You're flying over the Scottish Highlands, the wind is whistling past your robes, and suddenly your controller vibrates. You look down. There it is. Another stone circle on the ground. Honestly, if you've played more than five hours of the game, you know the drill. You land, sprinkle some Mallowsweet, and wait for that green vine animation to finish. But then? You’re staring at a pile of giant stone balls or a series of pillars, wondering why on earth a legendary wizard like Merlin had so much free time on his hands.
Hogwarts Legacy Merlin's Trial mechanics are basically the ultimate test of patience for anyone trying to hit that 100% completion mark. It isn't just about the puzzles, though. It’s about the inventory space. We’ve all been there—trying to loot a legendary chest only to realize our gear slots are full because we haven't done enough of these trials yet. It's a gameplay loop that is both rewarding and, let’s be real, a bit of a grind.
The Reality of Mallowsweet and Gear Slots
Most players think these trials are just "side content." They aren't. They are the only way to expand your gear inventory. You start with 20 slots. That's nothing. You'll fill that up in a single dungeon run. To get more, you have to complete these environmental puzzles scattered across the map.
There are 95 of them. Yes, 95.
You can't even start them without Mallowsweet leaves. You can buy the seeds at The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade. Pro tip: don't waste your gold buying the leaves individually. Just get the seeds, plant them in the Room of Requirement, and harvest them like a frantic gardener. You're going to need a lot of them.
Once you activate a trial with the leaves, the puzzle begins. The game doesn't give you a tutorial for every single type. It expects you to use your brain—and your spell wheel.
The Nine Puzzle Types You’ll Actually Encounter
Merlin didn't just make one type of puzzle. He had nine distinct variations. Some are easy. Others make you want to throw your broom into the Black Lake.
The Large Stone Balls (Depulso/Accio)
Usually, there’s a massive circular depression in the ground nearby. You have to find a giant boulder and push it into the hole. Sounds simple? Sometimes the ball is hidden behind a destructible wall or requires a very specific angle with Depulso. If you're near a cliff, good luck. Gravity in this game can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
The Small Stone Balls (Accio/Wingardium Leviosa)
These are different. You’ll see platforms with four circular indentations. You need to find a group of five small stone balls and pull them over. Once they get close enough to the platform, they snap into place. Use Revelio. Seriously. If you can't find the balls, they're probably hidden behind a bush or up a small ledge.
Lighting the Braziers (Incendio/Confringo)
You’ll see three pillars with bowls on top. You have to light them all before the first one sinks into the ground. If you’re too slow, the fire goes out. The trick here is distance. If the pillars are far apart, Incendio won't work because it's a short-range blast. You need Confringo. Start with the highest pillar first, as it usually takes the longest to sink.
The Butterfly Swarms (Lumos)
Fans of the movies will recognize this vibe. You find three stone pillars with crystals inside. Somewhere nearby, there are swarms of glowing moths. Cast Lumos, and they’ll follow your wand. Lead them to the pillars. It's basically a magical game of "Follow the Leader."
The Parkour Stones
No spells required here. You just have to jump from the top of one stone pillar to the next without touching the ground. It sounds like a platformer from the 90s. If you struggle with the jump mechanics, just know that you can actually use your broom to "cheat" some of these if you're careful, though the game prefers you do it on foot.
Firefly Cubes (Flipendo)
These are the worst. You have a stone cube sitting on top of a pedestal. Both have symbols on them. You have to use Flipendo to rotate the top cube until the symbols match the ones on the base. It’s a 3D spatial puzzle. You have to hit it from different sides to change the direction of the flip. It’s frustrating until it clicks.
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The Orbs on Pillars (Basic Cast)
This is the easiest one. Look around for nine stone pillars with small orbs on top. Shoot them with your Basic Cast. They break. Done. It's the "breather" puzzle of the bunch.
Repairing the Statues (Reparo)
When you activate the trial, several statues nearby will crumble. Use Reparo on all of them. Usually, they're scattered in a circle around the Mallowsweet start point.
Exploding Pillars (Bombarda/Confringo)
You’ll see several large, cracked stone pillars. They don't have orbs on top; they're just big blocks of stone. Hit them with a heavy damage spell like Bombarda or Confringo to blow them up.
