Catwoman Episode 1 (DLC)

Before you start

• The Catwoman content must be active. Players who bought the game new can activate it with the code that came with the disc. Used or rented copies need an online pass or purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Store.
• A new game, or a fresh start with the DLC active. No NPC assigns this quest, and no earlier mission is required. Sources and players put it at the very start of the game.
• If you bought the bundle after starting or finishing the main story, you can play the missions from the main menu and still earn the trophies. One guide says some episodes unlock after you finish part of Batman's story. That likely refers to later episodes, but it is unresolved.
• Know the basic controls: attack with X (Square on PlayStation), counter with Y (Triangle), stun with B (Circle), interact with A (X on PlayStation).

1. Start a new game with Catwoman active

Begin a new campaign with the DLC enabled. You should not be asked to pick a character or mission, because the prologue loads automatically with Catwoman as the first character you control. On a PC release, check that the Catwoman pack is present. PCGamingWiki says the pack is integrated into all PC releases but marks that as needing a citation. It also says the Advanced Launcher can disable the Catwoman episodes, so check that setting if she is missing.

Checkpoint: The game opens on a cutscene of Catwoman in a house, not on Batman. If Batman appears first, the DLC is not active; see troubleshooting.

2. Watch the opening cutscene

Sit through the scene. Two-Face's thugs are guarding their boss's vault when someone they take for Batman walks in. It is Catwoman. Nothing to do here but wait. The area is outside the playable city, so no map marker or coordinates apply.

Checkpoint: The cutscene ends and the guards turn on you. The fight begins immediately, with control handed to you.

3. Defeat the guards

Fight the thugs in the spacious room. One wiki counts six of them, all unarmed. I found that count and the unarmed detail in only one source, so treat them as unconfirmed. Use X (Square) to attack and chain hits. Watch for the white lightning symbol over a thug's head. It means he is about to strike, so press Y (Triangle) to counter. A well-timed counter blocks the hit and damages him. If a thug sneaks up behind you, press Y when the warning appears. Use the Beat Down on a lone or retreating thug: stun him with B (Circle), then mash X (Square). Uninterrupted, this deals heavy damage and guarantees 5 to 6 hits on normal enemies. You can still counter with Y during a Beat Down, and the original target stays stunned. This fight doubles as the combat tutorial.

Checkpoint: Every thug is down and the room is quiet. The game then lets you walk to the safe and shows an interaction prompt there.

4. Optional: chase a high combo

One fan walkthrough aims for a maximum combo of 17 to 18 hits. Its idea is to afford an early upgrade, Critical Strike. I could not verify how Catwoman's XP carries over, so treat this as one author's advice, not a requirement. The same wiki suggests restarting from the last checkpoint if your combo breaks. Skip this step if you only want to finish the episode.

Checkpoint: No in-game reward is documented for this goal. The only confirmation is your on-screen combo counter.

5. Open the safe

Once the fight ends, walk up to the safe and press A (X on PlayStation). The safe is hidden behind a painting, and Catwoman reveals it as part of the scene. There is nothing for you to solve. She guesses the combination and takes the prize. The fan wiki calls it an SD card, while other wikis and guides call it a computer chip, so the item name is unresolved.

Checkpoint: A cutscene starts as soon as you interact with the safe, and Catwoman is seen holding the stolen data item.

6. Watch the capture

In the closing cutscene Catwoman is caught off guard when Two-Face holds a gun to her head. She is captured and leaves the story until Batman saves her at the Courthouse later on. This scene is fixed and cannot be changed. The room cannot be re-entered afterwards.

Checkpoint: The prologue ends and the game moves on to Bruce Wayne's story. Episode 1 is complete.

Choices and things you can miss

• No branching choices exist in Episode 1. The only documented Catwoman choice comes later, in the vault segment: leave Arkham City with the loot, or drop it and save Batman. That is outside this episode, so it is not detailed here.
• The optional combo goal is the only real decision. Go for a high combo, or just finish the fight. The sources document no consequence either way.
• Replaying: a Steam forum user claims the console version let you play the four chapters separately, while the PC version did not. Another forum post mentions a console mission select. Both are player claims, not official statements.
• How many parts she has is disputed. A trophy guide says three, with the last after the main story, while wikis and guides list four episodes. This does not affect Episode 1.

Rewards

• I found no unique item, gadget, XP value or achievement tied to Episode 1.
• The bundle's achievements are Sphinx' Riddle, Arkham City Sirens, Pick Pocket, Family Jewels, Feline Revenge and Campaign Kitty. None is described as belonging to this episode.
• Owning the pack also adds free-roam as Catwoman, her tailored Riddler trophies, and her availability in challenge maps. These are bundle features and not rewards for finishing the prologue.

Troubleshooting

• The game starts as Batman, or there is no Catwoman: the DLC is not active. Recheck that the code was redeemed on the right account, or the store entitlement. If a previous owner redeemed the code, buy the pack from the PlayStation Store. One achievement site notes that the Xbox pack was removed from the Microsoft Store but remains available on physical copies.
• On Steam, some players report that both the regular and Game of the Year versions begin with the Catwoman segment. This is player-reported. The Steam store page lists the Game of the Year Edition as including the Catwoman Pack. If she is missing, check the Advanced Launcher, which PCGamingWiki says can disable the Catwoman episodes.
• The safe prompt does not appear: make sure every guard is defeated. I could not find an exact enemy count confirmed by several sources, so check for a thug you missed in the corners of the room.
• You cannot go back after the cutscene. Use the main menu mission option if you added the bundle later, or start a new game. Do not expect to re-enter the house in the campaign.

Release and platform notes

This covers the original Batman: Arkham City with the Catwoman Bundle Pack, released October 18, 2011. The Game of the Year Edition includes the Catwoman content. For PC, PCGamingWiki says all releases have the pack integrated but flags that as citation needed, and says the Advanced Launcher can disable the episodes. Console owners of used or rented copies need an online pass or store purchase. Harley Quinn's Revenge is a different, later DLC and is not covered. Items still unresolved: the safe item (SD card or chip), the enemy count (six, from one source), the number of Catwoman episodes (three or four), and whether later episodes unlock only after part of Batman's story.