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ZEN Pinball Excalibur, Earth Defense & Mars DLC trophy guide


steviej

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This guide will try to explain how to tackle the trophies in the Excalibur, Earth Defense and Mars DLC tables for Zen Pinball. For an elaborate description of basic tactics and terminology, please refer to the guide by skippycue, found here.

 

 

Overview:

-Estimated trophy difficulty: 9/10

-Offline: 3(B) & 1(S) each

-Online: 0

-Approximate amount of time to 100%: Depends on skill.

-Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1

-Number of missable trophies: Tampering with factory settings or saving and reloading a game disables trophies

-Glitched trophies: None

-Do cheat codes disable trophies: Tampering with factory settings or saving and reloading a game disables trophies

 

 

Excalibur

 

 

Table specifics

 

Ramps and Orbits: This table has 3 ramps and 2 orbits. The "Excalibur ramp" is in the dead centre of the table. The "right ramp" is obviously on the right side of the table. The "cauldron ramp" is situated right above the right outlanes and can only be hit using the the top left flipper.

 

Kickbacks and Ball Save:

The kickbacks are enabled by shooting the targets next to the Excalibur ramp located in the center. Hit the one without a captured ball and you will hear a message about strengthened fortifications. The kickback on that side of the table will remain lit for 20 seconds.

 

To activate the ballsave, first hit the left sinkhole. When the ball is dropping down hit, it with the top flipper in the direction of the "Holy Grail" target. A skillshot will grant you a fairly long ballsave. A "nice try" will give you a shorter lasting one.

 

I recommend trying to keep the left kickback or the ballsave active and using the top left flipper as often as possible, as this table tends to send the ball down the left outlane a lot.

 

 

[For a much more in-depth guide to this table, see rapierdwit's Excalibur Table Guide on the Zen Studios Forum. It's written for the Pinball FX2 version, but most of the information matches the PS3 version.]

 

 

Trophies

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/25.jpg Fame is NOT fleeting (B)

Secure your renown by chasing down the Barking Beast!

 

After shooting the Excalibur ramp enough times to reach a renown of level 11, Merlin will stop your ball and a sinkhole will open up at the very beginning of the right ramp. You will have to shoot this hole to track, trap and kill the beast a total of 5 times, each time within the 15 second timespan you're given.

 

 

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/26.jpg Defender of Camelot (B)

Repel the attack of the robber knights against Camelot!

 

This one can be a bit frustrating if you're not very good at juggling the ball around on the mini playfield. Hit the bumpers until robber knights start besieging your castle. Both the dot matrix and a voice will notify you when this happens. After that, shoot the ball up the Right ramp to reach the mini playfield. Keep on hitting the lit targets without leaving the playfield until the challenge is complete and the trophy pops up. There are about 10 waves of enemies you'll have to survive.

 

Once this is done, you can choose to kill off the leader of the invaders like you would in any duel. If you succeed, you will be awarded with an extra ball.

 

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/27.jpg Visit to the Sorceress (B)

Pay a visit to Morgana's Lair through the hidden path, and win the mode that you choose!

 

Locate the 2 targets on the left of the table, right above the sinkhole. When you hit the top one, it will start moving around. Make sure your target is moving to the right and hit it again. Upon doing so, the target should come to a stop on the right side. Repeat this with the remaining target and a secret passageway should open up.

 

Shoot the ball in that passageway and you will be prompted to choose one of two missions. The left option is a simple video-challenge. The right is another timed ramp/orbit challenge. Complete either one and the trophy will pop up.

 

 

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/28.jpg A Knight's Tale (S)

Play through to the end one of the tales of the Knights of the Round Table!

 

The final trophy of this table is remarkably easy. Rather than having to complete all of the main missions like you would on the other tables, you're only required to complete one of your choosing.

 

In order to start a tale, you will have to do a series of shots. First hit all 4 targets on the right of the table to spell TALE. Two of them are on the sides of the Right ramp, the other two are on the sides of the Cauldron ramp. Once they are all lit, you can switch between tales by spinning the round table. When you've chosen the one you like, simply hit the left sinkhole and the tale will commence.

 

There are 5 tales to choose from:

 

  • Sir Lancelot
    The idea here is find Guinnevere and rescue her from her prison before the timer runs out. The dot matrix will display 3 locked doors. To find the door that is holding the damsel, locate the one with the biggest lock on the dot matrix. Hit the corresponding ramp/orbit to advance to the next floor. Upon finding Guinnevere on the 7th floor, the tale will be completed and the trophy will unlock. Unlocking any other door will only yield some extra points. This is one of the easiest tales.

  • King Arthur
    You will need to perform a combo of 10 Excalibur ramp shots. There is a timer, but upon starting a combo, it will freeze. Failing to hit the ramp in time to keep the combo going will restart the timer and you will have to start all over. Seeing as how easy it is to hit the Excalibur ramp consistently, this tale is definitely very doable.

