The next Keeper Trial that awaits your is Charles Rookwood’s, ancestor of dark wizard Victor Rookwood. You’ll need to overcome Victor’s forces and then delve deep into the old castle in order to uncover more secrets about the nature of Ancient Magic.
He will tell you that your suspicions were indeed correct: Rookwood castle is filled with both Ranrok’s Loyalists and with Victor Rookwood’s dark wizards. He suggests you take a stealthy approach, but it is up to you.
Enter Rookwood Castle
After talking with Professor Fig, head up to Rookwood Castle. On your way up, make sure to grab the nearby Floo Flame, if you haven’t already (1). Once you grab it, cast Disillusionment in order to stay hidden and use Petrificus Totalus (/ while behind an enemy) (2).
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You’ll have to hop into the castle from the side, so make your way around left of the entrance. You’ll eventually be ambushed as a new enemy is introduced: the Loyalist Ranger. These deadly ranged foes tend to perch in out-of-the-way places and can fire unblockable ranged attacks at you. If you are able to focus on them, though, especially using Accio, you can take them out quickly. As well, if they fire at you, you’ll have a brief chance to use Ancient Magic Throw () to throw the projectile back for heavy damage.
Once you’ve taken out the goblins outside the castle, you’ll need to get in. To do this, move the nearby box using Wingardium Leviosa (1), positioning it so that you can use it to scale over the wall where it is crumbling (2). Jump up (/) and into the castle from here (3). Once you drop in, a cutscene will play, where you eavesdrop on Ranrok and Rookwood as they debate what their next move will be.
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After the cutscene, move forward just a bit, and another enemy introduction will play. This time, an Ashwinder Executioner will spot you, and start combat. This combat is much longer than most, as more enemies — both dark wizards and goblins — will apparate into the battlefield, prolonging the fight. You’ll need to focus and remember how to counter several different types of enemies. Most notably, you should be prepared to blast Ashwinder Duelists with Damage spells and dodge out of the way of Loyalist Ranger’s unblockable shots (unless you can Ancient Magic Throw them back).
Once you clear the courtyard of enemies, cast Revelio to find various loot. There are two chests in the courtyard, one in each tent (1). Once you grab those, grab the chest in the stables below the ramparts (2). Lastly, grab the chest in the green tent opposite the others (3).
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Next, you can go up the stairs to the ramparts (1). Go into the room in front of you to grab the chest (2). Then, turn back around and continue along the ramparts until you go through a door into the castle itself (3). When you try to jump onto a wooden platform, it will collapse (4). Whether or not this causes you to fall, you will need to get down to the ground level anyway.
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Before you, there will be a large door inscribed with the Ancient Magic rune. In order to open it, you’ll need to use Basic Cast on the three runes nearby. Cast Revelio to find them. There is one on the left, which you’ll need to break the boxes in front of to hit (1 and 2), one just to the right, visible between some debris (3), and one far to the right, through a hole in the wall (4).
Once you’ve hit them all quickly with Basic Cast (if you take too long the runes will reset), then the door will open. Now you can continue down and enter the Rookwood Cellar with /.
Find Charles Rookwood’s Portrait
Once inside the Cellar, follow your minimap or Charmed Compass down and to the left, heading into the newly-dug Goblin tunnel. You’ll come across a red, glowing object: a store of magic (1). From here, go through the right. As you descend a set of stairs leading to Charles Rookwood’s portrait, look below the stairs to find a chest (2), then speak to Charles Rookwood’s portrait (3). After you fill him in on the state of his castle, he will tell you to begin the trial and dismiss Professor Fig.
After you finish talking with Rookwood, you can walk over to the Ancient Magic swell next to you and investigate it with /. It will reveal a secret passage, which you can go through in order to access the door to Charles Rookwood’s Trial.
Complete Charles Rookwood’s Trial
Head through the first hall, and then you’ll come into a large room with an arch in the middle. Head up the stairs to the right to find an Ancient Magic swell (1), and then investigate it with /(2). The path forward will open up across a gap from you, but will be too high to grapple on to.
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The archway you passed will now become a portal, and you’ll be introduced to the new mechanic for this trial: blocks which you can move on one side of the portal, which will be something else (usually pillars or chests) on the other side.
In this first example, you should start by casting Accio on the box beneath the exit landing (1). On the other side of the portal, it is a chest, which you can grab (2) (since before it was locked behind a cage on the other side).
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After grabbing the chest, cast Accio the box with a white silhouette (1). That silhouette represents what the object is on the other side. Move it to just below the ledge that exits the room (2). Then, go through the portal to the other side (3), and use the pillar to reach the ledge and leave the room (4).
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Pass through the moving passageway, then continue onto the next. When you get halfway across (onto the area that widens) turn left and use basic cast on the rune (1). Cross the pathway that rises and grab the chest to the left of the room there (2).
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Continue down the walkway until you come across another Ancient Magic swell that you can activate with / (1). Go through the portal and grab the chest on the other side (2). While there, use Basic Cast on the rune on the south wall (3). This will flip the portal, allowing you to look through it to use Accio on the block tied to the pillar blocking your path (4).
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Don’t head on yet, though. Now that you’ve cleared your path, take the block attached to the tall pillar and bring it back to the middle section of the walkway you used to get here, close to the platform with a chest (1). Then, use Basic Cast on the rune again to spin the portal (2). Go through it, and then go down the side room to the left and cast Accio on the block behind the gate (3). Lift it over the gate, then bring it to the portal so you can grab it as a chest on the other side (4). Go back to the other side, then use Accio to bring the box the pillar (5), allowing you to climb on top of each in order to grab the chest on the platform (6).
