Stern · 2003
Play the three movie multiballs, then destroy the Ring. Complete the longer checklist before that shot to reach Valinor.
Begin the journey →The whole game
Fellowship, Two Towers, and Return of the King are the three movie multiballs. Rings earned at ramps, towers, and outside lanes open those features. After all three movies, shoot the center Ring to begin Destroy the Ring.
Find your shots
Gandalf/ring shot and the direct route into Paths of the Dead.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Inner orbit / Orthanc; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.
Enters the upper-right tower saucer and awards Gifts.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Left orbit / Barad-dûr; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.
Merry/member, ring shot and several mode objectives.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Right orbit; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.
Aragorn/member, ring shot and Two Towers locks.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the two posts at the bottom of Right ramp / Sword and use a firm forehand so the ball climbs the ramp. If it starts up and rolls back, let it reach a flipper before shooting again.
Right-center scoop; awards several extra balls and starts Gollum.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim at the dark opening of Gollum Cave, not at its rim or the nearby posts. After the ball settles in the hole, watch where the machine kicks it back and regain control.
Starts modes, awards points for Ring Frenzy and begins wizard goals.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim into the opening at Center Ring, avoiding its rim and nearby posts. Watch where the machine kicks the ball back and regain control.
Left orbit / Barad-dûr: The lane that runs up the far left edge of the table. The ball goes around the top and drops into a small saucer, a shallow dish that holds the ball for a moment, at the top right: the Barad-dûr tower. When a Gift is ready, this is the shot that awards it. In the Fellowship movie this shot is Pippin.
Left ramp: The raised track on the left that the ball climbs. It is one of the four ring shots: shoot it while a ring light in front of it is on and you earn that ring, including the Elf rings that start a mode. In the Fellowship movie it is Legolas.
Inner orbit / Orthanc: The inner lane that leads up into the Orthanc tower at the top left. It is a ring shot, and it is the direct way into Paths of the Dead, the small extra playfield where you earn souls for Return of the King. In the Fellowship movie it is Gandalf.
Balrog: A target just left of the middle. You hit it again and again during the Fellowship movie: each Balrog hit followed by a ramp carries one member across the bridge.
Center Ring: The Ring in the middle of the table. Shoot it to start a mode, to earn Ring Frenzy, and to begin the two big finishes, Destroy the Ring and Valinor. In the Fellowship movie it is Frodo.
Gollum Cave: A scoop right of the middle: a hole that swallows the ball. It starts Gollum Multiball once you have nine Man rings, and most extra balls are earned here. In the Fellowship movie it is Gimli.
Right ramp / Sword: The raised track on the right, the one with the sword. It is a ring shot, it is where you lock balls for The Two Towers, and in the Fellowship movie it is Aragorn.
Right orbit: The lane that runs up the far right edge. It is a ring shot, it comes up in several modes, and in the Fellowship movie it is Merry.
Shire and Palantir: Two smaller shots that give different things at different times, so look at the display rather than expecting the same award every visit. The Shire is a standing target: it is Sam in the Fellowship movie, it changes which Gift is selected, and after seven Dwarf rings it gives a Mystery award. The Palantir, once lit, can add a ball during a multiball or add time in There and Back Again.
Launching the ball
Soft plunge for 5× bonus, medium for Orthanc progress, or full plunge for three rings and a flipper shot.
Plunge the ball softly: pull the spring-loaded rod at the front of the machine back only part way, so the ball rolls gently into the row of lanes at the top of the table. One of those lanes is flashing, and tapping a flipper button moves the flashing light from lane to lane; put it on the lane the ball is heading for. Roll through the flashing lane and you get 5X bonus: your bonus, the points the machine adds up after you lose each ball, is multiplied by five.
Pull the rod a little further, so the ball drops into the Orthanc tower at the top left. It pays 250,000 the first time and 50,000 more each time you make it again. It also moves you along in Paths of the Dead, which advances toward Return of the King, and it can help spell KEEP for The Two Towers. Choose this launch when those two movies matter more to you than the three rings the full launch gives.
Pull the rod all the way back. The ball goes around and comes down to the left flipper. Catch it there, then shoot the lane up the far right, the right orbit. The first time you make it, it pays 1.25 million and, on this machine, gives you one ring of each race: one Elf, one Dwarf and one Man.
How far back to pull the rod is different on every machine, so watch where the ball goes and adjust your next pull. And a skill shot, the prize for an aimed launch, is not always on offer: if the machine hands you the ball back after a ball save, or serves a new ball straight after Destroy the Ring, that launch may not have one.
