Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 3/10
- Offline: 36
- Online: 0
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 35+ Hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: About 2
- Number of missable achievements: "Ghostly Treasure", although it is nearly impossible to miss.
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No. There are tons of cheats listed in this guide that will aid your quest
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No
- Glitchy achievements: Nothing noteworthy, guide explains any minor glitches
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: No
Introduction:
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is the sixth Lego platformer released on the 360. While most of the basic elements remain from its predecessors, Harry Potter introduces a few new gameplay features. If you've played one though you've played them all pretty much. Collect studs, find bricks, solve puzzles, and use cheats. Yes, cheats can be used for the entirety of the game and will make everything just a whole lot easier.
Cheats
Red Bricks
Score x2 74YKR7
Score x4 J3WHNK
Score x6 XK9ANE
Score x8 HUFV2H
Score x10 H8X69Y
Invincibility QQWC6B
Fall Rescue ZEX7MV
Character Token Detector HA79V8
Gold Brick Detector 84QNQN
Hogwarts Crest Detector TTMC6D
Red Brick Detector 7AD7HE
Fast Dig Z9BFAD
Fast Magic FA3GQA
Character Studs H27KGC
Christmas T7PVVN
Singing Mandrake BMEU6X
Stud Magnet 67FKWZ
Regenerate Hearts 89ML2W
Extra Hearts J9U6Z9
Gold Bricks
Gold Brick 1 QE4VC7
Gold Brick 2 FY8H97
Gold Brick 3 3MQT4P
Gold Brick 4 PQPM7Z
Gold Brick 5 ZY2CPA
Gold Brick 6 3GMTP6
Gold Brick 7 XY6VYZ
Gold Brick 8 TUNC4W
Gold Brick 9 EJ42Q6
Gold Brick 10 GFJCV9
Gold Brick 11 DZCY6G
Misc.
Carrot Wands AUC8EH
Silhouettes HZBVX7
Disguise 4DMK2R
Spells
Glacius ERA9DR
Accio VE9VV7
Anteoculatia QFB6NR
Calvorio 6DNR6L
Colovaria 9GJ442
Engorgio Skullus CD4JLX
Entomorphis MYN3NB
Flipendo ND2L7W
Herbifors H8FTHL
Incarcerous YEB9Q9
Locomotor Mortis 2M2XJ6
Multicorfors JK6QRM
Redactum Skullus UW8LRH
Rictusempra 2UCA3M
Slugulus Eructo U6EE8X
Stupefy UWDJ4Y
Tarentallegra KWWQ44
Trip Jinx YZNRF6
Don't feel guilty using the cheats, they are just a part of the game. Using them will make your quest to 1000 much quicker and easier. just be sure that after you enter them, you save, and each time you play, to turn them on. You don't need to enter them every time, but by default they are off.
There is much to do and collect in the game. Use the COLLECTIBLE GUIDES to find them all.
Step #1- Story Mode playthrough
There are so many things to collect in this game in can be overwhelming. Some of these things cannot be unlocked until later in Free Play when you can freely switch to different characters to solve different puzzles. Therefore, I feel it is best to just simply complete every level in Years 1-4 without worrying about any collectibles. You might me spending too much time trying to reveal a secret door or location when your Story characters don't even have the right spells or abilities. Just play, beat the story, and worry about bricks or crest pieces later. I would even suggest leaving your various "detector" cheats off in this playthrough so you don't get sidetracked. Your multipliers and invincibility cheats are alright though.
The only missable achievement involves the Story. A ghost leads you from one level to the next in Hogwarts. Collect 500 ghost studs that he leaves behind as you can't do this after the Story is complete. No worries though, just make sure to grab the ghost studs instead of running ahead and you'll collect 500 by then end of Year 1 for sure.
Step #2- Free Play
Now that you have completing the 24 Story Levels, it's time to go back and play each level in Free Play where you can switch characters on the fly. Completing each level again in Free Play is required but you'll want to anyways to find all your collectibles. Along with the COLLECTIBLE GUIDE, you should also have your "detector" cheats on when looking for crest pieces, gold bricks, characters, etc. Each level also contains a Student in Peril that you must rescue. You'll need to buy one of each character "type" to access every secret area or perform certain tasks. Someone who can use Dark Magic (Quirrel, Snape), one that can pull heavy chains (Hagrid), a key character (Griphook), and ideally someone from each house. Professor Dumbledore can access ANY house, so he's a good one to have.
Step #3- Roam around Hogwarts
There are many more bricks and students to find in and around Hogwarts. With your guide and detectors you can find everything you need for getting towards 100% completion.
Step #4- Buy...EVERYTHING
If you have collected everything, rescued everyone, now is the time to purchase everything in the shops. Assuming you use score multipliers, studs are not an issue. Purchase every character, every spell, every brick. This will count towards 100% as well as many achievements.
Step #5- Bonus Levels
In your Leaky Cauldron hub you can explore some other areas and shops. There are various tutorial and build-a-levels below Gringotts Bank. Also, after obtaining all 200 gold bricks, you will unlock a bonus level in Borgin & Bukes.
Step #6- Role Reversal(s)
Besides the actual achievement with the same name, there are a few "defeat X character with X character" type achievements. With everything unlocked you will have the available characters to do so in Free Play.
Conclusion
Completing everything is time consuming, but it isn't necessarily hard. Most of the difficulty will be in your patience of collecting everything. Some achievements weren't mentioned in the roadmap but just use some common sense to know when to get them, or if you've missed anything just finish them up after Step #6.
x360a would like to thank litepink for this road map