Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast

Stern Pinball, 2018 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast in the Pinball Genie app →

Designed by Keith Elwin (rules/code by Rick Naegele & Keith Elwin). You play as Eddie on a quest to defeat the Beast. Signature hardware: 4 flippers (2 lower, 2 upper-mini for the loops), two spinners, a 3-bank of drop targets, a captive ball ("Sarcophagus"), a center Bullseye target, and 12 Iron Maiden songs. Editions: Pro / Premium / LE (Premium and LE share mechs).

The shots: Left Orbit, Left Ramp, Center/Pharaoh Ramp (jump ramp, the single most important shot — starts modes & multiballs), Mummy Captive Ball, Right Ramp, Right Orbit, plus two inner loops — Big Loop (mid-right flipper) and Mini Loop (upper-left flipper).

Eddie Battle modes — spell E-D-D-I-E on white arrows, then start at the center ramp. Five battles: Fear of the Dark, Flight of Icarus, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Aces High (2-ball) and Rime of the Ancient Mariner (2-ball). Winning any battle lights a Soul Shard at the Bullseye. The left spinner cycles which mode is queued before EDDIE completes.

Multiballs:

• Trooper — complete the 3-bank drops (2 sweeps first time) to light orbit/loop locks; lock 3 to start. 3 jackpots light a Super Jackpot (color ladder Blue→Green→Yellow→Orange→Red = 1x→5x). The priority multiball.
• Mummy — hit the Sarcophagus captive ball to spell M-U-M-M-Y, lock, spell again to start.
• Cyborg (mini-wizard) — complete all 5 Power Features (Spinners, Orbits, Ramps, Targets, Bumpers); cash the Power Jackpot at the Orb, then start at the Bullseye.

Multipliers: Playfield X — shoot the four orange X targets to qualify 2X (again for 3X); activate at a lit return inlane (~20–30s, +5s per X hit). Bonus X — advanced via the drop-target award cycle, maxes 50x.

Money sequences: the Loop Jackpot farm (200M+), the 6-Way Combo → Super Deathblow (up to 900M), and the Power Jackpot stack (up to 5x × Playfield X at the Orb). Combos have no timer — chain distinct major shots at leisure.

Progression to the wizard modes: collecting Loop Jackpots, combos, Supers and Soul Shards lights Tomb Treasures (10-award ladder). All 4 Eddie Cards qualify Number of the Beast (100M + Soul Shards). The 10th Tomb Treasure starts the final Run to the Hills 6-ball wizard multiball. 2 Minutes to Midnight is the mini-wizard after all five battles.

Survival: outlanes are the main killer — spell R-E-V-I-V-E on the left spinner early for outlane ball-saves (carries between balls), and lean on the center jump ramp as a safe bailout.

Pro and Premium/LE differ mainly on the Mummy lock location (center ramp vs left ramp), the Tomb collect shot (right loop vs left ramp), the Orb mechanism (standup vs captive/Newton ball), and the Premium/LE Underworld scoop under the center ramp.

How Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast plays

Fight through Eddie's world by winning the five Eddie Battles for their Soul Shards and starting the four multiballs for their Eddie Cards. Hold all four cards to face the Beast, and climb the ten Tomb Treasures to reach the Run to the Hills finale.

The loop

1. Spell EDDIE on the white-arrow shots to light a battle at the center Pharaoh ramp, and rip the left-orbit spinner beforehand to pick which of the five battles is queued.
2. Start the queued battle at the center ramp and win it, then take the Bullseye hurry-up right after to bank that battle's Soul Shard and light a Tomb Treasure.
3. Complete the drops to arm Trooper, spell MUMMY at the captive ball, and finish the Power Features to start the multiballs, each of which awards an Eddie Card.
4. Hold all four Eddie Cards to fight the Beast at the Bullseye; keep lighting Tomb Treasures until the tenth opens Run to the Hills.

