LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight gives you a roster of 7 playable characters drawn from across the Batman mythos, and every single one of them is earned through the main story. No grinding, no side missions required. You start with two characters ready to go, then steadily pick up the rest from Chapter Two through Chapter Five. Each character brings their own gadgets and a set of unlockable costumes, so knowing who's coming and when helps you plan your playstyle as the campaign opens up.
Full character unlock list
All 7 characters unlock through story progression across five chapters. Here's the complete breakdown:
The guide contains minor story spoilers tied to when certain characters appear. If you want to go in completely blind, just know that all 7 unlock naturally by finishing the main campaign.
Full playable roster screen
Who do you start with?
Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Jim Gordon are available from the very beginning. Batman's Batarang and Batclaw handle the standard combat and traversal you'd expect, while Jim Gordon's Foam Sprayer and Rebound Launcher give him a distinctly different feel. If you want to farm studs efficiently early on, Jim Gordon's Rebound Launcher is one of the tools worth knowing about. Check out the stud farming guide for how to get the most out of it.
Batman's Batarang gadget menu
How does each chapter add to your roster?
Chapter Two: Catwoman
Catwoman (Selina Kyle) joins at Chapter Two with her Whip and Call Kitty ability. She's the first character with a distinctly different movement and combat style compared to the two starting heroes.
Chapter Three: Robin
Robin (Dick Grayson) unlocks in Chapter Three, bringing the Birdrang and Cable Launcher. The Cable Launcher mirrors Batman's Batclaw in function but fits Robin's acrobatic approach.
Chapter Four: Nightwing and Batgirl
Chapter Four is the most generous unlock chapter, dropping both Nightwing and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) at once. Nightwing runs on electric-themed gadgets, the Electrorang and Electric Cable Launcher, while Batgirl brings a Hackarang and Drone that open up different puzzle solutions.
Having two unlocks in Chapter Four means your gadget options expand significantly in the back half of the game. Experiment with both characters to find which puzzle solutions each one opens up.
Chapter Five: Talia al Ghul
Talia al Ghul is the final unlock, arriving in Chapter Five with Blowdarts and the Ninja Dash. She's the most distinct character in the roster, with a stealth-adjacent kit that stands apart from the Bat-family gadget patterns.
What gadgets are worth knowing about?
Every character's kit serves specific gameplay functions, and some gadgets are more useful than others for exploration and puzzle-solving. Here's a quick reference:
- Batclaw / Cable Launcher / Electric Cable Launcher: Traversal and grapple-point tools across Batman, Robin, and Nightwing respectively.
- Batarang / Birdrang / Electrorang / Hackarang: Each character's ranged throwing gadget, with the Hackarang and Electrorang adding utility effects beyond basic combat.
- Call Kitty: Catwoman's unique ability, distinct from anything in the Bat-family toolkit.
- Drone: Batgirl's Drone opens up puzzle solutions that other characters simply can't access.
- Ninja Dash: Talia's mobility tool, making her feel the most different from the rest of the cast.
- Foam Sprayer: Jim Gordon's crowd-control option alongside the Rebound Launcher.
Don't assume every gadget is interchangeable. Certain puzzles and areas are locked to specific character abilities, so you'll want to revisit earlier sections once you have the full roster.
Batgirl Drone ability overview
Does it matter what order you play characters in?
Since all 7 characters unlock through story progression, there's no sequence to optimize here. The order is fixed. What you can control is how much time you spend with each character once they're available. Each one carries their own costume unlocks on top of their gadget set, so there's meaningful depth to explore beyond just completing the campaign.
For context on how long reaching all these unlocks takes, the campaign length guide breaks down that the main story runs around 15 hours, with full 100% completion pushing past 50 hours. That's plenty of time to get comfortable with every character's kit.
If you're playing with a friend, all 7 characters are available in co-op as well. The co-op and multiplayer guide covers everything about local split-screen and how the co-op mode works with the full roster.
For more on the game across every topic, the full LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight guide collection has you covered from start to finish.