i had the pro... take the premium. you will miss this fantastic light show!

Pro is much faster and harder

Can't go wrong with either. One of the best games in a long time. I own the pro and absolutely love it. Wish it had spinners from the factory though.
I've also played the LE and think its fantastic too - but on location I think the left ramp is tough on a field that isnt waxed when the flippers get a little squishy.
Enjoy your eventual purchase, and have fun adding some mods. So many great ones out so far!

What are the approximate cost for each variety?

I had the pro sold it to buy a premium but that was a big mistake go for the pro game play is much better !!!

Interesting. I sold the pro for a premium. I do not regret it. I loved the pro and played it a bit, the premium upgrade gave it extra life.

I do not think you can go premium to pro, but pro to premium worked for me.

Pro is harder.

Premium has extras.

Either one is great.

I suck at playing and want the Pro. I wish the difficulty was the other way around

Depends on what you can spend. Owned the Pro, and the Pro did play fast but had less goodies.

I have the LE and love it. They are more collectable if that metters to you.At a minimum get the premium. Better light sjow as someone mentioned.

Premium or LE...but if Money is an issue, a Pro.....Dont miss one of them regardless....way too good!

Don't beleive this, it's nonsense. The pro is harder, there is no doubt. But faster? Hell no! I have documented in other threads if you want to have a read exactly why the pro plays MUCH slower then the premium. One of the main reasons is no Woodbury drop target. So every time you hit the Woodbury shot the ball goes into the shooter lane, then wait a few seconds, then shoots into skill shot lanes, then wait a few seconds, then into the pop bumpers, then wait a long time, then finally to the flippers if it doesn't drain right from the pops. Super slow and annoying. Do yourself a favour and pick up the premium or you will regret it like so many before you.

I loved the pro but missed the extras so I sold it hoping to get a premium or LE HUO instead... Very sad... Can't find a HUO and now I have nothing. I, obviously, want the premium or LE over the pro but would take either st this point!

Well just for the sake of argument
The pro doesn't have crossbow which holds the game up too!

The real yes would be take the same player and play 50 games on each machine and compare average ball and game times.

To OP both games are fun, there's really not a wrong choice IMO

I like the walker bombs a lot
But I also like saving $1800 and prefer the ramp on the pro

Can someone please summarize why they think the Pro is more difficult?

premium of course! But you can't go wrong with either...Their are numerous links to this same question over the many months.

No walker bombs.

I'm a PREM owner and think the pro plays better overall. But no walker bombs is a deal killer. Adds too much on an already brutal table.

Not having walker bombs makes me cry. But only sometimes. Seriously, both are kick ass games, worthy of respect, admiration, and getting your ass handed to you. Just like the Walking Dead should be. And you can mod them to your heart's content. As I said before, there are so many great mods for this game.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/which-one-twd-pro-or-twd-premium

For me, the extra magnet, makes the biggest difference.
It affects every ball, in every game, and I enjoy that it can fling a ball back up riot to the top lanes,
knock down targets, and create the most insane gameplay in multiball, with both magnets firing.

Easy or not, doesnt matter.
Walker bombs are great, but not used as often...same with crossbow and BG ramp.
All are cool, and reasons for discussion, for sure.
But WW magnet seems to be going on every ball I play.

Try to imagine xmen, without a wolverine magnet....

Magnets I guess, are my thing, and I am a magnet prejudiced pinhead!

Coin flip!!

I just had people over that only had exposure to the pro. The consensus is that the LE / Premium is better. I am jaded cause i own the LE . If you are penny pinching GO PRO! Otherwise , get the full game.

I heard you can disable some features in the Premium to make it flow more like a Pro if you prefer. This would include Bicycle Girl Ramp lifting for bash toy, crossbow and magnet for well walker.

If you can go either way wouldn't it make the most sense to buy the version Lyman Sheets owns? He owns the LE but the premium has the exact same playfield features. Lyman has more extensive coding written for the Premium/LE and no one will argue otherwise. If you weigh your decision on that fact and it's going into a home environment where the depth of the game can be truly appreciated and explored over the time you own it, seems like a no brainer to me.

And take to heart what everyone agrees with on this pin, the maturation of the coding has made it very special. Even the fellow that lead the social charge to encourage Stern to polish and finish the code on their games has come back and "certified" TWD as awesome since it's last code update. And still Lyman has recently went on record publicly stating he has yet another update coming that will specifically feature benefits for LE/Premium owners.

On the other hand if you don't weigh your decision heavily on acquiring the fullest immersive experience you can put in your house to save some money you won't feel as though the pro version is gimped. It appears most pro owners love their pin. And who can blame them? TWD is a great theme to own.

Either way you will be happy. Only you can decide if it is worth the extra $$. Go play both and you will learn they do play differently both playfield and coding wise. Buy the version that makes you the happiest because this isn't a meat and potatoes purchase, it's a cake and ice cream purchase.