Reading the lights

• Eddie Battles (mode) — lit: The center Pharaoh ramp lights once EDDIE is spelled, meaning a battle is queued and ready to start, and it stays lit until you shoot the ramp to begin it. · then: Before EDDIE finishes, rip the left-orbit spinner to change the queued battle until it lands on one you can shoot cleanly. Win it to light the Bullseye for a short Soul Shard hurry-up, and see all five battles through to qualify the Soldier card mode.
• REVIVE Spinner (letters) — lit: Each lit letter of R-E-V-I-V-E is one you have already banked on the left spinner, and the finished word stays lit from ball to ball rather than resetting. · then: Rip the REVIVE spinner early to spell it out, because the wide outlanes are what end balls here - especially the right one off the Big Loop exit. A completed Revive kicks a lost outlane ball back into play, and it doubles in value while Fear of the Dark runs.
• Playfield X Inlanes (lanes) — lit: A lit return inlane means Playfield X is qualified and waiting to switch on; you qualify it first by completing the scattered orange X targets, and again for 3X, before either inlane lights. · flashing: The active multiplier insert flashes faster as its roughly twenty-second run nears the end. · then: Line the lit inlane up with a flipper, roll through it, and 2X or 3X runs on everything for about twenty seconds - time it just before a Super Jackpot or a big combo cash instead of bleeding the clock. A right-flipper shatz through the left inlane into the Gravestone spots an extra X target outside modes. · control: Either flipper button: a tap of either flipper button moves the lit return inlane from one side to the other, so you can slide it under whichever inlane the ball is dropping into and start the multiplier on your own terms (before the ball reaches the return lanes)
• Trooper Drop Targets (status) — lit: The award lit above the drop bank is whatever the drops will pay next time you clear them, cycling between Advance Bonus X, Mystery and Light Locks. · then: Knock the whole bank down in a single shot to grab the lit award plus a second one at doubled drop value. Clear it while Light Locks shows to arm Trooper Multiball, or while Advance Bonus X shows to climb your end-of-ball multiplier toward its cap.
• Mummy Captive Ball (letters) — lit: Hitting the Sarcophagus captive ball lights the letters of M-U-M-M-Y, and once the word is spelled the Mummy lock lights at the center ramp. · then: Spell MUMMY, lock a ball at the lit center-ramp lock, then spell MUMMY again to start Mummy Multiball and earn the Mummy Eddie Card. During the multiball, re-spelling it lights the Super Jackpot at the Bullseye.
• Power Features (status) — lit: Every kind of shot on the machine belongs to a Power Feature family - ramps, orbits, spinners, targets, bumpers - and each family lights on its own once you have fed it enough hits. · then: Pound one family at a time to finish its feature; the first one you complete opens a Power Jackpot at the Orb, and any feature you finish while it still sits there stacks a multiplier onto it rather than just points. Finish every family to start Cyborg Multiball at the Bullseye.
• Eddie Cards to the Beast (ladder) — lit: Each Eddie Card lights as you earn it - Trooper from a Trooper super, Mummy from a Mummy super, Cyborg from finishing the Power Features, Soldier from starting 2 Minutes to Midnight - and a card banked at level two survives a failed Beast fight. · then: Collect all four cards to qualify Number of the Beast at the Bullseye, then shoot a red-arrow shot and the Bullseye to parry and land fifteen counter-attacks. Winning pays a hundred million plus the value of every Soul Shard you banked along the way.
• Tomb Treasure Ladder (ladder) — lit: The Tomb is a fixed ten-rung ladder collected at the right loop, so you always know what the next award is worth, and each of the seven qualifying feats only lights a treasure the first time you manage it. · then: Bank each new Soul Shard, loop jackpot, six-way combo, Mummy or Trooper super, Beast win, or a full hand of level-two cards to light the next treasure, then collect it at the loop. The tenth Tomb Treasure starts Run to the Hills, the six-ball final wizard mode.

Lane change: the flipper buttons move the lit lane. Tap either flipper button to move the lit return inlane from one side to the other, so you can catch the ball on whichever side it returns. You must qualify Playfield X first at the orange X targets - once qualified, rolling the lit inlane starts about twenty seconds of 2X (or 3X) scoring on everything.

Start scoring

• Ball one — Take the Super Skill Shot with a held-flipper plunge for a free Playfield X and pour it straight into points. Spell REVIVE early for outlane insurance, then spell EDDIE and start an easy battle at the center ramp, keeping that ramp as your safe bailout. — Super Skill Shot, Opener B — Free Playfield X into Points, Opener A — Safe Beginner with Revive Insurance
• Building — Start a single-ball battle before Trooper Multiball so the two stack, then collect multiplied Super Jackpots under a live Playfield X. Farm the Big Loop and Mini Loop for Loop Jackpots, and climb Bonus X on the drops in the background. — Trooper + Mode Stack under Playfield X, Trooper Multiball, Loop Jackpot Farm, Bonus X (Drop-Target Ladder)
• The big one — Hold all four Eddie Cards to fight the Beast at the Bullseye - landing every counter-attack pays a hundred million plus every Soul Shard you banked. Climb all ten Tomb Treasures to start Run to the Hills, the six-ball final wizard, and note that a single clean six-way combo cashed into a Super Deathblow can spike near nine hundred million on its own. — Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, 6-Way Combo into Super Deathblow

Does Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast have an action button?

