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How to Not Screw Up Picking Your House in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Jam City

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the first game that lets you create your own character and have your own adventure at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That alone makes the new mobile game a pretty fun endeavor, but perhaps the most important part of going to Hogwarts comes right at the start, when you’re sorted into the house you’ll be part of for the next seven years. Don’t rush into this decision or you might make an irreversible mistake, like me, an idiot.

The Sorting Hat scene in Hogwarts Mystery comes within the first five minutes of gameplay, and it’s very straightforward. Professor McGonagall explains what all the different houses are, as if you don’t already know all about Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Then, the Sorting Hat asks you which house you want to be in. You then tap on the banner for the house you want to belong in and, ta-da, you’re in!

The witch I created for my second time playing did not botch this section. 

Jam City

Do not rush through this game, or you’ll do what I did while playing through the beginning during an advance play session. Hogwarts Mystery is basically a visual novel, which means there’s a ton of text that you’ll read and tap the screen to get to the next line of dialogue. If you’re a fast reader, you’ll find yourself tapping the screen a lot to keep the game moving and the text flowing. Don’t do this, because you might accidentally tap on an unexpected interactive choice, selecting something before you have a chance to comprehend the decision you’ve made. The game is pretty unforgiving when it comes to this. That’s how I, a proud Ravenclaw, accidentally selected Gryffindor during that test playthrough. I also accidentally encouraged my friend Rowan to buy a dumb sweater instead of a cool scarf because I was tapping too fast. Don’t be like me.

There is no “undo” option in Hogwarts Mystery, though if you mess up that early in the game, it’s best to just restart the whole thing. The better course of option is not to blindly tap on the screen.

I hope this Harry Potter PSA has been helpful.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is now available via the App Store and Google Play.

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