As an aspiring Hogwarts student and Quidditch hopeful, one of your biggest dreams is undoubtedly taking to the open skies on a flying broom. Well, fellow witch or wizard, dreams come true in Hogwarts Legacy!
This 2,000+ word guide will give you everything you need to know to unlock flying broomsticks and gain a real edge over both enemies and your peers through upgrading.
I‘ll walk you step-by-step through the broom purchase process, detail multiple upgrade paths to build a best-in-class flyer, provide pro tips for dominating the skies, showcase top-tier brooms to aspire towards, and answer frequently asked questions riders have on their first flights out of the owlery.
When we‘re done, you‘ll be the talk of Hogwarts for your aerial abilities! So strap in and prepare for takeoff.
Complete the Story Prerequisites to Qualify for Flying Lessons (Level 14)
Before Madam Hooch even considers you ready for a broom, you‘ll need to prove yourself through a number of key story objectives:
- Finish Main Quest: Jackdaw‘s Rest
- This central storyline quest culminates in a major confrontation with Ranrok and his goblins
- Plan for an epic boss battle! Come prepared with health tonics and your best stunning/burning spells
- Completing Jackdaw‘s qualifies you for…
- Unlock Side Quest: Flying Class
- Flying Class is taught by Professor Ronen Kagwa, the Astronomy professor
- He‘ll instruct you on principles of broom flight before you ever mount up
- Be ready for a lecture on aerodynamics and weight distribution – this is still Hogwarts after all!
- Reach Level 15
- In addition to finishing lessons, you‘ll need to reach this threshold character level
- Grind side missions, team up on dedicated leveling runs, or craft the best possible gear to hit the requirement ASAP!
With these boxes checked off, you‘ll be cleared by Headmaster Black for flight qualification. Let‘s buy you a broom!
Purchase Your Starter Broom in Hogsmeade (600+ Gold)
The exclusive dealer authorized to sell flying brooms in Hogsmeade is a shop called Spinwitches Sporting Needs. Here‘s the buying process:
- Fast travel or run to Hogsmeade Village
- Spinwitches is located northwest of the village square, not far from The Magic Neep pub
- Enter Spinwitches Sporting Needs and speak to owner Albie Weekes
- You‘ll find all kinds of Quidditch supplies and equipment here
- Weekes doubles as the flying instructor and broom master for Hogwarts
- Purchase a starter broom for 600-800 Galleons
- Options include: Swiftstick, Windwisper, Wolfsbane, and Cleansweep 11
- All starter brooms have near-identical stats – pick based on visual style!
- Don‘t have enough gold? Sell unwanted gear or complete money-rewarding side quests
With broom in hand, you can officially take to the skies as a novice flyer! But true mastery requires lessons…
Complete Broom Flight Training with Madam Reyes
So you‘ve got yourself a broom – but can you really handle it? Prove you deserve that expensive Cleansweep 11 by passing some flight training!
- After a couple in-game days with your new broom, return to Spinwitches shop
- Speak again with Albie Weekes about getting broom upgrades
- Albie will refer you to renowned broom expert Madam Imelda Reyes for training
- Travel to the Quidditch stadium and speak to Madam Reyes
- She‘ll be mounted on her prized Whitecaps broom – try not to drool over it
- Reyes challenges you to a broom race through enchanted rings across Hogwarts
- Fly through rings before timer expires
- Hit glowing boost orbs inside rings for nitro speed bursts
- Brake with L2/LT before tight turns to prevent crashing
- Beat Madam Reyes‘ overall time to pass the challenge
- It may take a few attempts as you learn broom handling
- You‘ll need mastery of boosting, carving turns, and rapid ascents/descents
- Return and report your victory to Albie at Spinwitches
By proving your skill to Madam Reyes, you‘ll now be able to purchase broom performance upgrades from Weekes. Time to boost those speed stats!
Upgrade Your Broom for Maximum Speed and Maneuverability
Those starter brooms from Spinwitches may be affordable, but their 0-60 time leaves something to be desired. Luckily, besting Reyes in that race qualified you for some sweet upgrades:
Upgrade Path to a Best-in-Class Flyer
- After completing Madam Reyes‘ race, speak to Albie Weekes again
- Purchase Broom Upgrade Level 1 for ~1,000 Gold
- Grind money from beast hunts, cauldron sales, etc to fund this
- First upgrade significantly boosts acceleration and nitro duration
- Complete Madam Reyes‘ second race challenge to qualify for next upgrade
- This course is more complex with dangerous clifftop hairpin turns!
- Buy Broom Upgrade Level 2 for ~4,000 Gold
- Level 2 Unlockable perks:
- +50% boost recharge rate
- +30 top speed
- 5% damage resistance while mounted
- Level 2 Unlockable perks:
- Test skills in final race through tight subterranean caves
- Purchase Broom Upgrade Level 3 for ~10,000 Gold
- Final upgrade perks:
- +100% boost top speed
- +40 maneueverability
- 10% damage resistance
- Custom trail effects!
- Final upgrade perks:
With all 3 broom upgrades purchased from Weekes, you‘ll now have extreme performance capabilities – enough to compete with Quidditch captains three times your age!
You can now execute nose-dive reversals at over 100 mph, have enough lateral Gs to carve mountain faces like a magical CNC machine, and look awesome doing it all with spectral contrails.
All it takes is 4,000 Galleons and a few death-defying races against Madam Reyes!
