SubWayne puzzles are some of the sneakier collectible challenges in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Unlike the Riddler's green question marks plastered across every rooftop, these subway station locks blend into Gotham's environment and require specific character abilities or environmental interactions to crack open. There are 8 SubWayne puzzles spread across South Island, Central Island, and North Island, and every single one has a distinct solution. This guide covers all of them.
What are SubWayne puzzles and why do they matter?
SubWayne puzzles are environmental locks guarding Gotham's subway stations. Solving each one unlocks the corresponding SubWayne stop, which feeds into 100% completion and ties into collectible rewards across the open world. They are not story-critical, but skipping them means leaving a chunk of Gotham inaccessible and missing out on the rewards tied to full exploration.
The puzzles themselves range from straightforward battery insertions to multi-step sequences involving character swaps, vehicle placement, and ability-specific interactions. A few require you to have Catwoman or Batman with specific abilities unlocked before you can make progress, so keep that in mind if you hit a wall on a particular station.
If you are struggling with a SubWayne puzzle, check whether you have the right character in your party. Several solutions are locked behind Catwoman's Whip or Batman's X-ray Vision and Batarang.
SubWayne station locked entrance
All South Island SubWayne puzzle solutions
South Island has the highest concentration of SubWayne puzzles with 5 locations spread across Old Gotham North, Old Gotham South, Old Gotham West, The Cauldron North, and The Cauldron South.
Catwoman whip interaction
Old Gotham North SubWayne puzzle
Location: Old Gotham North, South Island
This one is more straightforward than it looks. A radio sitting in front of the SubWayne entrance is blocking progress. The solution is to destroy it by activating the water pipe nearby. Find the pipe, trigger it, and the resulting water flow will take out the radio and clear the way to the station.
Old Gotham South SubWayne puzzle
Location: Old Gotham South, South Island
Two battery packs are hidden around the area. You need to find both and insert them into the correct battery machines to power up the SubWayne lock. The machines are positioned near the station entrance, so once you have both batteries, the insertion order does not appear to matter.
Old Gotham West SubWayne puzzle
Location: Old Gotham West, South Island
This is the most character-specific puzzle on the island. Switch to Catwoman and aim her Whip at the peg located next to the entrance above the crowd. That action unlocks two targets on top of the crowd. Switch over to Batman and throw his Batarang at both targets to disperse the crowd blocking the station. Once the crowd clears, activate the button to unlock the SubWayne.
You need both Catwoman and Batman in your party for this puzzle. If you are playing solo, make sure both characters are available before approaching this location.
The Cauldron North SubWayne puzzle
Location: The Cauldron North, South Island
A billboard above the station needs to be fully lit. Scattered around the area are buttons connected to the billboard's power supply. Activate all of them and the billboard lights up, triggering the SubWayne unlock. The buttons are connected to the power supply, so you need every single one pressed, not just a few.
The Cauldron South SubWayne puzzle
Location: The Cauldron South, South Island
Start by toppling one of the containers that has a plug attached to it. After the container falls, pull the lever that gets revealed to expose a pressure plate. Park a vehicle on the pressure plate to hold it down and trigger the SubWayne unlock.
Any vehicle works on the pressure plate. If you do not have one nearby, check the surrounding streets for something to drive over.
All Central Island SubWayne puzzle solutions
Central Island has 2 SubWayne puzzles, located in Gotham Village and Newtown.
Batman X-ray Vision in Newtown
Gotham Village SubWayne puzzle
Location: Gotham Village, Robinson Park, Central Island
This one mirrors the Cauldron North approach. Light up the billboard by activating all buttons connected to the power supply in the area. Track down every button, press them all, and the billboard illuminates to unlock the station.
Newtown SubWayne puzzle
Location: Newtown, Central Island
Here is where Batman's X-ray Vision earns its keep. Two batteries are available in the area, but the machines they belong in are not labeled. Use Batman's X-ray Vision to identify which machine should receive each battery before inserting them. Guessing without the vision ability wastes time and may not trigger the unlock correctly.
For players tracking down all collectibles in the area, our guide on all WayneTech Cache locations covers nearby pickups you can grab while solving this puzzle.
North Island SubWayne puzzle solution
North Island currently has 1 confirmed SubWayne puzzle, located in the East End district.
East End SubWayne puzzle
Location: East End, Amusement Nile, North Island
Head up to the rooftop of the building near the station. A single battery machine sits up there waiting. Insert the battery into the machine on the rooftop and the SubWayne below unlocks. It is the simplest of the 8 puzzles, but the rooftop location means players who stay at street level will walk right past it.
What abilities do you need for SubWayne puzzles?
Most SubWayne puzzles are solvable with the default character toolkit, but three of them have hard ability requirements.
- Catwoman's Whip is required for the Old Gotham West puzzle to reach the peg above the entrance.
- Batman's Batarang is required in the same Old Gotham West puzzle to hit the two targets after Catwoman sets them up.
- Batman's X-ray Vision is required in Newtown to identify the correct battery machines before inserting the batteries.
If you are working toward full completion and want to know how long the whole process takes, the how long to beat LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight guide breaks down the time investment at every stage, from the main campaign to full 100%.
Do not attempt the Old Gotham West puzzle without both Catwoman and Batman available. Without both characters, the puzzle sequence cannot be completed and you will need to return later.
For players still building up their currency to unlock characters and upgrades, the WayneTech Chips guide explains the fastest ways to farm chips from caches and missions. Pairing that knowledge with these SubWayne solutions will keep your completion run moving efficiently. For everything else the game has to offer, the full LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight guide collection has every system covered.