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Stargate

Gottlieb • 1995 • DMD
Strategy updated: September 30, 2026

Strategy

Shoot the right ramp to spell STARGATE, award Quartz, and boost Super Jackpot value. Make Quartz trades at the left lane for 10+ quartz only. Play through the modes to get to Eye of Ra wizard mode, and start 3X scoring by shooting the left Guardian before starting Eye of Ra at the Pyramid and cash in on high Super Jackpot value. 3X scoring timer stops during MBs, so the entire wizard mode is triple value, including Super JP.

Skill Shot

Plunge just enough to drop the ball onto the habitrail that feeds the Sarcophagus on the far left bottom of the playfield. Awards 10M and spots a Sarcophagus shot. ❗️Over-plunging has a high chance of a center drain.

Key Rules

Modes (6 modes + Eye of Ra wizard mode)

  • When in single ball play and no mode running, shoot the pyramid to start the mode indicated by the flashing insert on the circular playfield artwork just to the left of the upper right flipper

  • Glidecraft: 2-ball MB. Shoot for the pyramid or the standup targets at the pyramid entrance to score the Glidecraft value (1st-3rd hits: 5M, 4th-6th hits: 10M, then 20M all subsequent). The first 2 hits to the standup targets also add-a-ball. The left target kicks the ball back into play, the right target is passive.

  • Save Sari: hurry-up mode starts at 30M. Shoot the far right lane. Collecting this then raises a drop target on that right lane and a new hurry-up begins at 50M, repeats until timeout.

  • Battle: 20-second timed mode. Shoot left and center lanes under the raised guardian mechs to collect Horus value (starts at 10M) and adds +10M for next made shot and adds +3 seconds to the timer.

  • Quartz: Shoot side and right ramps for 5M and +1 Quartz. The first made ramp adds-a-ball.

  • Ra's Temple: Shoot the standup target just above the right sling (Ra's Bracket) twice for 3M and an add-a-ball. Then shoot the pyramid for 50M on repeat.

  • Rebellion: 2-ball MB. Every hit to the pops scores 5M. Hit the left Guardian mech for a one time add-a-ball.

  • Eye of Ra (Wizard mode): 4-ball MB in 3 phases: moving to a new phase returns all 4 balls to play

    • 1: Make 6 shots to the pyramid standup targets for 5M each, all 6 scores a Super Jackpot and moves to phase 2

    • 2: Shoot the guardians (10M) and try to get past them (20M), get past both to go to next phase

    • 3: Shoot the pyramid 3 times (30M each) to score a Super Jackpot

    • Complete all 3 phases and Eye of Ra ends and Sarcophagus MB begins

    • 3X scoring timer is paused during Eye of Ra, making this a potentially massive scoring opportunity

Sarcophagus MB (2-ball)

  • Any odd-numbered right lane (Sarcophagus) shots starts the MB, an even-numbered shot awards 3 Quartz

    • While a mode is running it awards 5 Quartz

  • The skill shot awards a Sarcophagus shot, or hit the drop target in the right lane and then make that lanes upkicker within 20 seconds to score a shot

  • Level 1: Score the first Jackpot (10M) for an add-a-ball, collect 6 to qualify Super Jackpot at the pyramid and advance to Level 2

  • Level 2: only 1 Jackpot is lit at a time, collect 6 to qualify a Double Super Jackpot at the pyramid, Level 2 then repeats

Quartz

  • Earn Quartz from:

    • every other Sarcophagus shot, STARGATE completion, and White Pyramid completion

    • any ramp during Quartz mode

    • Transporter awards

    • Hit the center target as the last target down in the 3-drop bank on the left (awards 1 Quartz)

  • To cash in Quartz, either shoot the center lane guardian or make the left inlane to raise the Guardian, then shoot under the Guardian to the kicker to get a trade offer (all quartz is cashed in if you accept)

    • 1-3: 10M

    • 4-6: 50M

    • 7-9: extra ball lit at side lane leaving the pops (future trades of this amount are worth 100M)

    • 10-15: Double Advance Super Jackpot (+200M to SJP value)

    • 16-19: start Sandstorm MB

    • 20-22: starts Stargate MB if not played, otherwise awards Super Jackpot

    • 23+: awards Super Jackpot

Transporter (Mystery) & Sandstorm MB

  • Hit the left Guardian target in no-mode, single ball play to qualify that left lane for a mystery award

  • Change current award by hitting the left standup target at the pyramid (shown only in the status report)

  • At the start the only awards are: 5 Quartz, Extra ball (if not collected), +1 advance SJP, 3X scoring for 30 seconds

    • collect all of these to start the first Sandstorm MB

    • After Sandstorm is played, the mystery will now have 11 awards that need to be collected to start Sandstorm again

  • During Sandstorm MB (3-ball) shoot any white pyramid shot (10M - awarded at end-of-ball bonus only)

STARGATE Letters

  • Collect a letter in STARGATE by shooting the right ramp, for first completion, STAR is spotted, so only need 4 shots to the right ramp to complete

  • Completion awards follow this loop: 3 Quartz, advance SJP, 5 Quartz, advance SJP

Other Notes & Features

  • Super Jackpot value starts at 100M, each Super Jackpot advance is +100M

  • If you haven't played Glidecraft mode by the 3rd ball, this will start on ball 3 plunge

  • Shoot shots with a flashing White Pyramid insert to complete the 5 shot sequence, awards on a loop: 5 Quartz, 30M, +1 advance SJP

  • After 10 pop hits, the right lane is lit for 15 seconds to collect (10M, 30M, extra ball, then 50M subsequent)

  • Sweep either the 2 or 3-drop bank to score (5M, 10M, 20M, 30M, then 40M subsequent)

  • Complete all 7 segments in the blue circle above the flippers and Stargate MB (wizard mode) begins. During MB, shoot lit white pyramid shots, make all to score a SJP. This can only be played 1 time per game.

  • End-of-ball bonus awards 1M per Quartz held and 10M for any segment toward Stargate MB completed.

stargate-pf.jpg playfield
Playfield image by Ken (scottamus)