Your first useful run
If all you want is the first finish, spend your game playing the three movies. If you are going for Valinor, win Fellowship early. Leave it until last and finishing it can light Destroy the Ring before you have the modes and Gifts done, and you need those done first.
The things that send the ball to the rest of the game
Four shots earn rings: the left ramp, the inner orbit, the right ramp and the right orbit. Shoot one while a ring light in front of it is lit, that is, switched on, and you get that ring. Hit a second ring shot straight after the first and you get a double-ring combo: two rings for two quick shots. There are three races of ring and each does something different. Three Elf rings prepare a mode, meaning the Ring in the middle is now ready to start one. Seven Dwarf rings make the Shire ready to give a Mystery award. Nine Man rings make Gollum Cave ready to start Gollum Multiball. Once you receive the award, that race starts again from zero. Many modes and the movie multiballs stop rings from counting while they run, so earn the rings you need before you start them.
Paths of the Dead is a small extra playfield, and the ball gets there through the Orthanc tower at the top left. Four soul lamps track your progress, and the white standing targets on the main table raise those lamps even when the awards printed beside them are not lit. Once all four lamps are complete, every switch the ball touches (a switch is any spot that registers the ball hitting it) is worth more souls, rising from 100 toward 500. Two easy ways to get back into the tower again and again: the medium launch, and the War of the Ents mode.
Earn nine Man rings, then shoot Gollum Cave, and a second ball comes out. Gollum changes personality about every seven seconds. When the Gollum lamp pulses, Smeagol is in charge and everything scores double. When it glows steady, Gollum is in charge and everything scores half. Make your big shots while it pulses. It ends when you are down to one ball. On this machine, if Gollum is ready, the Cave starts Gollum before any other multiball that is lit there, so start Gollum first and the movie after. And if a movie has just ended, starting Gollum in the few seconds right after can bring the movie back.
These three give different things at different times. The Palantir: light it before a big multiball and it can add a ball; during There and Back Again it adds 20 seconds instead, up to three times, and the clock never goes above 99 seconds. The Shire Mystery: after seven Dwarf rings the Shire target gives a Mystery award, which can start or advance a movie multiball, or give rings, points, bonus or a lit extra ball, meaning another turn after this ball ends. Cave Supers: the Cave hands out Super awards in a fixed order, Spinner first (the thin blade that spins when the ball passes through it), then the bumpers, then the ramps, then the loops, then everything; how many hits each one takes depends on the difficulty setting. Look at the display before you shoot the Cave, because if Gollum is ready the Cave starts Gollum instead.
Bash Balrog: if the machine's owner has it switched on, a Cave or Mystery visit with nothing better to give can start Bash Balrog. Hit the Balrog target three times before the hurry-up runs out; a hurry-up is a prize that counts down until you make the shot. Bonus: when you lose a ball, the machine adds up the ring and feature progress you built on it and multiplies the total by your bonus multiplier. Instant Info: hold a flipper button in and the display shows where you stand: locks, rings, modes, movie wins, Gifts and progress toward the big finishes. Check it before you go for a big award.
The six main modes
Earn three Elf rings, choose a flashing mode with the flippers, then shoot the center Ring. Each lasts about 30 seconds. If the clock reaches zero, the game still records that you attempted the mode, which is enough for unlocking There and Back Again. Winning also lights a Gift. The points scored in the mode become part of the later There and Back Again award.
Shoot Gollum Cave, then the inner orbit, then the left ramp, then the right ramp, in that order. A prize counts down while you go and stops falling at 200,000; make all four shots before it gets there. Shooting the right ramp in between the shots pushes the prize back up. Win and an Elf Gift lights. If time runs out, the game still records the attempt toward unlocking There and Back Again.
Three shots are lit on the left of the table and three on the right. Shoot one of the left ones, then one of the right ones. Then one of the two left ones that remain, then one of the two right ones. Then the last left and the last right. Each pair pays more than the one before: 500,000, then 750,000, then one million. Keep the shot you find easiest on each side for the final pair. If you go a long time without hitting anything, the pressure advances and the chance can end.
Shoot the left ramp or the right orbit. That pays 500,000 and lights the right ramp for a short time. Now shoot the right ramp while it is lit: one million, and one step toward the win. Do that four times. Between shots, keep the ball coming back to your flippers under control so you can make the ramp before its light goes out.
