Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

Stern Pinball, 2025 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Star Wars: Fall of the Empire in the Pinball Genie app →

Designer John Borg. Original-trilogy "Empire" era. Editions: Pro / Premium / LE (Premium and LE share rules; edition-specific items marked premium-le). Classic Stern fan layout: 2 flippers, 8 main character shots (each mapped to a Rebel — Yoda=left orbit, Lando=Death Star ramp, Luke=VUK, Droids=Droids target, Han=center ramp, Chewbacca=Sarlacc Pit, Leia=right ramp, Obi-Wan=right orbit), a Darth Vader scoop, Sarlacc Pit (guarded by the Salacious Crumb drop target), Stormtrooper target, a bank of 5 FORCE standups, two Ion Cannon pop bumpers, two orbit spinners (JEDI), and three Empire return lanes.

Core progression

• Skill Shots: plunge and make any lit shot. Within a couple switches = Super Skill Shot (2x). Base 1M and each skill shot multiplies future ones. Left orbit adds 2 JEDI letters. Re-lit by Death Star locks or Jedi Saves.
• Rebel Missions (character modes): spell FORCE to light the 8 character shots; hit one to start that Rebel's mission (8 difficulty levels, 3 tier colors). Every mission needs 4 blue shots then a 5th shot to Luke VUK to complete. A character that already completed a mission restarts at 2x value.
• Rebel Combos / Rebel Assistance: outside multiball, making a shot lights natural yellow combo shots from that flipper. Collecting a character combo (pulsing = 2 jackpots, solid = 3) pre-loads multiball value — the core reason to combo. Making the same combo twice starts that character's Super Mode.

Multiballs

• Battle of Hoth: Droids light-lock target lights locks at Luke VUK (3 balls). Jackpots start 500K (+250K); AT-AT Letter Jackpot = sum of all jackpots; complete AT-AT → Luke VUK Super Jackpot.
• Death Star: Death Star ramp opens/locks 3 balls. 8 shots for jackpots; at 15 jackpots (Tilt v0.96; v0.87 says 14) the Death Star lights a 30s Super Jackpot (adds a ball, revives save) → Victory Laps.
• Lightspeed (Falcon feature #1): qualify the Falcon, build at other shots, start at center ramp, then loop the center ramp for repeated super jackpots. Only multiball that stacks (with Hoth).
• Mynock premium-le: third Dark Side Mystery award; bash the lowered center ramp (~10M each), 10th shot lights an Extra Ball.

Other pillars

• Millennium Falcon Features: Lightspeed → That's No Moon → Dogfight → Never Tell Me The Odds (mini-wizard) → Welcome to Cloud City.
• Jabba Events: Salacious Crumb drop target ×2 lights the Sarlacc Pit; Luke's Gift / Jabba's Palace / Rancor (untimed, highest value). All three → Sarlacc Escape mini-wizard.
• Vader Modes / Dark Side: Empire return lanes alternately light Dark Side Mystery or a Vader Mode at the Vader scoop. 15 Dark Side awards qualify Dark Side Multiball (mini-wizard).
• TIE Fighter ramps / Hyperspace Loops: right ramp = +1 TIE (+2 comboed from center on premium-le); Hyperspace Loops at 5/15/45, Extra Balls at 10/30/60.

Multipliers

No global playfield X. Instead: Ion Cannon shot multiplier (charge pop bumpers outside MB → next shot becomes 2x for the ball, roving 3x once all 8 majors hold a 2x); Rebel Assistance jackpot 2x/3x in multiball; Bonus X driven by Stormtrooper Hurry-Ups (cap 15X); and per-mission 2x quick-flashing-arrow shots.

Mini-wizards

Not A Jedi Yet (Rebel), Sarlacc Escape (Jabba), Never Tell Me The Odds (Falcon), Dark Side Multiball (Vader). A grand "Jedi Master" wizard is headered but not yet in code.

Edition notes

premium-le: motorized center ramp (lowers to a bash target), Mynock Multiball, +2 TIE combo, magnet grab-and-toss JEDI save (arms at 2/4 letters), center-ramp target raises the Falcon. Pro: fixed jump ramp, Falcon qualifies via right ramp only (except first feature), JEDI save needs all 4 letters then an action-button press.

Goals in Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

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

• Super Skill Shot skillshot · Medium

  Plunge and make a lit shot within only a couple switches for double the skill-shot value; each skill shot multiplies future ones.

  Reward: 2x skill shot value (base 1M, compounding)

• Left Orbit Skill Shot (JEDI head start) skillshot · Easy

  Plunge to the left orbit on the skill shot to bank the skill-shot value AND add 2 JEDI letters toward the ball save.

  Reward: Skill shot value + 2 JEDI letters

• Rancor (Jabba Event chain) combo · Hard

  The mandated untimed Rancor shot chain — highest-value single mode, with a +1x-per-shot combo multiplier (up to 3x) if kept inside the ~10s window.

  Reward: Rancor best-value Jabba award (combos up to 3x)

• Lando 'Rescue Luke' bonus combo combo · Hard

  A scripted Lando bonus-mission combo; a white starter shot can pre-multiply the first shot, and the +1x/10s window compounds the chain.

  Reward: Multiplied combo total ending in ~25%-value hurry-ups

• Dogfight ramp alternation combo · Medium

  Alternate center jump ramp and right ramp to kill TIE fighters; a combo into the right ramp scores 2x the TIE value. Repeatable until the timer dies.