  • Sir Kay
    This tale is completed by taking the correct paths on the Excalibur ramp. If the dot matrix tells you to go left, make sure the captured ball is on the left side of the ramp before hitting it. And vice versa for the right path. I'm not entirely sure, but I think you need to take the correct path 4 times for the beast to appear under the right ramp. Hit it in there and repeat the process a second time to complete the challenge.

  • Sir Gawain
    Perform 15 orbit shots before the timer runs out to complete this one. Beware though, you have to be pretty quick. I wouldn't recommend choosing this one when going for the trophy.

  • Sir Percival
    This is a 2 ball-multiball challenge. You will have to hit the secret path to Morgana's lair on the left side of the table with the glowing ball 3 times in order to complete the tale.

Complete any of these tales to net you this table's silver trophy. I recommend either Sir Lancelot's or King Arthur's tale, as they are both pretty easy to complete.

 

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Edited by steviej
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Earth Defense

 

 

Table specifics

 

Ramps and Orbits: There are 4 ramps and 2 orbits on this table. The left and right ramp are assignment ramps. In the back center is the "center overpass" and hidden on the left is the "spiral flyover". The left orbit and the spiral flyover can only be hit using the top right flipper.

 

Kickbacks and Ball Save:

The right kickback is enabled by shooting one of the three "red lady" targets. Two are situated on either side of the table right above the outlanes and the last one is situated next to the rescue hole on the top left side of the table. The two on the side are pretty much impossible to hit from a caught position. The one on the top can only be hit using the hidden top left flipper. Once you hit either one, a voice will yell "save me!" and a random ramp will light up. Hit it before the timer runs out to activate the kickback.

 

The cannon will serve as the left kickback. Send the ball through the left most inlane. The right orbit will light up for a short period of time. Hit it to activate the cannon.

 

The ball save is pretty much useless on this table. The only way to activate it is by performing a "rage combo". I.e. two left orbit shots in quick succession followed by a spiral flyover shot.

 

Skillshot:

The skillshot on this table is somewhat different than on the other tables. To perform one, wait for the robot to be targeted on the dot matrix. Upon successfully doing one, you will be awarded with a random reward, some of which will prove very useful. They include points, kickbacks, cannon, subway hole fully upgraded, a military AI level...

 

Subway Hole:

This is the sinkhole located above the left outlanes. What makes this so very useful is that - when fully upgraded - it can serve as some of the other sinkholes on the table, including the rescue hole. The 2 most useful locations to send the ball to are "Lenox Hospital" AKA the rescue hole, and "Central Park". The latter will drop the ball right above the top right flipper.

 

To upgrade it, you will have to send the ball through both the right inlane and the right-most of the left inlanes. Upon hitting them, a blue light will light up. To fully upgrade the subway hole you will have to do so 5 or 6 times. The fully upgraded sinkhole is also a possible reward from a skillshot.

 

Invasion:

Upon starting each ball, the dot matrix will display a 500 second countdown. Once the timer runs out, Invasion mode will begin. To win it, you have to shoot the rescue hole with all the balls on the table. You will start off with one ball and every 20 seconds or so another ball will be brought into play. As of yet, I have not been able to win Invasion after a second ball was added. If you lose, a random medal will be taken away and your threat level will increase by one.

 

To avoid an Invasion, hit the captured ball on the left side of the table. The first hit will start a 100 second countdown for the second wave, the second will start a 50 second countdown for the third wave and the third hit will reset the timer back to 500 seconds. 20 seconds before the timer runs out you will hear the message "Hurry up!"

 

While the timer is not visible during multiball, it will continue to go down. If you are about to start the Panic multiball or the Airstrike Multiball, check your timer first and see if you have enough time left to complete it! The invasion can and will start, and thus end your multiball.

 

Extra ball

The extra ball is awarded for saving the red lady three times during a single ball, the same way you would to activate the right kickback. Keep in mind that you can hit each target only once. I wouldn't recommend focusing your efforts on it as 2 of the targets are very hard to hit, especially the right one.

 

If, however, you get the oportunity to save one of the ladies during your game, don't hesitate to do so, as it could result in an extra ball. Once you have saved her 3 times, she will blow you a kiss, ask you if you don't want some extra time and the extra ball light in front of the cannon will light up. Shoot the ball into the cannon to claim it.

 

 

Trophies

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/29.jpg Fire in the hole (B)

Fire with the Cannon!

 

This is the easiest trophy on the table and one of the easier trophies in the entire game. Activate the cannon by sending the ball through the leftmost inlane and hitting the right orbit while it is lit. Upon doing so the blue light in front of the subway hole will be replaced by a red light. Hit it in there to fire the cannon and claim the trophy.

 

An activated cannon is also one of the possible rewards for performing a skillshot.

 

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/30.jpg Never give up (B)

Survive the wave of aliens and win the Invasion Multiball!

 

Another easy trophy. Either wait for the timer to reach 0 or help it along by shooting the captured ball on the left once or twice to get the second and third wave of aliens to come after you. This will start 100/50 second timers.

 

When the Invasion begins, your goal is to send all the balls on the table through the rescue hole. If you hit it straight away, before other balls have been brought into play, you will have yourself another trophy.

