As an avid player of Hogwarts Legacy since early access, I‘ve sunk countless hours into scouring the map for rare beasts to house in my vivarium.
Expanding your beast sanctum is one of the most rewarding side activities in the game. The vivarium starts small, but can transform into a sprawling habitat teeming with fantastic life.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share pro tips to upgrade every aspect of your vivarium like a pro – from unlocking new biomes to decoration strategies. Let‘s dive in!
Vivarium Basics
For those just getting started, the vivarium is accessed through the Room of Requirement after completing Deek‘s "Elf, Nab-sack, and Loom" introductory questline.
This space serves as a customizable sanctuary for all the magical beasts you rescue using the Nab-sack spell.
Key functions:
- House, feed, and care for creatures
- Install breeding pens to repopulate endangered species
- Collect crafting resources from your beasts
Starting Capacity
When initially unlocked, the vivarium contains a single Grasslands habitat with the following capacity:
- 4 species slots – for housing different beast types
- 12 individual slots – for the total # of creatures
But upgrades can dramatically expand the scope.
Expanding With New Biomes
You can unlock 3 additional biomes through completing specific Deek side quests:
| Biome | Unlock Quest |
|---|---|
| Coastal | "The Plight of the House Elf" |
| Swamp | "The Foal of the Dead" |
| Grasslands | "Phoenix Rising" |
Let‘s break down how to access these key vivarium upgrade missions.
Coastal Biome
The first expansion, the Coastal biome, is unlocked by completing Deek‘s "The Plight of the House Elf" side quest.
Prerequisites check list
- Capture 10 different beast types
- Finish the "High Keep" main story mission
- Complete "Elf, Nab-sack, and Loom" intro quest
Once eligible, travel to Deek in the Room of Requirement to activate the mission.
You‘ll need to investigate mysterious events plaguing Hogwarts‘ house elf population across 4 areas:
- Kitchen
- Hall of Hexes
- Astronomy Tower Exterior
- Rear Hall
After getting to the bottom of the disturbances, return to Deek and claim your reward – the Coastal Vivarium!
This misty blue biome is perfect for housing a wide range of water-dwelling creatures.
Swamp Biome
The next expansion is the murky Swamp habitat. To unlock it, you‘ll need to take on the "Foal of the Dead" quest from Deek.
Prerequisites:
- Finish "The Plight of the House Elf" mission
- Complete the "Fire and Vice" main campaign quest
- Capture a male and female Thestral
For this quest, lead your Thestral pair to the vivarium and construct a breeding pen to encourage them to produce offspring.
Once the foal is born, return to Deek to officially gain access to the Swamp biome.
The damp, marshy environment is ideal for muck-loving creatures like salamanders, flobberworms, and more.
Grasslands Biome
The final expansion is the open Grasslands area, gained by finishing the "Phoenix Rising" side quest.
You‘ll need to track down a loose phoenix wreaking havoc near Hogwarts.
Investigate Poidsear Coast to the southeast to pick up its trail. Once you‘ve captured the fiery bird, deliver it to Deek to complete the mission and unlock the Grasslands.
This biome‘s wide open terrain is perfect for beasts like unicorns, pegasi, mooncalves, and other plains-dwellers.
Customizing Creatures‘ Environments
One of the best parts of upgrading your vivarium is tailoring each new biome to the beasts that inhabit them.
You‘re free to mix and match species between areas. But creating biomes suited to creatures‘ natural habitats keeps them happier and healthier.
Terraforming Options
The Conjuring Spell allows you to terraform enclosure environments by placing all kinds of decorative objects.
You can summon and resize items like:
- Natural features (trees, rocks, bushes, etc)
- Architectural structures (bricks, walls, columns, fountains, etc)
- Comfort items (benches, lanterns, burrows, etc)
- Beast necessities (feeders, grooming stations, etc)
Spruce up plain backdrops with custom scenery to create engaging environments tailored to your creatures.
Biome Item Capacity
When decorating, keep habitat item capacity limits in mind:
| Item | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Trees (Large) | 10 |
| Trees (Small) | 15 |
| Bushes/Shrubs | 20 |
| Large Rocks | 10 |
| Medium Rocks | 15 |
| Small Rocks | 20 |
| Architectural pieces | 20 |
| Comfort items | 15 |
| Grooming/Feeding items | 10 |
Mix and match different scaled items to hit the cap for each category.
