After completing the first trial in Hogwarts Legacy, players meet the next Keeper, Charles Rookwood. When it is revealed that his descendant is collaborating with Ranrok to threaten the wizarding world, Charles urgently pushes for the completion of the second trial, a main quest in this beloved magical universe.

Players must infiltrate Rookwood Castle to start the trial to find Charles Rookwood's painting. The castle is heavily guarded by Goblins and Loyalists, and upon entering, players will face a series of puzzles and challenges. Completing the trial allows players to retrieve a crucial memory of Charles Rookwood, advancing the game's main storyline.

How To Enter Rookwood Castle

Speak To Professor Fig

Rookwood Castle in Hogwarts Legacy you can find located in the extreme southwest of the map, within the center of the Feldcroft Region. Meet Professor Fig from Hogwarts at the entrance to start the quest. If you have unlocked the Floo Flame in Feldcroft during "In the Shadow of the Estate," use it to fast-travel there and head west to reach the castle. From there, follow the path towards the castle, turning left at the castle walls.

To enter the castle, a stealth approach is viable to by the initial guards, but be prepared for an inevitable confrontation when the Loyalist Ranger ambushes you. Handling these enemies as and when they appear along the way is recommended. Once the guards have been defeated, use spells in Hogwarts Legacy, such as Accio or Wingardium Leviosa, to move a crate to the crumbled castle wall, then use Levioso to lift yourself onto it and access the castle's interior.

At this point, you'll witness a cutscene where Ranrok and Rookwood discuss their precarious alliance, revealing Ranrok's awareness of the Keepers and Rookwood's search for Ancient Magic. Once that concludes, enter the castle grounds, but prepare yourself for a large-scale ambush by Ashwinder enemies, including an Executioner and Goblin Loyalists. Utilize nearby throwable objects to efficiently dispatch your adversaries.

Within the Bandit Camp Castle area, there are two Collection Chests you can discover, each holding an Attribute Trait – one in a tent west of the bonfire and another under a red-bannered tent in the northeast of the camp.

Finally, ascend the steps across the courtyard, circle the ramparts, and enter the castle through the open door.

Speak To Charles Rookwood's Portrait

Upon entering and starting the Rookwood Castle quest in Hogwarts Legacy, descend onto the wooden platform and then further down to the lower floor, where you'll encounter a locked door marked with an Ancient Magic symbol. Nearby, locate two metal symbols on the wall close to each other and a third behind some breakable wooden boards to your left.

Quickly strike all three symbols with your Basic Cast to unlock the door, allowing you to continue to the bottom of the stairs, where you must interact to access the Rookwood Cellar.

Once inside the cellar, proceed to the left through a large breach in the wall to discover a depleted Ancient Magic reserve, now under Ranrok's control. Move through the opening on the right into the next room, where you'll find Charles Rookwood’s portrait.

Interact with the portrait, enabling Charles Rookwood to prompt you to commence the second Trial. Examine the magic pool near the wall next to the portrait to activate a magical archway. Proceed through that magical door at the corridor's end to officially enter and begin the second trial.

Rookwood Trial Phase 1

Use The Cube To Activate A Portal

You must solve five significant parts to complete Charles Rookwood's trial, with the first step being the easiest. Head up the stairs to your right and interact with the Ancient Magic spot to activate a portal and generate a cube. Return down the stairs, ignoring the tall pillar, and use Accio to extract a box from beneath the exit you're targeting, located in the left corner of the room.

Position this box in the center of the gap between the Ancient Magic spot and the opposite side. Then, cross to the other side of the central archway portal, where you can use Accio to pull another box through the portal to your side. Use Wingardium Leviosa to stack this second box on top of the first. Proceed through the portal to solidify the boxes into a climbable pillar, allowing you to ascend and advance to the trial's second part.

Rookwood Trial Phase 2

Find The Hidden Symbol

Cross the bridge and investigate the pool of Ancient Magic in Hogwarts Legacy to progress the trial. To by the pillar blocking your path, locate and hit a distant symbol on the wall within an alcove to the left. Doing so creates an additional bridge section, enabling access to a chest.

Then, approach the Ancient Magic sigil positioned just to the right of the archway. Now this is where a lot of players often end up stumped, since Basic Cast is easy to forget about when you have a plethora of other spells available to you, but you will need to use Basic Cast to rotate it, transforming the immovable pillar into a movable cube. Employ Accio to pull the cube through the gate. Then, navigate around the portal and proceed along the walkway to enter the third phase of the trial.

