World War Z

***World War Z*** is the first new table to release following the early access launch of the *Pinball FX* reboot. Taking inspiration from the New York story of the eponymous video game, the player takes part in a war against the "Zekes", zombies affected by a mysterious pathogen.

## Missions

Located above the flippers are five inserts corresponding to the game's main modes. Shoot the left ramp 3 times to light the mode start saucer, and change the lit mode one insert to the right by shooting the mode start saucer when a mode isn't lit; at the start of the game, any of the five modes can start lit. In order to access *The Final Stand*, all five modes must be won by completing them. Solidly lit inserts indicate completed modes. Winning 3 missions lights an **extra ball**.

Every completed mission rewards a **weapon** that deals more damage towards special zombies (see: **Lurker**, **Gasbag**, **Bull**). Missions only end if the squad health seen on the display during certain missions is reduced to 0% and otherwise continue to run until they are completed.

* **Better Guns**: Mini-playfield mission. Shoot the ramp in front of the left orbit to access the mini-playfield. Use the chainsaw flipper to defeat 20 zombie drop targets for 100k + 100k per target, and shoot the three drop targets on the right last by holding the launch button. After defeating all the zombies, the mini-playfield exit lights for a hurry-up worth at least 10M that will also win the mission. The mission also ends in success if the hurry-up times out.
* **The Lurker**: Single-ball / multiball hybrid mission. The Lurker zombie spawns in front of the bumpers, and must be shot with the ball (with a jump ramp shot) to capture it and send another ball into play. Knock the captured ball out of the Lurker's clutches by shooting it again, and shoot it either on the left or right side of the playfield to send it back to the bumpers for another ball to be captured. Once the Lurker's health has been depleted, the mission will end in success. If multiball is still active when the player defeats the Lurker, jackpot lanes will light for 750k for the remainder of the multiball. The lit jackpots are determined by how many balls were in play when the mission ended.
* **Vantage Point**: 3-part mission, each corresponding to a different floor. Once each floor is completed, the right ramp must be shot to advance towards the next floor.
	+ *1st Floor*: Video mode. Use the flippers to control the machine gun, press the launch button to fire, and defeat 15 zombies that spawn across the playfield. Each zombie scores 100,000 + 100,000 per zombie.
	+ *2nd Floor*: The machine gun has run out of ammo, so shoot the zombies with the pinball before three reach the flippers. Each zombie continues to add 110,000 points to the value. This phase can end early if the player defeats 30 zombies.
	+ *3rd Floor*: Defeat the zombie on the bumper platform using the jump ramp 3 times to win the mission, for a total of 10M.
* **The Gasbag**: Spawns a slow-moving Gasbag zombie on the right side of the playfield, which can leave behind toxic clouds that slow down the ball and deplete the squad health. Shoot the Gasbag enough times with the pinball, determined by the player's current weapon, to win the mission.
* **The Bull**: Spawns a fast-moving Bull zombie on the playfield. Every time the Bull zombie charges, it is left temporarily stunned, which is the only time it can be shot with the ball for damage; shooting the orbits to hit the back of the Bull deals more damage, further determined by the player's current weapon. Defeat the Bull to win the mission.

### The Final Stand

After all five missions have been won, **The Final Stand** wizard mode is immediately lit at the mode start saucer. This is a 2-phase mission, where the player must prepare their defenses before taking on one last zombie horde.

* *Phase 1* starts with a 60-second timed 4-ball multiball. Certain shots set up different types of defenses - the left ramp sets up traps, the spinner and bumpers load the machine gun, and the right ramp sets up barricades.
* *Phase 2* requires the player to defeat an 100-Zeke horde without letting 10 zombies breach the flippers, in which case the mode prematurely ends in failure. Each Zeke scores 100k + 100k per kill. If the player is successful in defeating the zombies, the jackpot lanes will light for 20M (minus 2M for each zombie breach, minimum of 2M) and multiball will continue until they return to single-ball play. After multiball ends or the Final Stand ends in failure, progress towards completing the missions will reset, though collected weapons are retained across mission playthroughs.

## Side modes

Progress can be made towards **Screamer Hurry-Up** regardless of whether missions are active or not.

