Tag: Hogwarts Legacy

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  • Game News

Hogwarts Legacy Free PC Update: Official Modding, Raytracing Enhancements, and More

Our latest free PC update brings stunning graphical enhancements, support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 and GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, and the long-awaited launch of official modding.

Chandler Wood - Community Manager
1/30/2025

Today, the magic of Hogwarts Legacy takes a massive leap forward with our latest free PC update, introducing incredible new graphical enhancements, support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 and the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, and the launch of official modding. Whether you’re marveling at the shimmering reflections on the Black Lake or creating entirely new adventures, cosmetics, or challenges for Hogwarts Legacy players on PC, this update is a testament to how technology and creativity can transform your experience.

But who better to tell you all about the cool things in this update than Avalanche’s very own talented Director of Software Engineering, Jose Villeta, who played a critical role in making all of this happen! Take it away, Jose!

From the Desk of Jose Villeta: What’s New in the Hogwarts Legacy Free PC Update

“With our new PC patch, we have some key updates around modding support and raytracing features, as well as support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 and the latest GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs.

We have worked closely with Overwolf to bring a first-class experience for modding our PC game. Modders will have access to the Unreal Engine Creator Kit powered by CurseForge, along with an updated game client that lets you browse the latest creations and manage your mods seamlessly.

For this update, we focused on three key pillars of modding:

  1. Character Customization: Using our Character Creator Plugin, modders can create new avatar and NPC looks, giving players even more ways to express themselves.
  2. Mission Creation: With access to our Quest Editor Plugin, modders can craft entirely new adventures in the Wizarding World, expanding the story in exciting ways.
  3. Dungeon Maps: Our level toolkits empower modders to design brand-new dungeon locations, complete with challenges and secrets to uncover.

On the graphical side, we’ve upgraded our raytracing and neural rendering technologies with several new features:

  • Enhanced Raytraced Reflections: These are now rendered at a higher fidelity, delivering crisper, more detailed visuals.
  • Water Reflections: Raytraced reflections now include bodies of water, such as the iconic Black Lake.
  • Customizable Raytracing Settings: Players can now fine-tune individual raytracing settings, like shadows and geometry, to best suit their hardware and preferences.
  • Support for Advanced Neural Rendering Technologies: Hogwarts Legacy now features support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, which boosts FPS by using AI to generate up to three times per traditionally rendered frame. DLSS 4 also introduces faster single Frame Generation with reduced memory usage for GeForce RTX 50 and 40 Series. The new Transformer model enhances stability, lighting, and detail in motion.”

Conjure the Magic

Thanks to the incredible work of the Avalanche Software team and a number of external partners, this update is a game-changer for both players and mod authors. Modding support has always been a dream for our community (and our studio!), and now it’s a reality. Imagine designing your own quests, customizing characters with whimsical or elaborate new styles, or diving into dungeons crafted by fellow players. With the tools provided in the Official Hogwarts Legacy Creator Kit—available free on the Epic Games Store—the possibilities are boundless.

Modders will have access to the Unreal Engine Creator Kit powered by CurseForge

Jose Villeta

For those who just want to enjoy the fruits of the community’s creativity, the in-game modding interface makes it easy to discover and install new content, with a library that will constantly be growing as modders create new things for players to experience. Your wizarding world is about to get a whole lot bigger.

A World Reimagined

On the graphical side, new enhancements bring Hogwarts to life in breathtaking detail. The reflections in the Black Lake shimmer with newfound realism, and the shadows stretching across the castle grounds add a depth that feels almost tangible. Combined with the ability to customize settings to your liking, the update ensures that every PC player can find the perfect balance of beauty and performance.

Whether you’re exploring the castle’s towers under a glowing sunset or embarking on a modded quest that takes you beyond the Forbidden Forest into realms unknown, this update invites you to see Hogwarts Legacy in ways you never thought possible.

The free PC update isn’t just about adding features—it’s about expanding what’s possible. We’re giving players the tools to create, explore, and connect in ways that feel personal and magical. With groundbreaking visual enhancements and the unbridled creativity of modding at your fingertips, the magic of Hogwarts Legacy is more alive than ever.

Grab your wand, tune your settings, and conjure the magic in the free Hogwarts Legacy PC update, available now.

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  • Spotlights

Hogwarts Legacy: Artist Spotlight

Discover the magic inside the Official Hogwarts Legacy Coloring Book as we explore the creative journey of some of the talented artists who brought Hogwarts Legacy to life.

