Pinball FX3
110 Achievements
1,495
31.5-56.5h
Rookie Pilot
You survived a round in the Lone Fighter Mode on the Starfighter Assault table.
5
0.03%
How to unlock the Rookie Pilot achievement in Pinball FX3 - Definitive Guide
FunkDog
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
* Obtain 100+ "commendations" (money)
* Upgrade your starfighter shields three times
* Start Lone Fighter mode (rewind works in Lone Fighter mode)
Before today I probably played Lone Fighter mode over 100 times. So frustrating. I read the guide for this achievement in Pinball FX 2 and the author said not to worry about upgrading your shields because it takes too long and he wasn't sure why sometimes upgrades were available to buy and sometimes they weren't. I decided to crack the mystery.
One detail I borrowed from the Pinball FX 2 guide for this achievement:
* Choose the Empire. It definitely feels easier to shoot down XWings than Tie Fighters.
OBTAIN 100+ COMMENDATIONS
Commendations are like money. You need them to buy upgrades in the store. You get them by completing objectives, missions, etc. If you don't have at least 10 commendations when you light UPGRADE and try to go to the store, you won't have the option to buy anything (you'll just get a score boost instead).
These came naturally to me after completing Mission 1, part of Mission 2 and handful of the shot modes (Evade, Repair, Supply, etc.).
UPGRADE YOUR STARFIGHTER SHIELDS THREE TIMES
To upgrade your shields, shoot the right orbit seven times to light UPGRADE, then shoot the ramp under the green crosshairs. If you have at least 10 commendations you will go to the "shop" where you can select Starfighter Shields. Shield upgrades cost the following:
* 1st Upgrade - 10 commendations
* 2nd Upgrade - 30 commendations
* 3rd Upgrade - 60 commendations
* 4th Upgrade - ??? (I suspect 120 but never went back with enough commendations)
You can only buy one upgrade per visit to the store so you'll need to go through the steps of lighting UPGRADE and visiting the store three times. It is time consuming but I believe it helps your chances of completing Lone Fighter mode immensely. Especially considering the UPGRADE lane is one of the easier shots on the table.
START LONE FIGHTER MODE
To start Lone Fighter mode you need to:
* Hit the three targets in the center of the table.
* Hit the squad hole in the lower right of the table.
The three targets are a pain to hit. I couldn't figure out an easy way to consistently hit them. Once you light one, the lit targets will cycle every time the left or right bumpers are hit. When all three are lit, the squad hole will light. It's pretty easy to hit by hitting the ball off the very end of the left flipper.
Normally you start Lone Fighter mode with seven shields. For each shield upgrade you purchased you will get an additional shield. If you bought three, you'll start the mode with 10. I failed the mode a few times after buying two shield upgrades and completed it the first time I attempted it after buying three shield upgrades.
Your shield upgrades stick with you for the duration of the entire game so if you don't get it your first time through Lone Fighter mode, you can just light the three targets and try again.
Good luck!
P.S. Don't forget that rewind works in Lone Fighter mode. If you miss a few ships in a wave you can hit rewind to try to get them again.
DISCOKING
Tip: Before playing the table you get to choose to fly for the Empire in a Tie-Fighter or for the Rebellion in an X-Wing. I recommend choosing to fly for the Empire. I believe the Tie-Fighter shoots faster and the X-Wing is a bigger ship both of these reasons make it easier to hit and shoot down the enemy.
Step 1: Shoot the ball to hit the 3 targets directly to the left of the SUPPLY ramp (the ramp on the right). When you hit one, it will light up white with a blue rebel insignia in it. After hitting all 3 you will hear the confirmation "The Squad hole is open!"
TIP: If you're having a hard time hitting one particular target, you can cycle the ones lit and not lit by the ball hitting either of the bumper slings above your flippers.
Step 2: Shoot the ball into the Squad sink hole. The sink hole is located to the right slightly above the rebel ball launcher. You can hit the hole by trapping and holding the ball on the left flipper, then release the flipper as the ball rolls down the flipper shoot it when it's on the tip of the flipper.
You will now be taken to an arcade like game. In this mode the enemy fighters always fly at you from the same place and same pattern. Like a game on rails, you are simply watching a video. You have limited movement to the right and left by using your flipper buttons and the 
button shoots. Waves of enemy Starfighters will fly by, you need to shoot them before they get past you. For every fighter that flies past you, will take 1 point away from your shields. You start with 10 shield points but if you drop to 0 shield points and one more flies past you, it will end the mode.
Tip: You can spend Commendation points to upgrade your Starfighter's shields. after the first upgrade your shield points will go to 11, then 12 and so on. I believe 12 shield points should be sufficient for anyone. You can get the first upgrade at 10 Commendations. Subsequent upgrades come at 30, 60 and 100. If you do the 1st fleet mission and kill 24 tie fighters over and over you could build up commendations. If you will have 100 Commendations and could use these to obtain the first three upgrades at 10, 30 and 60. This will increase the number of ships you are allowed to miss that fly by you.
Step 3: You need to survive the third wave to pop the trophy. A wave is done when the lone Starfighter comes out and you follow him. I have never killed him (and I don't think it can be done). I think he is there just as an indicator and a way to get to the next wave of fighters.
Here is Rahal Geo earning this trophy:
