A tech-adept player of Hogwarts Legacy has come up with a way to enable a minimalist photo mode for the PC version of the well-known ARPG. This technique modifies the running game, but it doesn’t need the same kind of mods as the recently released unofficial arachnophobia mode for Hogwarts Legacy.
Photo mode is a highly-requested addition to Hogwarts Legacy since its release on February 10, yet Avalanche Software has yet to make any announcements about such a feature being part of the game’s plans.
In the meanwhile, a Reddit user by the name of Fineus has uncovered a way of setting up and utilizing a makeshift photo mode in Hogwarts Legacy by making use of Universal UE4 Unlocker, a PC tool that allows the recreation of many developer features in games running on Unreal Engine 4. The means of doing so requires the user to begin Hogwarts Legacy, and then launch UuuClient.exe when the main menu is reached. This will insert a custom binary into the game’s Windows process, making it act like a developer build. After that, pressing Insert or any custom-defined key binding will permit players to activate an in-game free camera.
Universal UE4 Unlocker can be used for disabling the in-game HUD, making it a great makeshift photo mode for Hogwarts Legacy. It even supports adjusting the depth of field and various graphical effects based on the engine’s native features. Version 3.0.21 of the tool is free to download, while Otis_Inf’s Patreon page offers a more advanced version with camera paths and extra features for a fee of $5 per month.
When it comes to the possibility of Avalanche Software including an official photo mode in Hogwarts Legacy, it is quite plausible. Even though the development team has not revealed their post-launch content plans, this feature would not be considered DLC. There are numerous examples of major titles, like the Shadow of the Colossus remake, Dying Light 2 and God of War Ragnarok, that have added photo mode support post-launch.
PC gamers can be content knowing that mods introducing a photo mode to Hogwarts Legacy are highly likely. This is not only because of the public’s request, but also because creating such a mode is not overly complicated. This is demonstrated by the Universal UE4 Unlocker which shows that a photo mode is essentially a free-roaming camera combined with some filtering options. More elaborate versions may also incorporate selective texture upscaling to enhance the visuals, but this is certainly not necessary.
The PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S can now experience Hogwarts Legacy, while the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be released on April 4 and the Switch version will be made available on July 25.