Why Some Trials Feel "Broken" (But Aren't)
You will occasionally run into a Hogwarts Legacy Merlin's Trial that feels impossible to finish. Usually, it's because a piece of the puzzle is hidden behind a "destructible" environment.
Revelio is your lifeline. Upgrade your Revelio range in the Talents menu as soon as possible. If you’re standing at a Merlin Trial and nothing is glowing blue, look for a pile of rocks or some thick vines. Most of the time, the "missing piece" is just behind a wall you haven't blasted yet.
Another common frustration? Height. Some trials have components hidden way above you on a cliffside. If you're on the ground, you might not see them. Get on your broom, fly up about twenty feet, and cast Revelio again. The blue highlight works through solid objects, making it way easier to spot those pesky stone balls or moths.
The Math of Inventory Upgrades
Let’s talk numbers because the game doesn't really explain the scaling. You don't get a new slot for every trial. It works in tiers through the Challenges menu.
- Tier 1: Complete 2 trials (+4 slots)
- Tier 2: Complete 6 more trials (+4 slots)
- Tier 3: Complete 10 more trials (+4 slots)
- Tier 4: Complete 14 more trials (+4 slots)
- Tier 5: Complete 20 more trials (+4 slots)
To max out your gear capacity to 40 slots, you only actually need to finish 52 trials.
Wait. If there are 95 trials, why do you only need 52 for the upgrades?
Because the rest are purely for the "Merlin's Beard!" Trophy/Achievement and total game completion. If you just want to stop deleting your gear every ten minutes, you can stop after 52. But if you’re a perfectionist, you’re in for a long afternoon of Mallowsweet-induced labor.
Subtle Nuances Most Guides Miss
When you’re doing the "Symbol Matching" cubes with Flipendo, the game doesn't tell you that the side you hit matters immensely. If you hit the front, it flips toward you. If you hit the side, it rolls. If you're stuck, walk 90 degrees around the pillar and try hitting it from a different angle.
Also, the "Light the Braziers" trials can be cheesed with the Arresto Momentum spell. If you're struggling with the timing, slowing down a sinking pillar isn't always an option, but positioning yourself exactly in the center of all three and using Confringo is the most efficient way.
Regarding the "Stone Ball" puzzles: the physics engine in this game is generally pretty good, but sometimes the balls get stuck in the geometry. If a ball is wedged in a tree or a rock, just fast-travel away and come back. It’ll reset to its original spawn point. Don't waste ten minutes trying to Depulso it out of a glitch.
Actionable Strategy for Efficient Clearing
If you want to knock these out without losing your mind, don't do them one by one as you find them. That's a recipe for burnout.
First, wait until you have unlocked Confringo, Flipendo, and Wingardium Leviosa. You can't finish all the trial types without these. If you try to do a trial and realize you don't have the spell, you've just wasted Mallowsweet.
Second, unlock the Broom. Don't even bother with trials on foot. The mobility allows you to spot the puzzle elements from the air, which is ten times faster.
Third, treat it like a region-clearing exercise. Pick a section of the map, like the Forbidden Forest or the South Hogwarts Region, and clear all of them in one go. It keeps your brain in "puzzle mode" so you recognize the patterns faster.
Ultimately, the Hogwarts Legacy Merlin's Trial system is a love letter to the lore of the world, suggesting that Merlin himself was a Slytherin who enjoyed testing the wits of those who followed him. Whether you find them charming or a chore, they are an essential part of the power progression in the game. Maxing out those gear slots makes the late-game experience significantly smoother, especially when you're hunting for that perfect set of legendary robes with the right traits.
Start with the trials nearest to Hogsmeade to get those first few inventory upgrades. Once you have a bit of breathing room in your satchel, the rest of the Highlands becomes much more enjoyable to explore. Just remember to keep your Mallowsweet stock high and your Revelio finger ready.
Go to the Challenges menu often. You have to manually "claim" the inventory upgrades once you hit the milestones. The game won't just give them to you. If you finish ten trials and your inventory is still full, that’s why. Claim the reward, and you’re good to go.