Master Broom Controls Across Platforms
Now that you‘ve unlocked this magical marvel of aerospace engineering, it‘s time to master controls for peak aerial performance:
PlayStation
- Summon Broom: Tap L1 + Circle
- Dismount: Triangle
- Ascend: Left analog stick up
- Descend: Left analog stick down
- Boost: Hold L2 (drains boost meter)
- Carve Turn: Tilt left analog stick left/right
Xbox
- Summon Broom: Tap LB + B
- Dismount: Y
- Ascend: Left analog stick up
- Descend: Left analog stick down
- Boost: Hold LT (drains boost meter)
- Carve Turn: Tilt left analog stick left/right
Nintendo Switch
- Summon Broom: Tap L + A
- Dismount: X
- Ascend: Left analog stick up
- Descend: Left analog stick down
- Boost: ZL (drains boost meter)
- Carve Turn: Tilt left stick left/right
Keyboard & Mouse
- Summon Broom: Tap Left Shift + E
- Dismount: F
- Ascend: Mouse down or W key
- Descend: Mouse up or S key
- Boost: Left Shift (drains boost meter)
- Carve Turn: A/D keys
Master these broomstick controls like second nature to achieve the aerial dexterity of a world champion Seeker. You‘ll need that level of stick skill once the Spellbound Forest Opals and Forbidden Chests start requiring some real flying finesse to unlock!
Upgrade Gear and Talents to Boost Broom Abilities
Your broom isn‘t the only equipment that contributes to those triple-digit speeds and physics-defying turns. The right gear and talents will give your broom an extra magical kick:
Gear – Cloak of Azkaban
- +10% flying speed
- +5% maneuverability
- Reduced fall damage
Gear – Bracers of Durmstrang
- +15% flying sprint duration
- +10% acceleration
- Gain health on long flights
Talent – Spirit of the Sky
- +10% broom sprint speed
- Increased boost recharge rate
- Aerial attacks deal 20% more damage
Talent – Windwalker
- Gain 25% maneuverability at full speed
- 60% increased levitation duration if dismounted mid-air
- Slows descent while levitation fades
Combine best-in-slot flying gear with these kinds of talents for hitting speeds once thought impossible on mere wooden twigs…
Your Nimbus 2000 might start feeling more like a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird!
Aspire Towards Exclusive High-Tier Brooms
As incredible as your fully upgraded Cleansweep 11 performs after all that work, it still pales in comparison to some truly legendary brooms…
Here are two ultra-rare mounts any world-class Quidditch athlete would kill to own:
Nimbus 2000
This iconic broom synonymous with Harry Potter himself offers:
- Obtained randomly as loot if Level 30+
- Clean, efficient stylistic bristles
- High starting speed and acceleration
- Very durable construction
- Special moves like the Sloth Grip Roll easier
Firebolt
Considered the supercar of broomsticks, the Firebolt offers unmatched capability:
- Loot drops randomly if Level 38+
- Streamlined ultra-modern style
- Highest starting stats of any broom
- Insane maneuverability at high speeds
- Uses gold instead of twigs for better aerodynamics!
These brooms stand at the pinnacle of magical engineering. Any Quidditch fan would suffer a clan of angry Imps for a chance at one!
While exceedingly rare, they offer something to eternally aspire towards in your adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let‘s answer some common broomstick questions from new Hogwarts fliers:
Can I ride brooms indoors or inside villages?
No, strong enchantments in populated areas prevent indoor flight. Stick to outdoor zones and rural areas.
What‘s the best starter broom to buy?
All starter brooms have identical stats, so pick based on visual style. Popular choices include the Wolfsbane and Cleansweep 11.
Do different broom types impact available moves?
Broom models only change aesthetics and minor stat differences. Advanced flying maneuvers depend on your player level and talents instead.
How long does the broom‘s boost meter take to recharge?
With all upgrades, your boost tank fully refills in 20 seconds. It takes 60 seconds to recharge from empty though, so use nitro judiciously!
Can I dismount safely from high altitudes?
Yes! Initiating a dismount at any height safely levitates you for 30 seconds. Use those moments to re-summon your mount.
What‘s the horizontal turning radius on upgraded brooms?
With fully upgraded handling, racers can execute 90-degree cornering at over 70 mph and 180 reversals at 40 mph. Quidditch pros have measured max lateral G forces exceeding 12Gs!
Is the Nimbus 2000 or Firebolt objectively better?
While the Nimbus 2000 is considered more canon, the Firebolt edges it out with a bit more top speed and slightly increased durability. Focus on your own skills rather than comparing high-end gear too closely!
Have a question not covered here? Flipendo it over to @QuidditchCorrespondent on OwlBook and I may feature it in my next guide!
Now that you‘re a certified broom expert, it‘s time to take flight for adventure. Race you to the Forbidden Forest!
Unlock Exhilarating New Freedom Over the Highlands
As a lifelong Potter fan now attending Hogwarts in this incredible RPG, earning your broomstick represents a watershed graduation into the wizarding world.
You‘ve conquered lessons on flight principles, passed certification races against Madam Reyes herself, and sunk enough Galleons into performance upgrades to make Harry‘s old Nimbus 2000 look like a toy from Weasleys‘ Wizard Wheezes.
Now the true adventure begins. Chart the valleys and peaks of the Highlands under moonlight, engage in Quidditch pickup games over the Great Lake, compete for Leaderboard supremacy through the scattered Flight Time Challenges, or search for rare magical beasts only visible through aerial pursuit.
Most importantly though, revel in this exhilarating new freedom and perspective with which to take in the gorgeous open world Avalanche has built for us.
Broomsticks make all of it more accessible, immersive and awe-inspiring. It‘s a crowning gameplay achievement worthy of the Wizarding World.
So claim the boundless skies awaiting you in Hogwarts Legacy. Just be careful not to fly directly over the Astronomy Tower, lest Professor Fig crash another telescope trying to understand Muggle satellites rather than admitting a stray student besmirched his star charts!
