Despite all the powerful spells at your disposal, Hogwarts Legacy combat can often be a challenge thanks to the high damage of your enemies and their pesky shields. To excel in combat and to avoid an untimely death, here’s how to break shields in Hogwarts Legacy, including all shield colours along with tips and tricks to make it easier.
Knowing how to break shields is great for going on the offensive, but knowing how to block and parry in Hogwarts Legacy for yourself is just as important. It’s also worth taking a look at how to unlock all spells in Hogwarts Legacy and the Hogwarts Legacy best spells so you’re well equipped to break shields and defeat your opponents. We’ve taken on many tough encounters in our playthrough for our Hogwarts Legacy review.
Hogwarts Legacy how to break shields
To break shields in Hogwarts Legacy, you must attack the shielded opponent with a spell corresponding to the shield type and colour. The two exceptions to this are the Unforgivable Curses and Ancient Magic Throws which are effective against all shield types.
Shields will not break or react at all if you use the wrong type of spell, so pay attention to the colour of the enemies’ shield. However, once you use the correct spell type, the shield will break immediately, rewarding you with a short window to attack your opponent.
It’s worth noting, however, that the green Hogwarts Legacy Unforgivable Curses will break all shield types, making them the most versatile shield breaking spell and living up to their pedigree. You can also use Ancient Magic Throws to pick up items around the environment and break any shield.
If you’re struggling with breaking shields in Hogwarts Legacy, take full advantage of the lock on system to make sure you’re attacking the right opponent. This is especially important towards the start of the game when you’ve only got one spell per type, so any missed or incorrect hits are more impactful.
Hogwarts Legacy how to break yellow shields
To break yellow shields in Hogwarts Legacy, use yellow Control type spells. These are:
- Levioso
- Arresto Momentum
- Glacius
- Transformation
Control spells are predominantly used to control the flow of combat, interrupting enemies and immobilising them.
Hogwarts Legacy how to break purple shields
To break purple shields in Hogwarts Legacy, use purple Force spells. These are:
- Accio
- Depulso
- Flipendo
- Descendo
Force spells are used to move enemies around the arena, such as pulling them towards you or throwing them away from you.
Hogwarts Legacy how to break red shields
To break red shields in Hogwarts Legacy, use red Damage spells. These are:
- Incendio
- Confringo
- Diffindo
- Expelliarmus
- Bombarda
Damage spells are, as you might expect, perfect for dealing high damage. Once you’ve broken a shield, go all in.
You can also use some of our Hogwarts Legacy best builds, especially the Dark Wizard build, to break all shields easily.
Now you know how to break shields in Hogwarts Legacy, including the effectiveness of the Unforgivable Curses in destroying shields. Be sure to check out our handy Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough for more tips and tricks to help with combat, exploration, and more.
Hogwarts Legacy has drawn considerable criticism during its development, largely due to the fact that the creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years.
While Avalanche has confirmed that J.K. Rowling is not “directly involved” in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, it is working with “her team” and Portkey Games, a Warner Bros. label dedicated to launching new experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. It is currently unclear whether she will earn any royalties from the game’s sale, but it is likely given it is based on her original body of work.
If you would like to learn more about transgender rights or lend your support, we’d encourage you to check out the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.