Unfortunately, using the subway hole to get to the rescue hole will not work during Invasion mode.

 

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/31.jpg Escape from Pinball city (B)

Save 10 person by hitting the Rescue hole 10 times with one ball!

 

This one is a bit more challenging. The idea is to hit the rescue hole 10 times with a single ball. Luckily there is a trick to make things a bit easier. The subway hole can - when fully upgraded - substitute as the rescue hole. Upgrade it 5 or 6 times by sending the ball through the inlanes with a blue light or get the fully upgraded subway hole as a reward for performing a skillshot. Hit the subway hole and select "Lenox Hospital". Repeat this 9 more times without draining the ball to earn the trophy.

 

(This trophy can also be earned while doing the "Salvation" mission.)

Edited by steviej
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http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/32.jpg Leader of the resistance (S)

Collect all 10 medals!

 

One of the keys to getting the harder trophies in the game is to devise a strategy using as few shots as possible. While none of the individual tasks for this trophy are overly difficult, in order to minimize the number of shots you will have to work on several things at once. Unfortunately this can also mean that, while you have already achieved quite a bit during a ball (completed missions and assignments, locked some balls, saved the red lady a few times), most of that progress will be lost upon draining the ball... and this is what makes this trophy difficult to achieve.

 

Below are the 10 medals as shown on the table.

 

1. City destroyer...................................6. Survivor

 

..2. Threat Level..................................7. Data Bowl

 

....3. Military AI..................................8. Artillery

 

......4. Airstrike.................................9. Salvation

 

........5. Panic MB...........................10. Rage Combo

 

 

 

Mission based medals:

You can start missions by shooting down the 3 "bot-guard" drop targets directly below the giant robot and hitting the sinkhole that is freed thereafter. Select the one you want to start using the flippers. If you're having trouble hitting the sinkhole, use the cannon. It fires the ball right into it.

 

 

  • City Destroyer
    The objective is to keep the ball in close proximity to the robot for a combined duration of 10 seconds. You have 5 seconds to send the ball back towards the robot when you get too far. The best way to do this is to juggle the ball around with the two top flippers.
     
    There also appears to be a general timeslot in which this mission has to be completed, and hitting the right assignment ramp twice will increase the time you are allowed to stay away from the robot. As an additional reward for completing this mission, your threat level will decrease by 1.

  • Data Bowl
    Upon starting this mission, the drop targets beneath the giant robot will randomly appear and disappear. The mission will end after hitting 5 of the targets. There is no timer during this mission, however sending the ball through one of the sinkholes behind the targets will take away a life. You have 5.
     
    I recommend having the right kickback enabled before starting this mission. If the ball drops down from the platform with the top left flipper, it could end up falling down the right outlane. After a while I got used to the situation and whenever I felt the ball was rolling down that platform at the speed to possibly send it to the outlane, I'd bring the top left flipper in play. Your military AI level will also be increased upon completion.

  • Salvation
    You will have to rescue 10 people by shooting the rescue hole to save them, then the center overpass ramp to get them to the transport, all before the timer runs out. It is vital to have the subway hole fully upgraded before starting this one and using that hole to substitute the rescue hole. You can save up to 5 people before you have to get them to the transport. The best way to tackle this one would be hitting the subway hole 5 times followed by a shot to the center overpass and repeating this. If you find yourself running out of time, hit the assignment ramps.
     
    For those merely playing for points, I'd like to point out that Salvation is probably the best way to get yourself a good place on the leaderboards. Every time this mission is completed, you will be awarded with 6 million points!

  • Artillery
    This mission is as easy as they come. Upon starting it you will find yourself back at the launcher. Select a ramp on the dot matrix with your flippers and shoot the ball. You have 20 seconds to hit the ramp you chose to complete the mission. I recommend the "left highway", as that ramp is by far the easiest one to hit.

Assignments

To complete an assignment, simply hit both the left and right highways. After hitting the first, a voice will say "we have a direct order from the president". Some of them (like the very first) will prompt you to shoot a random ramp before the timer runs out. During these, beware of the robot shooting at you, as he can easily alter the course of your ball! Most will just give you your reward straight after hitting the second ramp.

 

 

  • Airstrike
    After completing your second assignment, the rescue hole will light up. Lock three balls in there either by hitting it directly or by using the fully upgraded subway hole and selecting "Lenox Hospital". Upon locking your third ball the game will go into 3-ball multiball and the medal will unlock.

  • Threat level
    This medal is awarded upon decreasing your threat level 3 times with a single ball. Decreasing your threat level is a reward from some of the later assignments, as well as an additional reward for completing the "City Destroyer" mission.

  • Military AI
    Again, you will have to increase your military AI 3 times with a single ball, by doing assignments and/or completing the "data bowl" mission. Military AI +1 can also be awarded by performing a skillshot.

Other

 

 

  • Survivor
    This medal should come naturally when going for the silver trophy. You will have to send the ball through the outlanes so that both the cannon and the kickback are used at least once during a single ball.

