LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Guide: All Character Unlocks

Quick Answer: Do not waste your time hunting for character tokens in the open world. The entire playable roster is unlocked strictly by progressing through the main story campaign. Just keep beating chapters, and you will eventually add all seven heroes to your squad.

TT Games completely flipped the script for this release. Instead of padding out the game with a bloated roster of hundreds of random thugs and obscure villains, they narrowed the focus. You get a tightly curated team of seven deeply customizable characters. Every single hero feels completely distinct, bringing their own combat flavor and specific puzzle-solving abilities to the table.

You cannot sequence break or skip ahead to unlock your favorites early. Everyone joins the team at highly specific narrative moments. Also, be prepared to spend a massive amount of cash if you want to purchase all their alternate outfits. If you are aiming for 100% completion, managing your time and studs is crucial, so make sure you review our complete achievement walkthrough to optimize your run.

The Complete Roster Cheat Sheet

While the core game currently limits you to seven heroes, the developers plan to drop the Joker and Harley Quinn in September 2026 via the Mayhem Collection DLC. Until then, here is exactly when you unlock the base game squad and what tools they bring to the fight.

The Heavy Hitters

You are permanently locked into using Batman as Player 1, and Gordon serves as your primary backup early on. These two handle the bulk of the game’s heavy puzzle lifting.

Batman

You play as young Bruce Wayne during a few early flashbacks, but you do not get the actual Batsuit until you clear the Prologue. Bruce plays like a traditional bruiser with incredibly heavy combat mechanics. He packs the most versatile toolbelt in the game. You get standard Batarangs for ranged damage, which can eventually be upgraded into a massive bat swarm. He also uses Explosive Gel to demolish cracked walls and a Batclaw that violently yanks enemies into a devastating ground slam.

Jim Gordon

The commissioner steps into the Player 2 role right at the beginning of Chapter 1. Gordon does not have fancy WayneTech gadgets, but his police gear is incredibly effective. He uses a Foam Sprayer to shoot thick goo that stops leaking pipes, jams up mechanical gears, and freezes enemies completely solid. For crowd control, his Rebound Launcher fires projectiles that violently bounce around tight spaces to clear out mobs safely.

The Infiltrators

When a puzzle requires subtlety, breaking and entering, or slipping past security systems, you need to tag in the criminals.

Catwoman

Selina Kyle officially joins the crew in Chapter 2 after you finish the Mimes mission. She is the ultimate burglar. Catwoman can scale specific textured walls, carve perfect glass circles into windows, and expertly crack safes. In combat, her Whip completely disorients enemies. Her best gadget by far is the Call Kitty tool. She pulls out a laser pointer to pilot a tiny robotic LEGO cat, allowing you to easily navigate through tiny ventilation shafts.

Talia al Ghul

You get a quick tutorial with Talia during the Prologue, but she does not become a permanent roster fixture until the start of Chapter 5. Talia completely ignores technology in favor of pure assassin skills. She uses Blowdarts to completely stun targets from afar. Her Ninja Dash is a game-changer, letting her teleport short distances to cross wide physical gaps. She is hands down the best character to use if you want to farm stealth takedowns.

The Tech and Acrobat Squad

Batman constantly surrounds himself with heavily armed teenagers, and you need their specialized skills to clear the late-game environments.

Robin

Dick Grayson finally suits up during Chapter 3 after you survive a mandatory training sequence at Haly’s Circus. Robin is all about agility. His specialized Birdarang locks onto three unique targets simultaneously, which is an absolute requirement for the game’s more complex switch puzzles. He can also break physical locks with his staff and shoot tightropes across massive drops using his Cable Launcher.

Batgirl

Barbara Gordon sneaks her way onto the team in Chapter 4. She is the undisputed tech genius of the group. You need her Hackarang to trigger specific electronic minigames from a distance. She also controls a flying Drone that scans the environment for hidden clues or creates custom grapple points. If you invest enough points into her skill tree, that drone physically transforms into an automated turret during massive brawls.

Nightwing

By the end of Chapter 4, Dick Grayson ditches the Robin identity and rebrands as Nightwing. You do not permanently lose Robin, as you can freely swap between the two personas whenever you want. Nightwing takes the core acrobatic moveset and injects it with lethal electrical damage. He uses an Electrorang and an Electric Cable Launcher to completely fry enemies. You will rely heavily on Nightwing during the final hours of the campaign, as he is the only character capable of jumpstarting dead generators and transferring live electrical currents.

For more tips, walkthroughs, and everything else covering the game, check out our full collection of guides.