So, you’ve decided to wander into Hogsmeade and talk to Crispin Dunne. Big mistake. Huge. If you’re like me and your skin crawls at the mere mention of eight-legged freaks, the Tangled Web Hogwarts Legacy side quest is basically a playable nightmare. It’s one of those missions that seems simple on the surface—just check on a friend in Aranshire—but quickly turns into a frantic spell-slinging mess of webs and venom. Honestly, it’s arguably the most memorable combat encounter in the early-to-mid game, mostly because it forces you to face a massive boss in a cramped, claustrophobic basement.
Aranshire is a tiny hamlet east of Hogwarts. It looks cozy. It isn't. When you arrive, the place is ghost-town quiet, except for the skittering sounds that definitely aren't coming from a friendly house-elf. This quest is a level 15 requirement, but if you’re playing on Hard, you might want to wait until you’ve at least unlocked some decent Area of Effect (AoE) spells. Trust me.
Getting Started: The Long Walk to Aranshire
You pick this up from Crispin Dunne in the Three Broomsticks. He’s worried about his friend Mary Portman. The vibe is immediately off. He mentions spiders, which in the Wizarding World, usually means "larger than a Shetland pony."
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Once you fly or trot over to Aranshire, the devastation is pretty clear. The town is overrun. You’ll have to clear out a few smaller spiders just to breathe. Use Confringo. Always use Confringo. Fire is your best friend here because it interrupts their attacks and causes lingering damage. Once the immediate threat is dead, you head into Mary Portman’s house.
The Horrifying Truth in Mary's Basement
Inside the house, you find Mary. Or, well, what's left of her. It’s a bit grim for a game that usually feels like a whimsical school simulator. You find a note explaining that she was trying to breed the spiders to sell their silk. Classic "get rich quick" scheme gone wrong. She thought she could control them. She was wrong.
There’s a hatch. You have to go down.
The basement is where Tangled Web Hogwarts Legacy turns into a genuine dungeon crawl. It’s not just a cellar; it’s a massive, sprawling cavern system that Mary apparently never told the zoning board about. Your main goal here is to destroy egg sacs. There are 12 of them. If you don't destroy them, you’ll be buried in hatchlings. They’re weak, but they’re fast, and they interrupt your spell casts.
The Egg Sac Hunt
Don’t just rush to the center of the room. Peek into the alcoves. The sacs are glowing, bulbous, and generally disgusting. Hit them with Incendio or Basic Casts. I prefer Incendio if I’m close because it feels more personal.
While you’re hunting these, the floor will vibrate. That’s your cue. Thornback Scurriers and Ambusishers will pop out of the ground. If you see a yellow warning circle around your head, Protego immediately. If it’s red, dodge. The timing is tighter in this basement because the terrain is uneven. You’ll get stuck on a rock or a wooden crate if you aren't careful.
Facing the Insatiable Spider
After the sacs are toasted, the big boss shows up: The Insatiable Spider. This thing is a tank.
It’s an Acromantula variant, meaning it has a few moves that can one-shot you if your gear isn't upgraded. Its most annoying move is the unblockable lunging bite. You’ll see the red symbol—roll sideways, not backwards. If you roll backwards, it’ll still catch you with its reach.
How to actually win without dying six times:
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- Ancient Magic: Save your meter for this moment. One big hit from an Ancient Magic blast can take off a third of its health.
- Descendo: When the spider rears up on its back legs to slam down, hit it with Descendo. This slams its head into the dirt and stuns it for a few seconds. This is the "pro gamer" move that the game doesn't explicitly tell you to do, but it makes the fight trivial.
- Transformation: If you have the Transformation spell, you can turn the smaller adds into explosive barrels and throw them at the boss. It’s satisfying and efficient.
- Focus Potions: If you’re struggling with cooldowns, pop a Focus Potion. Being able to spam Confringo and Bombarda back-to-back is the only way to keep the crowd under control.
Why Everyone Struggles with Aranshire
The difficulty spike in the Tangled Web Hogwarts Legacy quest usually comes from the sheer number of enemies. Most players enter Aranshire thinking it’s a simple "go here, talk to NPC" quest. Then they’re suddenly in a pit with a boss and infinite adds.
If you're under-leveled, the poison damage will tick your health down faster than you can drink Wiggenweld potions. Always check your gear before starting. If you have "Spidery" traits on your loom-upgraded clothes (like Lush III), use them. They significantly reduce damage from spider attacks. Most people ignore the Loom until the end of the game, but for this quest, a little defense goes a long way.
Returning to Crispin
Once the big guy is dead, you need to head back to Hogsmeade. You have a choice here. You can tell Crispin the truth—that Mary was essentially a spider-farming criminal—or you can be nice about it.
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The rewards are mostly cosmetic and some Gold. You get the Spider Pillar for your Room of Requirement. It’s... exactly what it sounds like. A pillar with spiders on it. Great for that "dark wizard living in a damp cave" aesthetic, I guess.
Actionable Tips for your Next Run
To make this quest a breeze, follow these specific steps:
- Level Up First: Don't touch this until you are at least level 20, even though the game says 15. The extra health is vital.
- Unlock Confringo: If you only have Incendio, you have to get too close to the spiders. Confringo lets you snipe the egg sacs from across the cavern.
- The Descendo Trick: Practice the timing. When the Insatiable Spider stands up, cast Descendo. It’s the single most effective counter in the encounter.
- Clear the Town First: Don't run straight to Mary's house. Kill every spider in the Aranshire streets first so they don't aggro and follow you near the entrance.
- Sell Your Loot: Aranshire has a few chests hidden behind webs. Use Incendio to clear them. There’s usually some decent gear that can be sold to help pay for those expensive potion recipes.
The Tangled Web Hogwarts Legacy quest is a test of your ability to manage multiple targets at once. It’s chaotic, it’s creepy, and it’s one of the best examples of the game’s combat mechanics working in a tight space. Just remember to keep moving. A stationary wizard is a dead wizard when there are Acromantulas involved.