Target Practice: Learning to Play John Wick Pinball

Note: This tutorial is written for code version 0.98.

‍

Over the past decade, Stern pinball designers have made a name for themselves with very fast, punishing machines, prioritizing the ball paths and flow over major gimmicks. John Wick is new game designer, Elliot Eismin’s contribution to the Stern Pinball “house style.” Just like the action films the machine is based on, the priority of John Wick as a pinball machine is not the story or theme integration but rather intensity. Any errant target shot could be your last, and to best handle the machine, you might just need to develop the fighting instincts of the famed assassin.

‍

John Wick is a “mode-based” game with a twist; enemies will spawn as the player hits the bumper or standup targets, and these enemies help qualify valuable single-ball battle modes and made the shots they're spawned in front of more valuable. Players will want to focus on the car, excommunicado, and deconsecrated multiballs as utilities to plow through the modes and take down as many enemies as possible. Just remember, playing John Wick in single-ball is very different from multiball play, and provides a vastly different set of modes.

Also, don’t mess with his dog.

‍

About John Wick Pinball 

John Wick Pinball was released in 2024 by Stern Pinball, with design by Elliot Eismin and code by Tim Sexton (prior to 0.94) and Mike Vinikour (following Tim's departure from the company). 

‍

An assassin is hired by the New York Continental to take down a worldwide network of like-minded assassins with motives of their own.

‍

Learn more about John Wick Pinball on the Kineticist game page. 

John Wick Playfield Overview

The lower half of John Wick’s playfield is more important than it might seem. The left side of the lower half includes the blood marker above two standup targets; hitting these standup targets eventually lights an outlane for ball save. The “Administration” shot is directly above the blood marker targets, and is similarly important as it acts as the cashout shot during jobs, awards add-a-ball during all multiballs, and starts battle modes when qualified. Meanwhile, the right side of the lower half is dedicated to the weapons crate. Hitting the crate or VUK near it enough times lights job mode at the right VUK; on Prem / LE models, the crate will open when job mode is lit.

The left orbit shot can be dangerous to recover from but is still worth dialing in as it starts car multiball when lit and, like all shots, is used heavily during job modes. Right of the left orbit is the left ramp dedicated to Akira, a short & shallow ramp that feeds the left flipper. On some copies of John Wick, the left ramp can be shot as a backhand from the left flipper, but right flipper shots to the left ramp are generally more reliable. Two of the three orange standup targets are located here, with the other near the right ramp; they act as a quick way of adding enemies to the next spawn and are used in the "heist" job mode, lit via the center ramp.

The Red Circle dance club is represented by an enclosed area. Shots to the area can be quite dangerous, but it advances towards and starts excommunicado multiball, accompanied by a drop target on Prem / LE models that can trap the ball there, and helps spawn enemies. Charon’s center ramp is steeper than its left ramp counterpart, and is best hit from cradled balls on the right flipper, but on-the-fly shots can still pay off. The center ramp awards locks for deconsecrated multiball when lit via WINSTON captive ball hits; either virtual on Pro, or physical on Prem / LE models.

The car toy is the game’s main new feature. On both the Pro and Prem / LE models, the car acts as a kicker shot, akin to the Rocket shot on Guardians of the Galaxy that exerts strength against the ball when hit. The car can be hit from either flipper, but right flipper shots to the car are generally safer than left flipper shots. The car can also pull out and be hit from the sides on Prem / LE models. Mastering survival from the car shot is a top priority, as this is how car multiballs are lit and how jackpots are scored during them. Right of the car is the WINSTON captive ball; generally a less dangerous shot than the car, it can be hit from either flipper and lights the locks for deconsecrated multiball at the center ramp.

The right orbit is possibly the fastest orbit shot on any pinball machine to date! If you shoot the orbit cleanly from the left flipper, expect a very fast return; the best ways I’ve found to handle this feed are to either “parry” the ball using the flipper and hope for the best or hold up the flipper and let the ball bounce off the crate. Parrying the ball, coincidentally, can result in shots up the right ramp marked “Katia”, a 180 ramp similar to the Alchemax shot on Venom or right ramp on Led Zeppelin. The right ramp on John Wick is slightly easier than either of those ramps on average, especially from a fast shot made on the fly.

