An intro on what, how and why-on-earth this game and this guide is essential.

For whom ever reads this guide,

this guide for LEGO Lord of the Rings is not to be considered as complete How-To-Walk-Through. But I would recommend reading further if you like to see it literally as a “guide”, in the meaning of giving you hints and a little assistance about what this game offers, which places you should check out, and which characters you are encouraged to go with.
Also it is not about perfecting your game, because in a game of fun this would be ridiculous motivation, I rather want to tell how I experienced the complete game in around 42 very entertaining hours.

If you want to jump directly to a specific part of this guide, look out for these chapters:
Chapter I – Welcome to Middle Earth
=> You are here. An intro on what, how and why-on-earth this game and this guide is essential.

Chapter II – The Return of the Mushroom King
=> This chapter practically follows the path I've took through the game. With basic tips.

Chapter III – Why the Hobbit?
=> This chapter enlightens the most useful characters.

Chapter IV – Remember the Shire?
=> This chapter focuses on the Hub-World, with some details for story missions.

Chapter V – Pack your baggins
=> This chapter reveals the best items you could possibly desire.

Chapter VI – Pimp the Ringbearer
=> This chapter talks about the unlockable extras.

Chapter VII – There and back again
=> A conclusive statement to this and other LEGO games from me.

Also, there may comes a German translation of this guide soon.

Before you start,

you decided to read a guide before playing the game? Then let's make the most of it so you can start quickly!
I had a great time getting this game to 100%, because it really brings you in every corner of Middle Earth, which represents the Hub-World in this LEGO game. You can follow this path by reading into this guide and focus on these 5 steps:

Play the whole story mode! → Explore the Hub-World → Gather Studs for the first essential extras → Play the story again in Free Play mode → Hunt all the treasure!

You may now proceed with step 1 and return to Chapter II soon.

“Strength lies even in the smallest bricks”
- Scrooge

Follow the path of the fungus bearer I took to explore this game.

If you never played a LEGO game before you should inhale the following terms used in the game and this guide:
Hub-World → Middle Earth in this case, connects the story levels with another and features many targets for exploration like quest givers, hidden areas and collectibles.
Story Mode → The first time you play the game, it directly sets you in the first of the story levels. This means you get the whole story with cut-scenes, all characters in place and without your Item Chest (look below).
100%, True Adventurer → In every story level you have to collect a certain (hidden) amount of Studs (look below) to unlock this.
Free Play Mode → When you have completed the Story Mode you unlock the final story part, the bonus level and this mode. Now you can play all of the story again with skip-able cut-scenes, all characters (that you have unlocked or bought) and your Item Chest ready to use.
Stud(s) → These are the coins serving as money in LEGO games, you'll need it to buy characters and extras. They appear in 4 rates: silver (10), gold (100), blue (1.000), purple (10.000).
Minikit Chests → There are 10 of these hidden in each story level. You gain a 100.000 Stud bonus if you complete one.
Items, Item Chest → Items are one of the collectibles, there are 3 in each story level and some are crafted from Mithril (look below). All items are collected in your Item Chest, you can access it by holding your special key down.
Extras, Red Stones → Useful thingies to enhance gameplay, cheat codes (bad) unlock them in the menu. By completing Quests (look below) you unlock them on the Hub-World.
Mithril → You gain these special bricks the further you complete the game. One story level gives you one for: story completed, 100% archived, 10 Minikit Chest found, 3 Treasure Items found, 1 Mithril Blue Print found.
Mithril Blue Print → There is one in each story level and some in the Hub-World, you'll need them to craft powerful Items and complete Quests.
Quest(s), Quest Givers → Some NPCs* in the Hub-World miss certain Treasue Items, retrieve them to gain a Mithril Brick. Some want Mithril Items, craft these and bring them to the quest givers to unlock extras. You don't lose Items you hand over.
(Character-) Abilities → Every character has his own special skill, Elves can jump, Hobbits are small, mages have awesome power and Frodo, well, he got the thing.

