You’re stuck in the library. Or maybe you're spinning in circles in the Forbidden Forest while a giant spider stares you down. Honestly, we've all been there. Most people looking for a harry potter lego walkthrough just want to know how to get past that one stubborn Devil’s Snare or find the last Gold Brick in Diagon Alley. But here’s the thing about the LEGO Harry Potter Collection—it’s actually two very different games mashed together with wildly different mechanics. Years 1-4 feels like a classic puzzle-platformer. Years 5-7? That’s where things get darker and the dueling mechanics actually start to matter.
If you’re playing the remastered version on PS5 or Xbox Series X, the lighting is better, sure. But the glitches? They’re still there. I’ve seen people lose entire save files because they triggered a cutscene while standing in the wrong spot in the Gryffindor common room. It’s brutal.
The Problem With Hogwarts as a Hub
Most games have a menu. LEGO Harry Potter has a living, breathing, incredibly confusing castle. Hogwarts acts as your central hub, but it’s easy to get turned around. You’re following those tiny translucent Ghost Studs, thinking they’re leading you to the next mission. Suddenly, you’re in the Potions classroom and the door is locked.
The trick is understanding that the castle evolves. You can’t just walk everywhere from the start. You need specific spells. Without Reducto, half the castle is basically off-limits. Most players get frustrated because they see a shiny object and can't interact with it. Move on. Seriously. The game is designed for "Free Play." You are meant to come back later when you have a Dark Wizard or a character with strength, like Hagrid or Victor Krum (Shark version).
Breaking Down the Years
In the first half of the saga, you’re basically a student. Everything is about learning. You go to class, you learn Wingardium Leviosa, and you use it to build a bridge. It’s charming. But by the time you hit The Deathly Hallows content in the second game, the vibe shifts. The "walkthrough" isn't just about puzzles anymore; it's about survival.
💡 You might also like: Free Online Poker Game: Why You’re Probably Playing It Wrong
Year One: The Philosopher’s Stone
Focus on the basics here. You need to unlock a goblin character as soon as possible. Why? Vaults. There are several spots in the early levels where you’ll see a little keyhole on a safe. If you don't have Griphook, you’re leaving thousands of studs on the table. You can find him in the very first level, "The Magic Begins," but you have to go back in Free Play to actually "buy" him.
Year Four: The Goblet of Fire
This is where the difficulty spikes. The underwater level is a nightmare for completionists. To get the True Wizard rank, you have to smash almost every piece of coral. It’s tedious. Also, the Graveyard fight at the end? It’s not just about mashing buttons. You have to time your spell deflections. If you’re just spamming the attack button, Voldemort is going to reset the cycle every time.
Finding the Red Bricks Early
Forget the Gold Bricks for a second. Red Bricks are the real prize. They are the "cheat codes" of the LEGO world. Any decent harry potter lego walkthrough should tell you to prioritize the "Score Multipliers."
- Find the x2 multiplier in the clock tower.
- Grab the x4 in the owlery.
- Stack them.
Yes, they stack. If you have the x2, x4, x6, x8, and x10 bricks all turned on at once, a single silver stud is worth hundreds of thousands. You will have more money than the Malfoys within ten minutes. It breaks the game’s economy, but let’s be real: nobody wants to grind for 20 hours just to buy Lord Voldemort’s character token.
Character Abilities You Actually Need
You can’t just play as Harry and Ron. You’ll get nowhere. To 100% the game, you need a checklist of "types."
- A Dark Wizard: (Bellatrix or Voldemort) for those glowing red/black objects.
- A Strength Character: (Hagrid or any giant) to pull the orange handles.
- A Book Character: (Hermione or Dumbledore) for the rune cabinets.
- A Key Character: (Griphook) for the safes.
- A Parselmouth: (Harry or Draco) for the snake pipes.
Funny enough, Dumbledore is the "Swiss Army Knife" of characters. He can do almost everything, including the dark magic if you use the right version of him. But you don't unlock the powerful versions until very late in the game.
Common Glitches That Kill Progress
Hogwarts is buggy. In the Years 1-4 section, there is a famous glitch in the library where a Gold Brick simply won’t spawn if you do the actions in the wrong order. If you’re following a harry potter lego walkthrough and the item isn't there, try leaving the room and coming back. If that doesn't work, you might have to restart the level. It’s frustrating, but it’s a relic of how these games were coded back in the day.
Another one is the "Student in Peril." Sometimes you’ll save one, the animation will play, but the counter won't go up. Always check your totals before you leave an area.
The Secret to the Bonus Levels
Down in Gringotts, there are bonus levels. They are basically puzzles that strip away your fancy spells. They’re great for learning the physics engine. Most people skip them because they don't give "story" content, but they are mandatory for the Platinum trophy or the 1000/1000 GamerScore. Plus, they’re actually fun. They remind me of the old-school LEGO games where it was just about moving blocks around.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Playthrough
Don't just wander around aimlessly. If you want to beat this game without losing your mind, follow this specific order.
First, finish the entire story mode. Don't worry about the collectibles yet. You physically cannot get 70% of them on your first run. Just enjoy the story and unlock the basic spells. Once the credits roll on Year 7, you'll have a decent roster of characters.
👉 See also: Mario Sports Superstars 3DS: Why This Handheld Crossover Didn't Hit a Home Run
Second, go directly to the Leaky Cauldron and enter the codes (if you're okay with cheating) or find the Score Multiplier Red Bricks. This makes the rest of the hunt way less stressful. You won't be worried about "buying" characters because you'll have millions of studs.
Third, go back through each level in "Free Play" mode. Switch characters constantly. Use the "extra" characters the game gives you automatically. Usually, the game is smart enough to give you a party that can solve every puzzle in that specific level. If you see something you still can't break, it usually means you need a Dark Wizard. Go buy Bellatrix Lestrange as soon as you finish the "Azkaban" levels—she’s the easiest Dark Wizard to get early.
Finally, clean up the Hub. Hogwarts is the hardest part to 100%. Use a map. There are plenty of fan-made maps on Reddit and GameFAQs that show exactly which hallway leads where. Without a map, you’ll spend three hours just trying to find the Hufflepuff common room.
Stop stressing about the "perfect" run. It’s a LEGO game. Break everything. Build everything. And if you get lost, just follow the ghost. Usually, he knows where he's going. Usually.