Scoring on John Wick is average for its era. Breakout scoring will tend to come from well-played adversary battle modes and multiball / job stacks that lead into them. Expect average scores around 200M or 300M from multiball + mode stacks, but much lower scores with poor mode or multiball performance.

Getting Started with John Wick Pinball

• Shoot the weapons crate to light jobs and the major shots to change which faction’s job is lit. During jobs, shoot the lit shots and keep an eye out for ones with enemies in front of them for shot multipliers. Make enough shots to light the left scoop to escape, award a percentage of the total, and gain the perk of the respective faction. Defeating enemies lights extra ball and lights battle modes. Extra ball is also lit after playing four jobs.
  
  • Try going for either the Osaka Continental (security detail) or Ruska Roma (heist) jobs first. Security detail involves hitting randomly lit shots that move with bumper and slingshot hits, and gives a one-time multiball extension with every new ball if completed. Heist involves hitting standup targets to light shots and lights outlane ball saves at both lanes if completed. Light Osaka Continental by shooting the left ramp, or light Ruska Roma by shooting the center ramp, before hitting the lit crate.
• Hitting the gold coin targets while outside of a job mode or multiball will light the three ramps for allies. Akira will rotate the enemies one shot to the right, Charon will replenish enemies on the next shot made, and Katia will move the enemies to shots prioritizing combos. Charon (center ramp) is the most valuable of the three generally, but Akira can help with moving enemies towards the left eject when the final shot of a mode is lit. Activate the allies by hitting their respective ramp shots during jobs.
• After defeating 10 enemies during single-ball play, shoot the left eject to start a battle mode or hit the blood marker targets to change the lit battle mode. After hitting enough lit shots during the battle, shoot the blood marker to light the escape jackpot at the left eject, allowing the player to cash out their mode total or keep the battle going for multiplied scoring. Battle modes are mutually exclusive and cannot be stacked with anything else.
• Bash the car to light car multiball at the left orbit. There are four different car multiballs and hitting the car changes which one will start (the first one is helipad showdown, second one is taxicab chase, third is motorcycle pursuit, fourth is bagarre). Shoot the pink shots for awards; each red shot increases the jackpots that can be scored at the car.
  
  • The most valuable car multiballs are helipad showdown and bagarre. During helipad showdown, repeatedly shoot the car for jackpots. During bagarre, shoot the ramps to light the car jackpot, and score four super jackpots in a row after four normal car jackpots.
• Spell WINSTON to light the lock for deconsecrated multiball at the center ramp. Multiball starts when 3 balls have been locked there. Shoot the green shots to score jackpots and eventually light the captive ball for unlimited super jackpots for 15 seconds.
• Shoot the Red Circle bumper and standup targets surrounding it to advance the dance club level and eventually start excommunicado multiball. Shoot the gold shots and orange targets during the initial timed period to increase your jackpot values before the multiball starts. Then hit the lit jackpot shots that start at the center and reach to the edges of the playfield.
• Hit the blood marker targets to light ball save. Use the flippers to change which outlane ball save is lit.
• Spell YAGA to qualify lights out at the action button - 30 seconds of timed 2x scoring that turns out all playfield lighting.

‍

John Wick Skill Shots

Two skill shots are available on John Wick – one at the back entrance to the Red Circle and another at the crate VUK for potential job progression. If you can hit the Red Circle skill shot reliably, head for this one every time, as excommunicado multiball can be a massive source of points.

‍

Otherwise, your best bet at the start of each ball is simply to full plunge and then start focusing on the car / WINSTON captive ball. If the ball has been saved, short plunge it into the crate VUK for a controlled feed.

Jobs

Shoot the crate or the VUK near it to light job ready at the crate VUK. Jobs will spawn large quantities of shots depending on the job type. After enough shots have been made, the left eject will light to cash out a percentage of the job’s score total and award you with a perk that's different for every faction!

‍

While shot scoring during jobs can be solid depending on the job, your biggest priority should be defeating enemies that are in front of the lit shots to gain multiplied values. Enemies light as you hit the Red Circle or the standup targets around the playfield. Also, if you're close to defeating all the enemies in a location, it might be better to hold off on starting multiball until the required enemies have been defeated.

