You can get more Gear Slots by completing all Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trials.
You can only get more gear slots in Hogwarts Legacy by completing the Merlin Trials. Therefore, they are essential for a larger inventory and prevent you from selling or destroying outfits every five minutes. By completing Merlin Trials, you can unlock more Gear Slots in blocks of four. These Gear Slots are tied to a challenge in your field guide.
The Merlin Trials are a series of small puzzles you’ll find all over the map that use magic or puzzles to solve.
Getting Merlin Trials unlocked in Hogwarts Legacy
In order to unlock Merlin Trials, you need to speak to the witch Nora Treadwell, who you’ll find after completing Natty’s quest “The Girl from Uagadou”. If you hear the screaming when you finish up with Natty, you’ll find Treadwell – her mission is named “Trials of Merlin”, so it’s pretty obvious. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to complete the trials and start earning the Hogwarts Legacy Gear Slots. As with the Hogwarts Legacy eye chests, you’ll find them everywhere once you know what to look for.
How to solve the Merlin Trials in Hogwarts Legacy
Since they span the entire map and can take ages to find on foot, you won’t be able to take on Merlin Trials fully until you unlock the Hogwarts Legacy broomsticks. You can fly around casting Revelio as you pass them once you have your broom (or later a Hogwarts Legacy mount). In order to activate each trail, you must sprinkle some of the Mallowsweet leaves on the markers you find. You can buy, grow, and find some of this herb.
In total, there are 85 leaves in the game, each marked with an icon like this:
There are also ornate stone circles on the ground that mark them out in the world:
In Merlin Trials, you will encounter nine variations. The solutions to each one are always within the immediate vicinity of the marker and are highlighted in blue when you cast Revelio. This makes it easy to know what to do. Merlin Trials require these spells:
- Basic Cast (RT)
- Depulso
- Accio
- Confringo and/or Incendio
- Lumio
- Reparo
- Flipendo
So if you’re having trouble understanding something, maybe you don’t yet have the right spell.
Listed below are all types of Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trials and how to solve them:
LARGE STONE BALL
Spell required: Depulso
In this one, you simply roll a large stone ball into a bowl in the ground using Depulso (the push spell). It’s usually fairly high up and there’s a clear path to the bowl goal. Even though the balls move slowly, they are too heavy for Leviosa or Accio and hard to course-correct.
SMALL STONE BALLS
Spell required: Accio
During the Merlin Trial, there will be three stone plates on the floor surrounding it. You will need to use Accio to guide the stones to each stone plate in order to succeed.
A TRIO OF BRAZIERS
Spell needed: Confringo (some with Incendio only)
In another Merlin Trial, you have to light three braziers mounted on stone columns. They can be spread out pretty far, so Confringo makes it a lot easier to get them done. As soon as they’re lit, they’ll sink into the ground, so you’ll have to light them in a certain order. Begin with the tallest one, and end with the one at the lowest point.
MOTH STONES
Spell needed: Lumio
In a riff on the moth guiding to the frame side quest, one of the Merlin Trials involves guiding a group of moths to glowing statues. No doubt, you’ll see the statues first, then you’ll have to find the moths, which are more hidden. You can use Lumio to call the moths to your wand, and then lead them to the statues. This should be done for all three statues.
BROKEN STATUES
Spell needed: Reparo
Upon starting the Merlin Trial, you’ll see three statues smash to pieces immediately. Use Reparo on all three and you’ll be done in no time.
MATCHING PUZZLE BLOCKS
Spell needed: Flipendo
The Merlin Trial requires you to use Flipendo (which appears quite far into the game) to complete three stone columns made up of two stone blocks with markings on them. The top stone blocks of each column must be rotated with Flipendo until they match the symbols like this with the arrow pointing down.
In order to change the direction in which you flip the block, you have to move around the block. It’s awkward, but thankfully this Merlin Trial variety isn’t very common.
GREEN SPOTTED SLABS
Spell needed: Confringo
As one of the easier Merlin Trials, all you need to do is use Confringo to destroy all the blocks that appear like the above in the immediate vicinity. In order to destroy them all, you need to use Revelio to make them light up in blue.
BALLS ON STICKS
Spell needed: Basic R2 / RT spell
The Merlin Trials also feature nine stone balls that are placed atop stone columns. They’re usually found in groups of three around the Merlin Trial marker, but the trickiest part is usually finding them. In addition to glowing with Reverieo, they can also be hidden behind walls or high up, so it’s just a matter of hitting them all with a basic spell.
PLATFORM CHALLENGE
Spell needed: None
There is also a platforming challenge that is probably the rarest of the Merlin Trials. You’ll find a series of stone platforms in a line that’s basically a simple obstacle course. You must jump from one platform to the next without touching the floor until the end of the course.
