Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is a mobile game presented by Pottermore in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive. Part of a new series to be released under the Portkey Games label, the game is described as being a Harry Potter version of the hit augmented-reality game 'Pokémon Go' and made by the same developer, Niantic.[1][2]
On 11 March 2019, it was made available for users to pre-register but was taken down. On 16 April 2019, a beta version was released in New Zealand for Android and iOS devices.[3] Originally due to release on 21 June 2019, the game was released a day early on 20 June 2019.[4]
On 2 November 2021, Niantic announced that the game will be shutdown on 31 January 2022, and that the game will be removed from all app stores on 6 December 2021, and in-game purchases will not be able to be made after 6 December.[5][6]
Plot[]
When unpredictable traces of magic appear all over the Muggle world, the wizarding world faces potential exposure. To avert this calamity, the Ministry of Magic begins recruiting witches and wizards to join the Statute of Secrecy Task Force.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay is similar to other Niantic games such as Pokémon GO and Ingress. As an AR game, the main aspect of the game is to interact with the real world, which is provided by a map of the player's location.
Niantic released the first beta testing version of the game in New Zealand.[3] In this version, all features presented in the game are playable, although some content is not yet available. The following appear in the beta version.
Foundable and the Registry[]
The other objects the player can encounter are Foundables, which can be a variety of things: wizards, creatures, items, memories and so on. The player must accurately trace the suggested spell to 'return' the Foundable to the Ministry and add it to the player's Registry.
The Registry is divided into four categories and display the captured Foundables:
- Exploration is the main category and it is divided into Care of Magical Creatures, Dark Arts, Hogwarts School, Legends of Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic, Magizoology, Magical Games and Sports, Mysterious Artefacts, Wonders of the Wizarding World, Oddities.
- Challenges, which shows the level the player is at from completing wizarding challenges, as well as Foundables which can only be gained from completing challenges.
- Mysteries, which present the game's storyline regarding the Calamity. It is divided into chapters.
- Events Info, which contains all the relevant information regarding upcoming events, specific details included.
Map and locations[]
On the map, the player can see their own character, various locations, Foundables and random potion ingredients. Owls and letters can be seen flying in the background, and if the player moves too fast, they will ride a broomstick.
Locations are static, real-life locations present on the map and taken from Niantic's database (based on Portals in Ingress and PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon GO). There are three types of buildings:
- Inns, which the player can visit to regain energy. Inns appear as small buildings and often have different colour. Once rewarded energy, a 5-minute cool down period is activated until the Inn can award more energy, signalled by smoke coming out the Inn's chimney.
- Greenhouses, where the player is rewarded potion ingredients. Similarly to Inns, there is a 5-minute cool down once ingredients are rewarded.
- Fortresses, where the player can battle wizards and creature alongside fellow players to gain experience and rewards. To access Fortresses, the player needs to possess a Runestone.
Ministry ID and suitcase[]
The Ministry ID displays information about the player's character. The player can customise their name and surname, title, Hogwarts House, profession, wand and wizarding achievements. Hogwarts Houses do not have an impact of the gameplay, other that changing the character's robe colour.
The suitcase is used to access the player's information. It contains the following:
- Vault, which contains potions, ingredients, utility and Runestones.
- Profession, where the player can advance their character's statistics. The current professions are Auror, Magizoologist and Professor. Each profession has access to different lessons which improve the character in different ways. Changing profession freely is permitted.
- Potions, where you can brew up to four potions at the time, in either a standard or Gold cauldron.
- Registry, where collected Foundables appear.
- Portkeys, were Portkeys are stored.
Tasks[]
The game feature two types of daily rewards. Daily tasks currently include returning Foundables, collecting ingredients, visiting Inns and such. Daily treasure takes into account daily log-ins.
Special tasks are in-game events such as the monthly Brilliant Events, Wizarding Weekends, and Community Days.
Weather and moon phases[]
The game feature different weathers and moon phases, which mirror real-time weathers and moon phases based on the player's location.
The following weathers are in the game: Clear, Fog, Overcast, Partly Cloudy, Rainy Snow and Windy. The follow moon phases appear: First Quarter, Full, New Moon, Third Quarter, Waning Crescent, Waning Gibbous, Waxing Crescent and Waxing Gibbous.
Both features influence Confoundable appearances, in particular Oddities.
Characters[]
Several characters appear in Wizards Unite through dialogues, usually to give advice and explanations to the player. They do not appear on the map.
- Constance Pickering
- Mordecai Berrycloth
- Minerva McGonagall
- Mathilda Grimblehawk
- Gareth Greengrass
- Hermione Granger
- Grim Fawley
- Regina Rowle
Spells[]
Most spells are used against Confoundables to free them. The spell required in each different situation is automatically provided by the game. Another spell, Combat Bolt, is used as generic combative spell in Fortresses. The Summoning Charm (Accio) can be used to summon plates of food and drink whilst visiting Inns, and the Herbivicus Charm (Herbivicus) can also be used to accelerate the growth of growing plants and fungi in Greenhouses. The Shield Charm (Protego) is used to protect the player against damage, when battling Oddities and foes in Fortresses.
