Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball rules and strategy
The Strategy
Total Nuclear Annihilation is a race through nine Reactors. Fill the keypad, shoot the scoop to start the current Reactor, send the ball through a lit orbit, raise the Reactor status past 99 with upper-playfield switches, then hit every flashing lower-playfield destroy target. Multiball starts separately: lock two balls in the inline lane, then hit the lock target again.
The goal
Destroy Reactors by filling the keypad, shooting the scoop, raising the Reactor past 99, and hitting every flashing destroy target. Separately, lock two balls in the inline lane and hit the lock target again to start Multiball.
How to start a mode
Fill the center keypad grid with target hits, then shoot the scoop to start the Reactor.
Recommended mode: The active Reactor
Reactors follow a fixed progression instead of a mode-selection menu.
How to play it
Shoot the lit orbit into the upper Reactor area, build its status past 99 with upper switches, spinners, and 1-2-3 targets, then hit every flashing lower-playfield destroy target.
Start Multiball
Separately, lock two balls behind the inline lock drops, then hit the lock target again to start three-ball Multiball. Collect the lock drops in order for the 1x, 2x, and 3x Jackpots, then shoot the rear scoop for the 5x Super Jackpot. After Multiball, work through the remaining drops and shoot the rear scoop to relight locks.
Alternative route: stay with the Reactor system
Use this route without preparing the separate Multiball locks.
- Fill the keypad grid, start the Reactor at the scoop, shoot the lit orbit, build the Reactor past 99, and finish the flashing destroy targets.
Need to know
- Two separate starts
- The keypad and scoop start a Reactor. The inline lock lane starts Multiball. Reactor qualification, progress, and collects remain available during Multiball.
- Ball-save windows
- Use active ball-save time for the dangerous Reactor, inline-lock, and destroy-target shots. Completing S-A-V-E can light an inlane or outlane save that is moved with the flippers.
Total Nuclear Annihilation is a race through nine Reactors. Prepare two balls in the inline lock while building the Reactor. Start the Reactor at the scoop, raise it past 99, then hit the lock target again to start Multiball and finish the flashing destroy targets while the Reactor value is multiplied by the number of balls in play. The keypad and scoop start the Reactor; the inline lane starts Multiball.
The goal
Total Nuclear Annihilation:fill the keypad and shoot the scoop to start Reactor scoring.Hit the lit orbit and upper switches until status passes 99, then hit flashing destroy targets.For Multiball, lock two balls and hit Lock Target again; complete drop-target Jackpots before the rear-scoop Super Jackpot.
- Before plunging, move the lit CORE letter to the expected plunge lane. Do not touch the flippers after launch if the Hands-Free Skill Shot is lined up.
Hands-Free Skill Shot rule details
- Hands-Free Skill Shot: Completing the lit CORE lane without moving it after launch fills the reactor grid, advances one ball-save level, and awards points.
- Fill the center keypad grid with target hits. When the grid is complete, shoot the scoop to start the Reactor.
- Send the ball through a lit orbit into the upper Reactor area. Build the status past 99 with upper switches, spinners, and the 1-2-3 targets.
Send the ball through a lit orbit into the upper Reactor…
- After the Reactor reaches critical, hit every flashing lower-playfield destroy target. Later Reactors require more destroy shots.
- Hit all flashing destroy shots to finish this Reactor and reset the grid for the next one. While the Reactor is running, refilling the keypad grid scores an optional Reactor Jackpot; it does not destroy the Reactor.
Hit all flashing destroy shots to finish this Reactor and…
- Reactor progress remains available during Multiball, but Multiball is not part of Reactor qualification or its start sequence.
Top-player proof
- At Texas Pinball Festival 2018, Bowen Kerins stacked Reactor scoring with Multiball.
- At the Space City Open 2022, Jim Mueller, Tim Sexton, Colin MacAlpine, and Mark Meserve prepared a Reactor with locks, then finished the Reactor during Multiball.
- Bowen Kerins used active ball-save time for Reactor and lock shots, transferred to the more reliable flipper, and collected Jackpots to ease the next Multiball qualification.
Builds toward: Destroy all nine Reactors
- Repeat the keypad, scoop, upper-Reactor, and flashing destroy-target sequence.
- Expect later Reactors to require more upper status and more flashing destroy-target hits.
- Destroy the ninth Reactor to complete Total Nuclear Annihilation.