Hogwarts Legacy players up in arms after patch stops them using unforgivable curses during a tough boss fight

Hogwarts Legacy screenshot
(Image credit: Warner Bros Games. Interactive)

Hogwarts Legacy players are less than pleased after discovering the latest patch stops them from using unforgivable curses when battling a tricky boss.

One of the most enticing aspects of Hogwarts Legacy is the freedom to be whatever kind of witch or wizard you desire, whether that's someone who uses magic for good or resorts to casting sinister and dangerous spells to win a fight. It turns out that plenty of players were drawn to the Dark Arts when confronting Cassandra Mason, and used unforgivable curses like Avada Kedavra for a swift and easy victory, but to their dismay, this approach is now no longer possible.

The change was spotted by user CrimeBeMyJam who shared their discovery on the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit. "They've patched it so you can't use unforgivable in a certain boss-fight," they wrote, adding "I'm so sad."

They've patched it so you can't use unforgivables in a certain boss-fight from r/HarryPotterGame

Other Hogwarts Legacy fans are equally as unhappy about having to face this formidable foe without the aid of unforgivable curses. One commented: "But using Crucio on her was SO SATISFYING." Another wrote: "That is absolute BS. What's the point of putting the unforgivables in the game to only use them against low level threats. I find it wasteful to use it on goblins or mongrels. I like to save it as a last resort against harder bosses."

The restriction came as quite a surprise for players, as developer Avalanche Software doesn't mention it in the patch notes for the latest Hogwarts Legacy update. Yet it does say it's resolved an issue where the game would crash if the player used Avada Kedavra on Cassandra at the beginning of the fight, so perhaps it was unintentionally done when fixing that issue, or maybe the developer decided that resorting to underhanded tactics spoiled what's otherwise a challenging encounter.

Still, not all players are unhappy about having to face off against Cassandra using approved magic only. "Tbh when I learned the spell I didn't expect to insta kill bosses, for me that was op," wrote one Hogwarts Legacy fan. Another replied: "I rarely used unforgivables anyway."

It's also worth noting that you may play through the entirety of Hogwarts Legacy and never encounter Cassandra Mason as she's part of the Minding Your Own Business side quest, which is a PlayStation exclusive. So if you own the game on another platform, you needn't worry about challenging her to a fair fight.

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling's public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.