To unlock the three unforgivable curses in Hogwarts Legacy – Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra – you must progress Slytherin student Sebastian Sallow’s quest line.
Additionally, you must choose the dialogue options to learn each of the unforgivable curses during these quests. It is possible to choose not to learn them, and you can’t undo these decisions!
Of course, if you fancy casting some spells that are a bit more forgiving, you’ll want to find out all of the spells in Hogwarts Legacy!
How to Unlock Crucio in Hogwarts Legacy
To unlock the first unforgivable curse, Crucio, in Hogwarts Legacy, you must complete the In the Shadow of the Study side quest. This takes place in a secret area within the Slytherin common room.
Near the end of the quest, you must agree to learn Crucio from Sebastian Sallow.
- Speak to Sebastian Sallow whenever you can have a new conversation with him
- This will appear as a speech bubble on the map, or in the quest menu
- Eventually, you will reach the In the Shadow of the Study side quest
- Head down to the Slytherin common room and start the quest
- Follow Sebastian and you’ll get to a secret door
- Open the door by lighting the three braziers near you in quick succession using Confringo
- Two braziers are to the right of the door, and one is opposite the door

- Lighting the braziers opens a secret door
- Go through the door and use Reparo to fix the broken wall
- Speak to Ominis Gaunt to get him to open the serpent door by speaking parseltongue
- Solve the three snake lock puzzles to open the gates and get to Salazar Slytherin’s Scriptorium
- To do this, you need to match the symbols on the gates with the snake locks
- If you take too long, the snake lock will attack you, dealing a lot of damage
- Make sure to use Revelio as well as Lumos to uncover anything you may have missed in the dark rooms, if you get stuck
- To do this, you need to match the symbols on the gates with the snake locks

- Pass through the gate, and you will get stuck in a room – the only way to get out is by using the Cruciatus Curse
- Speak to Sebastian and Ominis, and you will be given a choice of whether to learn Crucio
- If you wish to learn Crucio, choose one of these two following options:
- “I want to learn the Cruciatus curse. But, you must cast it on me”
- “Teach me the Cruciatus curse and I’ll cast it on you”
- Both of these options have the same outcome, so feel free to choose whichever one you prefer
- You can also choose not to learn Crucio, but this is not recommended, as you won’t get another chance to learn this unforgivable curse
While using this curse is unforgivable in the wizarding world, there’s more than just that if you want to be a dark wizard. But can you be an evil in Hogwarts Legacy?

How to Unlock Imperio in Hogwarts Legacy
To unlock Imperio in Hogwarts Legacy, you need to complete the In the Shadow of Time side quest in Feldcroft Catacomb.
This quest includes a number of puzzles where you move skeletons with Wingardium Leviosa. Then, at the end of the mission, you must agree to learn Crucio from Sebastian Sallow.
- First, you must complete the following quests in Sebastian Sallow’s questline:
- In the Shadow of the Undercroft
- In the Shadow of the Estate
- In the Shadow of the Bloodline
- In the Shadow of the Study
- In the Shadow of Discovery
- Next, meet Sebastian Sallow at Feldcroft Catacomb to start the side quest In the Shadow of Time

- Follow Sebastian into the catacombs and defeat the spiders on the way
- You need to use Incendio or Confringo to burn the spider webs blocking your way
- You will reach a barricade which is blocking your path
- To open this, you need to make an arch by moving three piles of bones to the barricade with Wingardium Leviosa
- Head through, defeat some more spiders, and open a second barricade using piles of bones

- Sebastian will offer to teach you Imperio
- If you wish to learn Imperio, accept his offer
- This is your only chance to learn Imperio, so we recommend accepting to learn it now
- If you wish to learn Imperio, accept his offer
- After you have learned Imperio, you must continue the quest until you find the lost relic and get out of the catacombs, defeating spiders and using piles of bones to help you on your way
- To complete the quest, you need to return to Feldcroft and defeat Ranrok’s Loyalists

Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy
The final unforgivable curse in Hogwarts Legacy is the infamous Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. It can only be learned near the end of the game.
This is because it is unlocked after you have almost finished the line of unforgivable curse side quests.
Follow our guide on how to unlock Avada Kedavra in Hogwarts Legacy for a step-by-step breakdown of how to learn this unforgivable curse.

If you want to upgrade how effective your unforgivable curses are in Hogwarts Legacy, you’ll need Talent Points. Find out the fastest way to level up in Hogwarts Legacy so you can unlock the full potential of these curses!