Hogwarts Legacy Petrificus Totalus: how to perform stealth attacks

Hogwarts Legacy stealth attacks are easily performed with Petrificus Totalus, here's how to pull off the spell

When the law of physics and magic are yours to control, you can do just about anything. Transform an enemy into an explosive barrel, send them flying off a cliff, or convert them to your side – but why would you go through all that effort? Enter Petrificus Totalus. This is a unique spell in Hogwarts Legacy, as you don’t learn it like all your other spells.

Instead, Petrificus Totalus serves as this game’s stealth attack, instantly killing regular enemies, and dealing significant damage to bosses if you can sneak up on them. We’ll explain how to pull it off, and the ways you can upgrade it.

Make sure to read through our other Hogwarts Legacy guides for everything you need to know about the game, including puzzle solutions, item locations, and more.

Hogwarts Legacy: how to perform Petrificus Totalus

In order to perform this curse, you need to be undetected by your enemy. To do this, you must know the Disillusionment Charm - the same spell you use to open the Hogwarts Legacy eyeball chests - which you’ll learn fairly early on in the main story.

Cast it on yourself and begin to approach your target from behind. While you’re under the effects of the Disillusionment Charm, it’s harder for enemies to spot you. If they begin to detect you a grey question mark will appear above their head and slowly fill up. If it hits the top, it will turn yellow and they will begin to investigate – the bar will then fill again, faster. Let it fill once more and you’ll be detected.

If enemies are in unfavorable positions for stealth, you can shoot a basic cast at a wall to cause nearby enemies to investigate it.

Assuming you’ve managed to stay hidden, simply go up behind your target and tap Square on PS5, or X on Xbox to perform Petrificus Totalus.

If it’s a regular enemy, this will instantly finish them, and assuming you remained hidden as you did it, you can continue to strike enemies. If it was a boss, then it will eat a big chunk out of their health, but you’ll then be detected and have to fight.

Hogwarts Legacy: Petrificus Totalus talents

The Stealth tree in the talents section has some great upgrades for using Petrificus Totalus. At the lower levels, you can make yourself harder to detect and also move faster while sneaking.

What you really want is the final upgrade, which can only be unlocked at Level 22 or higher. This makes it so that, when you use Petrificus Totalus on an enemy, it will also finish any enemies standing nearby. With this upgrade, you’ll be able to clear out entire camps without ever being spotted.

For information on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling and the game, read our explainer.