Hogwarts Legacy: Is Gringotts Bank & The Goblin Rebellion A Plot Hole?

The recent Hogwarts Legacy gameplay preview gave a look at a goblin rebellion, but it also showed the player character in Gringotts bank, raising the question of plot holes. Although all the details of the game's plot and the rebellion aren't known yet, it seems concerning that the player character is able to access Gringotts while goblins are being treated as one of the main antagonists. Hogwarts Legacy releases in "Holiday 2022", which means that if it is a plot hole, then there isn't much time to fix it.

In the Wizarding World, Gringotts is seemingly the magical community's bank. It's run by goblins, and is widely considered to be impossible to steal from. The only person known to have ever pillaged Gringotts successfully is Harry Potter himself, and even then it was only with insider knowledge and the aid of a former employee. Hogwarts Legacy uses Hogsmeade, Gringotts, and presumably other magical locations in addition to the castle itself. Its gameplay preview showed one of the antagonists, a goblin by the name of Ranrok who is rebelling against wizardkind. Not much is known about the goblins of the Harry Potter universe, save that they are skilled artisans who covet their treasures closely.

Goblin rebellions are nothing new in Harry Potter. They've been discriminated against and oppressed for centuries, and have been rebelling for just as long. Hogwarts Legacy's State of Play presentation revealed that a major part of the plot will be one such rebellion. All the details of it are still unknown, but the fact that Gringotts bank is still open for business and serving the wizarding community shows that it's much more complicated than it appears. Hogwarts Legacy's main villain isn't likely to be Ranrok, only because he was shown so soon and before the game's release, but it looks like he and his rebels will be a driving force for the plot.

Why Wizards & Goblins Are At Odds In Harry Potter & Hogwarts Legacy

Relations between goblins and wizards in Harry Potter are strained, to say the least. Goblin rebellions against wizards are the main subjects of the History of Magic class at Hogwarts, so they were apparently frequent enough to warrant entire courses, essays, and exams. They seemingly took place mostly during the 17th and 18th centuries, but it's possible there were more. There are many reasons for these rebellions, and it's likely that there are more than the books and movies let on. One of them is apparently the fact that goblins are not allowed to have wands. Others include wizards trying to control Gringotts bank, attempts to treat goblins as house-elves, and goblin slayings by wizards. If Hogwarts Legacy is canon, then players may see some of these with their own eyes.

One of the biggest reasons for goblins' animosity towards wizards, however, may be a cultural disagreement. In the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it's stated that goblins have a different idea of ownership than wizards do. Apparently, goblins feel that wizards who purchase goblin-made items are merely renting them, and that the item should be returned to the goblin they bought it from upon their death. This is apparently a deep-seated belief, enough so that it's lasted for centuries of wizards - presumably - telling goblins that no, they will in fact not get whatever they're buying from them back. Given the way that goblins are so protective of their treasures and the things that they make, this certainly seems like it would foster no small amount of displeasure.

Hogwarts Legacy Players Are Apparently Able To Access Gringotts During A Goblin Rebellion

An issue of the Daily Prophet reveals a Goblin Rebellion is starting during Hogwarts Legacy

In Hogwarts Legacy's gameplay preview, watchers learned that the player character will visit Gringotts, the goblin-controlled wizarding bank. By itself, this seems innocuous, and indeed a natural part of the game. Gringotts is a major location in the Harry Potter universe, as it's where the Sorcerer's Stone was kept before being moved to Hogwarts, and where one of Voldemort's seven Horcruxes was hidden. What exactly the visit means, especially with the Ancient Magic that they'll wield, is uncertain, but it is certainly an interesting detail. It's possible that the fact that the player character visits Gringotts, and seemingly is on their way to a vault, means that they could come from an old magical family with hefty coffers, much like Harry Potter himself.

However, the fact that they're able to visit Gringotts while a goblin rebellion is brewing seems odd. All of the Harry Potter 1800s lore events that Hogwarts Legacy will show are unknown, but this seems like a major one. If goblins are rebelling against wizards, then the most logical first step seems like it would be to restrict their access to the gold that they've entrusted to them. Closing down the bank or simply tightening security to the point where it takes ages for wizards to make a withdrawal seems like a very good way to ensure that goblins achieve their intended goal, so it seems strange that they aren't doing it. One explanation is that the rebellion is still only a rumor when the visit occurs, but that doesn't explain why there have been so many of them when it's seemingly so easy to get what they want from the wizard community.

The Goblin Rebellion Is Not A Hogwarts Legacy Plot Hole

Hogwarts Legacy Adaprts Harry Potter Canon

The goblin rebellion and the player's Gringotts visit might seem like a plot hole, but likely is not, because of one simple word: "loyalists." If Hogwarts Legacy really releases in September 2022, then it will be a while before players learn all the details of the rebellion, but a small detail in the gameplay reveal shows that plot holes shouldn't be a concern. Specifically, "Ranrok's loyalists are capable of so much more than people realize." This sentence may seem simple, but it resolves the apparent plot problem that the Gringotts visit and the goblin rebellion create. The fact that loyalists are specified mean that there are multiple factions within the goblin community, which makes sense. Just as Dobby the house-elf stood apart from most, not every goblin is going to be a rebel.

With this detail, it would appear that the goblins of Gringotts are not allied with Ranrok and his rebels. If they were, then the player character likely never would have left Gringotts. Hogwarts Legacy seems to break Harry Potter canon, but its depiction of the wizarding bank seems to be accurate to the books and movies. It would have been incredibly easy for its goblins to simply say that the player character tried to rob one of the vaults and then hand them over to Ranrok, since it is confirmed that he's trying to kidnap them. Gringotts likely maintains a neutral stance in the politics of both the goblin and the wizarding communities. The goblins who run it are businessmen, after all, and likely know that any restriction of the bank would lose them the faith that wizards have in them, and thus result in a loss of business. Hogwarts Legacy might seem like it has plot issues, but all it takes is a careful ear to dispel any worries.

Next: Hogwarts Legacy Is Using Harry Potter's Summoning Spell Wrong

Source: Hogwarts Legacy State of Play Presentation

Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

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