Hogwarts Legacy businessman Ackley Barnes is seeking ‘poisonous revenge’ from his former classmate Alfred Lawley, who allegedly kicked Ackley out of his contract for being too ‘volatile’. Barnes is not confident in his abilities to trigger his retaliation on his own, so he enlists someone uninvolved, such as a Hogwarts student. Therefore, as the student protagonist of the mission, Ackley asks you to break into Alfred’s basement and steal his most prized possession, a poisonous tentacle. However, this side quest is not as easy as the others, as you will have several dialogue options which can affect the outcome of this story.
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Help or Reject Ackley Barnes at Hogwarts Legacy
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The first dialogue choice in Hogwarts Legacy’s “Venomous Revenge” is “I Will,” in which you aid Ackley Barnes in his sinister enterprise. This option will grant you access to Alfred’s cave, where you must sneak past his former partner to gain access to his prized poisonous tentacle. This getaway is anything but safe, as you’ll need to use Disillusion to avoid being spotted and passing several vicious Thornback Scurriors. The Alohomora spell is also needed to open a door leading to the Venomous Tentacula.
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Alternatively, you can choose “I’m not comfortable with this”, after which Ackley Barnes will try to persuade you to continue doing the malicious act at Hogwarts Legacy. The next two options will be “Alright. I’ll do it” and “I’ll find another way”. Choosing the first will advance the quest as before, prompting you to enter Alfred’s basement. However, choosing the second dialogue option in Hogwarts Legacy will allow you to “help” Ackley in a different way. Instead of stealing Alfred’s Venomous Tentacula, you can grow one yourself or buy one from Dogweed And Deathcap in Hogsmeade.
Either way, giving Ackley Barnes a Venomous Tentacle in Hogwarts Legacy should leave you with two final options: “Happy to get rid of it” and “I’d like to get paid.” From our testing, the first concludes the quest with a cosmetic reward, including 300 gold. Conversely, the second grants you an additional 200 galleons for your trouble, as well as the same item. In other words, helping or “not helping” Ackley Barnes at Hogwarts Legacy will have an almost identical outcome.
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