Hogwarts Legacy Complete Beasts Guide
In Hogwarts Legacy, players can rescue, nurture, and even breed a wide range of magical creatures across the Scottish Highlands. If you've ever dreamed of befriending a Niffler or flying across on the back of a Hippogriff, we’ve got great news!
There are 13 magical beasts you can interact with, each with its own personality, preferences, and, potential for shiny variants. From cuddly Puffskeins to battle-hardened Graphorns, this guide covers everything you need to know.
Bookmark this guide for quick reference when you're out exploring (or experimenting in the Room of Requirement)!
How to Unlock Beast Catching in Hogwarts Legacy
Before you can start “catchin’ ‘em all”, you’ll need to progress through the main story a bit. The beast-taming journey begins with:
Quest: The Elf, the Nab-Sack, and the Loom
Given By: Our helpful house-elf pal, Deek
Reward: The Nab-Sack, a spell-bag for catching beasts, and access to the Room of Requirement
Once you’ve completed the quest, you're officially licensed (in spirit, not by the Ministry) to collect magical beasts. Check out our complete main quest walkthrough for more help!
How to Catch Magical Beasts
Once you’ve equipped the Nab-Sack from your spell menu, capturing a beast is as simple as targeting it and pressing the corresponding button prompts. However, some creatures are quicker or more skittish than others.
To increase your chances:
Use Levioso or Glacius to immobilise beasts.
Accio can bring distant creatures closer.
Cast Disillusionment or drink an Invisibility Potion to sneak up on more cautious beasts like Unicorns or Hippogriffs.
Full List of Beasts in Hogwarts Legacy (With Locations, Resources & Traits)
Here’s your definitive magical creature index, complete with catch difficulty, resource drops, where to find them, and even who they don’t get along with.
Diricawl
Description: Like a magical dodo that can vanish in a puff of feathers.
Catch Difficulty: Medium
Resource: Diricawl Feather
Dens: Hogwarts Valley, Marunweem Lake, Clagmar Coast
Doesn't Get Along With: Kneazles
Favourite Toy: Tumbleweed
Shiny Variant: Very pale, almost white
Fwooper
Description: Looks like a pastel owl, sings like a siren– literally. Their song can drive you mad.
Catch Difficulty: Hard
Resource: Fwooper Feather
Dens: Hogwarts Valley, Feldcroft, Clagmar Coast
Doesn't Get Along With: Phoenixes
Favourite Toy: Quaffle
Shiny Variant: Nearly white
Giant Purple Toad
Description: Wart-covered wonder. Hops like a boss.
Catch Difficulty: Medium
Resource: Toad Warts
Dens: North Ford Bog, Forbidden Forest, Marunweem Lake
Doesn't Get Along With: Jobberknolls
Favourite Toy: Leather Football
Shiny Variant: Albino-like
Graphorn
Description: A sabertooth-y, tentacled beast of legend. Your heavy-duty combat mount.
Catch Difficulty: Very Hard (must battle first)
Resource: Graphorn Horn
Dens: Clagmar Coast (available after “San Bakar’s Trial”)
Doesn’t Get Along With: Mooncalves
Favourite Toy: Dark Wizard Dummy
Shiny Variant: Albino-white
Hippogriff
Description: Half-eagle, half-horse, fully majestic. Yes, you can ride it.
Catch Difficulty: Hard
Resource: Hippogriff Feather
Dens: Poidsear Coast, Manor Cape, Forbidden Forest
Unlock: Complete The High Keep
Doesn’t Get Along With: Nifflers
Favourite Toy: Dark Wizard Dummy
Shiny Variant: Light grey
Jobberknoll
Description: Tiny bluebird with a brain full of secrets. Its final squawk is a backward stream of everything it's ever heard. Creepy and poetic.
Catch Difficulty: Medium
Resource: Jobberknoll Feather
Dens: Forbidden Forest, Feldcroft Region, Clagmar Coast
Doesn’t Get Along With: Giant Purple Toads
Favourite Toy: Quaffle
Shiny Variant: Pale silvery-blue
Kneazle
Description: Feline with attitude. Sharp ears, sharper wit. If Crookshanks was your favourite in the books, this is your dream pet.
Catch Difficulty: Hard
Resource: Kneazle Fur
Dens: South Hogwarts Region, Feldcroft Region, Marunweem Lake
Doesn’t Get Along With: Diricawls
Favourite Toy: Yarn Ball
Shiny Variant: Nearly white, like a ghost cat
Mooncalf
Description: Big eyes, bigger heart. These shy creatures love to dance under the full moon.
Catch Difficulty: Medium
Resource: Mooncalf Fur
Dens: Forbidden Forest, North Ford Bog, Feldcroft Region
Only appear at night. Use the map to wait until nighttime if needed.
