Hogwarts Legacy Dumbledore Build Guide: Best Spells, Talents & Traits

Hogwarts Legacy may be set during the 1800s, meaning your favorite characters from the Harry Potter series have yet to be birthed. But this doesn’t mean you can’t bring them to the game, as the character creation allows you to create your favorite character, including the greatest wizard of all time, Hogwarts professor, Albus Dumbledore, and compile the best dueling build he may use.

This build is much different from other custom builds as the main focus is on control and isolation, allowing you to be centered more defensively and deal long-ranged damage over time. This guide details the best Spells, Talents, and Traits to use and equip for the ideal deck for Albus Dumbledore in Hogwarts Legacy.

REMINDER - Hogwarts Legacy was due to launch on PS4 and Xbox One on April 4, but now won't release until 5 May 2023.

Hogwarts Legacy Dumbledore Build – Best Spells To Use

Spells are the cornerstone to every witch and wizard's arsenal, and for the acclaimed future headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore's spellcasting abilities will be vastly different from most builds. While this build won't utilize plenty of Damage Spells, it will depend on a small pool of Spells that contributes to the Ancient Magic meter.

• Related: Hogwarts Legacy Harry Potter Build Guide – Best Spells, Talents & Traits

Filling up your Ancient Magic meter will significantly increase when equipping the Ancient Magic Trait to your gear. This allows the meter to fill up much faster than other builds and lets you unleash damage using spells and basic attacks consistently in conjunction with the Talents and Traits equipped.

• Arresto Momentum: A control spell allowing you to halt or decrease the movement speed of any object and enemy and giving you time to strategize your next move. This can isolate an enemy to deal massive amounts of damage or deal with long-ranged enemies before focusing on those closest to you (received after completing Madam Kogawa's Assignment 2).
• Depulso: This Force spell lets you knock back enemies and objects and repel attacks from enemies, which can deal plenty of damage if knocked back into objects or enemies. This can be greatly used when enemies are grouping up or too close; using this spell quickly disperses them, and you can follow it up with attacks (received after completing Professor Sharp's Assignment 1).
• Glacius: Another control spell that inflicts ice damage by freezing enemy targets and allowing you to deal more damage with subsequent attacks. This can be effective against shielded enemies and enemy groups or to isolate them for a short time (received after completing Madam Kogawa's Assignment 1).
• Incendio: The only damage-dealing spell in this build, the Incendio spell inflicts short-ranged damage but with an added buff on igniting enemies and objects once hit. Dumbledore has been known to use fire-damage spells and in Hogwarts Legacy, and this is the closest s you can swap it out with Confringo if the AoE is too small (received after completing Professor Hecat's Assignment 1).

Hogwarts Legacy Dumbledore Build – Best Talents To Use

Moving onto the best Talenst to incorporate in this build, you will heavily rely on those that amply affect your Spells by boosting their damage stats or adding effect once the Talent is upgraded. Specifically for this build, to play as Dumbledore, you'll be relying on mainly Core and Spell Talents for a more defensive playstyle.

Best Spell Talents:

• Confringo Mastery: Fire-imbued bolts are created on impact after Confringo is cast, which targets enemies nearby (requires Level 5).
• Depulso Mastery: After casting Depulso, an additional wave is released around the caster (requires Level 5).
• Glacius Mastery: When attacking an enemy inflicted by Glacius, ice shards will blast outwards, which can hit nearby enemies for AoE damage (requires Level 16).
• Incendio Mastery: Creates a ring of fire when Incendio is casted, which can deal AOE damage to nearby enemies (requires Level 5).

Best Dark Arts Talents:

• Curse Sapper: Once a cursed enemy is defeated, you'll regain some health (requires Level 22).
• Enduring Curse: When enemies are cursed, the cursed effects have an increased duration (requires Level 16).
• Slowing Curse: Arresto Momentum can affect cursed enemies when afflicted and can take bonus damage from subsequent attacks (requires Level 16).
• Stunning Curse: Enemies hit with Stupefy will be cursed and take bonus damage from subsequent attacks (requires Level 5).

Best Core Talents:

• Basic Cast Mastery: Reduce spell cooldown while using basic spell attacks (requires Level 5).
• Basic Cast Airborne Absorption: When attacking airborne enemies, it contributes an amount of Ancient Magic to the meter (requires Level 16).
• Evasion Absorption: Evade incoming enemy attacks using the dodging ability, which contributes to the Ancient Magic meter (requires Level 16).
• Protego Absorption: When blocking attacks using Protego, it contributes to your Ancient Magic meter, while "perfect" blocks grant more towards the meter (requires Level 5).
• Protego Expertise: When using Perfect Protego to block incoming attacks, it throws two projectiles aimed at enemies (requires Level 16).
• Protego Mastery: When perfectly blocking attacks with Protego, it sends a shockwave that destroys enemy shields (requires Level 22).
• Spell Knowledge I: A new Spell Set will be added, allowing you to swap between spells effectively when in combat (requires Level 5).
• Stupefy Expertise: When enemies are hit with Stupefy, they'll receive direct damage upon contact (requires Level 22).
• Stupefy Mastery: Enemies hit with Stupefy will remain in this effect for longer (requires Level 16).
• Swift: Using Swift lets you vanish and reappear elsewhere when using the dodging ability (requires Level 5).
• Wiggenweld Potency I & II: Allows you to heal most effectively (requires Level 5 and 16, respectively).

Hogwarts Legacy Dumbledore Build – Best Traits To Use

Unlike other builds, Dumbledore will only depend on two specific Traits relating to Ancient Magic which can be equipped on all your gear. As Ancient Magic is the primary focus of this build, evident in the Spells and Talents used, you'll want to ensure that you're consistently dealing damage and increasing your Ancient Magic meter simultaneously.

• Ancient Magic III: This will significantly increase damage dealt to enemies when using Ancient Magic
• Ancient Magic Focus III: This greatly boosts the fill rate of the Ancient Magic meter

This completes the build guide for one of Harry Potter's most beloved and recognizable characters, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Keep in mind that this build targets players looking for a defensive build option while using control and force spells to target enemies.

We like to thank the YouTube channel Fextralife for the complete breakdown of the Dumbledore deck and for providing vital information on the playstyle and more to produce the best Dumbledore deck for Hogwarts Legacy. Please consider subscribing to their channel and watching the video below for more details.

Hogwarts Legacy Dumbledore Build Guide: Best Spells, Talents & Traits FAQ

Which spells are recommended for Albus Dumbledore in Hogwarts Legacy?

Recommended spells for Dumbledore include Arresto Momentum, Depulso, Glacius, and Incendio.

What are the best talents for Dumbledore's build in Hogwarts Legacy?

The best talents for Dumbledore's build include Confringo Mastery, Depulso Mastery, Glacius Mastery, Slowing Curse, and Basic Cast Mastery.

What traits should I use for Dumbledore's build in Hogwarts Legacy?

Equip Ancient Magic III and Ancient Magic Focus III traits to maximize damage and fill rate of the Ancient Magic meter.