Harry Potter: Wizards Unite shares a lot of parallels with Niantic’s other walkabout games – most notably the mega-popular Pokémon GO. You probably wouldn’t have thought J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World would rival the natural collectability of Pokémon, but Niantic found a way. These similarities mean it’s pretty straight forward for a Pokémon GO player to drop right in with little to no knowledge of the Harry Potter franchise. And for those who haven’t played either, we have a handy Beginner’s Guide over here.
For some in-depth tips on Locations, you can also go here. Don’t forget the Brilliant Event is also now live.
Wizards Unite is a far chattier game than Pokémon GO was at the start – there’s an actual story and everything! But in-game tutorials can only go so far. Just because it holds you hand for a good little while, it doesn’t tell you absolutely everything you need to know. In this Harry Potter: Wizards Unite tips guide, we’ll be detailing some very useful pointers we think all wizards and witches should know from the start.
Points of Interest Hold Specific Foundables
Harry Potter Wizards Unite is mostly centred around filling the Registry. It’s where all your Foundables are logged as you return them through Traces. Foundables are catalogued through different types; but reliably finding specific types to help complete the registry can be difficult, as more areas will spawn randomized foundables that may be of no use to you. But there is a way to more reliably spawn the extra type of Foundable you need to build up a specific page of your Registry or increase your Rank.
On your walks, you may occasionally come across large, thin flags shooting up from the map. Tap one of these and you’ll see an area around it light up. These are designated areas were Traces specific types will appear – the type dependant on the point of interest it marks. There’s no sure-fire way to track these down, but areas like parks, libraries, and government buildings area usually prime candidates. My local sports club is one, but my small library is not. One town over, however, and its larger library is. And even the bus station. It pays to get out there.
Use Those Double EXP Potions
Now this may have just been an oversight on my end, but it took me a good little while to find these in my bag. Harry Potter Wizards Unite places a large emphasis on Potions. But most of the time they’re making your spells stronger or replenishing your Stamina in fights. You’re always being told to hold onto these for difficult situations, so glossing over these potent bottles of levelling juice (Ok, Baruffio’s Brain Elixer) is a real possibility. I only found these when I reach around Level 10, and boy would they have sped that whole process along.
Double EXP potions like these are best used in high-level fights or when you’re collecting lots of Foundables. Able to double the EXP gained from the already substantial new Foundable bonus, using these when surrounded by Foundables at an early level will have dramatic results and can catapult a new player to level 10 – where things really start to heat up.
Portmanteaus Are Not Reliable EXP Sources
Back in the early days of Pokémon GO, a great time to use a Lucky Egg (it’s version of Baruffio’s Brain Elixer) was when multiple 10 KM eggs (portmanteaus) were ready to hatch. This was because they gave a massive amount of EXP that could then be doubled for a quick boost. Unfortunately, Portmanteaus don’t work the same way. You can find decent amounts of EXP within the portals, but when you have no idea what you’ll actually get, using a valuable EXP potion here is more often than not going to be a wasted effort. Save them for what really matters.
Foundables Can Run Away
Another element taken straight from Pokémon GO is the chance for Foundables to just disappear when you fail to snare them. If you’ve had a Foundable just fizzle out of existence after an unsuccessful trace, that’s RNG showing it’s ugly face. You’ll usually be met with a notice telling you of what’s happened, but sometimes you won’t be dealt that pleasantry. Worse yet, the notice only explains how. Never why.
There’s no solid evidence just yet, but the conditions perfectly match Pokémon GO. It’s safe to say just like Niantic’s other big collectathon game that each Foundable has a specific “flee rate” percentage. After each resist of a spell, the game rolls a figurative die to determine whether the confoundable will whisk away your valuable target. Rarer Foundables likely have higher flee chances, making the use of spell strengthening potions ever more valuable.
Open Your Daily Challenges To Make Them Count
This is one that’s ruined my day more than once. If you’re the kind to get addicted to virtual check-lists, the Daily Assignments tab will be your best friend. The challenges within are the same each day, so it’s not unnatural to head out of the house, fire the game up, and go about your business.
But then you get home after completing what it usually asks of you just to notice it hasn’t counted a single one. Why? Because you have to actually open the Daily Challenge page each day before it begins to count your progress. It’s an unforgivable design choice that Niantic really should work to fix. In fact, it might already be fixed by the time you ready this. Just double check before you waste your own time (and energy).
Registry Ranks Award Profession Scrolls
By the time Wizards Unite introduces Professions to you, you’ve probably already started to skip the walls of text you’ve been dealt over the last few hours. If you’re then left wondering how to get more scrolls and books to level up your chosen Profession, know that isn’t all about fighting your way through different levels of a Fortress. Scrolls and tomes can be acquired by ranking up pages in your registry, so it might be worth using our Area tip up above to farm for levels in your weaker Registry pages to fill in your Profession skill tree faster.
Gestures Speed Up Potions
This is something you’ll only really learn by tapping the cauldron on the Potions screen. Gestures can be used to speed up potion crafts by around 15%, gaining you quicker access to your goods and an empty slot to brew again. But figuring them out is up to you.
Or at least it would be if it wasn’t for every site under the sun printing them for your convenience. There’s a multi-step gesture sequence for every potion in the game. We can’t list them all here, but a quick Google search will get you far. Once you’ve used the unique sequence on 3 of the same potions, it will be saved in your game for quick reference. They won’t have you flailing your phone around in public, either. They’re all on-screen gestures like swipes and pinches. Though there is the occasional phone shake.
Weather Changes Everything
This is one that might take a little more time to reliably comment on. Just like Pokémon GO, the weather in your area can have dramatic effects on your gameplay patterns. Rain, Sun, Wind, and even the amount of clouds in the sky will alter things like spawns. You’ll mostly notice a change in the types of ingredients you find on your travels, but weather can also change the Foundables you might come across. They’ll never outright deny certain things from spawning, but they can drastically boost or lower probabilities.
Data Assets To Save Data
Wizards Unite doesn’t download fully from your app store of choice – whether it’s iOS or Android. Either to speed up access or to save on space, it only downloads the absolute essential elements from the start and will download the rest as and when you need them. That means every time you tap a new Foundable out in the field, you’ll be spending your precious data plan downloading the 3D model, animations, and sounds that make it up. Will so many graphical elements in Wizards Unite, that can really begin to chip away at your allowance.
The best way to combat this is to force a complete download while connected to your home WiFi. To do that, just tap into your Suitcase and hit the cog icon in the top left to reach the Settings screen. Scroll all the way to the bottom and you’ll see a “Download All Assets” option. Wizards Unite is a big game. Over 3 GB at least. So make sure you can afford to lose that much storage space on your device before you start. And check back regularly. Updates add new content, and if you see a little red circle on that option, there’s something new to download.