Rookwood Trial Phase 3

Use The Portal To Proceed

In the third part of Charles Rookwood's trial, players must navigate to the left path to continue. This section is relatively straightforward and serves as a brief respite before the more demanding challenges that follow in the final stages of the trial. Don't let the portals confuse you as you can easily make all of these trial phases more complicated than they need to be if you overthink them.

To progress, investigate the Ancient Magic pool and use the portal to hit the sigil, causing it to rotate towards the right path. Go to the blue side, then turn around and hit the sigil again. This will allow you to proceed forward on the left route.

Rookwood Trial Phase 4

Use Portals To Reveal Your Enemies

In this challenging section of the Rookwood Trial, players must utilize two portals to combat invisible enemies in Hogwarts Legacy and navigate to the other side, requiring precise coordination and strategic movement. As always, begin by activating the trial at the Ancient Magic pool.

Upon taking the left path, you'll encounter a hostile Pensieve Protector on a circular platform. Stay alert during this battle, as the arena is narrow. Being hit by an aerial shockwave attack, indicated by blue pulsing flame circles on the floor, could knock you off to your death.

Shortly after the fight begins, Pensieve Sentries and Sentinels will in. Focus on eliminating these smaller foes first to avoid being overwhelmed by their ranged attacks.

After the battle, interact with the Ancient Magic spot in front of the archway and use a Basic Cast to hit the symbol through the portal. Proceed through the now-right-positioned portal, then use another Basic Cast on the wall symbol to shift the portal, clearing a path on the opposite side.

As you cross to the left side, interact with another Ancient Magic spot on the right to activate the central room's archway portal and reveal a pillar to your left. Drop to the room's center and sprint through the portal directly before you. Note that the majority of enemies in this trial require that you are on the correct side of the portal while facing them.

You'll face two more Pensieve Protectors, immune to damage until you transition to the other side of the portal. To tackle the first visible protector, go through the blue side of the portal, avoiding the second, still invisible protector. Then, cross through the red side to engage the second Protector.

Once you've taken care of these opponents, ensure you're on the blue side (indicated by the color of the wisps around the edges of your screen), and use Wingardium Leviosa to move the box through the portal to the red side. Return the box to its original position on the ledge, then back through the portal to the blue side.

This maneuver ensures that the pillar and the ledge you need to reach are simultaneously tangible. Climb the pillar, step onto the platform, and use a Basic Cast on the symbol below to the right to rotate the archway/platform again. This will allow you to leap across the gap and exit the room.

Rookwood Trial Phase 5

Defeat The Hidden Enemies

In Charles Rookwood's trial finale, players face the most daunting challenges yet. Descend the stairs and turn left into a room where a couple of Pensieve Sentries will spring to life. Handle these foes, then advance into the next room, ascend the stairs, and through the door into another circular arena.

Upon reaching the center, the archway portal activates, presenting you with two Pensieve Protectors, one of which remains invisible until you cross to the other side of the portal. Similarly to the previous section, address these hidden adversaries by focusing first on the enemies visible from one side of the portal, dodging attacks from the invisible ones. Transition through the portal to engage and eliminate the now visible remaining enemies.

After all enemies are defeated, a giant Pensieve Guardian rises from the ground as the final boss. Evade its most OP attacks like ground stomping, and counter the orbs it conjures using the magic of the corresponding color before they strike you. In the second phase, time your parries to deflect its flail attacks that generate shockwaves across the arena.

Once the Guardian is defeated, a bridge forms, leading to a chamber adorned with a large statue and a pensieve. Approach the Pensieve to witness one of Charles Rookwood's memories of Isidora welcoming the other professors into her home and demonstrating her magical talents.

After the memory concludes, you must use the Enchanted Stone archway to exit the trial and return to the Map Chamber. There, Rackham’s portrait, along with Rookwood, will praise your accomplishment. You are then introduced to Niamh Fitzgerald, a former heistress of Hogwarts who will also provide the next major trial in Hogwarts Legacy. To finalize and officially complete the Charles Rookwood Trial quest in Hogwarts Legacy, speak with Professor Fig.

Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

In the USA:

• Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
• The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

In Canada:

• Trans Lifeline: (877) 330-6366
• Youth Line: 1-800-268-9688

In the UK:

• Switchboard: 01273 204050
• Mermaids: 0808 801 0400