  • Rage Combo
    This one can be annoying. To perform a rage combo, hit the left orbit twice in rapid succession. Wait a few seconds for the robot to shake the ground and the spiral flyover to light up (actually it will flicker violently). You have the duration of the entire game to hit the spiral flyover and finish the rage combo.
     
    Unfortunately, both the left orbit and the spiral flyover are blind shots with the top right flipper. The best ways to get to that flipper are either by shooting a clean right orbit shot and keeping your top right flipper elevated or by shooting the fully upgraded subway hole and selecting "Central Park".
     
    A golden tip I can give you to make this one slightly easier is that - apart from the initial launches - all other launch shots (such as after locking a ball for MB, etc.) count as a free left orbit shot. With some practice you can get the second shot fairly consistent. Timing is key!

  • Panic Multiball
    To lock a ball for this mission, you have to first hit the spiral flyover ramp. After that, catch the ball on the right flipper, wait for the robot to position his hand above the center overpass and hit that ramp to lock the ball. Repeat this once more and the game will start a 2-ball multiball. Immediately lift your right flipper for an easy catch of both balls.
     
    The objective is to send one of the 2 balls to any sinkhole and then hit the randomly lit sinkhole with the other.
     
    Assuming you have both balls captured on the right flipper, start off by shooting nearly straight up towards the center sinkholes. This has a fairly high success rate and allows for an easy catch (if it's even necessary) of the other ball. Try to hit whatever hole is lit with the second ball before the timer runs out. If it does run out, the other ball will be brought back into play. Using the subway hole to get to the rescue hole will not work during panic MB. Be careful, though, there is no ball save and losing your ball after locking the other will result in a ball-loss.
     
    Before locking your second ball, make sure you have enough time left on your Invasion countdown. The timer will continue to go down during panic MB and if it reaches 0, it will end the gamemode!

As a general strategy when going for this trophy, I recommend starting things off with both the Rage Combo and the Panic MB. While the shots with the top right flipper are relatively safe, they are difficult to hit and it can prove hard to stay in control all the time. The Panic MB can also be a real balldrainer. Focus all your efforts on getting those 2 out of the way first.

 

After those, focus on getting Threat Level and Military AI by doing assignments and completing both City Destroyer and Data Bowl. Consider those 4 medals as one, as losing your ball also drops both those levels back to 0, making all your efforts go to waste.

 

By now your subway hole should be fully upgraded and the rescue hole should be lit to lock balls for the Airstrike multiball. So clean up doing Salvation and Airstrike.

 

I did Artillery whenever I felt like taking a break from the harder ones or was in need of a confidence boost :p. Complete that one at your own discretion.

 

You will most likely earn Survivor way before the other 9 medals.

Always keep in mind that losing the Invasion multiball will take away a random medal and will increase your Threat Level. I recommend avoiding Invasions at all costs (I even went as far as to sacrifice a ball on several occasions).

 

StOrMtRoOpErMx19 does his thing, kicking ass and taking names!

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzdd4cHQzTA]Leader Of The Resistance by StOrMtRoOpErMx19[/ame]

 

****************

Edited by steviej
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Mars

(With Skippycue)

 

 

Table specifics

 

Ramps and Orbits:

This table has 3 ramps, one vertical up-kicker, two orbits, one mini-orbit, and a lift(sink) hole:

 

  • The Shuttle ramp - This ramp is on the left side of the table with a large entrance. It is the ramp with a holographic space ship floating above it. This is the easiest ramp to hit and the only one that usually lets the ball drop slow enough to catch.
     
  • The Pyramid ramp - This ramp is to the right of the left ramp (literally touching it) and can only be reached using the upper right flipper. It is the ramp with a holographic pyramid floating above it. You can reach the upper right flipper either by hitting the left orbit or the mini-orbit. Also, using a ball save will shoot the ball around the left orbit and using a left kickback will shoot the ball up just above the top right flipper so take advantage of these shots when you can!
     
  • The Spider ramp - This ramp is on the right side of the table with a small entrance. It is the ramp with the holographic space spider floating above it. This ramp can be tough to hit. Often, missed shots at this ramp can result in the ball dropping down the right outlane so be careful!
     
  • The Satellite up-kicker - This is just to the left of the right ramp and is probably the hardest shot on the table. It is the only up-kicker on the table and it has a holographic satellite floating above it. You can hit this from a semi late position on the left flipper (be careful because this will miss more often than not and can lead to the ball bouncing into the right outlane), or from an early position on the right flipper. Using the right flipper is a much safer shot, but can sometimes result in the ball deflecting toward the center hole.
     
  • The mini-orbit - This is the orbit just to the left of the vertical up-kicker. It can be hit from a middle position off the left flipper or an early position on the right flipper. Once again, be careful with this shot because it can result in the ball draining down the right outlane.
     
  • The orbits - The orbits are on the far left or right of the table and circle around the top of the table as usual. Both can be hit with late flipper shots relatively easily. The right orbit is a little tougher to hit than the left.
     
  • The lift hole - This is the hole in the center of the table. When this hole is hit, it will lift the ball sending it left center lane or right center lane, alternating each time.