‍

There are seven different factions, with seven different jobs to play in total. The jobs are all linked to specific factions / shots. For the sake of this guide, I will list the competition mode pairings for each job in a “tier list” of sorts explaining which ones I go for.

‍

Highest priority jobs:‍

• Security Detail (left ramp). This job is heavily dependent on RNG and being able to know which shots are lit to score, but has the most substantial cashout of them all, extending any and all multiballs if the player drains down to one ball.
• Heist (center ramp). Great for stacking with a multiball, shoot the standup targets to light shots surrounding them to score. If the player is in single-ball play they can also use the gold coin targets to collect all lit shots! The cashout enables outlane ball save to be lit at both outlanes instead of just one at a time.

Medium priority jobs:

• Assassination (left orbit). Shoot the lit shots to light the captive ballfor a kill shot, and collect three kill shots to light the cashout - enabling the motion sensor during lights out. Good award for this mode, but generally less valuable due to the captive ball lacking ways to multiply its score.
• Gather Intel (right orbit). This job is all about alternating between the left and right ramp shots. Hitting the left and right ramps score points and build a jackpot that can be collected at the center ramp, 2x if the center ramp is made as a combo from either ramp. Hitting six left or right ramps lights the cashout to add +20 seconds to the lights out timer.
• Task a Crew (right ramp). This job heavily utilizes the left orbit shot and can be massive if the player qualified Katia with gold coin targets before starting it. Make lit shots to light the spinner, for 2x value if made as a combo from the right ramp. Making 4 lit spinner rips lights the cashout for add-a-ball during any multiball, once per ball.

Low priority jobs:

• Night Watch (left eject). This mode lights every shot on the playfield similarly to Task a Crew described above, but without the shots relighting on their own, and with a white shot moving around the playfield to award 2x the shot value if hit. Its cashout perk is quite solid, adding +5 seconds to all ball saves for the rest of the game, but it's a tough mode to play with a multiball.
• Escort the VIP (Red Circle). Two shots are lit at a time, a blinking shot (the VIP), and a solid shot. Shooting the blinking shot moves the VIP around the playfield and hitting the solid shot resets the hurry-up value scored when the blinking shot is made. The perk for this mode can be low value (double bonus X), and the lack of shots lit makes this a mode better fit for single ball play.

Allies

Allies are used during job modes to help you manipulate the enemies around the playfield and score higher points than you would otherwise. To light allies, hit the gold coin targets near the right ramp, then hit any flashing ramp to unlock that ally for use before starting a job. You can only have one ally active per job. The three allies are:

‍

• Akira (left ramp): Rotates the enemies one shot to the right - if they are at the right ramp they wraparound to the left eject. Holding the left flipper while shooting the left ramp will rotate them one shot to the left instead. Use Akira if you want to multiply the final cashout shot of a job.
• Charon (center ramp): Hitting the center ramp will cause the next enemies hit to be killed, then immediately replenish giving more chances at the same lit mode shot for multiplied values and more enemy progression. Use this ally anytime you want, but especially during multiball modes.
• Katia (right ramp): Moves the lit enemies towards other shots, prioritizing combos from the right ramp or shots that don't have any enemies on them currently. Katia is best used during modes that reliably keep shots around the playfield lit to score. Make sure you gauge which shots lack enemies before using Katia.

Battles

Once you’ve defeated enough enemies during single-ball play, the left eject will light to start a battle mode. It might be beneficial to light the ball save at either outlane for protection (by shooting the left standup targets) while qualifying each battle mode.

‍

Unlike jobs, battles are mutually exclusive and prevent all other game progress while running. You get 40 seconds of ball save at the start of each battle, extended by 30 seconds if you lit a ball save (via the blood marker targets) but didn’t use it. Change the lit battle via either bumper hits or blood marker target hits.

To escape the battle, and light the left eject for escape jackpot, hit enough lit shots, then shoot the blood marker target. If you're willing to put up with the pressure, continuing the battle will increase all scoring during it by +1x up to a maximum of 4x, allowing for some truly massive battle totals for players with strong stamina. Escaping (or draining during) a battle requalifies the blood oath marker for ball save, if it was already used prior.

