Should you help Ackley Barnes in Hogwarts Legacy?

Supply businessman Ackley Barnes in Hogwarts Legacy seeks to get “Venomous Revenge” on his ex-partner Alfred Lawley, who allegedly kicked Ackley out of their contract for being too “volatile.” Barnes is not confident in his capabilities to unleash his retaliation on his own, so he seeks the help of someone uninvolved, such as a student of Hogwarts. Accordingly, as the student protagonist of the quest, Ackley asks that you enter Alfred’s cellar and steal his most prized possession, a Venomous Tentacula. However, this side quest is not as straightforward as others, as you will be given multiple dialogue options that can affect the outcome of this tale. 

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Helping or Rejecting Ackley Barnes in Hogwarts Legacy

The first dialogue choice in “Venomous Revenge” of Hogwarts Legacy is “I’ll do it,” which has you help Ackley Barnes with his sinister endeavor. This option will grant you access to Alfred’s cellar, where you must sneak past the ex-partner to his prized Venomous Tentacula. This escapade is anything but safe, as you will need to use Disillusionment to avoid being seen and get past several vicious Thornback Scurriours. The Alohomora Spell is also required to unlock a door leading to the Venomous Tentacula.

Alternatively, you can choose “I’m not comfortable with this,” after which Ackley Barnes will attempt to persuade you to still fulfill the malicious deed in Hogwarts Legacy. The following two options will be “Very well. I’ll do it” and “I’ll find another way.” Choosing the first will progress the quest like before, tasking you with entering Alfred’s cellar. However, picking the second dialogue option in Hogwarts Legacy will allow you to “help” Ackley in a different way. Instead of stealing the Venomous Tentacula from Alfred, you can grow one yourself or buy one from the Dogweed And Deathcap in Hogsmeade. 

Whatever the case, giving a Venomous Tentacula to Ackley Barnes in Hogwarts Legacy should leave you with two concluding choices: “Happy to be rid of it” and “I’d like to be paid.” From our testing, the first concludes the quest with a cosmetic reward, including 300 Gold. Conversely, the second grants you an extra 200 Galleons for your trouble, along with the same item. In other words, helping or “not helping” Ackley Barnes in Hogwarts Legacy will have an almost identical outcome.