Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
This article is not part of the Harry Potter universe.
This article covers a subject that is part of the real world, and thus should not be taken as a part of the Harry Potter universe.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was a mobile game presented by Pottermore in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive. Part of a new series to be released under the Portkey Games label, the game was described as being a Harry Potter version of the hit augmented-reality game Pokémon Go and made by the same developer, Niantic.[1][2]
On 11 March 2019, it was made available for users to pre-register but was taken down. On 16 April 2019, a beta version was released in New Zealand for Android and iOS devices.[3] Originally due to release on 21 June 2019, the game was released a day early on 20 June 2019.[4]
On 2 November 2021, Niantic announced that the game would be shut down on 31 January 2022, and that the game would be removed from all app stores on 6 December 2021, and in-game purchases would not be able to be made after 6 December.[5][6]
Plot[]
When unpredictable traces of magic appeared all over the Muggle world, the wizarding world faced potential exposure. To avert this calamity, the Ministry of Magic began recruiting witches and wizards to join the Statute of Secrecy Task Force.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay was similar to other Niantic games such as Pokémon GO and Ingress. As an AR game, the main aspect of the game was to interact with the real world, which is provided by a map of the player's location.
Niantic released the first beta testing version of the game in New Zealand.[3] In this version, all features presented in the game were playable, although some content was not then available. The following appeared in the beta version.
Foundable and the Registry[]
The other objects the player could encounter were Foundables, which could be a variety of things: wizards, creatures, items, memories and so on. The player had to accurately trace the required spell to 'return' the Foundable to the Ministry and add it to the player's Registry.
The Registry was divided into four categories and displayed the captured Foundables:
- Exploration was the main category, and it was divided into Care of Magical Creatures, Dark Arts, Hogwarts School, Legends of Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic, Magizoology, Magical Games and Sports, Mysterious Artefacts, Wonders of the Wizarding World and Oddities.
- Challenges, which showed the level the player was at from completing wizarding challenges, as well as Foundables which could only be gained from completing challenges.
- Mysteries, which present the game's storyline regarding the Calamity. It was divided into chapters.
- Events Info, which contained all the relevant information regarding upcoming events, specific details included.
Map and locations[]
On the map, the player could see their own character, various locations, Foundables and random potion ingredients. Owls and letters could be seen flying in the background, and if the player moved too fast, they will ride a broomstick.
Locations were static, real-life locations present on the map and taken from Niantic's database (based on Portals in Ingress and PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon GO). There were three types of buildings:
- Inns, which the player could visit to regain Spell Energy. Inns appear as small buildings and often have different colour. Once rewarded energy, a five minute cool down period was activated until the Inn could award more energy, signalled by smoke coming out the Inn's chimney.
- Greenhouses, where the player was rewarded plant-based potion ingredients. Similarly to Inns, there is a five minute cool down once ingredients were rewarded. Players could grow packets of seeds in Greenhouses and use the Herbivicus Charm to accelerate the growth of the plant or fungi they were growing.
- Fortresses, where the player could battle enemy Dark wizards and beasts alongside fellow players to gain experience and rewards. To access Fortresses, the player needed to possess a Runestone.
Ministry ID and suitcase[]
The Ministry ID displayed information about the player's character. The player could customise their name and surname, title, Hogwarts House, profession, wand and wizarding achievements. Hogwarts Houses did not have an impact of the gameplay, other that changing the colour of the character on the game map.
The suitcase was used to access the player's information. It contained the following:
- Vault, which contained potions, ingredients, utility and Runestones.
- Profession, where the player could advance their character's statistics. The professions available were Auror, Magizoologist and Professor. Each profession had access to different lessons which improved the character in different ways. Changing professions freely was permitted.
- Potions, where you could brew up to four potions at the time, in either a standard or Gold cauldron.
- Registry, where collected Foundables appeared.
- Portkeys, were Portkeys were stored, in Portkey Portmanteaus.
Tasks[]
The game featured two types of daily rewards. Daily tasks included returning Foundables, collecting potion ingredients, visiting Inns and such. Daily treasure took into account daily log-ins.
Special tasks were in-game events such as the monthly Brilliant Events, Wizarding Weekends, and Community Days.