Lots of good advice here. Both are great machines and it depends on what you want to pay.

Prem/LE owners are typically very happy with the added features and content regardless of the extra cost.

I really enjoy the LE. The bicycle girl feature and crossbow use are better integrated and great fun with the 1.41 code, which I find hasn't been discussed much. The upgraded lighting really comes into its own in the home environment as well.

In case the OP hasn't thought about this, the added money isn't lost either. The added cost of the prem/LE will generally be kept with the machine, and a reasonable portion can be retrieved if/when sold. Especially in popular machines with limited supply. And this is definitely the case with TWD Prem/LE machines outside of the US.

With the exchange rate changes, the prem/LE machines have become very expensive outside the USA. However this usually results in the machines holding their value better in those markets because of low supply (especially so if popular). In Canada, TWD LE's got in on the initial release, but negative pinside threads and worsening exchange rates resulted in very few Prem machines over the last year (I don't remember seeing a single Canadian member here posting about purchasing a TWD Prem.... until a few weeks ago or less). With all the positive talk, now there are a bunch of Canadian members looking for TWD Prem or LE machines, but none are really available used in the country. As such I've seen some of them here step up recently and order the Prem, even with a 25% worse exchange rate now. I expect the market to be very tight in Canada and other countries and used LE/Prem prices of these new machines to be holding very well for a long time.

Good luck and enjoy the decision experience.

There is a great extended webcast video made recently showing Lyman playing a TWD Prem machine. It was at the Stern factory, and Gary comes in to play a game. Excellent and informative. Enjoy!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lyman-sheats-on-dead-flip-tonight#post-2771899

Wondering how many Premium/LE owners are disabling features to make their game play like a pro. And wouldn't doing so mess up functionality of the coding?

I can almost guarantee zero are. Why would you? You would just buy a pro instead.

I just order the pro

Reasons whey the Premium/LE is totally worth it...
- BG is more fun IMO - it's a fun variation changing from a ramp shot to a bash toy (and back)
- Spinners are fun - cool sounds - make the shots more satisfying, and some good points on the right spinner
- Extra magnet - again - more variations - more fun IMO
- Crossbow - a cool, fun toy - code needs to be easier to get to Crossbow Multiball - but Lyman indicated changes are coming
- Walker bombs - again, another fun addition to game play
- Drop target - again - adds a little more variation
- Better light show
- Better art

TWD Premium / LE has more game play differentiating features (over pro version) than any Stern Premium/LE. The differences make the game feel more immersive and interesting IMO.

NOTE: Pro is a fun game too, just not as much going on

The code is whats used to disable the feature and assume the feature would just work like the Pro. For instance, if the mechanism that lifts the bicycle ramp for the bash toy breaks you would disable it from lifting. It would then just act like the Pro. If the crossbow was to break you'd do the samething.
I dont have a prem/le and a manual doesnt appear to be online but assume they are feature adjustments.

Just got the Premium this weekend and am thrilled. My difference in price was $1700 and well worth it. The spinners, crossbow, bombs, fish tank, etc. all kick ass. That said, the Pro is good on its own at a cheaper price. The light show - wow. And hard too...fairly brutal outlanes, etc. GREAT game.

The two games play pretty much the same. There's nothing about the pro game play that's better. I just sold my pro and bought a premium this week and am not finding a difference.

I do not believe the pro is faster or slower. The woodbury shot is not made often so it is not much of a game changer either way having a drop target there. Between the two games, I do not believe the pro is harder. In fact the pro is easier because:
1) Bicycle girl mode: the pro you shoot the ramp which is a safer shot than hitting a bash toy where the ball sometimes comes down uncontrollable.
2) Well walker magnet: this tosses the ball down the drain. Makes the pro easier.
3) Woodbury drop target: hitting this is a quick ricochet back down the middle on the premium. It's very dangerous.

The walker bombs are the only thing that make the premium easier. I was able to (for example) restart horde after a double drain using them. I guess for this reason perhaps the difficulty can be marked a wash between the two.

I will also say that out of the box, my pro played great. Out of the box, my premium played terrible and wasn't at all fun. It took a whole day of tweaking to get things playing great (was worth it, but sure was a hassle).

Might as well hilton up the outlanes and add a some starposts between the flippers.

edit-----Go premium BTW,,,,,, unless you want the pro.

On the pro a left flipper shot to the left side of the WW ricochets to Riot pretty frequently, does the magnet interfere with that on the Prem/LE?

Seems like Lyman could code the Start button for Walker bombs on the Pro. Not ideal but certainly usable. Maybe have to disable game restart to activate it.

Got Bit did ya!!! The Well Walker got you! IMO this is all in the spirit of the game - you are fighting a Zombie Apocalypse! It's a constant struggle and you shouldn't feel safe. IMO this is all part of the design to make you feel immersed in the battle. This includes the tough outlanes and semi-dangerous pops exit (come on people - it's not that bad!). TWD ups the level of excitement compared to any of my other pins. Ever notice how fast the balls keep hurdling towards the flippers during multiball? The long ramps, bash toys, magnets, loops and outlanes are laid out in a way that keep the action/danger fast and furious!

