1. The storyline | LEGO The Hobbit LEGO The Hobbit Guide
Last update: 25 September 2019
In the basic version of LEGO The Hobbit (with the exception of the DLCs), there are sixteen chapters to complete, all told. The game starts right away with the first chapter where, after you complete it, you will not be automatically promoted to the next one. This is so, because the party is exploring the Middle Earth, between these stages, which is an open world. In reality, this means that just like in the other open-world games, you can postpone the moment of starting the next main mission and indulge in the other activities, which were described, in detail, in step 2. Personally, I recommend against doing that, though, and wait until you have completed all sixteen chapters. Otherwise, you will not be able to reach many of the locations or collectibles (to learn more about this type of restrictions, see step 3).
If you want to start another main mission, you need to reach the point marked on the world map. If this is your first try on that mission, it will start as soon as you come to the starting point sufficiently close (the way to that point is additionally marked with the trail of blue studs).
The situation is a bit different, if you have already played that stage of the game and you simply want to give it another try, e.g. to collect more studs, or to collect the treasures that you missed earlier. LEGO The Hobbit, just like the previous installments, has the mission-replay mechanism but, I recommend against doing that, until you have completed the entire storyline of the game. Each main stage can be replayed in two different ways. The first one assumes that you select one of the main mission markers, just like the one presented in screenshot 1. What is interesting, you do not need to run around to find the specific marker that you are interested in (e.g. for mission 1) because you can switch between missions, after you choose any one. The second way assumes that you reach the mission marker, directly in the game world and an example of such a marker has been shown in screenshot 2.
After you have chosen the mission that you are interested in replaying, you will be asked about the rules that you want to replay that stage, with adherence to. I recommend that you choose the free play, because this will allow you to choose freely from among all of the characters and, as a result of that, to reach the treasures that are unavailable for the regular set of characters.
While we are at it, it is worth reminding that the game keeps track of each of the main stages and assesses you. After you complete each such stage, you get to view the summary screen. It informs you, first of all, about the coins that you have collected (more about this, in step 6) and about the collectibles that you have found (more about this, in step 6), about the characters although you have found, as well as about the events on the world map.