Star Wars: Fall of the Empire
The third Stern Star Wars based on the original trilogy. A classic 'fan' layout with tight shots that reward controlled play. Going to be everywhere for the next few years — learn it now.
The center (jump) ramp is the most important shot on this game for our skill level. It feeds back to the left flipper, advances the Falcon when the hyperdrive is lit, scores Han's character missions, starts Lightspeed Escape/Multiball, and can be hit reliably from either flipper at almost any speed. When you don't know what to do, shoot the center ramp. When you're in a multiball and losing control, shoot the center ramp. When your brain shorts out from all the callouts and lights, shoot the center ramp. It's your bailout, your bread-and-butter, and your best friend.
Four simultaneous progression systems (FORCE targets, Falcon, Jabba, Vader) plus two multiball paths plus shot multipliers. It's a lot. The Darth Vader scoop on the left ejects fast and feeds awkwardly to the right flipper — drop catching helps if you've got the skill, but most of us are just going to flip and pray. The ion cannon bumpers near the slingshots make recovery harder when the ball is out of control, but they're also how you earn shot multipliers, so they're a necessary evil. The good news: the center ramp is very forgiving and feeds nicely from either flipper.
Your Game Plan
Spell FORCE, Start a Mission
BALL 1Skill Shot → Light Lock Target You Got This
Every shot is lit for a skill shot on plunge. Use the ball save time to aim for the 'Light Lock' target (the droids target) — this starts your path toward Battle of Hoth multiball. Super skill shot (6M) if you hit a shot within just a couple switch hits. Don't overthink it.
Spell F-O-R-C-E You Got This
Five standup targets scattered around the playfield spell FORCE. Completing it lights all 8 character shots for Rebel Missions. The first time is easy — you'll probably spell it partially just from the ball bouncing around. But get in the habit of looking for unlit FORCE letters and targeting those standups, because each subsequent completion gets harder. This is the engine of the whole game.
Start a Rebel Mission — Pick Han or Chewie Earnable
Once FORCE is complete, character inserts light up. Han (center ramp) is your best first mission — his modes use hurry-up timers that start high, and the center ramp is the easiest shot. Chewie (Sarlacc pit) is your backup if you're comfortable with the drop target. The insert color tells you difficulty: yellow = easy, green = medium, blue = hard. During the mission, shoot blue shots to progress and white shots to build value.
Feed the Center Ramp to Advance the Falcon You Got This
When the blue hyperdrive light under the Falcon model is lit, center ramp shots advance toward Falcon Features. The first feature (Lightspeed Escape) leads directly into a multiball. This happens naturally if you're already shooting the center ramp for Han missions.
Get Into a Multiball
BALL 2Start Battle of Hoth or Lightspeed Multiball Earnable
Battle of Hoth: You need 3 locks at the Luke VUK (AT-AT shot). If you hit the Light Lock target on Ball 1, you may already have a lock or two. Shoot Luke to lock more. Lightspeed: If you advanced the Falcon on Ball 1, shoot the center ramp when it's lit to start Lightspeed Escape — shoot yellow shots to build the jackpot, then blue shots during the multiball for jackpots. Pro tip: you can stack these two multiballs together if you start Lightspeed Escape before collecting the 3rd Hoth lock.
Use Your Shot Multipliers You Got This
The ion cannon bumpers have been quietly building a shot multiplier for you. When a multiplier is ready, the next shot you make gets 2x or 3x. If you're about to start a multiball or cash in a jackpot, this is huge. Watch for the lit multiplier indicator and try to time it before a big shot.
Complete Another FORCE and Start a Second Mission Earnable
If you completed one mission on Ball 1, that character's next mission is now worth 2x. Or try a different character — Leia (right ramp) and Obi-Wan (right orbit) are solid picks. Remember: completing missions at 4 unique characters lights 'Not a Jedi Yet' at the left scoop, which can be worth 800M+ if you've been doing well in modes. That's a stretch goal, but it's there.
Cash In Everything
BALL 3Start Death Star Multiball If Hoth Is Done Earnable
Shoot the Death Star ramp to lower the target, then lock 3 balls behind it. During the multiball: shoot red shots for jackpots (can't repeat the same shot), and after 15 jackpots the Death Star opens for a super jackpot. This is your second big scoring opportunity if Hoth already happened.
Collect Stormtrooper Hurry-Ups You Got This
That hidden standup target on the right has been counting Stormtroopers all game. If the hurry-up is lit, cash it in — each one adds to your bonus multiplier AND increases the value of the next one. Free points if you notice it.
Rip the Spinners for JEDI Ball Save You Got This
Spinner shots at either orbit light letters in J-E-D-I. Complete it and you've earned a ball save activated by the action button — basically a get-out-of-jail-free card. On Ball 3, this is survival insurance. Use the Force. Literally.
Stay Alive Out There
- → JEDI Ball Save: Spell J-E-D-I via spinners, then press the action button when the ball is draining. This is your lifeline — work toward it every ball.
- → Center Ramp Bailout: When things go sideways, the center ramp feeds safely to the left flipper from either side. Use it to reset and think.
- → Vader Scoop Feeds: The left scoop ejects fast toward the right flipper. Be ready. If you can drop catch, great. If not, just flip toward the right ramp or right orbit — both are reasonable bailout shots from that feed.
- → Bottom Lanes (1-2-3-4): Cycle with flippers. Completing them advances bonus multiplier and eventually lights Vader modes and mystery. They complete themselves if you just remember to cycle.
- → Nudging Matters Here: No built-in outlane ball saves on this game — you earn the JEDI save. Nudging is more important than on most modern Sterns.
Don't Be a Hero
- ⚠ Vader Modes early: They require completing bottom lanes, then shooting the left scoop, then hitting enough shots during a timed mode. A lot of steps for inconsistent payoff at our level. Let them happen naturally.
- ⚠ Jabba Events on Ball 1: The Sarlacc Pit drop target is in a dangerous spot near the flippers. Jabba events are great, but the drain risk isn't worth it until you have a ball save or it's later in the game.
- ⚠ Chasing Hyperspace Loops: They require enough TIE fighters from the right ramp, then looping the center ramp repeatedly. Cool when it happens, but don't build your strategy around it.
- ⚠ 'Not a Jedi Yet' wizard mode: Requires starting missions at 4 unique characters. If it lights, shoot it. But don't twist yourself into knots trying to start missions at difficult characters just to qualify it.
300M+ wins a lot of tournament games on this. If you break 500M you're having a great night. Billion-point games are possible but require mode stacking and shot multiplier timing beyond what we're covering here. Consistency at 300M beats one 600M game followed by two house balls — and that's the whole philosophy of this site.
The big difference for strategy: on the Pro, the center ramp is a simple fixed jump ramp. On Premium/LE, it physically raises and lowers — when lowered, it becomes a target. Right ramp shots or center ramp hits raise it back up. This means on Premium/LE you occasionally can't shoot the center ramp when you expect to. The core strategy (spell FORCE, start missions, get into multiball, use multipliers) is the same across all models.
The Research Pile
Every claim is sourced. Here's where we got our homework for this guide.
Primary source. Noah Crable's comprehensive written tutorial covering character perks, mode details, multiball mechanics, Jabba events, and tournament strategies.
Community wiki rulesheet with detailed scoring data and code version tracking.
Manufacturer rulesheet covering FORCE target difficulty levels, skill shot mechanics, and multiball rules.
Feature list, model differences, Insider Connected details.
Community strategy discussion including 5 valid tournament strategies and multiplier optimization tips.