How to Upgrade Gear in Hogwarts Legacy
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Hogwarts Legacy
How to Upgrade Gear in Hogwarts Legacy
How to Upgrade Gear — Step by StepGear Upgrade TipsThe Loom is one of Hogwarts Legacy’s most underutilized systems — many players replace gear constantly and never upgrade, resulting in perpetually mediocre traits. The correct strategy is the opposite: find one excellent Legendary piece early (even at a low level), upgrade it aggressively at the Loom, and use that stable stat foundation to build confidence in combat. The Loom’s true power is in trait management — being able to overwrite bad traits on otherwise excellent gear removes the randomness frustration of finding «almost perfect» Legendary pieces with one bad trait slot. For the complete picture of what traits are worth adding and what to look for in endgame Legendary gear, the gear guide covers the full trait priority list and where to farm the highest-tier pieces. Once your gear is upgraded and traited correctly, combining it with the right spell loadout and talent choices creates the highest-performing combat build in the game.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Loom Upgrade CostsUpgrade gear at the Loom in the Room of Requirement — press and hold the interact button on the Loom to open the upgrade interface. Select any gear piece and pay Moonstone to raise its level to match your character level. You can also use the Loom to add or change traits on gear and unlock transmog appearances by dissolving old pieces. The Loom is available after completing the «The Room of Requirement» main quest around level 10–12.
| Upgrade Type | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Level Up Gear | 2–6 Moonstone per level | Raises gear level to match your character level |
| Add Trait | Varies by trait tier | Adds a trait to an empty trait slot |
| Overwrite Trait | Higher Moonstone cost | Replaces an existing trait with a new one |
| Dissolve Gear | Free | Destroys item, unlocks transmog appearance |
1
Unlock the Room of Requirement and the Loom. The Room of Requirement becomes accessible through the main story quest «The Room of Requirement» — assigned by Professor Weasley around character Level 10–12. Deek the house elf introduces you to the room and the Loom. The Loom appears as a large weaving machine on the left side of the room when you first enter. You cannot upgrade gear before this quest — there is no alternative upgrade system in the game. Complete this quest as a priority since the Loom is essential for maintaining gear effectiveness throughout the entire game.
2
Approach the Loom and press and hold the interact button. Walk up to the Loom in the Room of Requirement — it’s the large wooden weaving machine with glowing thread. Press and hold the interact button (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox, E on PC) to open the upgrade interface. A screen appears showing all gear currently in your inventory. Select the piece you want to upgrade. The interface shows: the gear’s current level, your character’s current level, and the Moonstone cost to upgrade to your level. Upgrade any gear piece whose level is more than 2 below your current character level — the gap in stats becomes noticeable above a 3-level difference.
3
Farm Moonstone to fund upgrades — it grows in the Room of Requirement. Moonstone is the currency for all Loom operations. The fastest source: Moonstone plants grow in the Room of Requirement itself — look for the glowing blue crystal clusters on the floor and walls. They respawn over time. Additional sources: mine sparkling blue ore veins throughout the open world caves and dungeons (Moonstone ore looks like small blue glowing clusters in cave walls), and receive Moonstone from completing certain side quests and combat challenges. A full upgrade session for all 4 gear pieces costs approximately 80–150 Moonstone depending on how many levels you’re upgrading. Collect Moonstone passively from the Room of Requirement plants each time you fast travel back between quests.
4
Add and improve traits using the Loom. The Loom does more than just level up gear — it lets you add traits to empty trait slots and overwrite existing traits you don’t want. To add a trait: select a gear piece with an empty trait slot in the Loom interface → select «Add Trait» → choose from traits you’ve unlocked. Traits are unlocked by: finding gear that has them (dissolve the gear to learn the trait permanently), completing specific quests, and reaching certain field guide milestones. To replace a bad trait: select the gear piece → select the trait slot → choose a replacement from your library. Overwriting costs more Moonstone than adding to an empty slot. Always fill empty Legendary gear slots immediately — even a mediocre trait is better than an empty slot.
