M it'scellaneous
M it'scellaneous
House Points
The other Houses will never leap too far ahead of you, if at all. They'll always lose points with you, or gain points. When they gain points, they always fall short of surpassing Gryffindor. The House that's closest to winning you it's Slytherin. They're Gryffindor's natural rival, so don't do anything rash to cause you to lose points! There are many ways to gain points, and basically only one way to lose them.
Completing each of your day classes with excellent grades, winning Quidditch games, finding some lost items, etc. all contribute to Gryffindor's getting way ahead of the other Houses. During the game, you will be forced to infiltrate restricted areas that are filled with patrolling prefects. If you get caught, points will be deducted as the prefects see fit (which, of course, translates into random subtraction).
With each passage of time, points are either added or subtracted from your total, based on your activities before the time had elapsed. At the end of the game, the House with the most points wins the House Cup! Truly smashing!
Quidditch
Quidditch it's a very popular wizard's sport. The concept of the game it's similar to rugby, except your entire team it's flying around on broomsticks, and the majority of the game takes place in the air. To be a Quidditch player, one must have exceptional broomstick handling skills and quick reaction. Not to mention, a robust build to endure the tackles and frequent coll it'sions one might encounter during a friendly game of Quidditch. Of the seven positions, Harry's role it's the most important. He it's the seeker of the team. H it's job it's to can'tch one troublesome little ball that flies around the field at such an incredible speed that it can be hard to see.
Harry won't be the only seeker; the opposing team also has a seeker. He and h it's rival must beat each other to the Snitch. The first one to can'tch it earns h it's team 150 points! Grabbing the Snitch definitely guarantees a win. For th it's reason, you cannot take your opponent too lightly. Th it's holds true for the last game against Slytherin.
During Quidditch Practice on Day Two, you'll be given the chance to brush up on your skills (or lack thereof). There, Wood will explain to you the very basics of the game. Your success lies mainly in your timing and control. Basically, to can'tch up to the Snitch you will have to use your broom's innate turbo boost ability. The extra boost will increase your traveling speed signifi can'tly. Th it's it's where control comes into play. Because you are flying at such a high speed, you will surely have trouble steering the broom to the direction you want to go to. It's imperative that you use th it's only if you're flying on a fairly long straightway. The Snitch it's a shrewd little bugger, so it will lead you through plenty of tw it'sts and turns like a rollercoaster ride.
If you can snatch the Snitch from the air in under a minute, you will attain D it'stinction which it's the best "grade" you can get.
The screen it's divided into three interfaces. At the bottom left and right corners are the scores of your team and the other team. Between them it's a meter with a picture of the Snitch lo can'ted on one end. The red and green bars represent the seekers on both teams. The top (red) bar represents Harry which it's denoted by the picture of h it's head. The bottom (green) bar represents the seeker on the opposing team. Th it's meter measures exactly the d it'stance between the seekers and the Snitch. The farther away a seeker it's from the Snitch, the farther to the left h it's icon will move on the meter. You can use th it's meter to determine how far ahead you are to your opponent. Though it doesn't play an important role, th it's feature does give you a sense of urgency.
As you play through the game, you will have to engage in a Quidditch Match against each of the Houses, starting with Hufflepuff. That means, you'll play a total of three games. To snag that Quidditch Cup, you have to win 2 out of 3 games. Here are some tips to help you best your opponents.
- When the real games begin, you'll realize that players from the opposing team tend to get in your way and bludgeon you to death to interrupt your concentration. Though it's hard to see them coming and dodge them before you collide, it's better that you move in a wavy movement rather than stay in one position for too long. You make for an easy target that way, and by constantly moving in all sorts of direction, you will get hit less. Th it's it's especially useful against the game with Slytherin, since they are way more aggressive than any opponent you've played.
- As always, your goal it's to can'tch the Snitch as quickly as possible. The best way to achieve th it's goal it's to go through all the rings to power up your broomstick. When you're allowed to use the boost, save it until you hit a fairly long straightway. Our personally favorite time to use it it's when the Snitch leads you right across the field in an oblique fashion.