The following spells appear in the game to free Confoundables:
- Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus)
- Ebublio Jinx (Ebublio)
- Exploding Charm (Bombarda)
- Fire-Making Spell (Incendio)
- General Counter-Spell (Finite)
- Knockback Jinx (Flipendo)
- Meteolojinx Recanto
- Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum)
- Severing Charm (Diffindo)
- Slowing Charm (Arresto Momentum)
- Unlocking Charm (Alohomora)
- Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)
The following spells are "strategic spells" that can be used in Wizarding Challenges:
- Bravery Charm
- Bat-Bogey Hex
- Confusion Hex
- Deterioration Hex
- Mending Charm
- Proficiency Charm
- Protection Charm
- Reviving Spell
- Stamina Charm
- Weakening Hex
The following spells are considered "Field Charms":
- Inn Charm (Tribuomnus)
- Greenhouse Charm (Celescere)
- Trace Charm (Pario Vestigius)
Potions[]
Each potion requires the right ingredient to brew, and the brewing time differs from potion to potion. Performing the right Master Notes (wand movements on the brewing potion) will decrease the brewing time by 15% (with the exception of Tonic for Trace Detection, which is reduced by 50%).
The following potions which exist in the game are:
- Baruffio's Brain Elixir
- Bountiful Brew (Cut from final edit)
- Dawdle Draught
- Draught of Perception (Cut from final edit)
- Exstimulo Potion
- Felix Felicis (Cut from final edit)
- Healing Potion
- Invigoration Draught
- Memory Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Potent Exstimulo Potion
- Scintillation Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Strong Exstimulo Potion
- Strong Invigoration Draught
- Tonic for Trace Detection
- Wideye Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Wit-Sharpening Potion
Potion ingredients[]
Various potion ingredients can be collected from the map and from Greenhouses (plant-based ingredients only), which are required to brew various potions. Plant and fungi ingredients can also be grown in Greenhouses by the player, all of which which require different periods of time to grow. The yield of these growths can be rapidly increased with the Herbivicus Charm. Almost all of the ingredients can be collected from the map or from Greenhouses, with the exception of Hermit crab shell and Unicorn hair, which can only obtained from Portkeys, gifts or from completing certain assignments and achievements. The following ingredients needed to brew potions are:
- Abraxan hair (Strong Exstimulo Potion)
- Acromantula venom (Cut from final edit)
- Angel's Trumpet (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Armadillo bile (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Ashwinder egg (Cut from final edit)
- Baneberry (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Beetle Eye (Cut from final edit)
- Billywig sting (Cut from final edit)
- Bitter root (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Bubotuber pus (Healing Potion)
- Bulbadox juice (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Butterscotch (Dawdle Draught)
- Chizpurfle fang (Cut from final edit)
- Common Rue (Cut from final edit)
- Daisy Root (Cut from final edit)
- Dittany (Healing Potion)
- Dragon dung (Cut from final edit)
- Dragon liver (Healing Potion)
- Dragonfly thorax (Cut from final edit)
- Dried Nettles (Cut from final edit)
- Eel eyes (Cut from final edit)
- Erumpent horn (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Fairy wings (Cut from final edit)
- Frog brain (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Ginger Root (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Granian hair (Exstimulo Potion)
- Ground Scarab beetles (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Ground Unicorn horn (Cut from final edit)
- Hermit crab shell (Dawdle Draught)
- Honeywater (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Horklump juice (Cut from final edit)
- Jobberknoll feathers (Cut from final edit)
- Lady's Mantle (Cut from final edit)
- Leaping Toadstool (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Leech juice (Cut from final edit)
- Lovage (Invigoration Draught)
- Newt spleen (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Peacock feather (Cut from final edit)
- Peppermint Sprig (Cut from final edit)
- Powdered Dragon claw (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Powdered Griffin claw (Cut from final edit)
- Powdered Occamy eggshell (Cut from final edit)
- Re'em blood (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Runespoor eggs (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Scurvy grass (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Shrake spine (Cut from final edit)
- Snake fang (Cut from final edit)
- Sneezewort (Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Snowdrop (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Sopophorous bean (Dawdle Draught)
- Squill bulb (Cut from final edit)
- Staghorn (Cut from final edit)
- Stewed Mandrake (Cut from final edit)
- Thyme (Cut from final edit)
- Tincture of Demiguise (Cut from final edit)
- Unicorn hair (Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Valerian root (Dawdle Draught)
- Vervain infusion (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Wolfsbane (Cut from final edit)
- Wormwood (Healing Potion)
Objects[]
A number of magical objects and artefacts can be collected during the game, which can be used for a variety of different purposes.
- Dark Detectors are items placed at Inns to increase the frequency of Foundables encounters.
- Portkeys are items that allow the player to visit familiar Wizarding places. They are stored into Portkey Portmanteau, which are unlocked by walking.
- Runestones are needed to activate wizarding challenges in Fortresses.
- Watering cans and packets of seeds can be picked up to grow various plants or fungi in Greenhouses.
- Gifts are packages which contain either spell energy, runestones, potions or ingredients which can be sent to other players the user has as friends. Gifts can be picked up from Greenhouses or Fortresses.
Media gallery[]
External links[]
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite official website
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on the App Store
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Apps on Google Play
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter account
- Official YouTube account
- Official Instagram account
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Psencik, Katey (9 November 2017). "A Harry Potter version of 'Pokemon Go' is coming to your smartphone", WHIO-TV, via Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved on 9 November 2017.
- ↑ New augmented reality mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite announced at Pottermore
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Beta Testing Begins in New Zealand".
- ↑ Statt, Nick (20 June 2019). "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is out now for iOS and Android in the US", The Verge. Retrieved on 21 June 2019.
- ↑ Announcing the close of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ Niantic is shutting down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Polygon