Manual
Welcome to the LEGO® The Hobbit™ web manual.
You can use the Contents menu on the left to skip directly to the section you're looking for. Alternatively, click the Enter button to access the manual, and use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate page by page.
Can't find what you're looking for? There's even more information in the FAQs and ReadMe: you can view them using the buttons at the top of the screen.
A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.
These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.
Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: Sit farther from the screen; use a smaller screen; play in a well-lit room; and do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.
In LEGO® The Hobbit™, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield and company embark on an unexpected journey to the Lonely Mountain. From the homely comforts of Hobbiton to the sanctuary of Rivendell, from the depths of Goblin-town to the perils of Mirkwood, the heroes must use all their skill and cunning to reach the lost dwarven kingdom in one piece.
Once there, they must recover the dwarves’ vast wealth, including the fabled Arkenstone of Thráin, from the fearsome dragon, Smaug the Terrible. However, they will soon realize that they are just pawns in a much larger game, as the sinister plot of the villainous Necromancer is revealed…
As part of the Steam download process, the game has already been installed on your computer. To start playing the game, read the Getting Started section.
Double-click on the Steam application icon. By default this is located in the Applications folder on your computer’s hard drive.
If you are not already signed in, the Steam Login dialog will appear. Enter your account name and password, then select Login.
The Steam application will launch. Select the Library tab.
In the library, highlight LEGO – The Hobbit in the list of games on the left-hand side of the window, then select Play.
The LEGO® The Hobbit™ pre-game Options window will appear. Click on the Play button. The game will launch.
After the splash screens and videos, the Start screen will appear. Press the Return (↩) key.
A message will appear asking you to adjust the “safe zone”. This helps to ensure that any icons or text that appear while you play are not cut off by the edges of the screen. Use the Arrow keys to adjust the safe zone until it just fills your screen, then press the Return (↩) key.
The Main Menu will appear. Select New Game.
The Save Game screen will appear. Select an empty slot, then select Yes to confirm.
A message will appear confirming that the game will be saved automatically to this slot. Press the Return (↩) key.
After the opening video, you'll find a young Thorin Oakenshield in the mountain halls of Erebor, where he'll soon discover that some stones are better left unturned…
You can play LEGO® The Hobbit™ using either a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad. You can customize your keyboard or gamepad controls in the Control Setup menu. You can access this either from the Main Menu via Options → Control Configuration, or from the in-game Pause menu via Options → Control Setup.
The default keyboard controls are detailed below.
The instructions in this manual refer to the default keyboard controls for player 1; if you have customized your controls or are using a gamepad, the controls listed here will not apply.
| Action | Player 1 | Player 2 |
| Move | W / A / S / D | ◀ / ▲ / ▼ / ▶ |
| Tag | U | P |
| Special | K | ' |
| Jump | J | ; |
| Action | H | L |
| Character toggle up / down | Space and Left Control (ctrl) | = and - | Look around | 4 / E / R / T | G / V / B / N |
| Show map | M | [ |
| Start / pause | Return (↩) | Right Alt (⌥) |
You can play LEGO® The Hobbit™ using a gamepad. In fact, we recommend you do!
The diagram on this page is based on a standard controller layout; all gamepads have similar buttons but some may differ in layout from the gamepad shown here. For more information, see Can I play LEGO® The Hobbit™ with a gamepad? in the FAQs.
| Move |  |
| Tag |  |
| Special |  |
| Jump |  |
| Action |  |
| Character toggle up / down |    |
| Look around |  |
| Show map |  |
| Start / pause |  |
Between chapters, you are free to roam Middle-earth, find additional items and complete side quests.
Use your map to find the way to collectibles and quests. To view the map, press the M key or select View Map from the in-game Pause menu.
When you're ready to continue the story, follow the blue stud trail to find the start of the next chapter.
After completing each chapter, you'll return to Middle-earth. To return there during a chapter, select Quit to Middle-earth from the in-game Pause menu.
Middle-earth is filled with denizens in need of aid, both foul and fair. Whether it’s ridding them of some gruesome goblins or finding just the right costume to wear to a party, these folk will reward your efforts.
Your journey is split into chapters. Once you have completed each chapter, you can replay it by selecting it from the map of Middle-earth. To do so, press the M key or select View Map from the in-game Pause menu, then select the chapter you wish to replay. You can choose between replaying the chapter in “story” or “free play” mode.
