“Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” Tips, Tricks & First Real-World Fan Festival

Jun 28, 2019

Posted by: Gianfranco Lentini

Bloomsbury, Fans, Games, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, Interactive, Interviews, J.K. Rowling, Media, News, Potter News, Products, Scholastic, Tech

It’s been quite a busy week since the call to arms for the S.O.S. Task Force united witches and wizards around the globe over Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Developed by Niantic (the creators of Pokémon Go) and Portkey Games, the mobile augmented reality game has us brushing up on our flipendos and stuffing our faces on pumpkin pasties all in the name of protecting the Statute of Secrecy against the mysterious doings of “The Calamity.”

But even the brightest witch or wizard may have a few questions along the way. So, never fear, below is a quick guide of essential tips and tricks to help keep your wands at the ready!

CREATING A CODE NAME & PROFILE

If you’ve yet to download Wizards Unite, two things:

1) What in the name of Dumbledore are you waiting for?
2) When you being playing, you’ll be asked to create a code name. As many have already faced, coming up with a clever name that hasn’t already been taken may be one of the hardest beasts you will face.

Thankfully, the brilliant folks over at Bloomsbury have created a Harry Potter Name Generator to help you spend less time pouring over your Harry Potter books for inspiration (sorry, Hermione).

And if that’s not enough, you can pay a visit to Wikipedia’s “List of Harry Potter Characters,” or check out this article from Thrillist that lists an amazing selection of name generators.

Once you’ve chosen a code name you love, it’s time to fill in your Ministry ID, and you’re ready to play!

Wizards Unite Ministry ID

CHOOSING A WAND

By this point, we can all recite till we’re blue in the face: “The wand chooses the wizard.” However, this time the power is in the hand of the wand wielder, and there are HUNDREDS of options to choose from. It really makes you appreciate all of Ollivander’s hard work.

Wizards Unite Wand Info

Below is what you’ll find when you enter the info pages (the round circle with an “i” in the middle) on the “wand weighing” page in the game:

Wand Wood Info: “The properties of different woods can correspond to the character and values of its wielder.” (Trust me, you’ll get lost for hours wondering, “Am I more of an Ash or more of a Rowan…?”)

Wizards Unite Wand Info

Wand Core Info: “While many different substances can be used for wand cores, the three supreme core types are Unicorn Hair, Dragon Heartstring, and Phoenix Feather.”

Wizards Unite Wand Info

Wand Flexibility Info: “Flexibility of a wand can determine the adaptability of the owner’s spellwork, and can also denote the wand’s loyalty to its wielder.”

Wand Length Info: “The length of the wand can often reflect the personality of its user. Longer wands may suit those with a more dramatic style of casting, while shorter wands can be used for more refined spellwork.”

KEEP IN MIND — There’s been no news yet whether the wand you choose affects your gameplay, but like most things in the Wizarding World, we may stand to be surprised…

ASSIGNMENTS

Wizards Unite operates on a series of Assignments – Daily, Special, Achievements and SOS. As you play and interact with the features of the game, you will complete these assignments and be rewarded with spell energy, XP and special items. Some assignments will be available for completion within a 24-hour window, while others will take much longer to complete.

Now, think you’re ready to complete some assignments? Then keep reading!

Wizards Unite assignments

INNS, GREENHOUSES, & FORTRESSES

When you being exploring the Wizarding World outside your front door, you’ll have the opportunity to visit three different locations: Inns, Greenhouses and Fortresses.

Wizards Unite inns, greenhouses, fortresses

Inns: This is where you’ll retrieve spell energy in the form of food, which is needed for every spell you cast, including fights and encounters with Confoundables (which we’ll get to soon). Without spell energy, there’s no magic. And without magic, how are you going to be a happy witch or wizard?

An inn will replenish its stock of spell energy every 5 minutes, so make sure you check back in as often as you can. And similar to the lure feature in Pokémon Go, you can plant Dark Detectors at an inn to attract Confoundables for the next 30 minutes.

Greenhouses: These operate similar to inns. Here you’ll retrieve potion ingredients you’ll then use to–you guessed it–brew potions. Greenhouses also replenish every 5 minutes, so keep coming back.