Chandler Wood - Community Manager
9/12/2024

Art has an uncanny way of letting us pour out our innermost thoughts, deepest dreams, and wildest imaginations. For the talented artists behind Hogwarts Legacy, creating this enchanting universe was more than just work—it was a labor of love and creativity. But perhaps most of all, it was a bond with the magical world of Harry Potter. With the release of the Official Hogwarts Legacy Coloring Book, which was hand curated by the art team here at Avalanche Software, fans get the chance to step into the shoes of the Hogwarts Legacy artists and feel the magic of bringing the wizarding world to life themselves.

The Joy of Creation and a Unique Vision

Creating art is a universal experience—it’s in our nature to want to make something beautiful; to express ourselves. Dallin Jones, a character artist here at Avalanche Software, puts it perfectly: “Art is so fulfilling because it taps into each of our innate needs to create.” This innate need shines through in every corner of the game, from the intricately designed characters to the lush, detailed environments, all stamped with the mark of a passionate team of artists.

Art is exceptionally personal—it’s a glimpse through the lens of each artist. Concept artist Kevin Keele describes this beautifully, saying, “The thing I love most about art is that it exists as a reflection of how the person who created it sees the world.” Personal perspective makes art captivating and unique, not only letting others see the world through the artist’s eyes but allowing each person their own interpretation of the art based on their own unique perspectives.

Kalee McCollaum, another artist at the studio shared her approach to art, saying, “It’s just slowly building up layer by layer over time.” That methodical layering process adds depth and richness—it might not look like much at first, but in time, it becomes something beautiful, unique, and personal.

Yet, even with as personal as art is, there’s a magic in collaboration too, where those personal visions come together to make something truly unique that no one artist could have created on their own. Kevin Keele said, “I think it’s so fun to work with a diverse group of people with a wide array of skills… you really get this fun chemistry going where it’s a back and forth.” This dynamic collaboration is what makes Hogwarts Legacy so rich and vibrant.

Hogwarts Legacy Artists: Coloring a Dream

For all of the artists here at Avalanche Software, working on something as beloved as Harry Potter is a dream come true. Dallin describes it as “pretty incredible to be working on, honestly, my favorite property of all time… to have any kind of impact on the lore is pretty cool.”

The image shows a close-up of hands coloring a page in a detailed coloring book under soft, focused lighting. Left Page: The page is partially visible, showing the line art of an illustrated scene that is not yet colored. The artwork includes a figure holding a wand or staff and architectural elements, hinting at a magical or fantasy theme. Right Page: The page is almost completely colored and depicts an older man with a bushy mustache and round glasses, wearing a burgundy robe or jacket. The background shows stacks of books or boxes and some intricate decorative elements, such as golden rings or magical tools, indicating a study or library setting. The coloring is carefully done with various shades of brown, red, green, and blue, giving depth and texture to the scene. A hogwarts legacy artist wearing a yellow and brown striped shirt is actively coloring the page with a white or light-colored pencil. Other colored pencils are scattered above the book on the black tabletop, suggesting ongoing work and creativity.

More so than just art, the magic of the wizarding world presents opportunities to play with the boundaries of reality. Kalee notes, “Magic is really fun to work with as a medium because it defies the laws of gravity… I can push it in a way that makes it so that like a building is leaning in a way that it shouldn’t be in real life.” In this way imagination and magic meet in wonderous ways.

Storytelling Through Art

However, art isn’t all visual. It’s also about conveying something and creating emotion. “Art is all about saying something, whether that be like a one-off statement or telling a story… the art that I tend to gravitate towards tells a lot of story through shapes, through color, through every aspect of it,” Kalee said.

The Official Hogwarts Legacy Coloring Book isn’t just a collection of images—it’s an invitation to dive into the art of Hogwarts Legacy in a deeply personal way. Through the artists at Avalanche Software, we get a peek into the creative journey that brought Hogwarts Legacy to life. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just a Hogwarts Legacy fan, this coloring book offers a unique chance to connect with the magic of the wizarding world.

As you color each page, remember Dallin’s words: “Do what you enjoy… now’s the time to just enjoy discovering what you enjoy.” Grab your pencils, let your creativity run wild, and let the magic of art take you on a journey through the world of Hogwarts Legacy.