Recommended Decorations
Here are some of my favorite terraforming options to consider for each biome:
Coastal
- Kelp clusters
- Tidal pools
- Small rocky islands
- Seaweed bushes
- Stone lighthouses
- Seashell wind chimes
- Coral reefs
- Sunken treasure chests
Swamp
- Weeping willow trees
- Overgrown ruins
- Quicksand pits
- Lanterns in trees
- Giant lily pads
- Rotting log bridges
- Frog statues
- BirdFeeding stations
Grasslands
- Wildflowers
- Meadow creeks
- Secluded forest groves
- Dry creek beds
- Wooden fence rings
- Canopies
- Horse feed troughs
- Breezy windmill toppers
Ideal Beasts for Each Biome
While you can house creatures anywhere, observing their natural habitats provides clues for ideal enclosure assignments.
Here are my top picks for residents of each area:
Coastal
- Grindylows
- Merpeople
- Kelpies
- Sea serpents
- Thunderbirds
Swamp
- Flobberworms
- Salamanders
- Tadfoots
- Nogtails
- Runespoors
Grasslands
- Unicorns
- Pegasi
- Mooncalves
- Nifflers
- Diricawls
Placing beasts in environments akin to their native homes keeps them energized and healthy!
Optimizing Beast Harvesting
Caring for your menagerie of magical beasts pays dividends in the form of crafting materials. Here are my best tips for harvesting bountiful resources from your vivarium inhabitants:
Invest in Creature Comforts
Keeping habitats clean, comfortable, and entertaining improves beast moods and increases harvesting yields.
Prioritize crafting enrichment items like:
- Tunnels
- Nests
- Grooming stations
- Scratching posts
- Toys
Fulfilling niche needs also boosts results.
For example, a mooncalf habitat should contain open space for frolicking under moonbeams. Provide libations of moondew harvested under a full moon.
Feed Them Favorite Foods
You can discover beasts‘ favorite meals by checking their personal status tabs.
Feeding beloved treats improves mood faster. And better mood = better harvests.
Bring favorite foods on rescue missions to efficiently befriend new creatures.
Over time, continue serving coveted delicacies. Explore the map to discover rare forageables to spice up diets.
Use Harvesting Gear and Skills
Equipping gear with the Harvester skill improves material gathering from vivarium inhabitants.
Stack talents like Thief‘s Wit, Bountiful Harvest, and Forager‘s Fortune for even more pronounced boosts.
Cast Accio mid-harvest to pull additional crafting components from beasts.
With maxed bonuses, daily cleanings yield piles of uncommon and rare parts!
Installing Breeding Pens
Breeding pens allow you to repopulate endangered beast species right within your vivarium enclosures.
After capturing a male and female variety of the same creature, you can purchase pen recipes from Tomes & Scrolls for 1000 galleons.
Open either beast‘s status window to initiate mating. Once pregnancy begins, construct a pen in their habitat.
After gestation, a cute baby beast will be born! Raise it through youth to adulthood.
Then repeat the mating process to produce more offspring.
Breeding Tips
- Only 1 pen is needed per habitat
- Both parents can be used to breed more litters over time
- Baby beasts mature faster with proper feeding and care
- Mating odds increase if both parents have high moods
With enough pens set up, you‘ll hit the capacity limit in no time!
Endgame Goals
So what should you aim for with your maxed out, fully tricked out vivarium? Here are some of my long-term aspirations:
Attain 100% Beast Mastery
Complete all 43 beast taming challenges to establish domain as a master magizoologist!
Unlock Every Habitat Biome Decoration
This requires ranking up Conjuring and harvesting vast numbers of crafting resources.
House One of Every Species
Have at least 1 individual to represent all 16 discoverable beast types.
Start a Profitable Menagerie
Fill extra capacity with duplicates of creatures that produce valuable materials, like horned serpents. Sell surplus parts to Pip for galleons!
Comprehensively growing your vivarium is an endlessly rewarding long-term goal. This guide should set you well on your way to building a thriving habitat utopia!
Let me know if you have any other tips for maximizing this incredible realm of Hogwarts Legacy. Now get out there and start rescuing beasts!
