"Trust no one -- even vampires." - Blade

Welcome to my official guide of Blade! Here, you can learn everything you need to know on how to beat certain modes on this game. Below is a complete playthrough of Blade, along with the final wizard mode of the game.

The skillshot, from the plunger, will be at one of the 3 holes at the other side of the playfield, guided by a wall diverter to help aim. However, because there is no function to see what you have to aim for (unless you use Free View by holding C, or just change views simply by pressing C), you'll have a 1/3 chance to get the skillshot.

When you manage to get the skillshot, you have a few seconds to get a Super Skillshot at the hole west of the Left Ramp. You MUST SHOOT THE CENTER RAMP FIRST before shooting for the hole, or it WON'T COUNT. It will then award you with 1,000,000 points for getting the Super Skillshot.

Day or night will not proceed whenever the ball is in the plunger.

"Tonight, I transcend this immortal coil, to become the first vampiric deity! A god among the undead!" - Deacon Frost

Blade is based around a system where you can receive access to certain modes in that type of time. On the left slingshot, you will find a watch that tells the current time, with the Sun being day and the Moon being night. Almost all modes for the final wizard mode require nighttime to aquire.

To get energy, you'll need to shoot the holes at the top and bottom of the playfield, including the Shrine shot during the day only. Simple.

To speed up time, simply hold the launch button. This is most useful if you feel you have enough energy for Night mode and getting out of Night if you feel low on energy.

"My friends...you will always be with me." - Blade

To light the items, shoot the Right Loop (towards the Spinner). One of the lights will be flasing from the Left Ramp; push the ball at the correct light to get the item, which will affect gameplay. The next one will light, so there's no need to hit the Right Loop again. These items are, from top to bottom:

• Ogun's Wristband - PERMANENT +100 to ALL scores.
  
  
• Musenda's Boots - Sink 4 Darkhold Chapters.
  
  
• Azu's Belt - PERMANENT X2 Scoring on EVERYTHING.
  
  
• Jamal's Shades - PERMANENT 1/2 prices at the Workshop.

These will all remain even if you lose a ball, so it's best to get them as soon as possible.

"Nice shop you have here." - Blade

The Workshop can be activated by hitting the 2 targets near the Center Ramp. Shoot the ramp to access it, and be offered a variety of items that can be bought. These items are as follows:

• 00 Bucks - Extra Score
  
  
• 15 Bucks - Big Score
  
  
• 25 Bucks - Huge Score
  
  
• 40 Bucks - Big Score on Spinner
  
  
• 50 Bucks - x2 Score for 30 seconds
  
  
• 60 Bucks - Increase Ballout Multiplier
  
  
• 70 Bucks - Gigantic Score
  
  
• 80 Bucks - Both Kickbacks
  
  
• 90 Bucks - Long Ball Save

"They call me....Daywalker!" - Blade

This mode can be started by collecting any treasures or rescuing bound captures during Daytime. In this 3-ball multiball, all holes will award you with small points and a bit of treasure.

Hitting the "Strike" shots will award a bit more than the holes, but collect 3 and light the Jackpot at the Left Ramp. This will start at 100,000 points, and increases by 100,000 each time the Jackpot is claimed. The Strike shots will start flashing again as soon as 3 of them are hit.

Normal play will resume once 2 of the 3 balls drain. No DRACULA letters involved.

"Chew on this, Frost!" - Hannibal

This can only be accessed during Night, AND when Deacon Frost is present. Shoot the scoop near Hannibal to light Lock. You must lock 3 balls there to start Hannibal Multiball.

This 3-ball multiball works similarly to Attack From Mars's Total Annihilation. Jackpots will light at all 3 ramps, with the loops adding to the Jackpot value. Jackpots collected will also go to the Super Jackpot pool at the Shrine. Collecting the Super Jackpot resets the value to 0, and when collected the first time, results in glowing pinballs.

Normal play resumes after 2 of the 3 balls drain.

"Switch on more lights, Hannibal." - Blade

To access this multiball feature, shoot the Center Ramp 5 times during Night.

In this 2-ball mode, your balls will glow in the dark, and you must seal as many breaches as you can by shooting the flashing holes. Hitting any Vampire shot will result in small points. Sealing enough breaches will add another ball in play, to a maximum of 3. Scoring will either be doubled or tripled during this mode, depending on how many balls are play (even though scoring is low).

Normal play will resume once 2 of the 3 balls drain.

"MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" - Dracula

This can be accessed on both Day and Night, during normal play. To collect a Visions Letter, the ball must hit the bumpers 2-3 times. No strings attached.

When the final letter is collected, Dracula appears, and the ball will be magnetized at the center of the bumper area. It will then hit the bumpers randomly for a few seconds, awarding 10,000 points for each hit times the number of times Visions is activated. It will then go back to its original position, and Dracula will let go of the ball.

Completion of V-I-S-I-O-N-S awards the "D" letter in DRACULA.

"Hey, fangboys. Mind if I crash this party?"

During Night Mode, shoot the flashing Treasure Hunt Sccop to activate the Hurry-Up. It should say "Descend Into their Lair", and you have 25 seconds to make one flashing Vampire shot. (Do NOT confuse this with "Sneak Up on the Lone Vampire" from the 2 standups near the Center Ramp - this will award you with 50 Bucks instead.)

When you make that shot, you have 25 seconds to make all 5 flashing Vampire shots. (Don't worry, the timer resets after each successful shot.) Be aware, though, as there are less vampires to catch, they will move to different places, so time your shots wisely.