Once you have played all six modes, the next mode you start at the Ring is There and Back Again, a 60-second earning round. Lighting the Palantir adds 20 seconds, up to three times, and the clock will not go over 99. Shoot the Ring to lock in one of the mode values as they appear one after another, then shoot one of the main shots that is still available to score it. Each round, fewer shots are available. Earn all six, then shoot the Ring for five million and a Gift. The better you scored in each mode, the more each award is worth here.
The three movie multiballs
Each of the main shots is one member of the Fellowship: the left orbit is Pippin, the right orbit Merry, the Shire target Sam, the right ramp Aragorn, the Ring Frodo, the inner orbit Gandalf, the left ramp Legolas, the Cave Gimli and the bumpers Boromir. Shoot each one to earn that member. With all nine earned, start the movie at the lit VUK, a kicker that fires the ball up from under the table; the surest way to reach it is the left orbit into Barad-dûr. If the machine has the optional Cave Troll opening switched on (from the factory it is off), you first earn five Cave Troll jackpots, and then the movie moves on to the Balrog.
Every movie multiball starts with three balls and ends when you are down to one. In Fellowship, hit the Balrog target and then either ramp to carry one member across the bridge. Do that for eight members, then hit the Balrog for Gandalf. That last Balrog shot wins the movie: five million and a Gift, and then Victory Laps begin. In Victory Laps the seven main shots each pay 500,000, going up 50,000 with every lap; a shot goes dark once you earn it, and shooting the Ring lights them all again. Victory Laps end when you are down to one ball. If you lose the movie part way across the bridge, the members you carried over stay carried for your next attempt.
The KEEP lanes are the lower lanes, down near the flippers. Tapping a flipper button moves their lights one position, so you can put the letter you still need where the ball is about to roll. Spell K-E-E-P, then shoot the right ramp to lock a ball there; three locked balls start the movie. It is played with three balls and ends when you are down to one, and if you do not finish the battle, your progress stays for your next attempt. During the movie every one of the seven main shots pays a jackpot, a big prize. Hit different shots quickly one after another and a chain climbs from 1 to 7; pause too long and it drops back to the start. The more balls you keep alive, the bigger the multiplier on those jackpots.
Keep going until the Super lights at the Ring in the middle. Score it and you have won: a Gift lights. After that the Supers come in pairs: first the inner orbit and the Cave, then the two ramps, then the two outside lanes, and then Victory Laps. KEEP letters do not count while a movie multiball is running.
Souls come from Paths of the Dead, the small extra playfield; the Orthanc tower sends the ball there. The white standing targets raise its four soul lights even when the awards beside them are dark, and as the lights fill, each switch the ball touches is worth more, from 100 souls up to 500. War of the Ents gets you into the tower over and over. At 5,000 souls the movie is ready.
It is played with three balls and ends when you are down to one. There are seven levels; on each one, hit all four ring shots to clear it. Levels you finish stay finished if you lose the movie, but each time you have to start it again, getting in takes more. For the most points, take the low multipliers before the high ones, so the later levels are bigger. After level seven, do not stop: you still have to earn a Super to win and get the Gift.
Gifts from the Elves
Winning a mode or a movie lights a Gift. That does not mean you have it yet. Hit the Shire target to change which Gift is flashing, and when it is the one you want, shoot the left orbit so the ball runs into Barad-dûr; that awards it. Until you do, the Gift is only lit, not yours.
Lights an extra ball at Gollum Cave. Shoot the Cave to actually get the extra turn.
Everything scores double for sixty seconds. Have your multiball or your award ready before you take it. The Palantir can add 30 seconds.
Five million, paid on the spot. If a multiplier is already running, it multiplies this too.
Lights an award at the Cave. What you get is usually a free game, depending on how the machine is set.
Shoot the Ring in the middle for jackpots that keep growing. It can light an extra ball; exactly when depends on the machine's settings.
Played with one ball. Increase a prize and a multiplier on the four ring shots, then shoot the Ring in the middle to score the displayed prize before its timer runs out.
Once you have earned all six Gifts you can see, including Super Ring Frenzy, the machine offers a seventh that has no lamp: Super Ring Frenzy Multiball. Starting it counts as the seventh Gift you need for Valinor.
