As a passionate gamer who has eagerly awaited the magic of Hogwarts for months, I couldn‘t wait to dive headfirst into Hogwarts Legacy upon its long-anticipated release. And I mean literally dive – into the mysterious fathoms of the Black Lake in search of a student‘s lost magical artifact.
One of the first side adventures you can embark on, "The Lost Astrolabe" quest sends you on an aquatic expedition to recover a precious family heirloom astrolabe for a Hogwarts pupil named Grace Pinch-Smedley.
In this extensive guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to swiftly complete this quest for the best rewards, from locating Grace herself to navigating the Black Lake‘s threats and treasures.
Whether you‘re a ruthless Slytherin exploiting the mission for personal gain, a dutiful Hufflepuff hoping to brighten a classmate‘s day, or simply a studious Ravenclaw hungry for long-lost magical knowledge, this guide has you covered!
What is an Astrolabe?
Before diving in (pun intended), let‘s quickly cover what exactly an astrolabe artifact is both in Hogwarts Legacy and real-world mythology:
- A historical astronomical tool used in navigation, divination and fortune telling
- Features a complex disc that rotates to determine celestial positions, cycles and more
- Used to track stars, predict weather patterns, cast horoscopes and other mystical arts
- Grace‘s heirloom version holds special sentimental value in her family
So finding this relic serves a practical purpose for Grace while allowing you to hold an piece of ancient magical history.
Now let‘s get to the quest itself!
Starting "The Lost Astrolabe" Side Quest
First, you need to track down the quest giver herself, Grace Pinch-Smedley. Grace can be located along the wooden docks overlooking Black Lake in the Lower Hogsfield region:
- Head to the southern coast of Black Lake
- Seek out a blonde female Hufflepuff student
- Interact with Grace to initiate a conversation
But before Grace fully offers the quest, you must fulfill two key prerequisites:
Quest Prerequisites
- Reach a character Level 7 first
- Finish the "Tomes and Tribulations" main story quest
Once you meet these criteria, the "Lost Astrolabe" quest will unlock.
Quest Exposition
A brief dialogue scene will play out where Grace explains her family‘s precious astrolabe artifact was lost over 40 years ago in Black Lake by her grandfather. Her father has forbidden Grace from entering the lake to search for this cherished heirloom herself.
So she asks if you can locate and retrieve the astrolabe as a fellow Hogwarts student. Agree to take on this aquatic challenge, and the quest will now be marked under your Side Assignments tab.
Diving Into Black Lake
With Grace‘s request in hand, our first major goal is to dive into the lake itself to begin the search.
Black Lake harbors various magical creatures and enemies. So equip some Weakness Potions, Mandrake Restoratives or other helpful consumables before taking the plunge.
Stock up on food to restore health as well – Grace warns the journey may take an hour or more.
Once in the water, remain vigilant for these hostile denizens as you hunt for the missing divination tool:
| Enemy Type | Description | Combat Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Grindylows | Skeletal water demons that ambush with sharp fingers | Lure to shallow water for easier spell hits |
| Dugbogs | Carnivorous frog/fish hybrids that swarm in packs | Strike quickly before they overwhelm you |
I found luring separate enemies to shallow water made combat much more manageable. On land, you can target them more safely with spells like Incendio, rather than trying to aim spells underwater.
Just beware of their grab attacks once you retreat to the shore! Dodge rolling out of their grip helps avoid massive damage.
Locating Grace‘s Lost Astrolabe
According to Grace, the astrolabe rests roughly 200 meters northeast of her position at the docks.
Sure enough, when I ventured out into the foggy lake following her directions, the telltale quest marker pennant appeared on my map almost immediately, waving from the depths:
Descend to the lakebed floor and scour the rocky terrain until you uncover a glittering brass astrolabe amongst the dreary environment:
Scoop up the ancient magical item, and Objective #1 is in the bag! But don‘t retreat back to Grace quite yet…
Additional Secret Treasure
Along my lakebed travels, I noticed several other diving spots marked with streams of light filtering down from the surface. These signify additional loot and resources waiting at the bottom.
