Harry Potter: Wizards Unite just released today on both Android and iOS. It’s the perfect time to start playing this new game by Niantic and be ahead of the pack. This game is perfect for fans of Harry Potter. If you’ve already played Pokémon Go then many things about this game will be familiar to you. But, there are a lot of differences. Before you get started, or if you're just getting started, there are some things you should keep in mind. Knowing what to expect and what to look out for while playing the game will make the process a lot easier and help you have the best experience.
Here are ten things we wish we know before we started playing. We’ve collected this information so you can get a head start on your own gameplay.
10 10. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ALL ASSETS TO SAVE DATA BUT NOT MEMORY
It’s no surprise that this game takes up a lot of data. It’s a big game and has even more going on and more interactive graphics than Pokémon Go does. As such, it’s a killer if you don’t have a lot of data on your mobile plan.
To avoid wasting your data on the game, you can go into settings and push the download all assets button. The only downside to this is that this game will take up about 2 GB of data instead. So, you’ll have to figure out which option is best for you and if you need to save data or memory.
9 9. YOU CAN REGISTER A WAND AND ADD YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE UNDER YOUR MINISTRY ID
One of the most fun things to do when you get started is to set up your Ministry ID. This icon is in the bottom left of the screen. From where you can set a profile picture and a life of the things that will make the game feel more personal. You can pick your Hogwarts house and also decide on what kind of wand you want and register it. This doesn’t really change the game too much, but it is fun and does make it feel more like you’re in the world of Harry Potter.
8 8. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INNS
As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of similarities between this Wizards Unite and Pokémon Go. However, there are differences. In the game, there are places called Inns where players go to gather items. These function similar to Pokestops and are usually in the same places. However, Wizards Unite takes things even further. There are different kinds of Inns that come in five different colors: brown, purple, green, blue, and pink. It’s important to gather supplies from all different kinds to get different items and rewards.
7 7. DARK DETECTORS
Dark Detectors are similar to lures in Pokémon Go in that they will attract foundables and confoundables. (Foundables are the good things you collect after saving them from the confoundables).
But, the great thing about these is that you can actually use three at a time. In Pokémon Go, only one lure can be used at a stop at a time. But, with Dark Detectors, each Inn can have up to three at a time for compounded benefits.
6 6. YOU CAN BASICALLY PLAY BOTH GAMES AT THE SAME TIME SO KEEP THAT IN MIND
If you’ve been a player of Pokémon Go and want to play both games, don’t worry. They are set up to let you do this pretty easily. The basic maps and set up are quite similar even if Wizards Unite is a bit more involved. You can go out walking and switch between both apps. You can gather your supplies in both games as they use the same locations for Pokestops and Inns. This means you basically get twice the amount of fun.
5 5. THE GAME CAN SEEM A BIT OVERWHELMING AT FIRST- BUT DON’T WORRY
While Pokémon Go has a little bit of a learning curve, it’s much steeper for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. There are a lot of icons and things to look at. And, it’s a little hard to figure out everything you can do and what everything means. This is all right, however. The game has a pretty good tutorial that will explain it to you as you go. And, the actual gameplay on the map is pretty straightforward. Things will piece together pretty simply as you play.
4 4. YOU CAN ADD FRIENDS JUST LIKE ON POKEMON GO
Just like on Pokémon Go, you can add friends using your player ID. The system is the exact same, so it’s easy to get started adding your friends to this new game. These friendships will also give you rewards in the game.
You will get bonus Wizarding XP and bonus XP for winning challenges when you do them with friends. So, having friends can actually help you level up more quickly in this game than just doing it by yourself.
3 3. DIFFERENT POTION INGREDIENTS COME UP AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND IN DIFFERENT WEATHER
In Pokémon Go, the weather and time of day impact which kind of Pokémon you are likely to see and catch. This is similar in Wizards Unite when it comes to potion ingredients. The different ingredients come up at different times and weather also impacts them. Plus, even the phases of the moon will determine which potion ingredients are likely to come up. Eventually, there will likely be guides on the specifics of this, but, for now, it’s just good to know and be aware of.
2 2. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PICKING A PROFESSION
When you reach level six in the game, you get to choose your profession. There are three different options. You can be a Magizoologist which is a healer, an Auror who can deal high damage, or a Professor who is great at solving puzzles. But keep in mind the puzzle solving thing isn’t known much about yet.
Depending on which profession you choose, you will have certain advantages when you fight monsters in Fortresses.
1 ALWAYS KEEP SPELL ENERGY
One of the main things to keep in mind when playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is that you need to have spell energy in order to cast spells. You can see how much you have by clicking on the briefcase icon in the middle of the screen and from there clicking the Diagon Alley icon. If you’re running low, especially under fifteen or so, you should head to Inns to collect more. The spell energy is basically like a Pokeball. Each time you cast a spell, whether it's effective or not, you use one spell energy.