Mysteries of the Forbidden Forest and the Black Merchant guide

Disclaimer: This guide was written for the Taiwanese version of the game. We are currently working on updating all our guides for the Global Release.

The Forbidden Forest, also known as the Dark Forest, borders the grounds of Hogwarts School. It seems that the Forest stretches outside of Hogwarts territory because some characters could escape Hogwarts through its dense labyrinth of woods.

Students are forbidden to go to the Forest, except if they have the Creature Care Class with Hagrid, or because of detention.

How to play

In the game, the Forbidden Forest is a single-player or co-op experience, where you choose between different pathways. Through some pathways, you will get new items, in others, you will fight battles. You earn the “Seals of Courage” during and after the Forbidden Forest instance run. You can spend your Seals of Courage buying items from the Black Market Merchant that roams the Forest (this feature was available during the open beta version of the game).

When you enter the Forbidden Forest location from the Map, you will choose the level of Challenge you wish to play. To unlock a higher-level difficulty, you need to complete the previous level (e.g., to play Forbidden Forest lvl 3 you must complete lvl 2 at least once). The higher the difficulty the greater the rewards.

When you enter the Forbidden Forest Challenge (Instance), you need to complete all the stages. Stages are like milestones in exploring the forest. At each stage, you will choose between the branching paths of the forest. Paths will lead you to different situations. In front of the path, you will have an icon:

  • Two crossed yellow wands – you will engage in a battle.
  • Two crossed red wands – you will engage in a hard battle, a greater combat challenge. You may die easily so be careful, but rewards are better.
  • Red Hourglass – a very hard and challenging battle, with a timer. You need to defeat the opponents before the time runs out.
  • Blue leaves – you will find some items or resources.
  • The beast’s head – Boss Battle.
  • Blue question mark – an unknown situation.
  • Blue bonfire – Rest: you can recover either Health or MP, depending on your choice.
  • Drawers – in the Taiwanese version, Forest/Black Market merchant is located here. He will sell ingredients and Cards for Gold and Yellow Gems.

Complete all the stages to complete the Forbidden Forest run. Usually, the last stage is a Boss Battle, after which you’ll get huge rewards such as Echoes (you can upgrade your Echo with duplicates of the same Echo), Ingredients for Potion Brewing, and Pass Points.

Weather Effects

Sometimes when you start the Forbidden Forest run, there may be a Weather effect.

  • Wildfire – fire will appear on the field. Whenever you cast a Spell, a small Fire Snake will jump at the enemy and explode. It’s the same Fire Snakes from Ashwander Card.
  • Fog – a foggy circular area will appear on the field. Whoever stands on that surface will receive damage over time.
  • Lightning Storm – lightning bolts will strike random creatures on the field (you included).

Black Market Merchant

This is a feature in the Taiwanese version.

You can meet Black Market Merchant in the Forbidden Forest Map location (not in the level instance).

Some of the items you can buy are Rare Cards, 1 Legendary Card (but only once per month), Gold and Blue Gems, and a package of random Potion Ingredients. It is recommended to purchase the items that are sold for gold. As for those sold for gems, you might want to consider if they are directly affecting the decks you often play.