"Hogwarts Legacy" (opens in new tab) recently received a patch that focused on bug fixes and ray tracing. However, the patch notes (opens in new tab) omitted more quality-of-life changes that were quickly discovered by players and subsequently confirmed by the developer, Avalanche. They silenced the bloody statues.

Ignatia Wildsmith was a long-dead witch, remembered and immortalized in the magical world with the invention of Flow Powder. Never mind the lore: flow travel is used to fast travel through the Hogwarts Legacy. In the game, when you go to the bust of Ignatia Wildsmith, Ignatia chats to you because it is a magical world. And Ignatia will tell you how wonderful her inventions are, how travel broadens the mind, and oh my God, let me fast travel, because I'm begging you.

"Additional features that were not included in the patch notes have been identified in this patch." Ignatia Wildsmith's dialogue has been reduced in frequency (significantly), so while the flow powder will definitely make travel more convenient, you won't have to listen to it all the time."

Perhaps an overstatement, but Ignatia was frustrating not so much because the characters and acting were particularly bad, but because of the frequency of fast-travel: just a bit incessant, and players complained about it for months (open in new tab).

Harry Potter fans are calm, rational people, so of course some of them declared the goofy inventor to be a Voldemort-level annoyance. On the other hand, there are those who would not take kindly to this change: "Ignatia is my best friend forever, and I can't imagine how miserable my life would be if she were not here."

Of course, Ignatia still exists. And she still speaks to the player.

Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the game (opens in new tab), the Hogwarts Legacy has successfully launched (opens in new tab) with over a billion dark wizards killed to date. According to the director, there are "no plans for DLC" (opens in new tab) at the moment, but that will change: the best recent idea may be a mod that allows you to cast spells with your voice (opens in new tab). Ignatia might have a hard time enjoying this mod, though.