Of the five battles, three of them I prioritize above all else, but I’ll try my best to play out the other two. The three battles I prioritize are:

1. Kirill. Precision shooters rejoice, this battle is just for you. Simply alternate between sets of left and right shots and the points increase with each shot – I’ve managed 10M per shot, more than any other battle in the game, and had Kirill totals of over 300M. The Red Circle value was originally capped but the cap has been removed; it's also a viable option and is required to light the cashout..
2. ‍Ares. Another great mode if you’ve mastered the layout of John Wick. All shots are lit for increasing scores, with one random shot lit to find Ares; the slingshots and bumper will help with finding her. However, your best bet is to focus on hitting white shots as the award increases with each shot hit. Not as high scoring as Kirill on average but a solid choice still.
3. ‍Zero. This battle is a slightly safer option compared to the above two and is tougher to get massive scores out of but is way more reliable if you’re unfamiliar with the layout. Shoot combo shots followed by the car, captive ball, or left eject (2x collect) to cash them out and score increasing points with each combo made. The best choices for combos during this mode, in my opinion, are left ramp / center ramp to car / captive ball, and right ramp to left eject.
   
   

The other two battles can still score a decent amount, but I prioritize them less:

1. ‍Viggo. This battle is all about hitting the car / captive ball to light other shots and as I’ll discuss later in my guide, I only purposely aim for them with the ball save on. Not to mention, the shot value increases way slower than those of say, Kirill / Ares.
2. ‍Cassian. I could see people getting good value out of this battle, especially if you can ski pass the ramp shots, but the shot value increases too slow for me to actively consider. Switches build the jackpot that can be collected at a purple shot, which moves as targets are hit. Low value, and not as safe as Zero.

Multiballs

There are three multiball modes in the game, and all three are best used as utility multiballs to make jobs easier to complete but still have significant value if played on their own.

John Wick lacks the standard "add-a-ball" rule, unless the player cashes out the "task a crew" job described in the "jobs" section, which gives an add-a-ball at the action button that can be used once per ball in play. Multiballs can also be increased in value by completing the "security detail" or "night watch" jobs, which award multiball extensions and increase the ball save timer respectively.

Car multiballs: Lit by hitting the car enough times (four for the first multiball on Pro, two on Prem / LE) and started by hitting the left orbit. Car multiballs don’t score too much on average but are very helpful to have running. There are four different multiballs, and hitting the car changes which one is lit, starting at helipad showdown (car multiball 1) and going to bagarre a letoile (car multiball 4) before going back to the first one. All of the multiballs share similar rules: pink shots score awards and the car scores jackpots when lit. I prefer to focus on the car if only a few mode shots are lit.

• Helipad showdown (car multiball 1): All shots during the multiball are lit to score awards and increase the jackpot multiplier. Hitting the car scores the jackpot. Once nine jackpots are scored (with multiplied ones counting 2x, 3x or 4x), hit the car to score a super jackpot or the left orbit for a 2x super jackpot.
• Taxicab chase (car multiball 2): Shoot the car to score a hurry-up starting at 750k and lock that in as the jackpot value. Then alternate between pink shots for awards and the car to score jackpots. If jackpot is lit, no other shots can be made. Super jackpot is lit at the left orbit after 4 car jackpots and can be increased with further car shots.
• Motorcycle pursuit (car multiball 3): Lowest value of the car multiballs. Shots on either the left or right side of the playfield are lit for awards that change sides as the car is hit and light the car for jackpot. After scoring four car jackpots, hit the captive ball to score a super jackpot (prem / LE: the car must be hit to light the captive ball first).
• Bagarre a letoile (car multiball 4): Highest value of the car multiballs. Shoot the ramps to light the car for jackpot, then orbits to increase the jackpot multiplier. After four car jackpots, the car can be hit four more times for four super jackpots in a row, each worth more than the last.

