Hogwarts Legacy Arachnophobia Mode replaces spiders for fear-filled wizards

Harry Potter RPG Hogwarts Legacy has a new way for phobia-stricken wizards and witches to play the game. Added in a new update, the Hogwarts Legacy Arachnophobia Setting replaces the game’s spiders with a cuter alternative.

Added in the game’s latest patch, the Hogwarts Legacy Arachnophobia Mode makes numerous changes to the world’s creepy crawlies. For a series that’s become synonymous with big spiders, it’s a surprising addition, but one that’s becoming more commonplace.

Those who turn on the optional mode will notice all arachnids being swapped out for cuter alternatives. While they are still technically spiders, they now look incredibly goofy.

Hogwarts Legacy spiders are turned into big blobs with glowing red eyes. Instead of eight big spidery legs, the magical arachnids have four floating boots where their feet should be. It’s still vaguely spider-like, but a lot less threatening.

What would have been cooler is if the Hogwarts Legacy Arachnophobia Mode followed the movies. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the magical Boggart creature disguises itself as a spider. When Ron casts “Riddikulus”, the spider ends up rolling around on roller skates.

Arachnophobia modes in games are now becoming more frequent. Microsoft’s Xbox exclusive Grounded is a survival game all about fighting giant insects, but you can still turn spiders into big amorphous blobs. Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi Survivor also lets you turn off the game’s massive arachnids.

Unfortunately, Hogwarts Legacy’s options doesn’t remove every instance of spiders from the game. While all 3D models of spiders are either gone or replaced, images of the creatures in the game’s bestiary will still be present.

The extra development time to replace arachnids in video games with goofy alternatives is a sure sign that a developer cares for its fans. While some players have complained about the feature, it honestly harms no one to have such a mechanic implemented. Perhaps, in the future, even more phobias will be a toggle setting in AAA video games.