Weather and moon phases[]
The game featured different weather conditions and moon phases, which mirrored real-time weather conditions and moon phases based on the player's location.
The following weathers were in the game: Clear, Fog, Overcast, Partly Cloudy, Rainy Snow and Windy. The follow moon phases appeared: First Quarter, Full, New Moon, Third Quarter, Waning Crescent, Waning Gibbous, Waxing Crescent and Waxing Gibbous.
Both features influenced Confoundable appearances, in particular Oddities.
Characters[]
Several characters appeared in Wizards Unite through dialogues, usually to give advice and explanations to the player. They did not appear on the map.
- Constance Pickering
- Mordecai Berrycloth
- Minerva McGonagall
- Mathilda Grimblehawk
- Gareth Greengrass
- Hermione Granger
- Grim Fawley
- Regina Rowle
Spells[]
Most spells were used against Confoundables to free them. The spell required in each different situation was automatically provided by the game. Another spell, Combat Bolt, was used as generic combative spell in Fortresses. The Summoning Charm (Accio) could be used to summon plates of food and drink whilst visiting Inns, and the Herbivicus Charm (Herbivicus) could also be used to accelerate the growth of growing plants and fungi in Greenhouses. The Shield Charm (Protego) was used to protect the player against damage, when battling Oddities and foes in Fortresses.
The following spells appeared in the game to free Confoundables:
- Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus)
- Bombardment Spell (Bombarda)
- Ebublio Jinx (Ebublio)
- Fire-Making Spell (Incendio)
- General Counter-Spell (Finite)
- Knockback Jinx (Flipendo)
- Meteolojinx recanto
- Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum)
- Severing Charm (Diffindo)
- Slowing Charm (Arresto Momentum)
- Unlocking Charm (Alohomora)
- Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)
The following spells were "strategic spells" that could be used in Wizarding Challenges:
- Bravery Charm
- Bat-Bogey Hex
- Confusion Hex
- Deterioration Hex
- Mending Charm
- Proficiency Charm
- Protection Charm
- Reviving Spell
- Stamina Charm
- Weakening Hex
The following spells were considered "Field Charms":
- Inn Charm (Tribuomnus)
- Greenhouse Charm (Celescere)
- Trace Charm (Pario Vestigius)
Potions[]
Each potion required the right ingredient to brew, and the brewing time differed from potion to potion. Performing the right Master Notes (wand movements on the brewing potion) would decrease the brewing time by 15% (with the exception of Tonic for Trace Detection, which was reduced by 50%).
The following potions which existed in the game were:
- Baruffio's Brain Elixir
- Bountiful Brew (Cut from final edit)
- Dawdle Draught
- Draught of Perception (Cut from final edit)
- Exstimulo Potion
- Felix Felicis (Cut from final edit)
- Healing Potion
- Invigoration Draught
- Memory Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Potent Exstimulo Potion
- Scintillation Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Strong Exstimulo Potion
- Strong Invigoration Draught
- Tonic for Trace Detection
- Wideye Potion (Cut from final edit)
- Wit-Sharpening Potion
Potion ingredients[]
Various potion ingredients could be collected from the map and from Greenhouses (plant-based ingredients only), which were required to brew various potions. Plant and fungi ingredients could also be grown in Greenhouses by the player, all of which which required different periods of time to grow. The yield of these growths could be rapidly increased with the Herbivicus Charm. Almost all of the ingredients could be collected from the map or from Greenhouses, with the exception of Hermit crab shell and Unicorn hair, which could only obtained from Portkeys, gifts or from completing certain assignments and achievements. The following ingredients needed to brew potions were:
- Abraxan hair (Strong Exstimulo Potion)
- Acromantula venom (Cut from final edit)
- Angel's Trumpet (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Armadillo bile (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Ashwinder egg (Cut from final edit)
- Baneberry (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Beetle eye (Cut from final edit)
- Billywig sting (Cut from final edit)
- Bitter root (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Bubotuber pus (Healing Potion)
- Bulbadox juice (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Butterscotch (Dawdle Draught)
- Chizpurfle fang (Cut from final edit)
- Common Rue (Cut from final edit)
- Daisy Root (Cut from final edit)
- Dittany (Healing Potion)
- Dragon dung (Cut from final edit)
- Dragon liver (Healing Potion)
- Dragonfly thorax (Cut from final edit)
- Dried Nettles (Cut from final edit)
- Eel eyes (Cut from final edit)
- Erumpent horn (Tonic for Trace Detection)
- Fairy wings (Cut from final edit)
