Wrath of the Elder Gods

***Wrath of the Elder Gods*** is one of the new Zen Originals, released in 2022 for *Pinball FX*. In 2023, the table received an updated port with audio & art adjustments, and was released as the free trial table for the company's spinoff, *Pinball M*. Loosely inspired by the works of author H.P. Lovecraft, the table challenges players to put an end to an Eldritch god only known as "It".

## Objective and missions

The end is nigh! Dr. Steen must face the horror of the Elder Gods and their spawn, and find the truth behind her existence, on this table packed with the unspeakable.

There are four different main missions that must be started in order to access the wizard mode, **The Arrival**. For the first round of missions, each one only needs to be started, not completed; for subsequent rounds, they must be completed.

Each completed mission increases the **madness** percentage by 10%. If the ball drains during a mission (during the first round of missions), the madness boost will still be applied.

* **Sound of Its Spawn**: This mission is qualified after making three shots to either tendril ramp - use the flippers to select between either it or **Cult of Its Arrival**. The player must make 8 shots to any rune orbit or tendril ramp within 60 seconds to evade It's destructive wails, while avoiding the spawn targets that occasionally appear surrounding the strange sculpture. After making an orbit, it will unlight for a few seconds before it can be shot again.
* **Herald of Its Word**: After making two shots to the left ramp, the third shot to the same ramp will be caught and devoured by It, before being spit out (now covered in pink slime). Using the slime-covered ball, the player must use process of elimination to make the three flashing shots - only one of them will advance through the mission. The slime gradually fades over time - if it fully fades, the left ramp must be shot once more, and the shot value will reset. Make five successful shots to complete the mission.
* **Talisman of Its Will**: Started by making five shots to the strange sculpture in the dead center of the playfield, the player is challenged to search the playfield by making a single shot to every orbit and ramp on the playfield, with time being added to the mode's 45 second timer after every three shots. Once all eight shots have been made, the timer will stop and one final shot to the strange sculpture will reveal its secret and complete the mission. While the mission is running, shots to the strange sculpture will increase the jackpot value that can be scored at the shot once the mission has been completed.
* **Cult of Its Arrival**: This mission starts as a 3-ball multiball, and is qualified after making three shots to either tendril ramp - use the flippers to select between either it or **Cult of Its Arrival**. Hunt for cultists by shooting either the left orbit or right ramp, then hit their targets that appear near the strange sculpture. The right sinkhole is lit to complete the mission after defeating 6 cultists, and if multiball is still running, jackpots will be available at the tendril ramps and strange sculpture until the player drains down to one ball.

The shots used to start each mission also correspond to certain hurry-up side modes, once their respective missions have been played / completed. After playing both missions that require the tendril ramps to start, they can be used to start **Eyes of the Tendril**; and once **Herald of Its Word** has been completed, 5 more shots to the left ramp will start **nuisance hurry-up**.

### The Arrival

**The Arrival** wizard mode can only be started once all four missions have been started (or completed, for subsequent activations). Once available, a shot to either tendril ramp will start the wizard mode.

In this three-phase, 5-ball multiball mode, the player must prevent It from entering the mortal world at all costs. The three phases require the following shots:

* *Phase 1*: Five shots to the tendril ramps are needed to uncover the runes.
* *Phase 2*: Make five rune orbit shots to translate the runes, then shoot the strange sculpture to unveil It's true name.
* *Phase 3*: One random shot is lit; shoot it twice to lower It. Damage can then be dealt to It for 30 seconds, either by attacking It directly, or via shots to the right tendril ramp that exit behind It. 10 shots to It will complete the phase.

Once phase 3 has been completed, lock the remaining balls at the strange sculpture to complete the wizard mode. Unfortunately, It won't go down so easily, and challenges Steen to defeat the Eldritch god once more. Though the player is sent back to square one, all scoring is given a permanent +1x multiplier separate from that of **madness** for the rest of the game after completing the wizard mode.

If the player failed the wizard mode, they can still restart it on the next ball with a shot to either tendril ramp.

## Side modes

* **Bumper Hurry-Up**: At any time during single-ball play (ie. excluding **Cult of Its Arrival** or the wizard mode), completing the three rollover lanes above the bumpers will start a hurry-up. Score 30 bumper hits before time runs out to score a total of 6M the first round - 3M for each individual hit and a bonus 3M for completing the hurry-up. Every bumper hit scores
* **Eyes of the Tendril**: After playing **Sound of Its Spawn** and **Cult of Its Arrival**, additional shots to the tendril ramps will spell TENDRIL to start this mode. An orange eye target will appear out of a portal at the left orbit, inner ramps, or rune orbit shots. Hitting the eye will generate a new eye at a different shot. Eventually multiple eyes will appear until enough have been destroyed to complete the mode, lighting an **extra ball**.
* **Nuisance Hurry-Up**: After playing **Herald of Its Word**, the left ramp will start this hurry-up after five additional shots to it. Five shots are needed to the left ramp to complete the hurry-up for 7.5M. This hurry-up can only be activated with no modes running, though it can stack with **Sound of Its Spawn** and be started off of a random **rune award** during a mode.

