Merlin’s beard! Here’s how to find and complete the 90+ Merlin Trials.
Released earlier this year on current-gen platforms, Hogwarts Legacy provides a huge open world with a multitude of side quests, collectables and challenges.
There’s so much to do aside from the main story, from collecting the Field Guide Pages to making potions.
And now that the game is out on the Nintendo Switch, the doors of Hogwarts are now open to a whole new slew of gamers.
As we’ve said, there’s plenty to discover, some of which is easy. Other challenges are more… well, challenging.
One aspect you might struggle with is the Merlin Trials. There are around 100 of these spell-based puzzles in the game, some of which are frustratingly difficult.
If you want a hand with the Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trials, we’re here to help.
How to solve all Merlin Trials in Hogwarts Legacy
While there are many, many Merlin Trials, luckily they all seem to be variations of nine different main puzzles. Some of them can be rather frustrating to figure out on your own – looking at you, dice puzzle – but this handy video guide below will teach you the solutions to each Merlin Trial in Hogwarts Legacy.
Bear in mind that in order to start work on the Merlin Trials you fittingly need to complete the Trials of Merlin quest first, which thankfully is an unmissable part of the main quest. Each puzzle type also requires a specific spell to solve, so you will have to unlock the correct spell before you can complete those Merlin Trials.
You’ll also need Mallowsweet to activate each Merlin Trial, so get bulk buying at The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade (or make your own Mallowsweet in the Room of Requirement)!
However, if you’d rather have a written guide, here are the solutions to each different type of Merlin Trial:
- Lighting torches: Using Incendio or Confringo, you’ll have to light all the torches in the area. The torches will begin to start sinking into the ground, however, so this is a timed trial!
- Break pillar balls: Nice and simple this one: all you have to do is smash nine small stones on top of pillars in the area. The balls are usually found in groups of three, and can be broken using Accio.
- Put the ball in the hole: Forget Quidditch, it’s time for magic football: naturally, all you have to do is use Wingurdiam Leviosa to lift the large ball and place it in the hole in the ground.
- Moth puzzle: One that can seem difficult until you know what to do, for this Merlin Trial you just have to use Lumos to attract nearby moths and then place them into the moonstone pillars.
- Collect stone balls: There will be three groups of small stone balls lying near the trial area – just use Accio to move them into ball-shaped holes in the ground nearby.
- Confringo stone pillars: Just use Confringo to blow up the highlighted stone pillars in the trial area. Kaboom!
- Platforming challenge: No magic here, you just need to complete the nearby parkour course by jumping across the highlighted rocks without touching the ground.
- Reparo challenge: The opposite of the Confringo challenge, all you need to do here is use Reparo to repair three stone pillars nearby.
- Symbol dice: You have a wizard Rubix cube here – you should see two dice on top of each other with symbols on each side. What you need to do is use Flipendo on the top cube until the symbol matches that of the cube below. However, you’ll have to do this on each side until all four are lined up.
Whichever type of puzzle you’re using, don’t forget to use Revelio – look for any blue items that appear on your radar as they are probably part of the Merlin Trial at hand. It’s easy to miss one of the torches or balls, for example, as they’re sometimes hidden in sneaky places.
All Merlin Trial locations in Hogwarts Legacy
There are a whopping 95(!) Merlin Trials scattered throughout Hogwarts Legacy, so you’re more than likely going to stumble upon plenty just by playing the game.
If you’re specifically looking for Merlin Trials, they can be seen on your map as the black-and-white leaf icon. Flying around on your broomstick and using Revelio is a great way to locate the Merlin Trials which are a bit more off the beaten track.
If you’re looking to cross off Merlin Trials by area, here is a list of how many of the puzzles can be found in each part of the Hogwarts Grounds:
- Forbidden Forest: Three Merlin trials
- North Ford Bog: Four Merlin trials
- Hogsmeade Valley: Five Merlin Trials
- North Hogwarts Region: Five Merlin Trials
- South Hogwarts Region: 15 Merlin Trials
- Hogwarts Valley: 16 Merlin Trials
- Feldcroft Region: 16 Merlin Trials
- South Sea Bog: Two Merlin Trials
- Poidsear Coast: 10 Merlin Trials
- Marunweem Lake: Four Merlin Trials
- Manor Cape: Five Merlin Trials
- Cragcroftshire: Five Merlin Trials
- Clagmar Coast: Five Merlin Trials
For a visual guide of where each Merlin Trial is within each area, and how to solve every single one of the damned things, check out the impressively expansive video below:
Merlin Trial rewards in Hogwarts Legacy
Completing Merlin Trials in Hogwarts Legacy will reward you with additional inventory slots, allowing you to carry more of your best gear at once, without needing to sell anything.
After solving a certain number of Merlin Trials, you will receive an additional four slots of gear storage. These milestones are:
- Solve 2 Merlin Trials
- Solve 6 Merlin Trials
- Solve 10 Merlin Trials
- Solve 14 Merlin Trials
- Solve 20 Merlin Trials
You will only receive the upgrades by claiming it from the Challenges tab in your Field Guide, so make sure to check the Guide whenever you complete any new Trials.
While you only need to solve 52 Merlin Trials to max out your inventory, you will get an achievement for solving all 95 Trials, if you’re quite the completionist.
Read more on Hogwarts Legacy:
- Hogwarts Legacy review– our full verdict
- Hogwarts Legacy potions– all recipes to know
- Hogwarts Legacy plants – what do they do?
- Hogwarts Legacy level cap – how to spend talent points
- Hogwarts Legacy Daedalian Key locations– House token guide
- Hogwarts Legacy best gear – the strongest outfits
- Hogwarts Legacy gold – get rich!
- Hogwarts Legacy release date – staggered launch explained
- Hogwarts Legacy Demiguise Statues – moon statue locations
- Hogwarts Legacy mods – the best fan-made cheats
- Hogwarts Legacy New Game Plus – does it exist?
- Hogwarts Legacy multiplayer– is it co-op?
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