Basic Tips:
Always collect all the Studs in the levels, collecting in the Hub-World isn't that effective.
Hoard your Studs to buy the multiplier extras! (Chapter VI)
Explore the Hub-World!
Play co-op!
Because it is more fun that way.

Extending Information on the 5 step system:
Play the whole story mode! → I've enjoyed the really awesome story, without focusing to much on Studs or unlockables.
Explore the Hub-World → Because it is really amazing what you can find in every corner.
Gather Studs for the first essential extras → This was kind step 4, as I played I hoarded the Studs for the good Stuff
Play the story again in Free Play mode → Now I just needed some specific characters and bought the first Stud multiplier. (Look chapter III and VI for recommendations)
Hunt all the treasure! → If you got the Studs, buy all the stuff that is available. Use the extras to help you find all of the things.

From the Mushroom Kings Journal:
“And so my path crossed Sauron, the first and most easy boss monster I would face, knowing that more hours of adventure are just ahead. Sadly the thing wasn't destroyed and the whiny Hobbit was trusted with it. But hope was not lost for all men-elf-dwarf-orc-kind, because destiny showed that your best friend in dark places is, well, your best friend – Sam.”

See you around for the next Chapter.

“BWUHAHAHAHA, that ork got totally crowned by Sauron!”
- Scrooge

*NPC(s): Non-Player-Character inhabiting the world, doing scripted stuff.

Because Sam is the best Hobbit.

Really! He has the most abilities of all the characters, the shovel for planting AND digging, the pan for hitting AND cooking, the elven rope for hanging around and he is small!

“Small? What kind of ability is that?”

Small characters can use little hatches and can be picked up by any non-small characters. The “strong” characters then can throw the little ones around. For example to have Gimli (or any other Dwarf) crush into breakable plates over distance, and as I found out later in the game, to play catch with two big meanies and one pissed off Dwarf.

“That's really mean, but not as mean as <Sauron/Saruman/Mouth of Sauron/Lurtz>! He's got some wicked skills right?”

No. Plain said, besides of the Berserker, who got this extreme useful bombing skill, none of the Evil characters can do anything any Good characters already can. And I don't count Gollum to any of them, he's too unique.

“And what can he do? Or all the others”

Gollum is the only one who can climb LEGO walls. Aragorn is unique for his pathfinding ability. The other characters share some abilities and can be divided in following groups:

Small → As mentioned before.
Non-Small, Big, Large, Strong → All other characters.
Mages → Can move object in certain puzzles, have a ranged attack, can conjure a protective shield and levitate other characters.
Elves → Jump higher, swing from poles on the wall and usually carry a bow, which has a ranged attack and can hit attachments on the wall to create new ways to hang around.
Dwarves → Besides from being small, they usually carry an axe. With that they can ground-pound or crush into breakable plates.
Shield Bearers → Use the special key to hold the shield in front of you, not very effective.
Characters with an epic weapon → Shiny swords like Islidur's or the mace of Sauron can destroy Morgul-Stone, the red and black bricks blocking some paths.

“Didn't you miss someone?”

Certainly.
Ok, Frodo got this glowy light thingy, his elven mantle and Sting. So he can hide in a dark hole while distracting orcs with a blue sword, what gives?

Rounding up, must have characters are: Sam, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Gollum, Aragorn in Gondor Armor, and Frodo, you should unlock all these characters by playing the story trough

From the Mushroom Kings Journal:
“After two good breakfast's on the Weathertop I continued my journey towards the pretty Elven village. Quickly leaving that silly place, I found myself caught in snow and more snow on the Pass of Caradhras, before a descended into the madhouse the Mines of Moria had become. My feels where troubled as I fought my way out. Mixing the pure fun of hack and slay with the epicness that Gandalf had shown that day. But then hearing Gimli enraged growling at the Goblins put a smile on my face.“


Learn more about the real world in Chapter IV.


“Gimli is the only true emotional character here.”
- Scrooge

Getting to know Middle Earth.

Though the Story mode might be an awesome ride I found some liking in the Hub-World. For the first time in a LEGO game it is more than just the hub, connecting the levels, it is another kind of adventure beside the main story.

