Elektra

Quickie Version:

UTAD is sort of the quickie version, but it’s more complicated than that. Ideally, do a bit of everything.

Go-to Flipper:

Balanced

Risk Index:

High

Full Rules:

Elektra, the first three-level pinball machine, may be the “most different” game you’ll ever play. This will likely be the longest of my game descriptions. Not only does it have three levels, it has a smooth plexiglass main playfield, curved approaches to the flippers which accentuate the plexiglass’s slippery action, reversing timed rollovers at the upper left and two different locking processes, both three-stage! We’ll be discussing “Elektra units” often; these are displayed in a 2-digit window at the bottom center of the backglass. The “Elektra Bonus” value, shown by surface lights at the bottom of the main playfield, is your “normal” bonus. We’ll deal with the game in level order from top to bottom. The ball is plunged onto the upper playfield, where a soft plunge will hit either side of the central wedge and a strong plunge will reach the upper left flipper for a shot. The 1-2-3 stand-up targets in the top center need to be completed in numerical order the first time. Each awards 2 Elektra units when collected. Getting these targets lights the rollovers at the upper left; you’ll see the lit rollover among them rotating clockwise or counterclockwise; the direction alternates. If you run over them in the direction they’re moving, that lights the standups for numbers 4 through 6. You also light the targets for 4-6 at this stage if you make the captive ball shot three times. Captive balls shots also advance your bonus multiplier to 2X, 3X and 5X; after that, each shot is worth 25K plus 10 Elektra units. Once you have 4-6 lit and flashing, hitting the targets again in any order now will light the lock saucer above them. Finishing 4-6 also lights the star rollover just below where plunged balls enter play; depending on the settings, this can be worth 50K intermittently or a special. We’ll leave the locked ball discussion for a moment and head to the main playfield. The main playfield features two stand-up target banks, the red 3-bank in the center and 5 blue targets on the left. The 3-bank opens your ball save gate in the right outlane the first time you complete it; the second time lights collect bonus in the gate lane; the gate then closes and bonus resets. Set #3 releases the right captured ball to start multiball; set #4 and thereafter spot two left blue targets. The blue targets enable the main playfield right lock in three stages: first, hit the single flashing target; you can use the left flipper button to change which target is lit like modern lane changing. Three targets will now flash; make those three and all five flash; make all five to light the lock. Repeating the cycle releases the locked ball to start multiball. These flashing targets also advance you two Elektra units. The other ways to start multiball are to unlock the upper captive ball by hitting the 1-2-3 targets one more time; unlock the lower ball by hitting the main playfield center three targets; and to capture the second ball when one is already locked. There are four ramps to go from the main to the upper playfield. The outer left ramp is the best for feeding the ball to an upper flipper since the ball will be rolling down across the face of that flipper after a successful shot. The mid-left and far-right ramps feed the fronts of the flippers; you’ll get a shot, but not a controlled one. The mid-right ramp is one-way up only with a gate; balls bouncing down the face of the gate can often be flipped at with the upper right flipper. There are two different bonuses, one for the upper and main playfields, the other for the lower playfield. The main one maxes out at 39k and 5X for 195K potential. Base bonus is earned by hitting the upper playfield targets, both saucers, both outlanes and when lit, the left ramp star rollovers and the main playfield red targets. The lower playfield is not used until after your ball on the main and upper playfields ends. It is not guaranteed to start; only if you collected 6 or more Elektra units is the lower playfield activated for additional playing time. Down there, you can earn up to 195K additional base bonus by hitting the targets. Complete either side twice to light the three arrows on that side; you then get 5K bonus per target on that side thereafter until all six targets are finished. You can double the bonus by shooting the lower 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 targets in order or by getting all six of them, after either of which you need to hit the flashing center 10K stand-up target. Since the lower playfield bonus can go up to 390K when doubled, and you can score a lot there besides the bonus, the general strategy is to use the upper and main playfields to build up as many Elektra units as you can and then make the most of your post-drain time on the lower playfield. Going to the upper playfield whenever possible is a good strategy for that. If you get close to starting multiball, by all means do so, but it’s less of a priority than those Elektra units are. During multiball, UTAD. Elektra comes with a center post; check to see if it’s there and has rubber on it before you play.

via Bob's Guide