### Multiball modes

* **MAW Multiball**: Spell MAW at the right ramp to start this multiball, which can be started at any time during single-ball play (excluding **Cult of Its Arrival**). During multiball, shoot either the right ramp or the left orbit to collect jackpots, with left orbit shots increasing the jackpot value. After about 45 seconds, the multiball will automatically end and all of the balls in play will burst. More shots are required to spell MAW a second time.
* **Mystery Multiball**: Spelling STEEN in the inlanes and outlanes will light a lock at the right sinkhole (and award another **skill shot** opportunity if a mode isn't running). Multiball begins when the third ball is locked. All major shots except the scoops will be lit for 100k jackpots, and each jackpot will add a letter toward spelling MYSTERY. Each completion of MYSTERY will increase the jackpot value by 100k.

## Other scoring / perks

* **Madness**: The madness percentage is represented by the red symbols at the bottom of the left of the table. Each symbol corresponds to 10% madness and a +.1x boost to all scores. Madness can be gained by completing **missions** or from a random **rune award**, and disappears if the ball drains, but madness can be recovered if the player collects it on the following ball - otherwise the percentage will reset to 0%. The maximum madness available is 100%, for 2x scoring while active. If the player has accumulated at least 80% madness, shooting the left ramp when lit for **insanity** (immediately after madness has been collected) will light an **extra ball**.
* **Skill Shot**: The ball needs to reach the top of the playfield (inside of the tendril) when the rune shown on the score display is complete, with the round dot at the top. Each successful skill shot is worth 2x the value of the previous, up to the fifth successful shot (for 25M), and is subject to all score multipliers including **madness**. The parts of the rune will appear more rapidly with each successive skill shots. Skill shots are offered at the beginning of each ball, and after locking ball 1 and ball 2 for **mystery multiball** if a mode is not running.
* **Ball Saver**: Every new ball launched, including ones plunged after any **skill shot**, receives 15 seconds of ball save. Balls that drain between the flippers after shooting either rune orbit will be saved automatically, and all multiballs also begin with a ball save timer.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: Hit the two eyeball targets on the far left of the table to light the left orbit for revelation for 20 seconds. If the shot is made in time, the bonus multiplier will increase in 2x increments (ie. 2x - 4x - 6x - 8x - 10x). **Extra ball** is awarded after reaching 10x bonus.
* **Kickbacks**: Both kickbacks are lit at the start of the game, and they can be relit by spinning either spinner enough times. If the required spins are made while the respective kickback is already lit, a 500k bonus will be scored in its place.
* **Rune Awards**: Make five shots to the rune orbits to light "collect" at the right tendril ramp, then shoot it for a random award. Awards include: light **extra ball**, ball save, kickbacks lit, **skill shot** (awards the next skill shot value), **Madness** increase, **Knowledge** increase, bonus multiplier increase, jackpot increase, jackpot, start **Nuisance hurry-up**, and start **MAW multiball**. Subsequent rune awards require more orbit shots to light.
* **End-of-Ball Bonus**: There are seven distinct aspects of end-of-ball bonus, all of which are multiplied by the **bonus multiplier**:
	+ *Knowledge*: Raised during **mystery multiball**, or rarely as a **rune award**.
	+ *Insanity*: After collecting **madness**, the left ramp will light to collect insanity for a brief time. Insanity cannot be collected if **Herald of Its Word** is about to start.
	+ *Nuisance*: Raised during **nuisance hurry-up** and **Herald of Its Word**.
	+ *Timeless*: Based on the time that was remaining when timed modes were completed (ie. **Sound of Its Spawn**, **bumper hurry-up**, etc.)
	+ *Madness*: Based on the current **madness** percentage.
	+ *Undeath*: Increases as **ball saves** and **kickbacks** are used.
	+ *MAW*: Increases with shots to the spinning disc at the right ramp. Outside of **MAW multiball**, **bonus multiplier** shots also utilize the disc.
* **Extra Balls**: Score 20M if disabled, and can be lit at the left ramp from...
	+ Scoring at least 50M points
	+ Collecting insanity at the left ramp with at least 80% **madness**
	+ Completing **Eyes of the Tendril**
	+ Maxing out the **bonus multiplier**
	+ A random **rune award**

## Tips

* **Sound of Its Spawn** can be much easier to complete if you start the mode, and then start a multiball. In the original FX release, every other plunged ball will award a mode shot at the right tendril ramp, so draining during ball save can earn 4-5 shots for free. You can also spot two shots at a time by shooting either rune orbit, draining, and then having the ball plunge around the right tendril ramp. This behavior was fixed in the M director's cut.
* Don't neglect scoring from **skill shots** - late in the game, skill shot scoring can overpower even that of completed wizard modes. Be careful not to lock a ball for **mystery multiball** during a mode as you will not get to plunge for a skill shot!
* **The Arrival** is one of the toughest wizard modes to complete in FX, in particular the third phase where you have to shoot for It directly. You can avoid some of the risky shooting by instead shooting for the rune orbit and draining, so the ball is launched around and hits the back of It. On the M director's cut, doing this can instantly defeat It in a single shot!