* **Explore the Mall**: 4 left orbit shots will briefly lower the ramp in front of it to access the mini-playfield. This plays the same as the **Better Guns** mission - to escape the mini-playfield, the player must complete each row of zombies along with the drop targets on the right side of the mini-playfield, followed by shooting the exit. Possible rewards from completing this side mode include points, **traps**, and **machine gun ammo**. Winning this side mode lights an **extra ball** the first time it is won during a game.
* **Aim for the Head**: Shoot the crossramp 3 times to lower the jump ramp and spawn a special zombie on the bumper platform. Repeatedly shoot the zombie with the ball, the number of shots determined by your current **weapon**, before the squad health reduces to 0%, to score a total of 10M. Defeating the zombie during this mode will light the **extra ball**.
* **Screamer Hurry-Up**: After 25 bumper hits (+5 per hurry-up), a Screamer zombie will spawn for 5 seconds in front of either side of the playfield's major orbit or ramp. If the first Screamer isn't killed immediately for 10 million points, then all four must be killed for 1 million points each to complete the hurry-up. Completing Screamer Hurry-Up increases the multiball jackpot values.
* **Machine Gun Madness**: Collecting 40 spinner hits lights the shot under the upper right flipper for Machine Gun Madness video mode. Use the flippers to control the machine gun, press the launch button to fire, and defeat the zombies that spawn across the playfield for 10k + 10k per zombie kill. The total ammo for the machine gun starts at 25, and can be increased by 25 by completing RELOAD; while shooting the shot under the flipper enough times if the mode isn't lit reduces its cool down time. Defeat 10 zombies during this mode to light an **extra ball**. The mode ends when a zombie breaches the flippers.

### Escalator Multiball

Shoot the three drop targets in front of the right ramp to light the lock. Lock 3 balls with strong shots to the right ramp to start Escalator Multiball, where all major lanes score jackpots worth 750k that can be relit by shooting the right ramp again.

## Perks

* **Skill Shot**: Plunge the ball so that it hits the E target in RELOAD to score a skill shot worth 2M + 1M per skill shot. A hidden skill shot worth 1 million can be scored by plunging the ball up the crossramp weakly so it exits via the left ramp entrance.
* **Ball Save**: Ball save is activated for 15 seconds at the start of each new ball, and is also activated when a multiball mode is started. It can be reactivated for 30 seconds by shooting the left lane enough times if both **kickbacks** are already lit, or from a random **loot award**.
* **Kickbacks**: Shoot the left lane 3 times to light the left, then the right kickback.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: Completing the three bumper rollover lanes advances the bonus multiplier by +2x to a max of 10x. The rollover lanes deactivate during missions.
* **Machine Gun Ammo**: Spell RELOAD at the standup targets to add more ammo to the machine gun. The machine gun is active during **Machine Gun Madness**.
* **Traps**: Shoot the right orbit to spell TRAP and collect a trap after 4 shots. If a trap is active, it will freeze an incoming zombie at the end of its route, allowing the mode to continue instead of ending immediately. Traps can be used during **Vantage Point**, and the second phase of **The Final Stand**.
* **Loot Award**: Spell LOOT at the return lanes, which cycle with the flippers, to qualify the loot sinkhole for a random award. Possible awards include points (between 500k - 1M or 5M - 10M), lighting the jackpot shots for 750k, **machine gun ammo**, setting a **trap**, and lighting an **extra ball**.
* **Extra Ball**: The loot sinkhole can be lit to score an extra ball by winning 3 **missions**, winning **Explore the Mall**, winning **Aim for the Head**, defeating 10 zombies during **Machine Gun Madness**, or as a random **loot award**.

## Tips

* Light those kickbacks early and often, because you'll need them to put up with some of the immensely dangerous shots required to win big on this table. An easy way to transfer the ball to the right flipper after shooting the left lane is to shoot for the right ramp and catch the ball on the right flipper instead of using the upper right flipper.
* Better Guns is the best mission to play early on, as weapons don't impact the difficulty of the mission. Afterwards, Vantage Point is worth considering, though you should ideally stock up on ammo by completing RELOAD or collect some traps before starting it. Then, take on the Lurker, Gasbag, and the Bull as you collect their respective weapons. If you're having difficulty making the right drop target bank on the mini-playfield, make a very late flip from the chainsaw and you can reliably make it.
* The mode start saucer has a tendency to kick out the ball towards the right slingshot. Prevent this from happening by nudging the table as the ball is kicked out from the saucer.