You can find hidden areas and climbing ground where the famous characters are hidden. Every one of them little story for itself are the quest givers around the villages, providing you with a good laugh and extras.
The whole map is slightly out of scale but nicely imported from the films and all the details are just in the right place

But when you want to take step 2 seriously, you should prepare for that adventure.
You will mostly play an Elf or Sam, notice that you can take all your items with you in the Hub-World, so look for the recommended ones in the following Chapter V. Also prepare for some challenging jumping puzzles, especially in the region mentioned in the following section.

Beware, there are monsters out there:
What I've found most nerve-wrecking where the climbing instances in Rivendell, Isengard and Mordor.

First off, the elves have some ridiculous architecture, which makes Rivendell the only place where the camera sometimes glitches around. Back at the secret lake in the mountains behind the village, there is a female quest giver waiting for her Mithril gloves. She is much easier to reach when you drop from the brick poles on the left side of the lake instead of the ledge on the right side.

In Isengard is a Tower and it is quite high. You at least need an Elf and Gollum to reach the top, and bring 250.000 Studs cash with you if you want to buy Saruman. When you stand on the platform before the top you can jump down to reach a Mithril Brick.

And finally in Mordor I've lost it. Because the seems to be a glitch with the wooden poles in front of the chest with the Mithril Brick. Non-Elf characters are gliding off an invisible wall when jumping sidewards on the poles and Elves seem to have some problems with it too. I've got it by putting my controller away and made fine adjusted jumps while using the keyboard. There is no other special trick, you'll just have to try what works.

You can annoy you grand-children with that tale:
The are far more mystic places to be around Middle Earth, if you observe my screenshots well, you can find some hints about where to look.

Always climb on anything in reach.

You can gain Steam Achievements for certain Regions, note that you'll need some Hobbits for that.

On your Path you should know:
Remember the ability to throw small characters around? It is essential in Dunharrow.
In the Hub-World you can get good cash with doing the little races.


From the Mushroom Kings Journal:
“Edoras, it even sounds good! My favorite place to stay. Also they took the Hobbits to Isengard, but they managed well, they got the trees on their side. Sadly we had to left Edoras soon and head to Helms Deep. While killing some Warg critters along the road we lost the fungus ranger, gladly he did catch up for the brawl at nightfall. Even if the first arrow accidentally slipped from my bow, we still won the battle, thanks to Gandalf the olde fate-e-nator.“


What your journey also needs, find it out in Chapter V.


“The bacon 's are good!”
- Scrooge

Sometimes a good RPG* does define itself through the amount of stuff you can loot.

In Free Play mode or on the Hub-World every Item can be equipped to every character, giving them almost all abilities.
The load of Items is huge in this game, therefore I will just simply group them, before the lazy reader loses focus.

General groups,
Mithril Items:
These are the shiny items you can craft if you got the Mithril Blue Prints for them. You'll need them to get Red Bricks from quest givers. Also they are counterparts of other Treasure Items or character gear, with being more useful as Mithril version (e.g. the Mithril Fishing Rod doesn't need the mini-game for fishing).

Treasure Items:
Instead of the Mithril Items these have their natural colors and you can find them in the story levels. Quest givers reward you with a Mithril Brick if you return their missing stuff.

Being either of one or the other of the above groups there are also,
Recommended, useful Items:
Mithril Rope – same as Sam's elvish rope – used to pull (orange) hooks or hang and climb on them.
Mithril Shovel – same as Sam's shovel – digs and plants faster than the original.
Mithril Disco Phial – Mithril Glowing Shield – same as Frodo's Light Phial – lights up dark places
Decorative Horseshoes – they make you go fast as a horse
Mithril Gloves – lets you swing along wand-mounted poles like the Elves do
Mithril Firework – blows metallic bricks, similar to the Berserker
Mithril Spring Boots – the character can jump as high as Elves

I won't say what exactly they do but these are my favorites:
Fun Items:
Mithril Music Boots
Mithril Disco Phial
Decorative Horseshoes + Galadriel
Ent Draught

There is also an Steam Achievement regarding the Items, you just need to equip your head, hands, torso and shoes. For the other Achievement just hit Pippin with the Ent Draught.


