Analysis of the cheapest ways to enjoy all of LEGO Dimensions Game

[henrysunset]

The LEGO Dimensions game is The LEGO Group's first foray into the growing field of “Toys to Life”, where physical toys with RFID tags can be pulled into your gaming experience by placing the toy on a special portal. The gameplay is based on the hugely successful LEGO Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and more, by video game developer TT.

LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack

I purchased the Starter Pack on Black Friday, and wanted to better understand what I was getting myself into before I started purchasing any of the Level Packs, Team Packs, or Fun Packs. At 30/25/15$ each (respectively) these little purchases will add up quickly. This is why I wanted to understand how much I would need to pay to experience the whole game.

What I've concluded is that the base game is a pretty decent value, especially if you consider that LEGO bricks are worth about 0.10$ each piece. The value of the expansions seems to vary.

There are four levels of investment in LEGO Dimensions:

• 100$ – Starter Pack Only – Just buy the Starter Pack and play through the main game and three adventure worlds.
  
• 315$ – All Levels and Adventure Worlds – By purchasing the right sets, you can unlock the entire game. You will still miss some puzzles which require a specific character.
  
• 390$ – All Levels, Adventure Worlds, and Character/Vehicle Abilities – A carefully selected set of Fun Packs will give you every in-game ability.
  
• 565$ – Everything – If you want every character, vehicle and Accessory, it’s going to cost a premium!
  

I prepared an in-depth analysis of exactly what sets you need to buy to save the most money at: http://brickarchitect.com/legodimensions/

Don't forget that the new content comes out every two months, so there are plenty of ways to spend even more in the future!

Sincerely,

Tom

[def]

I was curious to read this, not so curious to be sent to another site.

[LEGODalekbuster523]

Here's a more simple solution: just get the packs you're interested in. For example: I'm skipping Legends of Chima, Ninjago, Portal and The Lord of the Rings (excluding the starter pack) because I'm not interested in them. Undecided about Wizard of Oz; the Adventure World looks brilliant.

[henrysunset]

One thing I didn't cover in the article is the option of purchasing used LEGO Dimensions kits. In practical terms, the LEGO minifigure or mini models aren't required to play the game - all that the portal sees is the RFID chip in the base. As such, you can sell the minifigures and still play the game, or buy just the RFID disks.

I do not believe any user data is stored in the RFID disk, but I'm not 100% sure. I know, for example, that the vehicles in the game can earn upgrades. That data about your vehicle upgrades might sit on a LEGO Dimensions server associated with your Gamer ID, or it might sit on the disk itself.

Question: Does anyone have experience borrowing a friend's LEGO Dimensions kits, or buying used sets?

Thanks,

---tom

Edited December 10, 2015 by henrysunset

[joeshmoe554]

Here's a more simple solution: just get the packs you're interested in. For example: I'm skipping Legends of Chima, Ninjago, Portal and The Lord of the Rings (excluding the starter pack) because I'm not interested in them.

I highly recommend the Portal level pack. The level included is the best I've played in LEGO dimensions and feels straight out of an actual Portal game.

I do not believe any user data is stored in the RFID disk, but I'm not 100% sure. I know, for example, that the vehicles in the game can earn upgrades. That data about your vehicle upgrades might sit on a LEGO Dimensions server associated with your Gamer ID, or it might sit on the disk itself.

I have 2 save files on the game right now and I have upgraded vehicles in one save file then used the upgraded forms of those vehicles in the other. I'm almost positive the vehicle/accessory disks are completely writable and store the upgrades and settings on them.

You have a couple of abilities wrong in your analysis (Zane grants X-ray vision and his copter doesn't have an Ice Breath that I've found). You also aren't looking at combo abilities (Laval and Eris can both use CHI siwtches, but only Cragger can use them underwater since he has dive).

One big element you missed in your article is the new Hire-A-Hero feature. If you come across something that requires an ability you don't have, you can rent a hero for 30 seconds, using studs, to accomplish the task. This allows you to do most of the content in the story levels and 3 adventure worlds with only the starter set. Only characters that have been released can be used so you can't rent Aquaman to accomplish Atlantis tasks yet, and it sounds like you can't rent vehicles or accessories.

[Darkdragon]

Since you don't need the actual figures/parts to play the game, I think for someone who just want's the ability to cheaply play all the characters/vehicles/levels possible, the best bet would be just buy the discs on Bricklink. Since most want just the figures, the discs are pretty cheap. That let's you play now and slowly collect the actual sets (if you want to) as they go on sale.

[Clone OPatra]

Since you don't need the actual figures/parts to play the game, I think for someone who just want's the ability to cheaply play all the characters/vehicles/levels possible, the best bet would be just buy the discs on Bricklink. Since most want just the figures, the discs are pretty cheap. That let's you play now and slowly collect the actual sets (if you want to) as they go on sale.

Wow, you're absolutely right! I did a cursory look on Bricklink just now and it seems like all the character tags are around 5 bucks or less, even the ones that unlock whole extra levels and worlds. That's crazy, but in a great way for people that just want to play the game!

[LEGODalekbuster523]

I highly recommend the Portal level pack. The level included is the best I've played in LEGO dimensions and feels straight out of an actual Portal game.

It would be a waste of money for me as I'm not interested in the Portal games.

[henrysunset]

I just purchased used LEGO Dimension disks for a good price (no minifigures or microscale models), and will let people know if I have any problems using them in the game.

If not, this is probably the most cost effective way to enjoy the entire Dimensions videogame world.

[LEGODalekbuster523]

I just purchased used LEGO Dimension disks for a good price (no minifigures or microscale models), and will let people know if I have any problems using them in the game.

If not, this is probably the most cost effective way to enjoy the entire Dimensions videogame world.

Cost effective, yes. But it pretty much defeats the point of the game. Your choice though.

[Darkdragon]

I just purchased used LEGO Dimension disks for a good price (no minifigures or microscale models), and will let people know if I have any problems using them in the game.

If not, this is probably the most cost effective way to enjoy the entire Dimensions videogame world.

You shouldn't have any issues. I store all my disks in a small parts container sorted by set and all the lego parts are sorted into my normal collection. I use the discs when I play the game and have had zero problems (after all, that's the part that talks to the game and the other parts are normal lego parts).

I can't just have small models hanging out all over the living room for various reasons, plus (to me) it's a waste of some really cool parts to keep the figures and tiny models built and with video game stuff.