Basics
There are plenty of tips and tricks you can use on the path to Peggle Master, but, the truth is, no matter how many tips we give you, you won't get very far without mastering the basics: aiming, timing and scoring.
Aiming
It may not seem like it at first, but Peggle is full of math problems. Not the "if a train leaves station A at noon" type of math problems. More like geometry.
Whenever a ball hits an object, it will bounce away from the object in the opposite direction, but at the same angle it came from. So, if you hit an object straight down, the ball rebounds straight up. Hit a brick from the upper left at 80 degrees, and it'll bounce back (to the upper right) at 80 degrees.
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Predicting shots is trickiest when the object's surface is curved: in those cases, imagine a straight line crossing the curve to create a "flat" bounce point on the object, so you can visualize the angle of rebound.
Bjorn is the master for teaching aim. Use his Magic Power (the Super Guide) to get a feel for where the ball will go. Just move the guide around the board and take a look at the angles. Then, without the Guide, try to guess where the ball will go before you shoot.
DID YOU KNOW? You can use the mouse wheel or arrow keys to aim more precisely. Try pressing your keyboard's "Enter" key to fire so you don't jostle the perfect aim with your mouse.
More aiming strategies:
- Aim high: Generally, it's a good idea to aim at higher pegs (especially at the beginning of a level). You'll get more pegs (and points) as the ball makes its way to the bottom of the board.
- Make 'em work: Although it's great to get rid of the orange pegs (it's the point of the game after all), the more you can do with each ball, the better. Can you score a free ball? Can you hit a purple peg along with the orange?
- Use the bounce: Try bouncing off of the side of the Free Ball Bucket to get low-lying pegs. Now try bouncing off the walls. Fun, huh?
- Think before you shoot: Remember, there's no timer, so there's no need to rush. Think through your options, make a plan, take a deep breath and fire. Your goal should be to hit at least three orange pegs on each shot.
- Practice: Yes, it's true. With practice, you can improve your ability to predict which way the ball will bounce. If you have extra balls left at the end of a level, use them to brush up on your skills!
- Get rid of obstacles: Peggle Masters know that if you have enough balls left, it's sometimes wiser to spend a shot clearing an obstacle than attempting a risky bank shot.
- Go for the slide: Since every curve and line is a bit different, there's no one surefire strategy, but, if you find the sweet spot, the slide can serve you well. In most cases, if you have a clear shot to the first brick in a line, you can aim parallel to the line and make the slide. You may have to get rid of a few key bricks to get the perfect shot.
Watch the Video
Timing
The biggest timing challenge is the Free Ball Bucket. Its reward, however, is well worth the time spent mastering the skill.
Free Ball tips:
- Go for free balls off of lower pegs since it's easier to gauge when and where the ball will drop.
- Always shoot the ball when the bucket is moving in the direction the ball will bounce.
- On your first shot, remember where you shoot and where the ball lands (and how close it is to the Free Ball Bucket). If you need to repeat the level, repeat the same shot, adjusting accordingly to land a free ball.
- Keep your eye on the Fevermeter. If you score 25,000, 75,000 or 125,000 on one shot, you'll get an extra ball.
- If you graze a peg or brick, the ball will generally keep moving in the same direction (and not bounce). Keep this in mind when timing Free Ball Bucket shots. Watch the video >>
TRY THIS! If the board is fairly empty and you have a couple of high pegs left, fire the ball toward a high peg when the Free Ball Bucket is in the middle of the screen and headed in the direction the ball will bounce. You won't always land a free ball, but this strategy should get you lots and lots of freebies. Watch the video >>
DID YOU KNOW? You can hold down the right mouse button any time the ball is not in play to speed up the Free Ball Bucket or any moving pegs (this comes in handy when you're waiting for something to get out of your way).
Scoring
To maximize your scoring potential, you need to understand the Peggle scoring structure. For each level, your overall score is: (total shot score) + (Fever score) + (style points). Your shot score is the total value of the pegs hit on a given shot (including the Fevermeter bonus) multiplied by the number of pegs hit. Let's look at an example.
On your first shot, you hit three oranges, two blues and one purple. Your subtotal would be 300 (100 x 3) + 20 (10 x 2) + 500 (500 x 1), which is 820 points. You hit a total of 6 pegs, so your final shot score would be 4,920 (820 points x 6 pegs). When your Fevermeter increases, each peg is worth more points.
A few more ways to score points:
- Leftover balls: You receive 10,000 points per ball left over.
- Extreme Fever: At the end of Fever, the ball drops into one of five Bonus Holes on the bottom of the screen and awards you 10,000, 50,000 or 100,000 points.
- Ultra Extreme Fever: Clear all pegs on the board, and all five point buckets will award 100,000 points. You'll also get a special All Pegs Cleared ribbon for that level. (Rumor has it that a secret rank of Peggle mastery awaits one who gets All Pegs Cleared ribbons for every board.)
- Style Points: These style shot points add to your overall level score but don't add directly to your shot score (so they won't help you get a free ball). They also contribute to your score in Duel Mode and, more importantly, toward the scoring challenges. Check out our Style Shot Guide.
You can find more strategies for high scores under Scoring Challenges.