Completion of this round will award the "R" in DRACULA for the wizard mode.

"I've seen his face before..." - Blade

This can be activated in Night only. Shoot the Shrine 3 times to activate the first District Sweep, where you must identify and eliminate the vampires on the DMD. Use the flipper buttons to decide who the doppelganger is, and press the Launch button to select the chosen one.

In the 2nd through 4th activations, you have to do this swiftly, as you now have 2-4 doppelgangers to capture. Same as above, though.

Completion of this mode awards 50 Bucks and the "A" letter in DRACULA.

"Who shall have the honor of attacking?" - Deacon Frost

This mode can only be accessed during Night. All five "Strike" shots will start flashing; you only have to make 3 of them to complete the mode. Simple as that.

Completion of this mode will result in awarding the "C" in DRACULA, and turning into Day.

"My minions are moving into your neighborhood. Give 'em a nice welcome." - Deacon Frost

The same 5 Strike shots will be lit, but one of them will be flashing. You have 3 chances to catch the vampires before you fail the mode. If you make the correct shot, the chances reset to 3. You will need to make 3 correct shots to complete the mode.

Completion of this mode results in awarding the "U" in DRACULA, and turning into Day.

"Let's see how you do against your doppelgangers!" - Deacon Frost

This will be a 2-ball mission to complete; so if you drain one of them, you will fail. In this mission, you will need to catch 3 doppelgangers of Blade (Strike shots) and Hannibal (any targets and holes). Once 3 are caught on both sides, shoot one of the balls into the Shrine to complete the mode.

Completion of this mode awards the "L" in DRACULA and changes into Day.

"I am too powerful! The only weapon that can be used against me is destroyed!" - Deacon Frost

This mission can only be activated during Night. Four "Strike" shots will be flashing at the right side: both Loops and the Center and Right Ramps. Make one of these shots to collect a piece, and shoot the Left Ramp to join the pieces together. Do the same with the other 3 shots. (For the fourth, don't bother shooting the Left Ramp; you'll already have completed the mission.)

Completion of this mission will result in lighting the second "A" in DRACULA, and turning into Day.

"What a horrible night to have a curse." - Blade

Shoot the mission hole during Night to start the wizard mode of the game, "Defeating Dracula". There are three different stages: so be prepared for each of the following:

• Stage 1: You will need to make 15 successful shots, whatever is flashing. The only challenge is that you have ROUGHLY 10 SECONDS TO MAKE ONE SHOT, or you will have to start from the beginning. Each shot is worth 1,000,000 points.
  
  
• Stage 2: Do the same thing as you did in the Day: Collect all items from the Citadel (Left) Ramp. There is no time limit, but be aware of the rising/lowering gate, and the bumpers, as the ball will temporarily be magnetized by Dracula. Each shot is worth 2,000,000 points.
  
  
• Stage 3: 3-ball multiball. Treat it as if you're beating Attack From Mars (Rule the Universe). You'll need to get 60,000,000 points to defeat Dracula. (The X2 points from the Citadel REALLY HELPS.) Each shot is worth 3,000,000 points.
  
  
• Stage 4: Same as Stage 3, except there's no failing, points everywhere, and turning into Day. When the wizard mode ends in this stage, you will get 1,000 points more on each switch for the remainder of the game.

"One less of those nasty Darkhold creatures." - Blade

• Payback Time - Shoot the Right Ramp 3 times to activate the mode. On activation, Hannibal will load the ball into his shotgun, and you must aim it and fire at the flashing hole. Completion awards Treasure and small points.
  
  
• Treasure Hunt - Shoot for the Treasure Hunt Scoop when flashing. One hole will start flashing to collect a small treasure. If all lights are flashing, no more treasures will be lit until everything is collected. This awards 1,000,000 points, and turns all lamps off.
  
  
• Bonus Multipliers - During Day, shoot the Center or Right Ramp to light the top three holes. Make these shots these 3 times to advance the multipliers. During Night, shoot the upper 3 targets that are flashing to raise the multipliers. They will also otherwise be raised by buying it in the Workshop. Multipliers go up to a maximum of 10X.
  
  
• Darkhold Chapters - There are 8 drop targets circling around the mission hole. Shoot them, and each will light at the right slingshot. During the daytime, shoot the Shrine to get rid of the Darkhold Chapter, awarding 100,000 points times the number of chapters surpassed. The drops will reset as soon as Dracula is defeated.
  
  
• Kickbacks - Shoot the loops 4 times to light both Kickbacks, or unlock them at the Workshop. (Don't expect the right side to kick back; it'll just go back to the plunger when lit.)
  
  
• Ball Save - Activated by shooting the Hidden Hole west of the Left Ramp 3 times, or by purchasing it at the Workshop.
  
  
• Extra Balls - Easily achieved by activating Daywalker Multiball, and one from maxing out the Bonus Multipliers. They can be collected at either the Treasure Scoop or both outlanes. A maximum of 5 can be achieved per game.

"It'll take more than a bite to stop me!" - Blade

I love this game, probably because of Lair and Prepare's quote. Pretty neat ruleset as well. Try and get your Citadel items first, and then your points will start to roll in. The video above is outdated; I scored about 530 million on this table a bit earlier while I was writing this guide.

Hopefully you now know what you're doing on Blade, and thanks for reading this guide! Play more pinball!