- Frog brain (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Ginger Root (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Granian hair (Exstimulo Potion)
- Ground Scarab beetles (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Ground Unicorn horn (Cut from final edit)
- Hermit crab shell (Dawdle Draught)
- Honeywater (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Horklump juice (Cut from final edit)
- Jobberknoll feathers (Cut from final edit)
- Lady's Mantle (Cut from final edit)
- Leaping Toadstool (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Leech juice (Cut from final edit)
- Lovage (Invigoration Draught)
- Newt spleen (Wit-Sharpening Potion)
- Peacock feather (Cut from final edit)
- Peppermint Sprig (Cut from final edit)
- Powdered Dragon claw (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Powdered Griffin claw (Cut from final edit)
- Powdered Occamy eggshell (Cut from final edit)
- Re'em blood (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Runespoor eggs (Baruffio's Brain Elixir)
- Scurvy grass (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Shrake spine (Cut from final edit)
- Snake fang (Cut from final edit)
- Sneezewort (Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Snowdrop (Exstimulo Potion, Strong Exstimulo Potion and Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Sopophorous bean (Dawdle Draught)
- Squill bulb (Cut from final edit)
- Staghorn (Cut from final edit)
- Stewed Mandrake (Cut from final edit)
- Thyme (Cut from final edit)
- Tincture of Demiguise (Cut from final edit)
- Unicorn hair (Potent Exstimulo Potion)
- Valerian root (Dawdle Draught)
- Vervain infusion (Invigoration Draught and Strong Invigoration Draught)
- Wolfsbane (Cut from final edit)
- Wormwood (Healing Potion)
Objects[]
A number of magical objects and artefacts could be collected during the game, which could be used for a variety of different purposes.
- Dark Detectors were items placed at Inns to increase the frequency of Foundables encounters.
- Portkeys were items that allowed the player to visit familiar Wizarding places. They were stored into Portkey Portmanteau, which were unlocked by walking distances.
- Runestones were needed to activate wizarding challenges in Fortresses.
- Watering cans and packets of seeds could be picked up to grow various plants or fungi in Greenhouses.
- Gifts were packages which contain either spell energy, runestones, potions or ingredients which could be sent to other players the user had as friends. Gifts could be picked up from Greenhouses or Fortresses.
Media gallery[]
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Riderless Nimbus 2000 Out of Control
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Coming 2019
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Launch Trailer
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Gameplay Trailer
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Game Intro Trailer
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Giant Canine Caught in Taco Frenzy
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Hippogriff Spotted
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Monster Book of Monsters Harasses Muggle Shopkeeper
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Calling All Wizards
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Curious Kittens Play with Golden Snitches
Harry Potter Wizards Unite Discombobulated Niffler
Harry Potter- Wizards Unite - Adversaries Coming Soon!
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Psencik, Katey (9 November 2017). "A Harry Potter version of 'Pokemon Go' is coming to your smartphone", WHIO-TV, via Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved on 9 November 2017.
- ↑ New augmented reality mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite announced at Pottermore
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Beta Testing Begins in New Zealand".
- ↑ Statt, Nick (20 June 2019). "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is out now for iOS and Android in the US", The Verge. Retrieved on 21 June 2019.
- ↑ Announcing the close of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ Niantic is shutting down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Polygon
External links[]
| J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | film | game | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
| Deathly Hallows | book | film 1 | games 1 | film soundtrack 1 | game soundtrack 1 |
| film 2 | games 2 | film soundtrack 2 | game soundtrack 2 | ||
| Cursed Child | script | play | |||
| Fantastic Beasts film series | |||||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | book | screenplay | film | game | film soundtrack |
| The Crimes of Grindelwald | screenplay | film | film soundtrack | ||
| The Secrets of Dumbledore | screenplay | film | film soundtrack |