Many of my friends are extremely good at pinball and when we get together we need games that are tough. It's not much fun having a 4 player game last an hour. TWD, IM and Tron are the most played newer Sterns. It's cool if you prefer it disabled, sometimes I've gotten ticked at Addams Family for the same reason. Although the power on TAF effects the ball even more and that's remained a popular game. I think it's nice to have the option of having it on or off to suite your preference.

Having played both and not having that much income to spare on pinball I would take the PRO. If I had the money to spare I would buy a PREM. My only wish would be that the Pro would have a spinner and the woodbury drop target. Apart form that I could live without the rest. The crossbow does slow down the play but I'm not going to put that as a negative as it adds another level to the play. The well walker magnet add randomness to the ball. Bicycle girl was somewhat of a hit / miss for me, drop targets on the left are fun but not drastically different than standups.

the diffirences between both are (list is what PREM as that Pro doesn't) I might be forgetting some

- different light show
- left ramp is different and harder to make on the Premium due to it's incline to accommodate ... next point
- the bicycle girl head
- the crossbow
- the well walker magnet
- the well walker guts
- the woodbury drop target on the right
- the drop bank targets on the left, Pro has stand ups
- the spinner
- the fish tank

My .02 cents

I do beleive this is incorrect. I'm pretty sure the pro also has the three drop target bank as well.
You need to add an "s" to spinner and you forgot walker bombs, how could you

Well said and I'm pretty sure this is everyone's situation.

Best choice you could have made. Congrats!

I was thinking of selling my premium and going pro yesterday. Then when I got home I played 3 games on the premium; in two of those games I used a walker bomb to save my ball and prolong my play and on one of the games I did it twice on ball 3 which got me to horde. So yea, gonna be a tough life without those walker bombs. Everything else I could do without......I think

All this talk about walker bombs. What are the Walker bombs? Just curious how they work, I've never played a premium or le before.

Here is my $.02

I have a pro and love the game. I would love to have an LE/Prem, it seems very very cool, but the price difference is too much for what you get IMO.

Everybody raves about the walker bombs, and some even say that's the reason they bought the Prem/Le. Those sound pretty cool and I'd love to have them, but are they worth $1500-$2000 more? I don't think so. All you're really getting with walker bombs is a $2 button and software. I think Stern could put walker bombs in a pro very easily. You could use the start button to activate them. This wouldn't restart the game since you have the hold the start button to restart. They could even extend the restart button hold to 5 seconds or so. Also, if you're playing a 1 player game, they would have to get the game to stop adding another player on ball 1. Easily done, just only allow the player to add another player for the first 10-15 seconds or so. Kudos to Stern for tricking people into paying a ton more for a game for a $2 button. I don't like it, but it's a smart business move to get more money.

I also hear a lot of complaints about the BG ramp, so I've go no problem with that missing from the pro. There are already 2 bash toys, I'm not dying without a third one.

The magnet in front the the well walker, don't mind not having it at all. I actually like to be able to hit him and know where my ball will be after that. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE magnets, but the prison has one, so I've got my magnet fix on that game. I also hear that the well walker magnet is too close to the flippers and creates some brutal drains at times. No need to make this game any tougher than it already is.

The crossbow, I'd like to have that, but I also hear a lot of complaints about it. I wish that on the pro, they would give you 3 seconds or so to control the ball instead of killing the crossbow shot on the first switch hit. It would nice to be able to get the ball to the right flipper to shoot some left side shots first.

The $10 spinner....don't care at all that it's missing.

The $10 drop target...don't care at all that it's missing.

The fish tank...don't care at all that it's missing.

The light show...now that is something I would like to have, but not a deal breaker for me.

So all in all, I'm very happy with the pro. I don't see myself upgrading to a premium. Maybe if it was $500 more, but not at the price point they are at now. I'd rather save that money and have more games. I would say if you're budget minded, go with the pro. You won't be disappointed.

Pro. The ramp diverter on the Prem I saw worked like *hi* and felt annoying, rather than an added feature I couldn't possibly live without. Crossbow=poor design and implementation. I could go on, but there is no point. People gonna buy what they buy.

Now this is a huge generalization but... I have yet to see a real showstopper from Stern that would make me spend thousands more on a Prem/LE game. When I do see it, I will let Pinside know. Trying to be subjective about all these "awesome" features, but they are 90% "eye candy" IMHO.

The Premium is simply way cooler. I've put time in on both of them and that game is greatly enhanced by the Bombs. I also love the lifting ramp.

The translite on the premium however is absolutely horrible. LE/Pro much better.

I feel like the lighting on the premium is incredible. For that and the extra features, I think it's worth the cost.