Table notes:

There are two major notes for this table that are worth mentioning:

 

  1. There is only one "generally" reliable shot that will end up with a caught ball, the left ramp (but only if hit from the right flipper). Almost every ramp on this table will result in the ball coming down the lane too fast to stop on the corresponding flipper. The general strategy here is to recognize this and simply nudge the ball to the other flipper. I can't tell you how easy it is to hold a flipper up hoping the ball will stop only to have it suddenly tip over the edge of the flipper. This of course leads to either a ball drain or a very late flipper shot to try to keep the ball in play. Knowing when the ball has at least a chance to rest will save you a lot of headache! Almost all of the time if you hit the left ramp from the right flipper it will end up caught on the left flipper. Of course there ARE times when this is not the case, so you definitely have to pay attention. If it looks like it might go over the edge, hit it again. It's not worth chancing it because there's no big harm in hitting the ball again to stay safe. I can't emphasize enough, DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE to decide to hit the ball (or your controller could end up in your tv, lol)!!! Having said this, there ARE other times when the ball WILL stay on the flipper, but few and far between after it has come down a ramp, so be careful! This is one of the things that makes this table particularly challenging when compared to some of the others.
  2. The other important note is that this table only allows TWO nudges before it will TILT. This is particularly devious due to the first note. They really wanted to make this table tough! The first nudge will display the word "DANGER" all in CAPS and the second nudge will display the word "danger" in bigger font, but all in lowercase...lol You will also hear a voice saying "Watch Out!" the second time. Fortunately, as with the other tables there appears to be a nudge counter which will reset after some amount of time. In other words, after you nudge the table twice, you can nudge it again safely after a bit of time. I don't know the exact amount of time, but I'd give it at least 30 seconds.

Kickbacks and Ball Save:

The kickbacks on this table are critical to achieving the silver trophy. The kickbacks are activated by lighting all 3 of the lane lights on the left or right side of the table. The left lane lights activate the left kickback and the right lane lights activate the right kickback. You can rotate the lights left or right by using the left and right flippers respectively. My general strategy after activating a kickback is to keep two of the lights lit at all times so that if I ever used that kickback it was easy to reactivate it. This is especially important for the right kickback because it is a little tougher to hit the right ramp. Quite often when you are trying to hit the right ramp, you will instead hit a target and it will deflect down to the right outlane. Due to this, if the right kickback was not already active, I would set up the lights so that after hitting the ball with the left flipper, the missing light would be over the outlane. This would allow the kickback to be activated as the ball was going down the outlane. If instead you make the right ramp shot, then simply hit the left flipper again to move the unlit light to the center right lane so that you can activate the kickback normally. Likewise, if the kickback is already lit when the ball is dropping down one of the lanes, I would always make sure I rotated the lights so that I never lit the third light (thus essentially wasting a kickback). The goal is to always keep both kickbacks activated and 2 lane lights lit on each side of the table. Make sense? This may sound complicated, but it will save you over and over again and it will become natural as you practice it.

 

The Ball Save is not nearly as important on this table and is too risky in my opinion. You will activate the ball save by accident many times trying to hit ramps (you'll end up hitting the targets surrounding the ramp openings a lot). The problem with going for this intentionally is that you may end up using kickbacks as hitting targets frequently sends the ball toward the outlanes. I've never been a huge fan of ball save simply because it's only temporary. You can't accomplish much in the time that it stays lit, and it takes effort to enable it. At any rate, the ball save for this table is enabled by hitting all 5 targets that surround the left ramp, vertical up-kicker, and the right ramp.

 

Multipliers and Extra ball

In the very back center of the table, where the ball drops from the orbit to the bumpers, you will see 3 red lights that look like bullseyes. There are actually 3 small lanes between the orbit and the bumpers, represented by those lights. They work exactly like the kickback lights and can be swapped around with the flippers. Light up all 3 and your multiplier will increase.

 

If you manage to reach a x10 multiplier, the extra ball light in front of the mini orbit will light up. Hit it to claim the extra ball.

 

Both special events, the Pyramid Leveling missions and Power Failure mission all have a blocked orbit. This will always send the ball down the middle lane. Since you’re stuck with them, you might as well use them to score that extra ball.

 

Table Interruptions:

One of the frustrating things about this table is there are constant events that interrupt normal gameplay. I will detail those events below explaining how to handle them when you are going for the silver trophy. There is NO PENALTY for not completing any of these missions, but some of them have to be completed to continue with the game…sigh.

 

  • Special Events:
    During your game, the dot-matrix display will show a 300 second countdown. When it reaches 0, one of the special events will commence. Unlike on the Earth Defense table, the countdown continues to go down during missions and after losing your ball and there is no way to prevent the special events from starting. This really has no effect on gameplay other than adding an annoying delay every 5 minutes.
     
