Versions

See the "Changelogs" dropdown just above.

There are several versions of this mod, each of which does slightly different things. That's because the Percival Rackham Trial Bug has more than one cause. For the vast majority of people (maybe 99.9%) the bug will be fixed by Version 3 of this mod. So that is the default version and the version I recommend. But if that doesn't work you can try Version 4, and if that doesn't work try Version 1 (which only works for save-games made before you activate the pensieve). Version 2 is the official bug fix but it's included in Versions 3 & 4 so there's little point in trying version 2. You will find all these versions in the Files tab.

Alternative Method using SQL Mod Menu (for experts only)

If you have SQL Mod Menu installed and you know how to use it (it can be very tricky for beginners) then you can implement Version 3 of this bug fix via SQL Mod Menu if you prefer. The recipe is inside this Article. If not, the installable mod described below is simpler for most people.

Awards

I am delighted to report that this humble mod won Mod Of The Month for May 2023! Thank you to everyone who voted. You're the best. 😁

Introduction

This is a fix for official bug number HL-12745 (and duplicate bug reports like HL-13144, HL-13070, HL-12826, HL-12776, HL-12442 and HL-654) also known as the game-breaking "Percival Rackham Trial Bug" or "First Trial Bug" or "Pensieve Cut-Scene Bug".

I am not affiliated with WB Games.

Installation & Use

The process below should work for everyone. (As of 15 Sep 2023, this mod has over 5000 downloads and a 100% success rate!) This is the procedure that I recommend. Follow it exactly, step by step, and you'll be fine.

But if you use Vortex to install your mods automatically and you absolutely insist on using Vortex to install this one, then click on this link for an article describing how to do it. I have not tested that procedure though, and I don't recommend it unless you really know what you're doing.

Here's the recommended procedure:

1a) Remove everything from the Steam\steamapps\common\Hogwarts Legacy\Phoenix\Content\Paks\~mods\ folder. Just put it all in another folder for now, but NOT the Steam\steamapps\common\Hogwarts Legacy\Phoenix\Content\Paks\ folder, NOR any sub-folder of that. A folder on your desktop might be best.

1b) If the ~mods folder doesn't exist, create it.

1c) OPTIONAL: At this point, if you like, you can try running the game to see if the problem is fixed. For some people the official fix would actually work, but one of their mods is preventing it from doing so. If you're one of those people then removing your mods is all you need to do. So give it a try if you like. If it doesn't work, or if you didn't have any mods installed, or if you want to just fix it for sure, proceed to step 2.

2) Manually download this mod and extract the PAK file from the ZIP file.

3) Move the PAK file to: Steam\steamapps\common\Hogwarts Legacy\Phoenix\Content\Paks\~mods\ 

4) Start the Hogwarts Legacy game and load your last "Percival Rackham Trial" save file.

5) Bring up your gear screen and check your health. If it ends with a "9" the mod has loaded okay. If it ends in any other number, the mod hasn't loaded. Go back and check steps 1-3 above.

6) Once the mod is correctly installed, the cut-scene will either start immediately or as soon as you activate the pensieve. 🤞

7a) If it works 🙂 please hit the ENDORSE button on this mod page, and feel free to leave a comment in the POSTS section.

7b) If not 😭 please i) try again using Version4 of this mod which you will find on the Files tab and if that doesn't work, ii) try again using Version1 of this mod (with a save file made before  you activated the pensieve). If neither of those work, please submit a BUG REPORT telling me what happened, and I'll try to fix it.

When you're done

Once you've got past the pensieve cut-scene you won't need this mod any more (unless you decide to go back to an earlier point in the game for some reason). So just delete the PAK file from Steam\steamapps\common\Hogwarts Legacy\Phoenix\Content\Paks\~mods\ and put all your existing mod files back again.

Crashes

If the game refuses to start after you've installed this mod, there could be two explanations:

• You are running an earlier version of the game. The original (07 Feb) version of the game is known to crash with SQL mods designed for the latest (02 Jun) version of the game. If so, let me know and I will create a special version of the mod for you.
• You are running a cracked version of the game. For some reason these crash when SQL mods are installed.
  

Conflicts

This mod alters and replaces the game's PhoenixShipData.sqlite SQL database file. If you have any other SQL mods installed they might prevent this one from working correctly. That's why it's safest to just remove all your mods while you run this one. But if you're positive that you don't have any SQL mods you could leave your existing mods in place and just see if this one works. (If your gear screen in-game shows a health number ending in "9" you should be good to go.) Alternatively, if you do have SQL mods, you could attempt to make this one load after those, by changing the name to "zzzzzPercivalRackhamTrialBugFix_P.pak". (Again, if your gear screen in-game shows a health number ending in "9" you should be good to go.) I haven't included these options in the instructions above because I wanted to keep things simple, but if you know what you're doing you could give them a try.