From the Mushroom Kings Journal:
“Minas Tirith, we was there, was not so bright. The Battle of Pellenor Fields was nothing against the Misty Swamps, the swamps felt somehow larger, neverending. And as my old Bro Aragorn took the halls of Dunharrow like a boss, I knew he would be a good King for the fungus folk. I now also see why the free people like Osgiliath that much, turns out the archer was my best friend. But what really stuck with me was the depressing atmosphere in Sheob's Lair, a good ride after those horrible stairs.“

Everything from under the kitchen sink in Chapter VI.


“I'm glad they've build a stair lift here!”
- Scrooge


*RPG(s): Role-Playing-Games.

The unlockable extras

I divide the extras in 4 categories: health, assistance, money and fun. Because the extras provide gameplay changes which resulting effects could be grouped under these terms.

Health Extras are:
Regenerate Hearths → which does just that
Mithril Hearts → your hearths can withstand another point of damage each
Invincibility → you really want that, even if the game is simple
Fall Rescue → “hinders” your character to fall down dark abysses

Assistance Extras are:
Action Assist → instead of having to tap a button rapidly for QTE* or objects (e.g. turning cranks) you can just hold the button down
Fast Build → speeds your assembling of bricks
Quest Finder → highlights Quest givers with a white arrow in the Hub-World, it turns red if you got the requested item
Minikit Finder → highlights Minikits with a white arrow in Story Levels
Mithril Brick Finder → highlights Mithril Bricks with a white arrow in the Hub-World

Money (or stud) Extras are:
Poo Studs – this is actually a fun extra, lets you “produce” studs when riding some kind of steed
Attract Studs – increases the radius in which studs can be picked up, really helpful
Stud x2 → Multiplies each collected coin x2 – 250.000 Studs
Stud x4 → as before but higher – 1.000.000 Studs
Stud x6 → as before but higher – 4.000.000 Studs
Stud x8 → as before but higher – 8.000.000 Studs
Stud x10 → as before but higher – 10.000.000 Studs

Fun Extras are:
Disguises – gives the player characters the classic nose-and-specs disguise
Boss Disguises – boss monsters get individual gimmicks, hilarious effect
8-bit-Music – plays two different background track on the Hub-World, 8-bit-style


From the Mushroom Kings Journal:
“The final hour draws closer as I ascend to the top of Mount Doom. In the Meantime, my bros had a good fight at the Black Gate. As I carried Frodo und Golllum into the fiery halls of Mount Doom Sam makes the most delicious 'tatoes at the fire. Glady Gollum agreed to destroy the thing, so me and my mouth can have a race around the mountain, on sheeps.“


For anyone who is still with us, I'll babble on in the final Chapter VII.


“One brick to rule them all.”
- Scrooge


*QTE: Quick-Time-Events (e.g. Frodo resisting a Ringwraith)

Why did I make this guide? Why this game? Whats makes these games so good?

Roughly this chapter extends my guide, but is somewhat different, as I just want to share my experience I got from playing all the LEGO games by Traveller’s Tales, for anyone who's now got interested in these games.
If you seek answers to this or similar questions, you may read on.

LEGO Lord of the Rings really sets new standards for the series of LEGO games, the new features, like having a huge explorable Hub-World with actual content is a step in the right direction for these games, also to become more acknowledged “full” games. The amount of content shows that the developers can not only import everything know from the source, they can also build their own independent content that catches the player with lust for experimentation. I had great fun with that game and will surly play it again. I hope they keep the good work up for future LEGO games.

If you are interested in more LEGO games, look at my personal ranking:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Star Wars I + II
3. Pirates of the Caribbean
4. Indiana Jones 2

And this ranking is that way because, LotR has impressed with his new features, Star Wars (was) the best delivery of the story and still has the most unique characters, Pirates established actual graphics and most hilarious character display and Indiana Jones 2 had a level editor. Any other games of the series could hold themselves in this ranking because they are to much “recommended for fans of the film/book/comic”, where all on my list are actually awesome games for everyone.


“That was amazing! Who am I?”
- Scrooge