Joker and Harley Quinn’s holiday jailbreak is one of the stranger things to come out of a LEGO DC game: a giant LEGO Christmas tree, grown by Poison Ivy, that fires out of the roof of Arkham Asylum like a rocket while both villains sing a rewritten “Jingle Bells.” The sequence also doubles as an achievement trigger, and it is a genuinely rare one.
Quick answer: Reach the Christmas escape scene inside Arkham, climb the LEGO tree with Harley, then hold the Ⓧ button when the prompt appears. The tree launches and “Maximum Security” unlocks.
Maximum Security achievement details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Maximum Security |
| Description | Break out of Arkham |
| Gamerscore | 10 |
| Unlock rate | 0.46% |
The pop-up on screen flags it as a rare achievement, which is why the notification arrives with the percentage attached. It is worth only 10 points, so the rarity comes from how few players push through to the escape rather than from any difficulty spike.
How to trigger the Christmas tree escape in Arkham
Hold Ⓧ to open, hold the button rather than tapping it. The base of the tree ignites, and the whole thing punches through the ceiling of the facility.
The launch is the trigger, not the climb. If you leave the prompt alone, the scene will not advance and the achievement will not pop.
How to confirm the escape worked
- The rare achievement banner appears, reading 10 – Maximum Security with the “Break out of Arkham” line.
- Amanda Waller, watching from the floor below, shouts that the whole facility is compromised.
- The camera follows the tree into the night sky over Gotham while Harley finishes the song.
The full escape song lyrics
The number is split between the two villains. Joker takes the “Jingle Bells” verse on the way up, then Harley takes over once they are airborne.
| Singer | Line |
|---|---|
| Joker | “Jingle bells, Arkham smells, Ivy grew a tree…” |
| Joker | “We’re out of sight… into the night…” |
| Joker | “…just Harley Quinn and me!” |
| Harley Quinn | “Soaring through the sky…” |
| Harley Quinn | “…on a one tree rocket mast…” |
| Harley Quinn | “…this is just the start…” |
| Harley Quinn | “…our partnership’s a blast!” |
Joker’s verse does the explanatory work, naming Poison Ivy as the one who grew the tree. Harley’s half is the payoff, and her last line lands as the pair clear Gotham’s skyline.
Not to be confused with the LEGO Batman Santa short
A separate animated LEGO Batman Christmas short circulates alongside the game clip, and it has nothing to do with the Arkham escape. In it, Santa works through a queue of kids before calling next, and Batman walks straight past a Nutcracker guard to take his turn.
Santa reminds Batman that he is 52 and that the line is meant for children, but relents and asks what he would like. Batman requests a Christmas batarang charged with the Northern Lights’ magical power, so Santa gives him a silver one before Batman leaps away.
After a “MERRY CHRISTMAS” title card and credits, there is a post-credits tag: LEGO Santa dancing in a spotlight in the middle of a snowy village.
If you are chasing the achievement, only the in-game Arkham sequence counts. Get to the tree, hold the button, and watch for the rare banner as the roof comes off.
