After completing “The High Keep” quest with your classmate Natsai Onai in Hogwarts Legacy, you will unlock the ability to ride flying mounts, such as Thestral. For those new to the Harry Potter In-universe, the Thestral is a bat-like reptilian winged horse that looks sinister in appearance, but can be a friendly beast that can accompany you on your travels. While there’s no noticeable difference between flying atop a Hippogryph or a Thestral, those playing a semi-villain practicing the Forbidden Dark Arts may feel more comfortable traversing the Highlands with an ebony beaten Thestral.
Related: Where to find Puffskeins in Hogwarts Legacy
Atrapar Thestrals in Hogwarts Legacy
Gamepur screenshot
For those playing Hogwarts Legacy on normal difficulty or above, catching Thestrals is quite the challenge. Beasts can gallop and fly faster than your student character can move on the ground, so chasing them with a Nap-Sack is not a feasible option. Luckily, all Hogwarts students have a wide variety of spells they can access to make the effort of catching any beast that much easier. For example, one approach we’ve used is to cast Disillusion by approaching Thestral Den, chasing one of the beasts, then doing the following: Accio, Accio, Levioso, and Nap-Sack.
Note that there is no “meta” method for catching Thestrals in Hogwarts Legacy, as everyone will have their own preferences when it comes to keeping a Beast in check for a successful capture. Some might prefer casting Arrest Momentum to stop the winged horse in its tracks, while others might prefer Glacius for the crowd control he provides. Either way, the goal is to focus and practice using a method that you think works rather than trying to use every spell in the book.
Thestrals on standard difficulty in Hogwarts Legacy have five “HP points”, meaning you must press the X Button, Square Button, or F key (depending on your gaming platform) five times in a row before the capture is successful. Sneaking up on a wild Thestral is a huge advantage as you have more time to prepare your spells. Therefore, we highly recommend growing your Thestrals in North Ford Bog rather than Lake Marunweem due to the large bog space it offers. Whether they’re in the air or on the ground, having enough space to cast spells on the flying beasts is crucial when it comes to catching Thestrals in Hogwarts Legacy.
Related: All mounts that can be ridden in Hogwarts Legacy and where to get them
Alternatively, if catching Thestrals and other higher level beasts in Hogwarts Legacy is too difficult, consider opening the game settings and changing the difficulty to story. Based on our own testing, we’ve verified that attempting to catch a Thestral in Story will result in an instant capture; no timed button mashing mini game required. So you can switch between difficulties throughout your game, depending on whether you’re hunting with your Nap-Sack or engaging in combat.
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