Iron Maiden's lockdown bar is bare — there is nothing to press. Everything here comes off the four flippers and a manual shooter rod: soft plunge into the skill-shot target, or hold the left flipper on the plunge for the Super Skill Shot. No award in the game is collected with a button.

Goals in Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Super Skill Shot skillshot · Medium

  Hold the left flipper and hard-plunge to feed the upper-left flipper, then hit the Super Jackpot target for points plus a free Playfield multiplier.

  Reward: 5M + lit Playfield X (free 2X) + 10s ball save

• Secret Left-Outlane Skill Shot skillshot · Hard

  Soft-plunge the ball to roll directly into the left outlane for the big-points secret skill shot.

  Reward: ~20-25M + 10s ball save + EDDIE letter (often disabled in tournaments)

• 6-Way Combo into Super Deathblow combo · Hard

  Chain all six distinct major shots (no combo timer) then cash into a Super Deathblow target for the 900M spike.

  Reward: Up to 900M (20M x3 Super x3 Playfield X x5 Super Combos); lights a Tomb Treasure

• Loop Jackpot Farm combo · Hard

  Repeatedly loop the inner loops to build and cash the Loop Jackpot, feeding the mini loop to double values — the most reliable route past 200M.

  Reward: 200M+ when stacked with Playfield X; lights a Tomb Treasure on collect

• Power Jackpot Stack combo · Medium

  Complete multiple Power Features before cashing, stacking value and multipliers, then collect the Power Jackpot at the Orb.

  Reward: Up to 5x Power Jackpot x Playfield X; +15M per Level-2 Eddie Card; also starts Cyborg MB

• Flight of Icarus Ramp Farm combo · Medium

  In the Flight of Icarus battle, alternate the lit ramps under the 5-second escalating multiplier to farm points and bank the Soul Shard.

  Reward: Soul Shard at 20M; long chains (15+ ramps) documented

• 2-Way Combo Builder combo · Easy

  Hit two distinct major shots in succession to open the exponential combo ladder — no timer means you can set up carefully.

  Reward: 500K base, scaling exponentially toward the 6-way

• Trooper Multiball multiball · Medium

  Light locks by completing the drops, lock 3 balls at the lit orbit/loop shots, then work the jackpot color ladder to the Super Jackpot.

  Reward: 3-4 ball MB; Trooper Eddie Card; cannon add-a-ball; the priority multiball

• Mummy Multiball multiball · Medium

  Spell M-U-M-M-Y at the captive ball to light the lock, lock a ball, then spell MUMMY again to start the multiball.

  Reward: Mummy Eddie Card; add-a-balls via yellow shots (max 3)

• Cyborg Multiball multiball · Hard

  Complete all five Power Features, cash the final Power Jackpot at the Orb, then start Cyborg Multiball at the lit Bullseye.

  Reward: 3-ball MB; Cyborg Eddie Card; escalating Supers with two add-a-balls

• Fear of the Dark mode · Medium

  Single-ball battle: light the two spinners via purple arrows and rip them for big points, boosting with the right ramp, three times to win.

  Reward: Soul Shard

• Hallowed Be Thy Name mode · Medium

  Single-ball battle: complete the lit shots in order as fast as possible, ending at the Bullseye for a time bonus and the Soul Shard.

  Reward: Soul Shard + 10M + 1M per second remaining

• Aces High mode · Hard

  Two-ball battle in three stages: down four fighters, two bombers via ramp-then-bullseye, then the Ace on a 5-second roving shot.

  Reward: Soul Shard; add-a-ball from the first Mystery Award

• Rime of the Ancient Mariner mode · Hard

  Two-ball battle: lock the albatross hurry-up at center, drift jackpots to center on each side, and shoot the Bullseye when centered.

  Reward: Soul Shard (two Supers to complete)

• Playfield X (2X / 3X) multiplier · Medium

  Complete the scattered orange X targets to qualify 2X (again for 3X), then activate it at a lit return inlane just before a big scoring event.

  Reward: 2x/3x all scoring for ~20-30s (+5s per flashing X hit)

• Bonus X (Drop-Target Ladder) multiplier · Easy

  Advance the Bonus X multiplier through the drop-target award cycle, sweeping the bank to grab two awards at once, toward the 50x cap.

  Reward: Up to 50x end-of-ball bonus multiplier

• Number of the Beast wizard · Hard

  Collect all four Eddie Cards (Trooper, Mummy, Cyborg, Soldier), then parry and counter-attack the Beast at the Bullseye.

