Hogwarts Legacy – how to cast Petrificus Totalus

Wondering how to cast Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy? Hogwarts Legacy gives players 34 spells to fight and explore their way through the wizarding world. Petrificus Totalus is unique because it’s a stealth spell that can only be cast under defined circumstances, meaning it can’t be equipped and used freely like most other spells in Hogwarts Legacy.

Though you’ll unlock Petrificus Totalus reasonably early on in your wizarding adventure, Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t do the best job explaining how it works, nor does it give you a tutorial like most other spells. We’ll explain how to get Petrificus Totalus and how to cast the spell in Hogwarts Legacy.

How to get Petrificus Totalus

Petrificus Totalus unlocks during the Secrets of the Restricted Section main story quest. You head to the library’s Restricted Section alongside Sebastian Sallow, learning the Disillusionment spell and Petrificus Totalus along the way. It’s an early-game mission, so if you’ve yet to get the spell, press on with the story, and you’ll unlock it in no time.

How to cast Petrificus Totalus In Hogwarts Legacy

As we noted above, Petrificus Totalus requires a specific set of circumstances before you can cast it. Unlike other spells, there’s no need – nor the ability – to equip it as part of a spell set, much like Alohomora, making it a situational spell.

To cast Petrificus Totalus, first cast the Disillusionment spell to turn invisible, then sneak up undetected to an enemy who has their back turned to you. When you’re close enough, you’ll automatically get a prompt to cast Petrificus Totalus. Square on PS5, for example. Tap the corresponding input for your platform, and the spell immediately petrifies most enemies, causing sudden rigor mortis and a quick death.

You can chain Petrificus Totalus on several unaware enemies if you remain in stealth and don’t get spotted. It’s handy for camps, forts, and castles teeming with Ashwinders and dark wizards, where a head-on fight would be too much to handle. With Petrificus Totalus, you can pick off enemies quickly before cleaning up any stragglers with regular combat spells.

That covers how to cast Petrificus Totalus in Hogwarts Legacy. We recommend unlocking the Petrificus Totalus Mastery talent when you can as it it boosts the spell by adding an area of effect that impacts any nearby enemies.

For more on the spells in Hogwarts Legacy, check out our guide to getting all 34 spells or our list of the best spells in the game. Otherwise, check out how to climb the battlements, the best talents, all the Hogwarts Demiguise Statue locations, and how to unlock flying and how to get a broom.

Hogwarts Legacy – Petrificus Totalus FAQ

Can you cast Petrificus Totalus in combat?

Yes, Petrificus Totalus can be used in combat but takes a bit of leg work and won’t work with more than a handful of enemies, at most. Cast a spell like Glacius, Imperio, or Arresto Momentum on all enemies so that they are not longer focusing you in a combat sense, effectively putting you back into stealth. From there, you can walk behind them and cast Petrificus Totalus as you normally would.