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.

How Star Wars: Fall of the Empire plays

Fall of the Empire runs on eight Rebel heroes: spell FORCE to light their shots, play their missions, and battle Vader and Jabba while stacking multiballs. Complete missions on four different Rebels for Not a Jedi Yet, and clear all three Jabba events for Sarlacc Escape.

The loop

1. Down the FORCE standup bank and the eight character shots switch on.
2. Start a Rebel's mission at a lit character shot, make the blue shots, and close it with the mandatory fifth at the Luke up-kicker.
3. Light Battle of Hoth locks at the Droids target and lock at Luke VUK, or open the Death Star at its ramp for the game's biggest super jackpot.
4. Charge the Ion Cannon in the pop bumpers and drop its 2x on Luke VUK so your most-used shot pays double.
5. Spell JEDI on the orbit spinners to arm the outlane save before a fast return ends the ball.

Reading the lights

• FORCE Targets (letters) — lit: Each lit FORCE standup is a letter you still need, and a letter goes dark once you knock its target down. · then: Spell out F-O-R-C-E and the eight character shots come on so you can start a Rebel mission; the bank gets one step harder with each mission you play, up to a cap, but eases back a step whenever you cash a multiball super or finish a Falcon, Jabba, or Vader mode.
• Character Mission Shots (mode) — lit: Once FORCE is spelled the character shots light, and inside a running mission the blue arrows are the shots that advance the scene while white shots pump up shot values. · flashing: A fast-flashing arrow marks a 2x shot -- grab it to double that shot's value. · then: Make four blue shots, then close the mission with the mandatory fifth at the backhandable Luke up-kicker. Two completed missions light an extra ball, and any Rebel you have already cleared restarts its mission at doubled value.
• Battle of Hoth Locks (status) — lit: The Droids target lights the Battle of Hoth locks and always scores double, and a lit lock waits at the Luke up-kicker until you shoot it. · then: Lock at Luke VUK to start the multiball, then snowball AT-AT Letter Jackpots at the walker, where each letter banks the running total and zeroes it, and collect the Super Jackpot back at Luke VUK to lift every jackpot for the rest of the round.
• Death Star Jackpots (shot arrows) — lit: Shoot the Death Star ramp to open the sphere and again to lock, and during the multiball the eight lit shots are jackpots you can bounce between two dependable ones since each only goes dark until you take a different shot. · then: Reach fifteen jackpots to light the sphere for a thirty-second Super Jackpot that both adds a ball and brings the save back to life, then enter the open Death Star to collect it and run Victory Laps. Any super progress you leave uncollected carries over to your next Death Star Multiball.
• JEDI Spinners (letters) — lit: Each lit JEDI letter is one you have banked from the orbit spinners, and spelling all four lights the outlanes for a ball save. · then: Keep JEDI spelled as drain insurance on this save-less, outlane-hungry layout, and collecting the save grants a fresh skill-shot chance and then resets the letters so you start spelling again. · control: Action button: with JEDI spelled you press the lockdown-bar button as the ball rolls a lit outlane to save it on a Pro, while on a Premium or LE two or three letters pulse the under-flipper magnet once for each lit letter and a full JEDI lets the magnet grab the ball and throw it back into play (single-ball play only, since JEDI cannot advance during a multiball)
• Ion Cannon Multiplier (multiplier) — lit: Feeding the two Ion Cannon pop bumpers charges the shot multiplier, but only while no multiball is running. · then: When it fires, the very next shot you make holds a 2x for the rest of the ball, so send it into Luke VUK where missions, Rancor, and the Hoth super all resolve. Once all eight major shots hold a 2x a roving 3x appears, and recharging the cannon gets harder each time.
• Stormtrooper Hurry-Up (status) — lit: Hitting the Stormtrooper target raises a counter that starts a Hurry-Up once it climbs high enough, though never during a multiball. · then: Boost the Hurry-Up base by completing the Empire return lanes, then collect it before it drops to its floor, and note each collect adds one to your Bonus X toward a fifteen-times cap on the end-of-ball bonus.
• Jabba Events (mode) — lit: Drop the Salacious Crumb target twice to light the Sarlacc Pit for a Jabba event, and each later event needs one more Crumb hit than the last. · then: Pick and play all three Jabba events to unlock the Sarlacc Escape mini-wizard, and note your first completed event also lights an extra ball. · control: Action button: each spin the ball takes around the Sarlacc Pit flips to the next of the three Jabba events, and the lockdown-bar button locks in the one showing rather than leaving the choice to the pit exit (while the ball is still spinning in the pit)

Lane change: not verified for this machine yet.

Start scoring

• Ball one — Plunge to the left orbit for two free JEDI letters as cheap save insurance, then make any lit shot before you have rattled through a couple of switches for the doubled Super Skill Shot. While the ball save is still live, hit the Droids target and bank a Battle of Hoth lock at Luke VUK. — Left Orbit Skill Shot (JEDI head start), Super Skill Shot, Battle of Hoth Multiball
• Building — Spell FORCE and start missions across different Rebels while charging the Ion Cannon and placing its 2x on Luke VUK. Then stack multiballs, since Lightspeed is the only one that layers on top -- start Battle of Hoth and shoot the center ramp to add Lightspeed over it. — Rebel Mission (character mode), Ion Cannon Shot Multiplier, Strategy: Hoth + Lightspeed stack (tournament opener), Lightspeed Multiball
• The big one — Play at least one mission on four different Rebels to reach the Not a Jedi Yet mini-wizard, where the biggest single-mode scores on the machine live, and clear all three Jabba events for Sarlacc Escape. Death Star Multiball sits alongside them with the highest super-jackpot ceiling in the game. — Not A Jedi Yet (Rebel mini-wizard), Sarlacc Escape (Jabba mini-wizard), Death Star Multiball

The Action Button on Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

Center of the lockdown bar.

Fall of the Empire uses the lockdown bar button as a chooser and a life-saver. It locks in a Jabba mode while the ball is still spinning around the Sarlacc Pit, cashes add-a-balls earned from those spins, and works the JEDI outlane save — which behaves differently on a Pro than on a Premium or LE.

• Ball spinning in the Sarlacc Pit: Locks in whichever of the three Jabba modes is showing instead of letting the exit decide for you.
• 10 Sarlacc spins during a multiball: Cashes a one-time add-a-ball; the next one costs another 10 spins, up to 40.
• Dark Side Multiball cutscene playing: Cancels the start so you can play another Vader mode first and grow the multiball's value.
• JEDI spelled, outlane rolled (Pro): Press before the drain registers to save the ball — single-ball play only.
• 2-3 JEDI letters lit (Prem/LE): Roll a lit outlane and it pulses the under-flipper magnet — one pulse for each letter you have lit.
• All four JEDI letters (Prem/LE): The magnet grabs the ball and tosses it back into play, with pulses still in reserve.

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 inside the first 3 switch hits for double the skill-shot value. The award starts at 1M and grows by another 1M per skill shot, and the chance is gone after 6 switches.

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

• 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 name inserts pulse and then go solid — each one turns a single shot into 2 or 3 jackpots' worth of progress in Battle of Hoth and Death Star. Combos reset at the start of every ball.

  Reward: Pulsing combo = 2 jackpots in one shot; solid = 3

• 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 (base around 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 (super = 5x the 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

• 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 (800M+ is reachable)

• 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

  The 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 so a Force Boost multiplies their jackpots, make Rebel Combos at those same characters so Rebel Assistance banks 2-3 jackpots per shot, charge the Ion Cannon on Luke, then start Death Star Multiball.

  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