  Reward: 2x TIE Fighter value on combined right-ramp shots

• Rebel Combo pre-load (Rebel Assistance) combo · Medium

  Outside multiball, collect character combos so their inserts pulse/solidify — pre-loading 2x/3x jackpot progress and value for the main multiballs.

  Reward: Pulsing combo = 2 jackpots (2x value); solid = 3 jackpots (3x)

• Hyperspace Loops combo · Medium

  Triggered at 5/15/45 TIE Fighter ramps: loop the center ramp to build a hyperspace jackpot, then cash out at the right ramp before the timer expires.

  Reward: Hyperspace jackpot (multiplied by shot multipliers)

• Battle of Hoth Multiball multiball · Medium

  Priority multiball: light locks at Luke VUK via the Droids target, then snowball AT-AT Letter Jackpots into the Luke VUK Super Jackpot.

  Reward: AT-AT Letter Jackpot = sum of all jackpots; Luke Super Jackpot

• Death Star Multiball multiball · Medium

  Highest super-jackpot ceiling in the game: bank jackpots on the 8 shots, hit the Death Star for a 30s Super Jackpot that adds a ball and revives the save, then run Victory Laps.

  Reward: 30s Super Jackpot (Tilt base 20M) + add-a-ball + ball save + Victory Laps

• Lightspeed Multiball multiball · Hard

  Falcon Feature #1 and the only stackable multiball: build the jackpot at other shots, start at the center ramp, then loop the center ramp for repeated super jackpots.

  Reward: Center-ramp super jackpots (Tilt: super = 5x current jackpot)

• Mynock Multiball (Premium/LE) multiball · Hard

  Premium/LE only: after two Dark Side Mystery awards, the third can start Mynock MB — the center ramp lowers and you bash it for huge scores.

  Reward: ~10M per bash; 10th shot lights an Extra Ball, every 10 after = 25M

• Rebel Mission (character mode) mode · Medium

  Spell FORCE to light the 8 character shots, start a Rebel's mission, then complete 4 blue shots plus the mandatory 5th shot to Luke VUK.

  Reward: Mission complete (2 completed lights an Extra Ball); restarts at 2x

• Darth Vader Mode mode · Medium

  Complete the Empire return lanes to light a Vader Mode at the scoop; the starting shot raises the multiplier, then collect the final award back at the Vader scoop.

  Reward: Multiplied Vader award (+500K base per completed Vader mode); feeds Dark Side Scoring

• Jabba Event: Jabba's Palace mode · Medium

  Knock down the Salacious Crumb drop target twice to light the Sarlacc Pit, select the event, then light the drop target for escalating points capped by a 5x Sarlacc collect.

  Reward: Escalating drop-target awards; 3rd hit = Sarlacc Pit 5x. First Jabba Event completion lights an EB

• That's No Moon (Falcon feature) mode · Medium

  A Falcon feature: hit three neighboring lit shots (center one 2x) while searching for Alderaan, then take the final shot at the Death Star.

  Reward: Time bonus 500K x seconds left; first non-Lightspeed Falcon completion lights an EB

• Ion Cannon Shot Multiplier multiplier · Medium

  Charge the Ion Cannon by hitting the pop bumpers outside multiball; when fired, the next shot you make becomes 2x for the rest of the ball — place it on Luke VUK.

  Reward: Persistent 2x on a chosen shot (roving 3x once all 8 majors hold a 2x)

• Stormtrooper Hurry-Up & Bonus X multiplier · Easy

  Hit the Stormtrooper target to start a Hurry-Up; completing it adds +1 Bonus X (max 15X) — the game's primary end-of-ball bonus multiplier.

  Reward: +1 Bonus X per completion (cap 15X); Hurry-Up base 10M x completions

• Not A Jedi Yet (Rebel mini-wizard) wizard · Hard

  Qualify by playing at least one mission on 4 different Rebels, then start at the Vader scoop; shots escalate white(1x)->blue(2x)->red(3x) and red 3x collects retire the shot.

  Reward: Scoring based on those characters' mission scoring (Tilt: potential 800M+)

• Sarlacc Escape (Jabba mini-wizard) wizard · Hard

  The 4th Jabba Event after all three are played: a switch frenzy lights the Sarlacc Pit Jackpot (scored per spin); after 4 jackpots the left scoop lights a Super Jackpot that ends the mode.

  Reward: Sarlacc Pit Jackpots (per spin) + Super Jackpot = total value

• Strategy: Hoth + Lightspeed stack (tournament opener) strategy · Hard

  Noah Sechrist's competitive line — bank a Hoth lock during ball save, charge the Ion Cannon on Luke, get the 3rd Hoth lock lit and queue Lightspeed, start Hoth, then layer Lightspeed on top.

  Reward: Stacked Hoth + Lightspeed multiball with pre-loaded value

• Strategy: Mission-first Death Star setup strategy · Hard

  Spread one mission across 4 different Rebels to arm Rebel Assistance, charge the Ion Cannon on Luke, then start Death Star Multiball so character-lit shots count as 2-3 jackpots.

  Reward: Fast 15-jackpot super + add-a-ball + ball-save revive + Victory Laps

• Strategy: JEDI ball-save insurance strategy · Easy

  Spell JEDI early via the spinners for the outlane ball save — critical survival insurance, especially on Pro where it needs all 4 letters.

  Reward: Jedi Save (grants a new skill-shot opportunity; resets JEDI letters)

• Extra Ball hunt strategy · Medium

  Light an extra ball (two completed Rebel missions is the most reliable route), then collect it at whichever of the two alternating extra-ball shots is currently lit.

  Reward: Extra ball