My favorite part of pinball is trying to reach (and ideally beat) the wizard mode of each pin I really get into, and I live have the difficulty to reach each of varies so much.

I'm curious to know what you all would rate the difficulty of reaching each wizard mode in the following Pinside top 10 games (only using nine since that is the voting limit).

Let's focus only on main wizard modes, and not mini wizards. Also, the rating applies to reaching the given mode, not completing it, and we're assuming that game is set to default. Let's say a rating of 1 is like doing it with your eyes closed, and 10 means the planets must be aligned and you almost have to have the perfect game.

Here are my ratings. I've left blank the ones I'm not familiar with.

1. Medieval Madness (BFTK) - 6
2. Attack From Mars (RTU) - 7
3. Monster Bash (MOR) - ???
4. Twilight Zone (LITZ) - 5
5. LOTR (Valinor) - 10
6. Metallica (EOTL) - ???
7. Dialed In (Showdown) - 10 (8 with SIM mem on)
8. ACDC (Encore) - ???
9. Addams Family (TTM) - ???

As mentioned in my initial post, I'm only listing the Punside top 10 (9 since voting on this site only has 9 choices).

There are definitely other games like TSPP and WOZ that are as hard, if not harder than anything on this list, but for now let's just stick to the top 9.

I'm not sure who PinballJoe is, but he definitely can play a mean DI:

I've turned my SIM memory on, because losing all that progress is just so defeating that I wasn't enjoying myself, and even still, the most I've lit is 4 or 5. I'm not sure if it's only my game, but I find it extremely unpredictable and drainy.

Again... Let's stick to the Punside top 10 (really 9) for this thread.

What do you guys rate BFTK out of 10?

So you think it's tougher to get to BFTK than EOTL?

Ouch, I saw the game froze up right as he started SOTR! That's just heartbreaking!

Not that it's comparable, but the first time I was about to start BFTK, my ball got stuck in the catapult, and when I tried to take the glass off, it drained. I was crestfallen.

Out of curiosity, and since it is currently sitting in the top 10, does anyone have feedback on the difficulty to reach wizard mode on Iron Maiden?

Round 2:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wizard-mode-difficulty-vote-2#post-4376565

So based on the two threads, seems LOTR, TSPP, TWD, and MET are considered the hardest wizard modes to reach.

Again, we've only based the on the top 20 games on Pinside. I know WOZ and many other pins have brutally difficult wizards.

I haven't played much TSPP, but from the sounds of it, the big wizard mode is practically impossible to reach. So let's take that one off the table.

MET seems pretty tough, but doable if you're having a good game, making shots, and cashing out of CIU early.

That leaves me with TWD and LOTR, both of which I currently own. Valinor is a mountain, but it seems attainable with a good strategy, and being in the zone to execute it. I was working on the sixth gift the other night, and had only Fellowship MB and DTR to beat to get there, and although that is still a huge task, it doesn't seem improbable.

And then there's Last Man Standing which from playing my game for only a few weeks, seems like it is never going to happen. I've reached Horde a bunch of times, I'm getting close to Terminus, but LMS is a ridiculous feat considering how dangerous every returned shot is in the game and the gaping outlanes.

What do you all think?

Thoughts?

TWD is one of the toughest games I've ever played. Every shot and every return is dangerous. That is why I'm wondering if LMS is harder to achieve than Valinor.

I swear when I have a bad game I tell myself that I'm going to sell it and get an iron maiden or Metallica. And then I have a good game and think maybe one day I'll see LMS. I'm so confused haha!

Saw your video in the club thread and yeah it's still pretty incredible.

Right! Regardless, he's a pinball maniac. Just played one quick get at ended at 32 million! Turned game off and walked out of the room haha.

Going to add to this... I still think LMS is tougher to reach and definitely complete than Valinor. The other night I had all gifts collected, all MBs completed, and TABA started. All I needed to do was start TTT again so I could get to DTR, and it would have been my shot at Valinor. I get it... Still a bunch of shots to make to get there, but on the other hand, I had a really great game of TWD today, and ended with 60 zombie kills!

I'd say I was 90% of my way to Valinor, but just over 50% of my way to LMS.

Seige is so confusing to me that I don't even think about it.

Closest I've been to LMS is 60 kills. Not sure I'm ever going to see it. Find keeping the ball up in this game is harder than anything else I've played, so that lack of control just make it very difficult to collect all those shots.

With Valinor, I keep getting to the point where I have 6 gifts collected, and I just need to restart ROTK to get a couple more passes to finish it.

Even though it's really just one objective (aside from DTR) left to complete, it somehow feels so far away.

I had everything completed in LOTR last night, and started DTR to get to Valinor. Made two shots, and then lost the ball down the left outlane

So I was 4 shots away from Valinor!

I think what makes LOTR a monster to beat is that not only do you have a list of objectives to complete at the right time, but having DTR stand between you and the end really put the pressure on.

Feels like having to make that RTU shot in AFM, but 6 times over, and riskier. And if you drain, it's back to thestart of the MBs.

I'm going to get it eventually, but it just wasn't my time I guess