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Once you get that chest, move on to the next room. Here, you’ll need to fight some Pensieve Guards. The best way to deal with any Pensieve Guards is to use Expelliarmus to disarm them, giving you plenty of time to deal critical damage to them (2). This is even more powerful if you have Ancient Magic Throw Expertise, which enables you to throw the weapon back at them for massive damage. Ancient Magic and Ancient Magic Throws are also very powerful here. Additionally, it is possible to knock enemies off the platform here.
After destroying the automatons, head into the next room. Like before, this one has a portal which you can activate using the Ancient Magic swell (1). Do so, and then use Basic Cast on the rune right on the other side of the portal (2). This will cause the portal to shift and let you access a chest (3). Then, head through the portal onto a side walkway (4) and fire at the rune with Basic Cast again (5). Now you can continue onward through the exit to the room (6).
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In the next room, investigate the Ancient Magic swell, which will activate a tall portal, with the exit to the room on an upper level. But, before you can deal with the puzzle, you’ll need to handle some enemies. And not just any enemies: invisible enemies!
This room has two guards, one for each version of the room/side of the portal. Each will only be visible on one side of the portal, except for their weapon. In order to deal with them, you’ll need to take out the one you can see first, doing your best to steer clear of the ominous floating weapon of the other. Once one is destroyed, though, you can go through the portal to destroy the other.
Once you’ve cleared the enemies, make sure you are on the opposite side of the portal from the one you start on (1). Use Basic Cast on the right wall to cause the floor and arch to rotate (2). Then, stand on the other side of the portal from the box on the ledge and cast Accio on it to bring it through the portal (3). Move the block so that it is back on the ledge, where it was (but on the other side) (4). Finally, go back through the portal to use the pillar to grapple up to the ledge (5). Grab the chest up here, then use Basic Cast on the rune one more time (6), and the pillar will swing around, putting you at the room’s exit.
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Continue forward, down the moving/spinning stairs . Make two lefts in the hallway at the bottom to get a chest, then continue forward.
The next is another combat arena, where you’ll need to take out two Penseive Sentries. These should be easy to deal with — they aren’t even invisible.
After you take them out, head through the door to the left to a side room (1). Activate the Ancient Magic swell with / (2). Next, fire at rune through the unactivated side of the portal (3). This will cause it to slowly spin, allowing you to cast Accio on the chest to bring it off the ledge (4), allowing you to grab it.
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Next, head down the hallway leading to a spiral staircase surrounding a statue (1). Go up the stairs, and through the door. Grab the chest (ominously filled with Wiggenweld potions), and then continue through the door to the platform in the middle (2). This may be seeming familiar.
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In the next room, you’ll fight a lot of Pensieve guards. There is a portal in the center of the room, and about half of the guards are on each side of the portal, meaning that those on the other side will once again be invisible for you. The best strategy here is to clear out all the guards on one version of the room (Expelliarmus still being the go-to here) while avoiding the floating weapons from the other. Once they are cleared from that version, go through the portal and clear out the other half of the guards, without needing to worry about invisible enemies.
Once you’ve taken out the guards, a Pensieve Guardian will rise from the floor (replacing the portal in the center of the arena). You fought one of these before during Percival Rackham’s Trial, and this one doesn’t add much, so the same tips to defeat this boss apply as before. To refresh you:
His most dangerous attack at the beginning is his stomp, where he will raise his foot, then bring it down to create a shockwave that you’ll need to dodge.
Use Ancient Magic and Ancient Magic Throws to chip away at his health. Otherwise, use Damage Spells for general damage.
When he falls to one knee, you should get in close in order to cast as many Damage spells — especially Incendio — as possible.
Just make sure to back away when he starts standing back up, to avoid his AoE attack.
When he begins to cast colored orbs, you should use a spell matching that color.
For a Yellow orb, use a Control spell. For a Purple orb, use a Force spell.
If you are not able to disrupt his orb, be ready to dodge, as it can deal a massive amount of damage.
Once you’ve defeated the Pensieve Guardian, you can continue down the newly-formed path and into the final room of the trial, where a Pensieve sits.
View the Pensieve Memory
As you come into the room with the Pensieve, make sure to grab the chest sitting behind it, under the giant statue. Grab that, and then head to the Pensieve and investigate it with /. This will start a cutscene which will reveal much more about Isidora Morganach and her relationship with the Keepers. Once it’s done, you can head to the mirror-portal at the side of the room to return to the Map Chamber.
Speak to Percival
Once it’s done, you can head to the mirror-portal at the side of the room to return to the Map Chamber (1). In the Map Chamber, head up to Professor Fig and the portraits (2). Another cutscene will play, and you will be introduced to another one of the Keepers: Headmistress Niahm Fitzgerald.
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Amidst other information, she will tell you that she needs time to prepare the next trial. Once the cutscene ends, conveniently enough, time will pass into Winter, and you’ll be in your common room, having completed Charles Rookwood’s Trial.
Graves is an avid writer, web designer, and gamer, with more ideas than he could hope to achieve in a lifetime. But, armed with a mug of coffee and an overactive imagination, he’ll try. When he isn’t working on a creative project, he is painting miniatures, reading cheesy sci-fi novels, or making music.
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) to throw the projectile back for heavy damage.
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) and into the castle from here (3). Once you drop in, a cutscene will play, where you eavesdrop on Ranrok and Rookwood as they debate what their next move will be.