And let me tell you…fully exploring these bubble columns led me to tons of invaluable early-game items well worth the risky detour!
Here were all the bonus treasures I uncovered across 5 different diving points:
- 3x Wiggenweld Potions
- A Mauve Beret
- An Asylum Mask
- Dapper Mauve Ensemble outfit
That‘s on top of the 180 XP you get just from completing the core quest!
The lakebed hides Enhancing Potions down there as well – super useful for tougher enemies. And keep an eye out for crafting resources like Gulping Plimpy Fish or Glumbumble secretions used for high-level potions and broom upgrades.
I easily spent 30 minutes thoroughly combing the lakebed for every scrap of value. This loot gave me a major leg up on challenges to come! So I highly recommend the same.
Returning to Grace Pinch-Smedley
Objective complete and backpack full of lake plunder, I returned to the Hogsfield docks to let Grace know her family heirloom had been recovered from its decades-long watery grave at last.
Grace seems shocked but thrilled the ancient astrolabe still exists and has at last found its way home. She then presents you with three different dialogue options when turning in the quest:
Dialogue Option #1: Return It Freely
- "I did. Here you are." (Return it with no strings attached)
Selecting this selfless option to freely give Grace her long-lost family treasure results in the base quest rewards:
- 180 XP
- Mermaid Mask cosmetic
Dialogue Option #2: Demand Payment
- "I did. And it‘s yours – for a price." (Attempt to extort Grace)
If you attempt to leverage the artifact to squeeze personal profit out of her misfortune, Grace begrudgingly agrees. But this choice forfeits some XP for gold:
- Mermaid Mask
- 20 Galleons
- Reduced ~100 XP
So you trade ethics for profit. But hey…those Glumbumble secretions won‘t buy themselves!
Dialogue Option #3: Keep It Yourself
- "I did. And I‘m keeping it." (Refuse to return her property altogether)
Finally, the most roguish choice is telling Grace you intend to keep her precious astrolabe for yourself! While annoyed at your cunning tactic, she admits surrender.
Stats for this clever decision:
- 45 XP
- Keep Pinch-Smedley‘s Astrolabe
- Mermaid Mask
You take home far less experience. But now the ancient divination tool belongs to YOU rather than returning this one-of-a-kind magical artifact to its rightful owner. How deliciously Slytherin!
Weighing the Quest Rewards
So which quest completion choice is right for you? Let‘s quickly compare them:
| Reward Type | Return Freely | Demand Payment | Keep It Yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience Gained | 180 XP | ~100 XP | 45 XP |
| Gold Received | 0 Galleons | 20 Galleons | 0 Galleons |
| Special Item | Mermaid Mask | Mermaid Mask | Astrolabe + Mask |
If fast early leveling is your goal, clearly the 180 XP makes freely returning the heirloom the best option. That extra 80+ XP goes a long way!
But for the more profit-minded, snagging some quick galleons from this lucrative side hustle makes sense too. Especially if you plan to purchase gear upgrades and rare recipes soon.
And if expanding your collection of unique cosmetics and artifacts is high priority, keeping this ancient astrolabe for yourself may have great appeal!
For my first playthrough, I opted to return it freely for the XP bonus. But for my cunning Slytherin run I may just hold it hostage!
Additional Tips & FAQs
Here are some final bits of advice for smoothly recovering The Lost Astrolabe based on my experience:
- Thoroughly explore every nook of Black Lake before finishing. More loot = easier next challenges!
- Fight enemies 1v1 on shore for easier wins. Beware grab attacks once you retreat land though.
- Pack the best food to manage health loss from tougher lake fights.
- You can change your reward choice by reloading an old save if you regret your pick.
- There are no bells that drop from enemies to unlock this quest‘s rewards in the Room of Requirement like some others. Rewards are automatically applied to your inventory.
Q: Is the Pinch-Smedley Astrolabe worth keeping?
A: Not especially. It serves minor collectible purpose but no in-game effects. Unless you love artifacts!
And that covers everything on restoring Grace‘s lost divination artifact! Now get out there and start mastering the mysteries swimming in Hogwarts Legacy‘s Black Lake!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions on this or other HL quests in your magical journey!
