There are 13 magical beasts to capture in Hogwarts Legacy, with the Thestral being one of the most popular due to its appearance in the books and the tragic lore behind it: only people who have witnessed death can see one. Finding and catching a Thestral in Hogwarts Legacy is easy if you know where to look; here's what you need to know.
All Thestral Locations in Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy only has two Thestral Dens in the game, so you won't have to look too far to find one of the deathly creatures. You must have completed The Elf, the Nab-Sack, and the Loom main story quest and obtained the Nab-Sack before you can catch magical beasts.
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The first is found in North Ford Bog, just north of the East North Ford Bog Floo Flame. This is the closest to Hogwarts, so depending on where you spend the most time, you'll probably want to visit this one.
The second Thestral Den is at Maurenweem Lake, sandwiched between two cliffs southeast of the Coastal Mine Floo Flame and northwest of the Tower Tunnel Floo Flame. You'll find three or four of the creatures in each den.
Tips for how to catch a Thestral in Hogwarts Legacy
When approaching a Thestral, it will run away out of fear. So how do you navigate this? You must use the Disillusionment Charm - learned during the Secrets of the Restricted Section main story quest - or an Invisibility Potion to conceal your appearance.
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Once invisible, sneak up on the beast and use Arresto Momentum to immobilize it, then use the Nab-Sack to capture it successfully. While in a Thestral Den, look out for a silver variant if you want to catch a shiny Thestral.
For more information on Hogwarts Legacy, check out Where to find Kneazle Dens in Hogwarts Legacy on Pro Game Guides.
Brent Koepp is a freelance games journalist based out of California. An avid Pokemon fan for over 25 years, he has spent his career reporting on the popular Nintendo franchise. He also dabbles in Destiny 2 and JRPGs. You can follow him on Twitter @brentrkoepp.