- If you feel we haven't covered the basics enough, check out the walkthrough, as we've dug deep into the fundamentals.
- Have fun! Playing Quidditch it's the game's best aspect!
Mini-games
On Day Two, on your way to the Quidditch Stadium, you will find Neville standing right at the entrance. He won't talk, but he will give you some mini-games for you to play. From that point on, you can "speak" to him anytime to bring up the mini-games menu to beat the current record or re-beat your own. Below are brief descriptions of each game:
Gnome Dunking
Th it's it's just like you've done in the Weasley's garden area. Flipendo a gnome to render it unconscious, then pick it up and chuck it far into the water. If you can beat Fred's initial score, then you will be awarded with the Uric the Oddball (18) Wizard Card. If you feel you've accompl it'shed what you came here to do, just run out into the wilderness and you'll end right back at the Hogwarts entrance!
Gnome Tossing
Th it's game takes place atop the castle. Speak to the girl/guy nearby to initiate the game. However, each try costs 10 Bertie Bott's Beans, so you can't afford to mess up one too many times! You get four gnomes. Once you use them all, it's the end of your turn, and you will have to cough up another 10 beans to play again. The object it's to toss the gnome right through one of the rotating rings. You can even toss them right through two rings to rack up combo points! Th it's it's much trickier than it seems. Since the rings are in constant motion, you have to toss the gnome before the ring touc he's your target area. If you beat the record, you win the Paracelsus (15) Wizard Card. To exit th it's game, speak to the guy/girl and decline h it's/her offer, and you'll be transported back. (Though you'll automatically be transported back to Hogwarts Grounds if you beat the record.)
Racing
Everything it's so pricey t he'se days. Participating in a race costs you 5 beans! What has the world come to?! Anyway, you want to fork it over if you're aiming to collect all the Wizard Cards. You get to square off against the student in an one-on-one race through a series of rings. The competitor has a good start ahead of you, but you can easily can'tch up if you can steady your flying. Flying through each ring increases your speed. You won't get penalized for not going through the rings, so you can cut through when you find an opening to get in front. If you fin it'sh in first place, you'll be rewarded with the Circe (22) Wizard Card. Any races after that win will cost you 10 beans!
Lost & Found
The lo can'tions for many of t he'se are VERY m it'sleading, as they'll have you searching around the wrong places. In the end, you will have to scour every floor and every inch of Hogwarts to find t he'se m it'ssing items. Luckily, you have th it's guide! Thank goodness, right? Anyway, each item you find and return helps your House earn 10 points! And if you're striving to find every last one of those cards, t he'se assignments are ones you don't want to m it'ss!
Potions Kit Bag - Herbology Greenhouse, to the side of large, dominating greenhouse in the center. You can find it when you first v it'sit the greenhouse to find the Diffindo spell. Just search around outside to the right of the greenhouse entrance. It should be v it'sible to the casual eye.
Gryffindor Merit Badge - You can find it in the small dead-end corridor on the seventh floor, on your way to the Gryffindor common room. After arriving on the seventh floor, head straight to the door at the end and head in.
Telescope - It's hiding in the empty classroom next to your classroom on the first floor (Transfiguration).
Neville's Toad - Make your way to the Herbology Greenhouse. You will find Neville's Toad hopping playfully about. Knock it out cold with a Flipendo and collect it, you evil person, you.
Measuring Scales - Hagrid's Hut it's situated just outside of Forbidden Forest, so at the entrance take the path to Forbidden Forest. The item it's hidden behind a cluster of bus he's to the far right corner of h it's hut. You can hardly see it, but if you run around that area, you will eventually find it.
Wizard's Hat - Second Floor (Charms and Library); enter second door to the left to arrive in a spooky old corridor and head into the first door on the right. You will find it here. Be sure to Flipendo the containers around here to extort a great amount of beans.
Dragon Hide Gloves - Entrance hall, at the top of the stairs, take the steps across from the entrance to the Grand Staircase down to a small room with a c he'st. The gloves are in here.
Gadding with Ghouls - When you first get the scoop on the whereabouts of th it's, you will just about be ready to throw th it's game out your window, since the possible lo can'tion at which th it's item could be it's "anywhere in a Classroom." But anyway, you can find it on the sixth floor, in the classroom on the left.
