Hogwarts Legacy Animal Symbol Door Puzzles: The Number Key and Every Solution
How to solve the animal symbol door puzzles in Hogwarts Legacy: the 0-9 animal key, the simple maths behind them, and the dial answers for every puzzle door in the castle.
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Around Hogwarts castle you will find heavy doors covered in animal symbols with two triangles of numbers in the middle. These are Arithmancy door puzzles: each animal stands for a number from 0 to 9, and you have to set the missing ones so the numbers add up. Once you know the key they take about ten seconds. Here is the key, how the maths works, and the answer for every door.
Quick answer
The rule: in each triangle, the three corner numbers must add up to the number in the middle. Find the missing value and set the matching animal on the dials next to the door.
The key: the animals around the door frame go from 0 at the bottom left clockwise to 9 at the bottom right.
Quick memory trick: most animals show their number: 1-horned unicorn, 3-headed snake, 5-legged crab, 8-legged spider, 9-headed hydra.
The Animal Number Key
| Number | Animal |
|---|---|
| 0 | Owl (plain, "old-looking") |
| 1 | Unicorn |
| 2 | Ram / goat |
| 3 | Three-headed snake |
| 4 | Owl on a perch |
| 5 | Five-legged crab-like creature |
| 6 | Lizard |
| 7 | Octopus / squid |
| 8 | Spider |
| 9 | Nine-headed hydra |
How to Solve Any Door
- Look at one triangle. Add up the corner numbers you can see (convert any animal symbols to numbers with the key).
- Subtract that from the number in the centre. The result is the missing value.
- Do the same for the second triangle.
- Turn the dial marked ? to the animal for the first missing number, and the dial marked ?? to the animal for the second.
Example: a triangle shows 0, 1 and ?? with 4 in the middle. 0 + 1 + ?? = 4, so ?? is 3: set that dial to the three-headed snake.
Solutions for Every Door
These are the answers reported for each door. If your door shows different numbers, use the method above; the key never changes.
| Door location | ? dial | ?? dial |
|---|---|---|
| Central Hall | Spider (8) | Hydra (9) |
| Central Hall (rafters) | Owl on a perch (4) | Snake (3) |
| Arithmancy Classroom, left door | Owl on a perch (4) | Crab (5) |
| Arithmancy Classroom, right door | Lizard (6) | Unicorn (1) |
| Long Gallery | Ram (2) | Unicorn (1) |
| Charms Classroom | Ram (2) | Octopus (7) |
| Outside the Ravenclaw common room | Owl on a perch (4) | Crab (5) |
| Grand Staircase | Lizard (6) | Octopus (7) |
| House points hourglasses | Owl (0) | Crab (5) |
| Faculty Tower | Owl on a perch (4) | Hydra (9) |
| Great Hall | Spider (8) | Snake (3) |
What's Behind the Doors?
Usually a chest with gear or other loot, and sometimes a shortcut. They are optional, but a quick source of early gear, so it's worth opening them as you explore the castle.
Exploring outside the castle too? See our guide to all 20 landing platforms.
Video: How to Solve the Doors
Frequently Asked Questions
QHow do you solve the animal door puzzles in Hogwarts Legacy?
Each animal is a number from 0 to 9. The three corners of each triangle must add up to the middle number. Work out the missing values and set the ? and ?? dials to the matching animals.
QWhich animal is which number?
0 owl, 1 unicorn, 2 ram, 3 three-headed snake, 4 owl on a perch, 5 crab, 6 lizard, 7 octopus, 8 spider, 9 hydra.
QIs there a cheat sheet in the game?
Yes. Some guides point to a note hidden around Ravenclaw Tower, but the frame of every door shows the order anyway: 0 at the bottom left, going clockwise to 9 at the bottom right.
QHow many puzzle doors are there?
About a dozen around the castle, from the Central Hall to the Faculty Tower.
QWhat do you get for opening them?
Mostly chests with gear and loot.
Solutions checked against Den of Geek's and God is a Geek's guides in October 2026.
Kai Mercer covers game news, free games, release calendars and guides for xGamerss.
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