    The game will loop between two missions, always starting with Frozen Ship.
    • Frozen Ship - You will be playing this mission with a blue ball. Hit either the left ramp or the right ramp to start a 45 second countdown, during which you’ll have to spin the spinners and hit the bumpers. One clean shot is usually enough and then you can repeat this with the other ramp. My strategy here is to hit the left ramp and then let the ball rest there until the timer ends and the mission fails.
    • Oxygen - A 45 second timer will start automatically, there is no need to hit a ramp first. Simply hit the orbits to spin the spinners and hit the bumpers. Once again, my strategy here is to catch the ball on one of the flippers and wait for the timer to end and the mission fails.

Edited by steviej
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  • Zero Gravity:
    This event is really unavoidable because it starts after hitting the flipper bumpers a total of 20 times (counter only increments during normal gameplay, not during events). You are thrown into a multiball where you can score jackpots for a bit and then the gravity decreases. This ends up floating the balls above the table for a short while and then they drop. My personal goal here is to get this over with ASAP. You have no control over the balls when they are floating, so they can waste kickbacks or even drain down the center when they drop. In order to end this mode, try to keep one ball caught on a flipper and let the other ones drain as fast as possible. The mode does not end until you are down to one ball and you can't lose any balls when there is no gravity.
     
     
  • Mini orbit missions:
    Hitting the mini orbit 4 times will start one of its missions. The game will loop between 2 missions, always starting with Power Failure.
     
    • Power Failure - During this mission you have 30 seconds to recharge the ship's batteries. The ship's batteries are charged by hitting the spinners at the orbit entrances or the bumpers at the top of the table. It usually only takes one or 2 hits to recharge the batteries, but you can also simply wait 30 seconds for the mission to end while the ball is resting safely on a flipper.
    • System Failure - The whole system fails and to restart it you have to hit the left ramp, right ramp, mini-orbit, middle ramp, and then the lift hole. There is no timer here so you have no choice but to complete it.

     

     

    [*]Space Station

    It's hard to avoid starting this mission. It's a result of hitting the two targets surrounding the entrance to the left ramp and then hitting the left ramp. In this mission, you have 20 seconds to install 4 components to a space station. The timer gets reset after each component you install. You install components by hitting the left and right orbits, the inner-orbit, and the right ramp. It's easier just to let this timeout instead of wasting time.

     

     

    [*]Portals of Light

    This mission will start upon lighting all 4 MARS targets on the left. The goal is to shoot the ball through 10 portals before the timer runs out. I wouldn't recommend trying to complete this one as it is very unpredictable and the ball seems to fly around the table at warp speed.

     

     

    [*]Already enabled/completed missions

    I find this to be particularly annoying and uncharacteristic of other ZEN tables. Once you have enabled or completed a mission, the mini-missions required to activate that main mission become available again. When you are trying to go for the silver trophy, this is simply annoying. If you are going for points, then it's great! In fact, all of these events are great if you are just going for points! Some of the mini-missions have a timer and will just time out if you ignore them, but others you HAVE to complete because there is no timer…sigh yet again. All these missions will be explained in detail in the Lost Civilization section below.

 

Trophies

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/33.jpg Skilled Pilot (B)

Using the Spaceship magnetic drain collect five space samples!

 

This trophy is achieved after completing the first mission in the Shuttle mission set, called: “Sample”.

Please refer to “Lost civilization” for more info.

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/34.jpg Explorer (B)

Neutralize the defense system of the Pyramid.

 

This trophy is achieved after completing the Pyramid Main Mission.

Please refer to “Lost Civilization” for more info.

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/36.jpg New Galaxy (B)

Discover and analyze a new galaxy!

 

This trophy is achieved after completing the first mission in the Satellite Mission set, called: “Scan”.

Please refer to “Lost Civilization” for more info.

 

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/35.jpg Lost Civilization (S)

Discover the Lost Civilization by completing the final mission!

 

The big one! In order the start the Final Mission, you will have to play through and survive all of the 4 main mission sets. These are the ones that are displayed in the center of the table. As with all the other silver trophies in Zen Pinball, the best advice is to be patient and take the time to activate the kickbacks.

 

To start a secondary mission, all you have to do is hit the accompanied ramp once to activate it and a second time to start the mission.

 

After completing all required secondaries, the Lift Hole will become engulfed in a red glow. Obviously, hitting that is what will start the main missions. If you’re at a point where you have multiple main missions available, hitting the Lift Hole will start a 20 second timer, during which you can choose the mission you want to play by hitting the orbits or start the one you want by hitting the Lift Hole again.

Edited by steviej
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Shuttle:

Hit the shuttle ramp to activate it, and hit it a second time to start the next-in-line mission. Be careful though, after you’ve activated the shuttle for the first time, it will fly over the table, blocking your view and violently shaking the table.

 

  • Sample:
    A magnetic arm will appear on one of 5 set location on table. Hit it before the 15 second countdown runs out to get to the next arm. After you’ve hit all 5 arms, the mission will be completed.
    Don’t worry if you run out of time, as you’re progress will be saved. Simply hit the Shuttle Ramp again and you can continue where you left off.
     
    Upon completing this mission for the first time, you should receive the “Skilled Pilot” trophy.