The first time you play a chapter, you do so in story mode, and will only have access to a limited cast of characters. Some areas will be out of reach in story mode: return to the chapter in free play mode to explore hidden areas using different characters.
Once you have completed a chapter in story mode, you can replay it in free play mode using any of the characters you have unlocked so far.
You can use different characters to access areas that were previously inaccessible and find collectibles you missed the first time round.
You'll unlock new characters as you play through the game.
Different characters have different abilities. If you find that you can't perform an action or reach an area with one character, try switching to another.
To change characters, hold the U key to bring up the character wheel. Highlight the character you want to use, then release the U key to switch to that character.
In free play mode, select the Add Character icon (“+” sign) from the character wheel to bring up the character grid, which lets you switch to any of your unlocked characters.
You can also change between active characters quickly by “tagging” them. To do so, tap the U key to change to the nearest playable character.
Bilbo made his unexpected journey in the company of 13 dwarves and a wizard. You might have difficulty fitting that many dwarves into your living room, but you can team up with a friend to play LEGO® The Hobbit™ in two-player splitscreen mode.
How a second player joins the game depends on whether they are using a gamepad or a keyboard.
Before starting the game, make sure the gamepad is connected to your computer. Press any button on the gamepad during play to activate Player 2.
Press the F2 key during play to activate Player 2.
NOTE: If pressing the F2 key has no effect, you may need to change your keyboard's default settings. For instructions on how to do this, please see When I press the Function keys (F1-F19) nothing happens. How do I use the Function keys? in the FAQs.
LEGO studs are scattered throughout the game. Collect them and spend them on secrets and magical items.
If you collect enough studs in a chapter, you will achieve the status of “Master Burglar” and be rewarded with a LEGO mithril brick.
Mithril is scarce and powerful, hidden in secret spots throughout the land. Once you've found the right designs, you can visit the blacksmith in Bree to forge LEGO mithril bricks into fabulous weapons and armor that grant new powers to the wearer.
Besides finding hidden bricks across Middle-earth, you can also earn precious mithril in each chapter as a reward for finding enough treasure, minikits, blacksmith designs and studs.
There are 32 red bricks to collect, which you'll earn as rewards for helping the folk you meet across Middle-earth. Red brick quests are indicated on your map by red question marks.
Once you've been given a red brick, you can purchase it using LEGO studs to unlock a helpful gameplay effect. Once purchased, you can activate or deactivate a red brick's effect from the Extras menu, accessible from the in-game Pause menu.
There are 10 minikits in each chapter. Locate them all to earn a LEGO mithril brick.
There are four treasure items hidden in each chapter. Locate them all to earn a LEGO mithril brick.
Treasure items give your characters unique, and often useful, abilities.
Blacksmith designs are plans for unique weapons, armor and items that can be forged from precious mithril.
There is one design hidden in each chapter. Find it to earn a LEGO mithril brick and the ability to craft the corresponding item at the blacksmith in Bree.
You can also find designs between chapters, scattered across Middle-earth.
Every effort has been made to make LEGO® The Hobbit™ as compatible with current hardware as possible. However, if you are experiencing problems when running LEGO® The Hobbit™, please read on.
The latest version of the FAQs can be found by selecting the View FAQs button in the Support tab of the LEGO® The Hobbit™ pre-game Options window (this is the window that opens when you launch the game), or by going straight to the Feral website: http://support.feralinteractive.com
Contacting Feral
If the FAQs and/or updates do not solve your problem, then please feel free to contact us. The following information must be obtained before contacting Feral Technical Support:
All the information required can be obtained by opening LEGO® The Hobbit™ and clicking on the Support tab in the LEGO® The Hobbit™ pre-game Options window. In the Support tab, click on the Generate Report button. Once the report is generated it will appear as a file in your ~/Downloads folder (the “~” symbol refers to your home directory). Now click on the Create Email button. Remember to attach the LEGO The Hobbit Report.txt file to your e-mail.
In your e-mail, please include a brief description of the problem you have experienced with LEGO® The Hobbit™. We will do our best to help you.
E-Mail: support@feralinteractive.com
Please check the warranty information provided by Steam.