Running more than one thing at once
| What you want running together | Does it work? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A mode, Gollum and a movie | Yes | Start the mode first, then Gollum, then the movie. You end up with four balls on the table. |
| A new mode while a movie multiball is running | No | Choose the mode and start it before the movie. The movie's arrows on the table can hide the mode's arrows. |
| Gollum while a movie multiball is running | Usually no | Start Gollum first. If the movie has just ended, starting Gollum in the few seconds right after can bring it back. |
| 2X Scoring, Gollum's Smeagol phase and movie jackpots | Yes | Get everything else ready before you switch on 2X. Smeagol (pulsing lamp) doubles scoring; Gollum (steady lamp) halves it. |
| Fellowship's Balrog shots and Ring Frenzy | They get in each other's way | The Balrog can block you from shoot the Ring. Finish the frenzy first. |
Elf Gifts, Barad-dûr, Shire Mystery, Ring Multiball and Ring Frenzy can light Extra Ball. Earn it at Gollum Cave.
An extra ball is another turn after your current ball ends. You can light one from an Elf Gift, from getting the ball into the Barad-dûr tower enough times, from the Shire Mystery, from Ring Multiball, and from a big enough Ring Frenzy. When one is lit, shoot Gollum Cave to earn it. If you lose the ball first: a light from a Gift or from the tower normally stays lit for your next ball; a light from Mystery, Ring Multiball or Ring Frenzy normally goes out. Machines can be set differently, so when you light one of those three, earn it at the Cave before you try anything risky. How many hits each one takes, and how many you can earn, depend on the settings.
Two things that look like extra balls but are not: a ball the Palantir adds during a multiball is not an extra turn, and Special is normally a free game, not a ball. Watch for SHOOT AGAIN on the table: when it is lit, a ball save is running, and a ball you lose comes straight back for a short while.
Score higher
Finish all three ring races, Elf, Dwarf and Man, and Ring Frenzy starts. Every ring shot adds to a growing prize and restarts a ten-second clock. When one ring shot has all three of its ring lights done, the multiplier goes up, as high as 5X. The Ring in the middle scores the displayed prize, so do not shoot it until the prize is big, unless the clock is nearly out or you are losing control of the ball.
Hit different jackpot shots quickly to grow the chain, and keep three or four balls alive to raise the multiplier. Start a mode and Gollum before the movie, switch on 2X Scoring only when the play at the same time is ready (the play at the same time is everything you have running at the same time), and try to make the biggest shot while Gollum's lamp is pulsing and scoring is doubled.
From the video
0:31 · Seven Gifts: the hidden multiball is offered after the six Gifts you can see.
6:24 · Two Towers choices: two ways to play it, fast jackpot chains or the steadier left orbit and extra-ball route.
9:32 · Mode pairings: a mode started first, running together with a movie multiball.
19:16 · Saved Two Towers progress: battle progress from a lost attempt is still there, but you still have to earn the Super at the Ring to win.
7:55 · Skill shot: the full launch on this machine gives one ring of each race.
10:45 · Paths standups: the white targets raise the soul lights even when the award beside them is dark. The speaker says “ten Man rings”; the real number is nine.
The two big finishes
Once you have played all three movies, the Ring lights. Shoot the left ramp, the inner orbit, the right ramp and the right orbit, then shoot the Ring in the middle. Machines are set one of two ways. On the one-ball setting, the ball has to pass cleanly through the Ring. On the two-ball setting, the first ball is held in the Ring and a new ball is served to you; use it to knock the held ball through.
Lose the ball and the attempt is over; to try again you have to play all three movies again. If Valinor is what you are after, finish everything else it needs before you win this.
Once you have done all of that, Valinor starts on its own: four balls, with a long ball save. Supers light at the Ring and at Barad-dûr, and a Super hit as part of a combo is worth more. Hit all four ring shots three times over and you get another ball, or, if all four balls are still in play, a fresh ball save.
The display tells you which Super it wants next. Follow it, keep as many balls alive as you can, and shoot the Ring and Barad-dûr when they light. There is no checklist left at this point: Valinor is the reward, a long, high-scoring celebration.
Your table
A few things in this guide depend on settings the machine's owner can change, so the guide cannot tell you which way yours is set: whether Destroy the Ring uses one ball or two; how far you need to pull the plunger, the spring-loaded rod that launches the ball; how long the grace periods are; and exactly when Ring Multiball and Ring Frenzy light an extra ball. For those, go by what the display on your machine tells you.
The rules here are the real Stern machine's rules. Your table runs in VPX, a program that recreates real pinball machines on a computer, and it uses the real game's program, so the lights and the display mean the same thing as on the original. One warning: you may hear that six Gifts are enough for Valinor. On this machine it is seven.