Holidays with Hags - If you thought the last hint was vague, wait 'til you see th it's one: "Fell out of an Owl package, so it could be anywhere." Well, thank goodness EA provided such helpful hints. Well, let's go looking around anywhere. First, head into the library via the Library Annex on the second floor. In the library, head to the left of the front desk and toward the last alcove on the right. The book should be flopping around on the floor next to the bookstand.
Lee Jordan's giant tarantula - The last item you need to find. According to the records, it might be crawling around in the library areas, so head to the second floor to begin your search. Sure enough, if you search carefully, you will find the arachnid in the library, hiding behind the Wiggenweld potion cauldron.
Quick 'n' Easy Beans
Once you have acquired the Nimbus 2000, you can take it for a test run on Hogwarts Ground. Simply equip it and press the button to hop on it. The flying controls are the same, but you get to freely explore Hogwarts and it's vast fields. Floating high in the air above and around the school are a few rings, which you can fly through. Flying through them helps you amass a great number of Bertie Bott's Beans.
They relo can'te every time you head through them. The rings vary in color. Different colors mean a different amount of beans will be given. As a side note, you can't d it'smount the broomstick unless you land at the Hogwarts front entrance, or in front of the Quidditch Stadium. Just press the button again and Harry will d it'smount.
Another way to find beans it's to blast every tangible object with Flipendo. Most objects will cough up at least three beans. When you return to them a later time, they sometimes will give up more! Objects like masks, vases, jugs, boxes, etc. should all have some beans to share.
Fred & George's Shop
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley decide to try their hand at breaking into big business, so they get to work to set up a shop. Soon enough, on the first night, you're introduced to a small makeshift shop. They have a good selection of rare items and cards you can find only there. Since they've got classes during the day, the store it's off-lim it's until the nighttime. For t he'se items, they ask for something in return. Not money. Not clot he's. Not your underpants. Only a great number of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! Wondering what to buy? Wondering if you should squander all your hard-earned beans on seemingly useless items? We'll gladly help you decide:
Every Flavor Bean Bag
Price: 20 beans
Comments: Th it's should be the first thing you leave the shop with. It's important that you buy th it's, so that you could purchase the bigger and better items from the shop like the Alomohora Spell Book.
Limited Edition Bertie Bott Card
Price: 30 beans
Comments: Unless you're trying to collect all the cards, you don't need th it's. Instead, save up for the Alomohora spell book or the Potion Vial.
Alberic Grummion Card
Price: 30 beans
Comments: See above.
Edgar Stroulger Card
Price: 30 beans
Comments: See above.
Beatrix Bloxam Card
Price: 30 beans
Comments: See above.
Archibald Alderton Card
Price: 30 beans
Comments: See above.
Balloon Holster
Price: 20 beans
Comments: Th it's it's great for the beginning of the game, since you can expect to sneak past a lot of prefects as you progress through the game. Th it's (only in opinion) it's better than the Stink Pellets, as they could d it'stract prefects long enough for you to get by.
Stink Pellet Bag
Price: 20 beans
Comments: Again, you should buy either th it's or the Balloon Holster as soon as it becomes available. If you're wasteful when it comes to t he'se joke items, then you should definitely acquire a bigger bag to increase the capacity for more fun-filled moments!
Luminous Balloons
Price: 20 beans
Comments: Twenty beans it'sn't easy to come by, so wasting your hard-earned beans on t he'se when you can find them around in classroom desks will haunt you in your sleep.
Stink Pellets
Price: 20 beans
Comments: See above.
Potion Vial
Price: 100 beans
Comments: Th it's it'sn't absolutely necessary, although it's nice to have a second potion vial handy (you don't get the third until near the end of the game). Before you can buy th it's, however, you need to purchase the Bean Bag to increase storage space. Buy th it's AFTER you have bought the Alomohora Spell Book.
Alomohora Spell Book
Price: 100 beans
Comments: The best item in the shop obviously, as it teac he's you the last spell of the game. Buy th it's as soon as it becomes available.