Doesn’t Get Along With: Graphorns
Favourite Toy: Yarn Ball
Shiny Variant: Pale grey
Niffler
Description: A walking vault-cracker. Adorable and unstoppable when it comes to shiny objects.
Catch Difficulty: Easy
Resource: Niffler Fur
Dens: Feldcroft Region, Poidsear Coast, Cragcroftshire
Doesn’t Get Along With: Hippogriffs
Favourite Toy: Toy Chest
Shiny Variant: Silver-furred
Phoenix
Description: Legendary. Majestic. One of a kind. You’ll never find them in the wild, only in one specific quest.
Catch Difficulty: Uncatchable outside its quest
Resource: Phoenix Feather
Quest: “Phoenix Rising”
Location: Special sanctuary accessed during the quest
Note: You can only get one. It cannot breed.
Doesn’t Get Along With: Fwoopers
Favourite Toy: Tumbleweed
Shiny Variant: None
Puffskein
Description: Round, squishy, and always ready for cuddles. They’ll suck on your nose affectionately.
Catch Difficulty: Very Easy
Resource: Puffskein Fur
Dens: South Hogwarts Region, Forbidden Forest, Clagmar Coast
Gets along with everyone
Favourite Toy: Leather Ball
Shiny Variant: Albino-white
Thestral
Description: Skeletal winged horses that can only be seen by those who’ve witnessed death. Hauntingly beautiful.
Catch Difficulty: Hard
Resource: Thestral Hair
Dens: North Ford Bog
Mount Unlock: Available if you purchased the Dark Arts Pack
Doesn’t Get Along With: Unicorns
Favourite Toy: Dark Wizard Dummy
Shiny Variant: Almost white with subtle gold sheen
Unicorn
Description: Regal and elusive. The ultimate magical creature in every way.
Catch Difficulty: Very Hard
Resource: Unicorn Hair
Dens: Forbidden Forest (only one den in the game)
Tip: Use Invisibility Potion or Disillusionment + Glacius
Doesn’t Get Along With: Thestrals
Favourite Toy: Yarn Ball
Shiny Variant: Completely white with a slight shimmer
Caring for Beasts in the Vivarium
Your beasts live in the Vivarium, a tranquil pocket dimension tucked inside the Room of Requirement. It starts off simple, but more biomes unlock as you complete Deek’s side quests, including:
Coastal Vivarium: The Plight of the House-Elf
Swamp Vivarium: Foal of the Dead
Grassland Vivarium: Phoenix Rising
You can house up to 16 creatures total, with 4 per Vivarium. And there’s no need to match species to their biome, your Puffskein will enjoy the swamp just fine.
Feeding & Grooming
Interact with your beasts using the Beast Feed and Beast Petting Brush (they’re spells, of course). This is how they give you valuable resources like feathers and fur, which you’ll need for gear upgrades at the Loom.
Breeding Beasts
Ready to start your own magical creature daycare? Here’s how it works:
Complete “Foal of the Dead”
Buy a Breeding Pen (1,000 Galleons from Tomes and Scrolls)
Conjure it with 15 Moonstone in the Vivarium
Place one male and one female of the same species in the same Vivarium
Wait 30 minutes for an adorable baby beast!
Babies never grow up, but they’re still resource producers. And yes, shiny babies exist!
Shiny Beasts
Just like Pokémon, Hogwarts Legacy has shiny variants of magical beasts– rare colour swaps that sparkle and have a star next to their name.
How to Find Shiny Beasts
Visit a beast den.
Look for a shiny (check the name for a star).
Don’t see one? Catch all beasts in the den. (the goal is to respawn them)
Change time of day via the map.
Create a manual save.
Reload the save and check the den again.
Repeat as needed.
Can You Breed Shiny Beasts?
Yes! If both parents are shiny, there’s a high chance the baby will be too.
Selling Beasts
Too many Jobberknolls in your Vivarium? Head to Brood and Peck in Hogsmeade.
Each beast sells for 120 Galleons
No harm is done. Shopkeepers promise to find them happy homes
You can also buy most beast materials here (except Phoenix Feathers)
Beasts You Can Ride
Certain beasts double as your magical Ubers (minus the surge pricing).
Hippogriff Mount: Unlocked after The High Keep
Thestral Mount: Only with the Dark Arts Pack DLC
Graphorn Mount: After San Bakar’s Trial (ground-only, great for combat)
To summon a mount: Hold L1 (PS) / LB (Xbox) → Press Triangle / Y
Can You Ride Dragons?
Sadly, no. Dragons remain majestic and untouchable in Hogwarts Legacy. You’ll meet one during "Fire and Vice", but you can’t keep or ride it. Maybe in a future DLC?? Fingers crossed!
You’re now a certified beastmaster of Hogwarts! For more magical mastery, explore our other Hogwarts Legacy guides covering everything from legendary loot to side quest secrets.