Deconsecrated multiball: Spell WINSTON at the captive ball to light locks at the center ramp. Three locks will begin this multiball where all shots score jackpots, and after scoring 7 jackpots, the captive ball will light to start 15 seconds of unlimited super jackpots. Relatively low value at first, this multiball increases in value (and difficulty) as it progresses, and is best used to stack with job modes as jackpots can quickly increase in value as enemies are defeated. On the Prem / LE model, players can swipe balls held in the center ramp lock and use them for other multiballs by holding the action button.

Excommunicado multiball: This multiball can be substantial but is the toughest to start. Repeated shots to the Red Circle and the standup targets surrounding it will advance the dance club level and eventually start this multiball. It begins with a 15-second period where every shot will increase the jackpot score, then multiball will begin properly and jackpots will be lit at random shots starting with the left & center ramps, with the super jackpot eventually lit at the Red Circle. The super jackpot is worth substantial value, a base of 5M and is multiplied by any enemies that happen to be there, meaning 40M super jackpots with lights out running are quite possible even in the early game.

‍

Ball Save

The “blood marker” targets on the left of the game eventually light a ball save at either outlane, which can be changed using the flippers. By default, you only get one ball save until you escape or drain during any battle mode. Not using the lit ball save, however, will increase the ball save timer given during the battle mode once it starts. You can also double up the lit outlane ball saves by cashing out during the "heist" job from the center ramp.                                                                                                                                      

Weigh your options before rolling over the flashing ball save outlane! Even 5 more seconds of ball save during a battle can be substantial and win you a tournament game. Try to avoid using ball save during multiball, if possible, and save it exclusively for single-ball play when risk is higher. 

‍

Lights Out

Lights out is qualified at the action button by spelling YAGA at the inlanes and outlanes. YAGA letters can only be earned if the ball rolls through an inlane with a BABA letter already lit, so precise management of the inlanes is required in order to qualify lights out.

‍

When the flashing action button is pressed, the playfield lighting will completely dim and all shot inserts will disappear. For the next 30 seconds, all scoring will be multiplied by 2x, at the cost of not being able to know which shots are lit for what!

‍

If YAGA is spelled while lights out is qualified or currently active, and the player has successfully cashed out during the "assassination" job from the left orbit, motion sensors can be earned. These can be deployed during lights out by pressing the action button again, and light up the entirety of the playfield for a few seconds. Only one motion sensor can be deployed per lights out session.

Noah's Strategies

• Your best bet in the early game is to always stack jobs with multiballs. My #1 priority is stacking either security detail (the left ramp mode) or heist (the center ramp mode) with deconsecrated multiball (lit at the center ramp after enough captive ball hits). Both modes can be worth substantial amounts of points, the former awards 2 outlane ball saves for the price of one, and the latter awards an add-a-ball perk that can be used in any multiball for the rest of the game. If either mode has already been played, try playing security detail (left ramp) or gather intel (right orbit) and stacking them with multiballs.
• Allies will present themselves as they come to you, especially with multiball running, though the car can sometimes bounce the ball into the gold coin targets. If allies are lit, shoot the center ramp to qualify Charon as early as possible - he will allow enemies to be defeated in higher numbers and lead to higher scoring for every mode shot.
• Focus on hitting the car at the very start of each ball while the ball save is running. Backhands to the car (i.e. shots from the right flipper) tend to be safer to recover from than left flipper shots, though left flipper shots might also graze into the captive ball and award WINSTON letters. Then, start the job at the crate VUK and shoot the left orbit to stack the job with car multiball. If you have only a few enemies left to light the next adversary battle, make it a priority to defeat the remaining enemies before starting the multiball.
• The highest value car multiballs are helipad showdown (car multiball 1) and bagarre a letoile (car multiball 4). The two in between them are worth far less and are tougher to score well during.
• The best battle modes are Kirill & Ares (if you’ve mastered the game’s layout and want to blow the score up) or Zero (if the game is a little tougher and you want reliable, quick points). If Viggo or Cassian battles are ready, hit the blood marker target to change the lit battle to one of the above three. Weigh your options if you want to consider going after multiplied battle scoring and take into consideration how the shot progression in each battle works.
• Lights out is best used during hectic multiball & job stacks, or immediately before cashing out the final shot of a job or battle.