Can I Stop Sebastian From Killing Solomon in Hogwarts Legacy?
The short, and perhaps disappointing, answer is no, you cannot stop Sebastian from killing Solomon in Hogwarts Legacy. This pivotal event in Sebastian Sallow’s storyline is a fixed narrative point, meaning that regardless of your choices and actions leading up to it, Solomon’s death at Sebastian’s hand is unavoidable. This is a key element of the game’s story, designed to explore the consequences of delving into dark magic and the impact of grief and desperation. While the player has agency in other aspects of the story, such as whether to turn Sebastian in to the authorities or not, this particular outcome is set in stone.
Understanding the Narrative Constraints
Hogwarts Legacy presents players with choices that often impact relationships, the player’s understanding of the wizarding world, and skill progression. However, the game does not implement a complex branching narrative system. Instead, it utilizes a structured story arc, with some key plot points remaining consistent for all players. Sebastian’s tragic descent, culminating in the fatal confrontation with his uncle, falls into this category.
The game makes it clear that Sebastian’s obsession with finding a cure for his sister, Anne, and his increasing reliance on dark magic, sets him on an irreversible path. The confrontation with Solomon is essentially the climax of this downward spiral. Solomon, representing a barrier to Sebastian’s ambitions, becomes a tragic casualty. The game’s narrative makes it so that even if the player were to defeat Solomon in battle before Sebastian uses the killing curse, the cutscene that follows would still result in Solomon’s death at the hand of Sebastian, illustrating a story point that is not player determined.
The Inevitability of the Killing Curse
The specific means by which Solomon dies is through the Avada Kedavra curse, an Unforgivable Curse. The game uses this choice to showcase the profound and irreversible nature of dark magic’s corruptive power. It’s a powerful scene that highlights the darkness that can engulf even the most well-intentioned individuals when they are consumed by desperation.
What Choices Do Matter
While you cannot alter Solomon’s death, you can make choices that impact Sebastian’s fate and your interactions with him. These decisions largely revolve around whether to turn him in to the Ministry of Magic after the event. Turning him in leads to his expulsion from Hogwarts, prevents further interaction with him and ensures that players who haven’t already learned the Unforgivable curses are not able to later. By choosing not to report Sebastian, you enable the player to learn the Unforgivable Curses if they wish.
The Impact of Your Decision
The decision to turn Sebastian in or not also affects the game’s ending cutscene, providing another element of variation. Choosing not to turn him in also means that Sebastian remains in Hogwarts, and the opportunity to learn the Unforgivable Curses remains open.
Learning the Unforgivable Curses
The decision on whether to turn Sebastian in greatly impacts your ability to learn the Unforgivable Curses, specifically Avada Kedavra, as it is the final and most powerful of the three to be learned. To learn Avada Kedavra, you must choose not to turn him in, which allows for more interaction with him.
Thematic Significance of the Fixed Outcome
The unchangeable nature of Solomon’s death serves to underscore important thematic elements of Hogwarts Legacy. The game explores the dangerous nature of dark magic and its consequences. It’s a tragic story showing that even with the best intentions, actions can have devastating and irreversible outcomes. It also demonstrates the limitations of player agency within a narrative framework. Not every element of the story can be influenced, and sometimes, players are asked to bear witness to tragedies that they are powerless to prevent.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is there any way to prevent the showdown between Sebastian and Solomon?
No. The confrontation between Sebastian and Solomon is a fixed part of the narrative, and there are no player choices that can prevent it from occurring.
2. Can I save Anne Sallow in Hogwarts Legacy?
No, Anne cannot be cured in the game. Her condition remains unchanged throughout Sebastian’s storyline, serving as a driving factor for his actions.
3. Can you avoid Solomon’s death by making different choices?
No, Solomon’s death is inevitable, regardless of the player’s choices or actions leading up to that point.
4. Does turning Sebastian in affect the game’s ending?
Yes, choosing whether to turn Sebastian in or not impacts a key scene in the game’s final cutscene. This is one of the key points of variation in the game.
5. Can you still learn Avada Kedavra if you turn Sebastian in?
No, you cannot learn Avada Kedavra if you turn Sebastian in. He will be expelled from Hogwarts, and you will no longer be able to interact with him.
6. What happens if you don’t turn Sebastian in?
If you choose not to turn Sebastian in, he remains at Hogwarts, and you can continue to interact with him and learn the Unforgivable Curses, if you desire.
7. Is it bad to learn the Unforgivable Curses from Sebastian?
The game does not explicitly penalize players for learning the Unforgivable Curses. Your choice is more of a moral one rather than one that leads to a specific in-game disadvantage.
8. Does the game have multiple endings?
While the major story events are fixed, Hogwarts Legacy does have some variations to the ending cutscenes, such as the variation created by turning in Sebastian or not. These are more about narrative nuance than drastically different outcomes.
9. What happens if I tell Sebastian I’m working with a goblin?
Telling Sebastian you are working with a goblin has no impact on the story. It does not affect your friendship nor the overall plot.
10. Is Sebastian Sallow evil?
Sebastian’s actions are driven by desperation and grief, not necessarily by malice. He becomes increasingly reckless, but his motivations are rooted in his desire to save his sister, not evil intent.
11. What are the implications of betraying Sebastian?
Betraying Sebastian by turning him in will lead to his expulsion from Hogwarts. You will not be able to interact with him anymore, and you will not be able to learn the unforgivable curses with him.
12. Is it morally wrong to use the Unforgivable Curses?
The game presents this as a moral question for players to consider. There is no in-game system of morality so the game lets the player decide what is right or wrong.
13. Does the game have a morality system?
No, Hogwarts Legacy does not feature a morality system, and your actions will not impact the story beyond certain decision points.
14. Is the Solomon boss fight optional?
The fight with Solomon is not optional and is a necessary part of Sebastian’s storyline.
15. Is there any way to prevent Sebastian from being expelled?
If you choose not to turn Sebastian in, he will not be expelled and will remain at Hogwarts. This choice, however, does not alter the overall plot events.
In conclusion, while you cannot alter the tragic fate of Solomon Sallow, the choices you make throughout Sebastian’s storyline and particularly at the end of his quest line have meaningful consequences for the game’s narrative, particularly regarding your ability to learn Unforgivable Curses and what ending cutscene is shown. As such, while not player determined, these choices still bring a level of player agency to the story.