  • Ignition:
    Upon starting this mission, the lift hole will light up. After hitting that, the Shuttle Ramp, the Spider Ramp and the Mini Orbit will light up. Simply hit all 3 to complete the mission.
    Just like after activating the shuttle for the first time, it will fly away upon completing the mission, blocking your view and shaking the table. So be careful.
     
     
  • Sunstorm (Shuttle main mission)
    The idea of this mission is to guide the shuttle in the indicated directions to avoid being struck by the sunstorm. There are ten 10-second waves, alternating from left to right that you will have to survive. Hit any of the lit targets at least once before the timer runs out to advance to the next.
     
    On the left you have:
    • MARS targets
    • Left Orbit
    • Shuttle Ramp
    • Pyramid Ramp

     

    And on the right:

    • Galaxy targets
    • Right Orbit
    • Spider Ramp
    • Satellite Upkicker
    • Mini Orbit

     

    I recommend you use the Shuttle Ramp, as that one can be easily hit from both flippers. And the Right Orbit, again this should be an easy shot and if you hit your ball too late, it will probably slam into the targets under the top flipper and still count. I also recommend taking one shot per wave so that you can focus on catching the ball again before the next wave starts.

Pyramid:

Hit the Pyramid ramp once to activate it and a second time to start the leveling mission. As long as you do not lose your ball, you do not have to activate it again.

 

  • Leveling (x3):
    Simply score 10 bumper hits to advance a level. The orbits are blocked, making it even easier.
    After leveling up for the third time, the Pyramid main mission will become available at the center sinkhole.
     
     
  • Pyramid main mission:
    This 3-ball multiball challenge will probably put a lot of you close to, or even over the edge, as it is extremely difficult to complete. I've never been one to attribute luck to gaming because I pride myself on practicing and developing my skills, but a little luck here will go a long way! The object here is to hit 6 randomly lit ramps in addition to hitting all 6 side targets (MARS and Galaxy) when they are flashing without losing more than 1 of the 3 balls in play.
     
    First, your main concern should be keeping all 3 balls in play as long as possible. Do not look up at the table to spot targets unless you are absolutely sure you have the time for it. I can’t tell you how many times that split second of looking up to see if a hit registered cost me a ball. Take a lot of risks when you have the ball save activated, especially the free and longer lasting one you get at the beginning. Don’t worry about the 6 ramps/orbits as you will definitely hit all of them before the targets just by keeping your balls in play. The more you can get accomplished with the 3 ball chaos, the better! When you’re down to 2 balls, it’s time to change tactics a bit. Catch both balls and assess your progress. Again, if you have any ramps or orbits left, leave them be for now. Focus on the targets. Try to keep one ball as far away from the flippers as possible and make very late aimed shots at the targets with the other. Hit the left orbit often and keep your top flipper elevated, as this will send the ball in the direction of the MARS targets. You can hit the top right target directly with a semi-late left flipper shot. If you hit it too late on the flipper you'll end up hitting the bumper instead. Remember that you have to hit the targets when they are flashing which makes this mode even MORE difficult than it already is! If you have a ball save activated, don’t hesitate to take risks.
     
    When you finally manage to complete all 12 shots, the “lock is lit” light in front of the Pyramid ramp will light up. The final part of this mission requires you to lock all your balls in the pyramid. If you're still on 3 balls, you're allowed to drain one of them. Remember not to look up unless you are absolutely sure you have the time to do so. Failing at this point is not good for you, trust me. After locking your first ball (or 2 balls in case you decided not to drain one), the multiball will end. Lock your remaining ball by hitting the Pyramid ramp one last time to complete this beast of a challenge.
     
     
    The well deserved “Explorer” trophy should pop up upon completing this mission for the first time.

Satellite:

Like before, the first hit to the Satellite Upkicker will activate it, the second will start the next-in-line mission. The right kickback is a must when trying to make the Satellite Upkicker shot.

 

  • Scan:
    Upon starting this mission, the Shuttle Ramp, the Spider Ramp and the Mini Orbit will light up. After hitting all 3, the satellite will project a blue light to the right side of the table and the 2 orbits will light up. Hit both of them to complete this mission.
     
    Completing this mission will net you the “New Galaxy” trophy.
     
     
  • Recharge:
    The Shuttle Ramp, the Spider Ramp, the Pyramid Ramp and the Satellite Upkicker will light up. They all represent one of the possible switches you need to activate to recharge the satellite’s power. To complete the mission you will have to find the correct switch 3 times. Hit the wrong one and you’ll get the “wrong switch” message displayed on the dot matrix, hit the correct one and a voice will say “awesome” and you’ll advance to the next. After hitting the correct switch, it will be taken out of the random rotation. Although it will still light up, it won’t return as the correct switch during the same mission attempt. So your first switch is a 1 in 4 chance, your second a 1 in 3 and your last a 1 in 2 chance.
     
     
  • Dock (x3):
    You have 20 seconds to hit the Satellite Upkicker again after starting the mission. This will lock a ball. Lock 3 and the Satellite main mission will become available.
    Like with the Pyramid leveling missions, if you do not lose a ball, you will not have to activate the Satellite again between dockings.
     
