15 Magical Facts about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Niantic Labs, the folks behind the augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO game, have finally released Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in the UK and the US and no it is not called Harry Potter GO. Here are 15 facts about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.

1. Players can choose from one of three professions.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite features three professions available to choose from. Players could choose to be be an Auror, Magizoologist or Professor. Each profession has strengths and weaknesses and players will have the chance to increase their skills, abilities as a witch or wizard.

2. The game has in-app purchase up to $169.99.

It’s free to download and free to play, but there are in-app purchases from $1.69 for a Handful of Gold up to $169.99 for a Vault of Gold. You can disable this or set up an ‘Ask to Buy’ option on an iPhone and in app purchase is not required to advance in the game.

3. Players in New Zealand and Australia got to see the game first.

A couple of months before Wizards Unite official release, it was beta tested in New Zealand and Australia. The region was also the testing grounds for Pokémon GO before its initial release.

4. There are daily assignments.

Once players hit level 2, they get a list of assignments that they can accept. There are daily tasks like collecting a potion or walking a certain distance or daily treasures like a scroll or a mystery item

5. It’s kind of like Pokémon GO.

Wizard’s Unite is an augmented reality (AR) game so players walk around and discover items. There are magical buildings like fortresses and inns, various supplies and magical “traces”. What are traces? These signify someone or something that has been displaced by what the game calls the Calamity. A trace points to a pair of items: a ‘Foundable’ and a ‘Confoundable.’

Foundables are objects, people and events that were pulled from the Wizarding world and are not caught between the wizard world and the muggle world. Confoundables are magical tethers that prevent you from getting to the Foundable and can appear as webs and vines or creatures. You’ll have to cast the right spells to free the Foundable.

6. The game builds on more than just the books.

Wizards Unite not only calls on the Harry Potter books and movies but also the two Fantastic Beasts films.

7. You can switch houses.

Players can pick a Hogwarts house and choose a wand but these can be switched at any time. The same goes with professions.

8. You’ll need a Facebook or Google account to play.

There doesn’t appear to be a signup just using your email or mobile phone number at this time.

9. You can make teams.

There is a definite social component to the game. You can play with friends or team up with players you meet that are out and about playing.

10. J.K. Rowling wasn’t really involved in the making of the game.

While she has no direct involvement in the creation of the game, Wizards Unite couldn’t exist without the world she has created. But it does beg the question, is the plot from the game considered Harry Potter canon?

11. You’ll have to walk to unlock special items.

Wizards Unite has a special item, called a Portmanteau. These are a lot like Pokémon GO eggs and come in three flavors – 2 KM, 5 KM and 10 KM. Once unlocked, they reveal Portkeys that take the player away to different wizarding locations.

12. It’s only available on iOS and Android.

While Android and Apple make up most of the mobile world, there isn’t support for any other platform at this stage of the game.

13. You have to reach level 6 to choose your profession.

There is a fair amount of setup right out of the gate, but you can’t choose your role until you hit level 6. Once chosen, then you work on your skill tree for that given profession.

14. It won’t track your movement when the app is closed.

At least for this first version of the game, you need to keep your phone open in order to track distance. Eventually Pokemon GO added a system that let’s you track what you walked while the game is closed, so maybe that will come along for this as well.

15. Wizards Unite was released early.

Announced in 2017 the rollout was supposed to come on Friday, June 21st in the US and the UK. However, it dropped a day early. You can download it for Android and iPhone.

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