Cleaning up the map in Gotham is a nightmare. Honestly, by the time you reach the endgame of Batman: Arkham Knight, the last thing you want to do is hunt down neon-green plastic question marks. But if you want that "true" Knightfall ending—and the satisfaction of finally tossing Edward Nigma into a GCPD cell—you have to do it.
The Arkham Knight HQ Riddler trophies are particularly annoying. Unlike the ones scattered across the rooftops of Miagani or Bleake Island, these are tucked away in a multi-level subterranean fortress that basically stops making sense once the main story ends. You can't just glide to them. You've got to navigate two distinct, disconnected areas: North and South.
Why the HQ Trophies Feel Bugged (They Aren't)
Most players get stuck because they think the HQ is one big, continuous map. It isn't. After you finish the excavator chase and the confrontation with Jason Todd, the tunnels collapse. This means the Arkham Knight HQ is split into two halves that don't talk to each other.
If you’re looking for a trophy and your waypoint is leadng you into a literal wall of rubble, you're at the wrong entrance.
There are 21 trophies here. Plus some riddles and those creepy spider drones you have to blow up. You’ll need every gadget in your belt—the Remote Electrical Charge (REC), the Remote Hacking Device, and yes, the Batmobile's power winch.
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Getting Back Inside
Don't waste time looking for the original hole you jumped down during the campaign.
- The South Access: Look for the elevator on the roof of the building in the center of Founders Island (around coordinates 2360, 1700). This takes you to the lavish, shopping-mall-style area.
- The North Access: This is the ventilation shaft. You usually enter through a shopfront at ground level on the north side of the HQ building.
The Puzzles That Actually Make You Think
Some of these are "grab and go," but the HQ houses a few of Nigma's most vindictive designs.
The Elevator Shaft Leap
There’s a trophy hidden in an elevator shaft on the lower levels. You’ll see the trophy sitting there behind a gate, but the terminal is "underneath" the glass floor. You actually have to stand on the elevator, hack the panel to move it, and then look through the floor to find the secondary terminal. It’s a classic Riddler "look where I told you not to look" trick.
The Memory Game
In the North Base, there’s a room with a massive grid on the wall. It’s basically a game of "Memory" using your Remote Hacking Device. You have to flip tiles and match the icons. If you mess up, the board resets. Pro tip: just take a photo of the screen with your phone. It’s not cheating; it’s being a detective.
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The Pinball Ventilation Shaft
This one is located in the massive vertical shaft where you used the Batmobile's winch to lower yourself down earlier in the game. You’ll find a puzzle where you have to guide a green ball through a series of tubes. You use the REC gun to pull/push the ball and the Batarang to flip the directional switches. It’s finicky. You'll probably drop the ball five times before you get the timing right.
Missing One? Check the Spider Drones
If your map says you’re missing a "collectible" but you’ve found all the trophies, it’s probably a spider drone. There are 15 of them in the HQ. They’re small, they crawl on the walls, and they make a distinct skittering sound. You need to zap them with the REC or hack them to blow them up. They count toward the total "Riddler Challenges" for the area.
The Secret Storefronts
Several trophies are hidden behind shuttered shops in the South HQ. You won't see them just by walking past. You have to look for the control panels above the doors.
- Semiconductors: Use the Remote Hacking Device.
- Robotics: This one has two sentry turrets guarding the trophy. You have to blind one and use a Riddler Bot (if you’ve unlocked the voice synth) to disable the other.
- Conductivity: Requires the REC gun to power a motor that opens the gate.
Actionable Strategy for 100% Completion
Stop wandering aimlessly. The HQ is too vertical for that.
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First, ensure you have the Voice Synthesizer and the Remote Electrical Charge (which you can pick up at the GCPD evidence room if you missed it). Without these, about 30% of the HQ trophies are physically impossible to obtain.
Second, interrogate every green-glowing thug on Founders Island. They won't just give you street locations; they eventually start coughing up the locations for the interior "isolated" cells like the HQ and the Stagg Airships.
Once the icons are on your map, tackle the North Ventilation Shaft first. Get those vertical Batmobile puzzles out of the way. Then, move to the South HQ (the mall area) to clean up the storefront puzzles.
When you grab the final trophy, Nigma will start screaming over the comms. That’s your cue. Head back to the orphanage. It’s time to put the most annoying man in Gotham behind bars for good.
Check your map one last time—if the Arkham Knight HQ icon isn't pulsing with a gold star, you likely missed a breakable spider drone near the ceiling of the main atrium.