5
Dissolve gear to unlock transmog appearances and add to your trait library. Any gear piece dissolved at the Loom does two things: permanently unlocks its visual appearance for transmog (use any outfit look on any stats), and adds its trait to your learned trait library if it had one. Dissolving is the correct action for every gear piece you’re replacing — never simply drop or sell gear with a trait you haven’t learned yet. The visual appearance library means you can maintain a consistent look throughout the game regardless of what gear you’re actually wearing. Dissolve everything you’re not actively equipping, sell gear with no traits or appearances you want, and keep Moonstone for the pieces you’re genuinely upgrading.
6
When to upgrade vs when to replace — the decision framework. Only upgrade a gear piece at the Loom if: it is Legendary rarity with good traits, you’re planning to keep it for at least 5 more character levels, and replacing it would lose traits you can’t easily find again. Replace gear instead of upgrading when: you find a higher-rarity piece (e.g. Legendary replacing Superb), a new piece has better traits, or you’re upgrading a Common/Well-Appointed piece past its useful life. The key principle: Moonstone is better spent on Legendary gear than any lower rarity. A Legendary piece with good traits that you upgrade twice is more valuable than upgrading 4 different Superb pieces once each.
→Upgrade all 4 gear slots (head, chest, cloak, legs) equally — one weak slot hurts more than you think: total defense in Hogwarts Legacy sums all 4 gear pieces. Running three Level 30 pieces and one Level 15 piece gives significantly less total defense than four Level 25 pieces. Keep all slots within 3–4 levels of each other. If Moonstone is scarce, upgrade in order of the piece furthest behind your character level.
→Grow more Moonstone plants in the Room of Requirement to increase passive income: you can plant additional Moonstone plants using Mandrake pots in the Room of Requirement once you unlock the cultivation system. Each additional plant doubles your passive Moonstone collection rate. Set up 3–4 Moonstone plant stations early and check them every time you return to the Room of Requirement — within a few in-game days you’ll have more Moonstone than you need for regular upgrades.
→Learn every trait from dissolved gear before deciding what to keep: when you find gear with an unfamiliar trait, always dissolve it to learn the trait — even if you don’t plan to use it now. Your trait library is permanent and grows throughout the game. A trait that seems useless at Level 15 (like Ambush III for stealth) might become valuable at Level 30 when you unlock stealth talents. Learning costs nothing except the gear piece itself, which you’d sell or discard anyway.
→The best traits to learn early: Concentration, Protego Shielding, and Swift: before finding Legendary gear with Unforgivable Curse Mastery, learn Concentration III (increases all spell damage), Protego Shielding III (deflections deal more damage), and Swift III (dodge improvements) from dissolved gear. These three traits are found on mid-game Legendary pieces and significantly improve combat performance while you build toward the endgame trait setup.
→Transmog is purely cosmetic — never sacrifice stats for looks: transmog in Hogwarts Legacy lets you change how your gear looks without affecting stats. Use it freely to maintain your preferred aesthetic. The school uniform look is unlocked by default and can be applied to any gear piece. Unlock more appearances by dissolving gear throughout the game — by endgame you’ll have dozens of transmog options for every slot.
How do you upgrade gear in Hogwarts Legacy?Use the Loom in the Room of Requirement — press and hold the interact button on the Loom to open the upgrade interface. Select your gear piece and pay Moonstone to raise its level to your character level. The Loom unlocks after completing the «The Room of Requirement» main quest around Level 10–12.
How do you get Moonstone in Hogwarts Legacy?Moonstone comes from: plants growing in the Room of Requirement (blue crystal clusters that respawn over time), Moonstone ore veins in caves and dungeons throughout the open world, and quest rewards. The Room of Requirement plants are the most consistent source — collect them every time you return and plant additional Moonstone plants to increase your supply.
Can you change traits on gear in Hogwarts Legacy?Yes — use the Loom to add traits to empty slots or overwrite existing traits. First learn traits by dissolving gear that has them. Then select the gear piece at the Loom, choose the trait slot, and apply a trait from your library. Overwriting an existing trait costs more Moonstone than filling an empty slot.
What does dissolving gear do in Hogwarts Legacy?Dissolving gear at the Loom permanently unlocks its visual appearance for transmog and adds its trait to your learned trait library. Always dissolve gear with traits you haven’t learned yet before selling or discarding it — the trait stays in your library permanently for future use on any gear piece.