What chapters can I complete without spending $300 on this game?

We got Skylanders for the kid for Christmas.
Consequently, I've been playing a fair amount of Skylanders.
It's got good points and bad points, but it is fun to play, so I guess overall we'll have to call it a win.

Via Chapter Select I can go back to previous areas that have already been played and attempt to "complete them" (find all the stuff, visit all the areas, do a speed run, eventually earn 3 stars for the chapter by doing all of the above). I've certainly played me some Spyro before, so going back to old levels to finish them off is nothing new.

This toy-based gambit is really built right into the game though, you can't go through these elemental portals without the right kind of action figure. The base pack comes with 3 which represents 3 of the 8 elements. Which means that I can only complete a chapter if I've got the right toys for it. Which leads me to the question:
Which chapters do I have the right Skylander/elements to complete?

As a bonus, which chapters am I only missing a single Skylander/element in order to complete?

Visiting each chapter and writing stuff down would be a bit time-consuming, so a nice list would be helpful.

Solution 1:

Here's my current compiled knowledge on the matter:

Chapters that can be completed with Magic, Tech, and Water (base set):

• Chapter 1: Shattered Island
• Chapter 6: Dark Water Cove
• Chapter 7: Leviathan Lagoon
• Chapter 10: Treetop Terrace
• Chapter 18: Molekin Mine
• Chapter 22: Lair of Kaos

Chapters that can be completed with an additional Life Skylander:

• Chapter 2: Perilous Pastures
• Chapter 9: Stonetown
• Chapter 20: Quicksilver Vault
• Chapter 24: Pirate Seas (from Adventure pack)

Chapters that can be completed with an additional Fire Skylander:

• Chapter 5: Oilspill Island
• Chapter 19: Lava Lakes Railway
• Chapter 25: Darklight Crypt (from Adventure pack)

Chapters that can be completed with an additional Earth Skylander:

• Chapter 11: Falling Forest
• Chapter 16: Cadaverous Crypt

Chapters that can be completed with an additional Undead Skylander:

• Chapter 14: Battlefield
• Chapter 15: Crawling Catacombs
• Chapter 23: Empire of Ice (from Adventure pack)

Chapters that can be completed with an additional Air Skylander:

• Chapter 17: Creepy Citadel
• Chapter 21: Arkeyan Armory
• Chapter 26: Dragon's Peak (from Adventure pack)

Chapters that require multiple additional Skylanders:

• Chapter 3: Sky Schooner Docks (Undead and Earth)
• Chapter 4: Stormy Stronghold (Life and Air)
• Chapter 8: Crystal Eye Castle (Undead and Earth)
• Chapter 12: Troll Warehouse (Life and Fire)
• Chapter 13: Goo Factory (Air and Fire)

Solution 2:

I'll list all chapters and the character types required to complete them, bold chapters can be completed without any additional Skylanders, and italic chapters require one extra type. Bold types are included with the game this, of course will be full of spoilers:

1. Shattered Island - Magic, Water, Tech
2. Perilous Pastures - Tech, Life, Water
3. Sky Schooner Docks - Undead, Earth
4. Stormy Stronghold - Life, Air
5. Oilspill Island - Fire
6. Dark Water Cove - Magic, Water
7. Leviathan Lagoon - Water
8. Crystal Eye Castle - Undead, Earth
9. Stonetown - Life
10. Treetop Terrace - Magic
11. Falling Forest - Earth
12. Troll Warehouse - Life, Fire
13. Goo Factory - Air, Fire
14. Battlefield - Undead
15. Crawling Catacombs - Undead
16. Cadaverous Crypt - Tech, Earth
17. Creepy Citadel - Air
18. Molekin Mine - Tech
19. Lava Lakes Railway - Fire
20. Quicksilver Vault - Life
21. Arkeyan Armory - Earth, Air
22. Lair of Kaos - Magic

Extra Level Packs:

• Pirate Seas - Life (Comes with an Earth skylander) (Terrafin)
• Darklight Crypt - Fire (Comes with an Undead skylander) (Ghost Roaster)
• Empire of Ice - Undead (Comes with a Water skylander) (Slam Bam)
• Dragon's Peak - Air (Comes with a Fire skylander) (Sunburn)

To summarize the answer, 6 chapters can be 100% completed with only the base characters

Source.