Hogwarts Legacy: how to upgrade gear using the loom
Your gear in Hogwarts Legacy is a big part in determining what enemies you can face off against. While levelling up will gradually increase your HP, if you want defense and offense skills to increase, you’ve got to invest in good gear.
Regularly switching out your gear when you have better stuff will see you through the story just fine, but if you really want to optimize your stuff, you’ll need to invest in upgrades. These will further boost your stats and give you a great variety of bonuses against certain enemy types or when using certain spells.
We’ll explain how upgrading works, and what you need to gather for the best upgrades.
Make sure to read through our other Hogwarts Legacy guides for everything you need to know about the game, including puzzle solutions, item locations, and more.
Hogwarts Legacy loom
Hogwarts Legacy's loom can upgrade all types of gear except common.
You’ll get the loom as you progress through the main story in Hogwarts Legacy. It’s a key feature of the Room of Requirement, so just keep going until the game prompts you to place it down.
The loom uses beast materials for upgrades and traits, so you’ll need to make sure your Vivarium is full of a variety of beasts. You can find all the beasts you need with our guide for every Hogwarts Legacy beast location.
Hogwarts Legacy gear upgrades
Hogwarts Legacy gear upgrades are easy as long as you've got a good selection of beasts.
Upgrading is pretty easy to understand in this game, and it’s as easy to do as changing your gear’s appearance. By default, each type of gear only increases one stat: gloves, scarves, and robes all increase offense; facewear, hats, and outfits all increase defense. By upgrading your gear in a loom, you’ll unlock a boost for the opposite stat. For example, upgrading a glove will let it boost your defense.
You can upgrade a piece of gear multiple times, but it will require more resources every time you do it. It’s worth the investment though, as the boost you get increases exponentially with each upgrade, so you’ll quickly have some powerful stuff on your hands.
Hogwarts Legacy gear traits
Hogwarts Legacy traits can make you the most powerful wizard in Hogwarts.
Traits work a little differently from upgrades, as rather than boosting stats, they apply unique boosts to your gear. They might increase your resistance to damage from goblins, or increase the effectiveness of a specific spell. They’re not super powerful individually, but if you get complimentary traits on all six of your gear slots, you’ll notice a huge difference.
Traits come in three tiers, and the gear’s rarity determines what tier can be applied:
- Common – No traits
- Rare – Tier 1 traits
- Epic – Tier 2 or lower traits
- Legendary – Tier 3 or lower traits
You’ll also need to discover a trait before you can apply it. Many can be discovered by identifying unidentified gear, as they come with traits automatically attached, but completing challenges in your field guide can unlock them too.
Once you’ve unlocked the traits you want, applying them is a matter of going through the list and paying the resources:
- Tier 1 trait – Puffleskein Fur
- Tier 2 trait – Diricawl Feather
- Tier 3 trait – Kneazle Fur
For information on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling and the game, read our explainer.