     
  • Satellite main mission:
    This is a 4-ball multiball challenge. All seven ramps and orbits will light up. In order to travel the required 600 "lightyears", simply hit 6 of those 7 ramps/orbits. Just trying to keep your balls in play should be enough to complete this mission with ease. Every time you hear “jackpot”, you hit one.
    When you're down to 1 remaining orbit/ramp, they will all light up again giving you the opportunity to score more points. But by this time, the mission is already completed.

Spider:

Hit the Spider Ramp once to activate it and a second time to start the Analysis mission.

 

  • Analysis:
    The Space Spider will shoot a beam of light uncovering one of the 5 symbols. You have 15 seconds to shoot through it and go to the next. Like the “Sample” mission in the Shuttle series, your progress is saved if you happen to run out of time.
     
     
  • Refuel (Spider main mission):
    Every 8 seconds, 2 or 3 random ramps/orbits will light up. Hit one of them in the given time and the Lift Hole will light up. Simply hit that hole to fill the first tank displayed on the dot matrix. Repeat for the other 2 to complete the mission.

Final Mission:

Upon completing all 4 main missions, the final mission will automatically start. This is another multiball challenge during which you will hunt for artifacts. These are the greenish glowing things that will appear on random locations on the table. Shoot a ball through it and a countdown from 10 million points will appear on the dot matrix. Hit the Lift Hole before the countdown runs out to advance to the next artifact. In order to complete this mission, you will need to do this for all 6 of the artifacts. Hitting each of the first 3 will add a ball to the game, so you end up in a 4 ball multiball to complete the last 3.

 

Failing to hit the Lift Hole in time, as well as being reduced to a single ball will end the final mission. That means redoing all 4 main mission sets from scratch!

 

The only advice I can give you is make sure you are confident at hitting the Lift Hole and never panic.

 

Upon hitting the Lift Hole the sixth and final time, you will be awarded with the trophy and, in addition to the millions you’ve already earned on each Lift Hole hit, you will get a whopping 60 million points and with it a solid place on the leaderboards.

 

*****************

Edited by Terminator
Removed dead videos.
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Credits:

 

Many thanks to:

 

VMethos for a detailed explanation of pretty much everything going on on the Excalibur table.

 

Silencecm and Viarco for figuring out all Earth Defense has to offer.

 

Lock Is Lit for explaining how to get the extra ball on Earth Defense.

 

Vyrastas, Oskari14 and Hypno74 for various tips on the Mars table.

 

StOrMtRoOpErMx19 for all of his videos on Zen Pinball. Be sure to check out their Youtube Channels!

StOrMtRoOpErMx19's Youtube channel

 

Skippycue for writing the entire upper section of the Mars guide and for various additions to the Mars trophy guide, making it a joint-effort.

 

And all the other posters in the strategy threads at ps3t.org. You guys rule!

 

 

Enjoy and good luck!

Edited by Terminator
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Thanks, this is very useful in future!

For the Fame is NOT fleeting -trophy, you have to get the knights renown to level 11. Merlin stops your ball and the beast will appear.

You have to shoot the ball into the hole 5 times.

 

Thanks! Added the info.

I went through the Excalibur trophies rather quickly without fully knowing how it all worked.

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Thanks man! Figured it was about time I contributed something :p

 

Have you managed to get the final ED trophy yet?

 

I came close on the weekend, 7 of 10 medals one game on the weekend, but fell on ball 4. It took me quite a few tries for the other silvers in this game, so I probably got quite a few more tries in front of me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Earth Defense

http://www.ps3trophies.org/images/trophies/134/31.jpg Escape from Pinball city (B)

Save 10 person by hitting the Rescue hole 10 times with one ball!

 

This one is a bit more challenging. The idea is to hit the rescue hole 10 times with a single ball. Luckily there is a trick to make things a bit easier. The subway hole can - when fully upgraded - substitute as the rescue hole. Upgrade it 5 or 6 times by sending the ball through the inlanes with a blue light or get the fully upgraded subway hole as a reward for performing a skillshot. Hit the subway hole and select "Lenox Hospital". Repeat this 9 more times without draining the ball to earn the trophy.

 

(This trophy can also be earned while doing the "Salvation" mission.)

 

actually, i got this the "legit" way. IE: using the upper left sinkhole. HARD as f***

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  • 4 weeks later...

You're right, the silver on Excalibur, A Knight's Tale, is retarded easy. I got it without really trying for it... I had finished Fame is NOT Fleeting, and started King Arthur's tale by accident while I was just messing around. I quickly paused and checked the guide... odd how on this table they only make you do one tale instead of all of them.

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Thanks!:)

I made others videos today on Shaman, v12, tesla,El dorado, excalibur...Tips for multiplayer mostly

Search hypno74 on Youtube to find .

I'll try to make a vid on the final mission to mars.I say I'll try cause it's very hard.For the moment I'm the only one to have successful this trophy.

Who's next?:dance:

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