  Reward: 100M + the value of all Soul Shards collected earlier

• Run to the Hills wizard · Hard

  Work up the Tomb Treasure ladder via Loop Jackpots, combos, Supers and Soul Shards; collecting the 10th Tomb Treasure starts the 6-ball final wizard mode.

  Reward: 6-ball wizard multiball; +1x to all jackpots per Super

• Opener B — Free Playfield X into Points strategy · Easy

  High-score staple: take the Super Skill Shot for a free Playfield X, activate it immediately, and pour points in while building EDDIE and Trooper in the background.

  Reward: Free 2X dumped into jackpots — the standard tournament opener

• Trooper + Mode Stack under Playfield X strategy · Medium

  The core high-EV engine: cycle to a comfortable mode, start it BEFORE Trooper Multiball so it stacks, and collect multiplied Super Jackpots under an active Playfield X.

  Reward: The consensus highest-EV routine

• Opener A — Safe Beginner with Revive Insurance strategy · Easy

  Survival-first opener: take the standard skill shot, spell REVIVE early for outlane saves, spell EDDIE and start a mode, and keep the center ramp as your bailout.

  Reward: A survival-first foundation that carries over between balls

• 2 Minutes to Midnight (Soldier Card) mode · Hard

  Play all five Eddie Battles to qualify the sixth song mode, start it at the center ramp for the Soldier Eddie Card, then work the lit shots before the clock runs out.

  Reward: Soldier Eddie Card on start (the fourth card for the Beast) plus mode scoring

• Extra Ball Target strategy · Medium

  Push game progress until the Extra Ball X target lights, then take a clean shot at it before the ball ends.

  Reward: Extra ball

• Attract-Mode Game Mode Menu secret · Easy

  Iron Maiden keeps a menu behind its attract screen that most players walk right past. It switches the whole ruleset between the standard game, a Competition variant with the randomised elements stripped out for fair head-to-head play, and a jukebox.

  Reward: Switches the ruleset to Competition, with random elements removed, or DJ Mixer, instead of Standard

• Collect Four Eddie Cards at Two Levels progression · Hard

  Four cards stand between you and the Beast, and every one of them comes in a weak version and a strong version. The weak version drops for the headline achievement in its feature. The strong version wants that same feature multiplied or repeated. The difference only shows itself when the fight goes badly: a level 1 card disappears the moment you fail against the Beast, while a level 2 card stays exactly where it is. Bank all four at level 2 and a loss costs you nothing but time, because you can line up another attempt straight away. Cards also fatten the Power Jackpot while you hold them.

  Reward: Qualifies Number of the Beast; level 2 cards survive a failed attempt and raise the Power Jackpot

• Finish All Five Power Features progression · Medium

  The playfield sorts its shots into five families - ramps, orbits, spinners, standup targets and bumpers - and each family tracks your hits on its own. Feed one family enough and that power feature switches on. Keep feeding the same family and it completes. Your first completion lights the Power Jackpot at the Orb, and this is where patience pays: finish another feature while that jackpot is still sitting there and it does not simply grow, it picks up a multiplier. Cash in too early and you take a fraction of what the same shot would have paid two features later. Clear all five and Cyborg Multiball opens up.

  Reward: A multiplying Power Jackpot at the Orb, plus Cyborg Multiball once all five features are finished

• Bank a Soul Shard From Every Battle progression · Hard

  Winning a battle is only half the job. The instant it ends the bullseye at the centre jump ramp lights for a short hurry-up, and that is your one chance to claim that battle's Soul Shard. Drain or dither and it is gone. Hit the bullseye squarely rather than clipping it and the multiplier on the award climbs. Shards are the currency of the late game: each fresh one lights a Tomb Treasure, they feed the jackpots in 2 Minutes to Midnight, and beating the Beast pays every shard you hold all over again. There are five, one for each battle.

  Reward: One Soul Shard per battle; each lights a Tomb Treasure and pays again later in the game

• Climb the Ten Tomb Treasures progression · Hard

  The Tomb is a fixed ladder, not a random award, so you always know exactly what the next prize is worth before you shoot for it. Seven kinds of achievement light a treasure and each one only counts the first time you manage it, so repeating your favourite trick buys nothing. Count the five Soul Shards separately and there is one more way to light a treasure than there are treasures to hand out. The tenth is the whole reason to climb: it opens Run to the Hills.

  Reward: Ten fixed awards in a known order, ending with Run to the Hills