basically, think of it like a Rubik's Cube. If you just spam the spell, you’ll be there for twenty minutes.
The Parkour Platforms
There’s a trial near the Mine's Eye Floo Flame where you have to jump across a series of stone pillars. If your feet touch the grass, you fail. It resets.
Pro Tip: You can actually "cheese" this with your broom. Fly just above the pillars and let your character's feet graze the top of each one. As long as you don't actually dismount or touch the ground, the game usually counts it. It feels a bit like cheating, but after the fifth time falling into a bush, nobody’s judging you.
Why 16 Trials Matters
You might be wondering why you should even bother. Each set of trials you complete unlocks more gear inventory. In a game where every chest drops a pair of glasses or a slightly better scarf, running out of space is the literal worst. Completing the Hogwarts Valley Merlin Trials is a massive chunk of that progression.
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The List of Locations You Should Check
- Near Brocburrow: There are a couple around this hamlet. One involves the rolling boulder—look for the big "golf hole" in the ground first so you know where you're aiming.
- Keenbridge: Several are scattered around the outskirts. Check the cliffs to the west; there’s a butterfly trial (use Lumos) that’s easy to miss because it’s behind some trees.
- The Goblin Camp: North of the valley, there’s a camp filled with Loyalists. The trial is right in the middle of their territory. You'll have to clear the camp first unless you're feeling very stealthy with Disillusionment.
Solving the "Last Trial" Bug
Is your map saying you've done them all, but the achievement hasn't popped? Or maybe you're at 94/95 total? Usually, the "missing" trial is in the Hogwarts Valley or the South Sea Bog.
Zoom your map all the way out. It will show you a breakdown of each region. If the valley says 15/16, look at the very edges of the border. There is a trial near the border of the Feldcroft region that people often misidentify.
Also, check the ruins. If you see a cluster of stones that looks like a trial but there’s no icon, try standing on the center platform. Sometimes the icon doesn't trigger until you're literally standing on Merlin's face.
Final Practical Steps
If you want to clear these tonight, here is exactly what to do. First, go to Hogsmeade and buy the Mallowsweet seeds if you haven't. Plant them. Second, make sure you have Confringo, Flipendo, and Depulso on your active spell diamond. You’ll use those three more than anything else.
Start at the Lower Hogsfield Floo Flame and work your way south. Don't fly too high; stay just above the treeline so Revelio actually picks up the blue outlines of the puzzle objects. If a puzzle involves those little stone spheres, remember there are always nine of them, usually in three groups of three. If you've only found six, look up or behind the nearest breakable wall.
Once you finish the 16th trial, don't forget to actually go into your Challenges menu and claim the reward. The game doesn't give you the inventory space automatically—you have to click the icon to "unlock" the expansion.