When you’re done picking up ingredients, you can also plant some of the seeds you’ve collected. After a little TLC and passing time, a green aurora will appear over the greenhouse, which means you’re ready to reap your reward. And a great feature about greenhouses is that growing plants is a neighborhood affair, meaning anyone else can collect your new ingredients, too.

Fortresses: Inside a fortress is where you’ll prove yourself as a witch or wizard. Every fortress features 20 levels of increasing difficulty where opponents and creatures lie waiting for your arrival. To play, you’ll need runestones which will be obtained as you complete assignments and level up.

The logistics of battling are simple enough, but your wandwork will take practice. As you fight, you’ll tap and hold the end of your wand to lock in your point of attack. Once in focus, you can launch into attack and defense spells by tracing the glyphs on your screen, which will make you appreciate every encounter you have with Confoundables (discussed below). Make sure to keep a stock of potions on you to help restore your health and boost your spell energy while in combat.

But if the Golden Trio taught us anything, it’s that no witch or wizard fights alone. Fortresses allow you to face creatures with the help of friends and other players, which makes my palms a little less sweaty.

TRACES, CONFOUNDABLES & FOUNDABLES

Question: So what exactly are we doing here in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite?

Answer: Caused by the doings of an unknown source referred to as “The Calamity,” dark magic has been released into the world risking the exposure of the Wizarding World. Hogwarts students are being transfigured, Ministry officials are losing their minds, and magical creatures are tampering with magical artifacts. And it’s up to us to put a stop to this.

Traces: As you play, a series of traces will pop up around you on the map and lead you to instances of magic gone awry. There are 10 traces in total, each with a specific symbol and title:

-Claw Mark: Care of Magical Creatures (seen below)
-Skull: Dark Arts
-9 3/4: Hogwarts School
-H: Legends of Hogwarts
-M: Ministry of Magic
-Footprint: Magizoology
-Snitch: Magical Games and Sports
-Padlock: Mysterious Artefacts
-Star: Wonders of the Wizarding World
-Wand: Oddities

Map_with_Landmark_Highlighted

When you tap on a trace, you will then encounter two things:

Confoundables: The thing that’s causing chaos (i.e. Dementors, Gemino Curse, or some pesky bramble).

Foundables: The thing that’s under attack (i.e. Remembralls, unicorns, or even Harry Potter himself).

It’s your job to successfully defeat these Confoundables with as precise wandwork as possible. The better the wandwork, the more powerful of a spell you will cast. And don’t worry if the flick of your wrist is a little rusty. You’ll find out that good wandwork technique definitely takes practice. Just like in the fortresses, you may use potions while confronting Confoundables to increase your spell energy.

Defeating a Confoundable will reward you with XP and special items. And best of all, every Foundable you save will be recorded in your Registry (found in your briefcase), which will also reward you with XP and special items.

Wizards Unite Dementor Confoundable

POTION BREWING

Now, you probably need a little break from good and evil, so head into your briefcase to do a little potion brewing. Here is where you’ll put to use all the magical ingredients you’ve picked up along your adventures.

As you brew, you’ll notice the “brew time” until your potion is ready for bottling posted at the top of the screen. If you’re a patient witch or wizard, congratulations. But if you’re looking for a little shortcut (I’m looking at you, Snape), check out this post from the fanbase Wizards Unite Hub for “Master Notes” which allow you to stir your cauldron to speedy effect and reduce brewing time.

REAL WORLD FAN EVENT

JUST ANNOUNCED — This Labor Day weekend (August 31 – September 1), Indianapolis, Ind. will host the first ever Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Fan Festival. Updates and details will be posted to the Wizards Unite social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), so follow along to stay in the know, and start putting all the tips and tricks above into practice to perfect your game play in time for this magical fan event!

OFFICIAL TIPS FROM SCHOLASTIC

If you want a more in-depth guide to mastering the game, you can now purchase the definitive official guidebook from Scholastic here. The book “includes magical secrets from the developers” sure to help you make the most of your experience!

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite website continues to be released globally, so keep an eye here for when it will be available to play in your part of the world, and make sure to check out Leaky’s previous coverage of interviews with the Niantic developers as they discuss all things Harry Potter: Wizards Unite!

All images featured courtesy of Wizards Unite.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.