From their beginnings, slot machines have experienced product evolution with new and exciting features being designed to keep the player experience fresh and engaging. One of the most exciting features that has gained popularity and reward is the expanding wilds. We will cover the mechanics of expanding wilds and how they work in addition to the potential to increase your win significantly! Unlock the mystery of Hex, where every spell casts a new enchantment and power!
Understanding Wild Symbols:
Speaking of expanding wilds, before we get into that, let’s first understand the function that wild symbols have in the traditional slot machines. Wild symbols are special symbols that can replace any other symbol (except scatter symbols) to create winning paylines. The overall gameplay experience will be improved as this will increase the chances of landing the winning combinations.
What are Expanding Wilds?
The type of wild symbol we have here are expanding wilds, which, when they show up on the reels, increase in size to cover the entire reel, or multiple reels. This greatly enhances the likelihood of hitting several winning lines, resulting in monumental payouts.
How Expanding Wilds Work:
Bringing home the Wild: When a wild symbol expands across multiple slots, it usually makes the entire reel to achieve the activated dimension.
Activating Re-spins or Free Spins: In many instances, expanding wilds activate re-spins or free spins, offering players extra chances to form winning combinations.
Dragger Feature: Some expanding wilds might feature drags, dragging the wild across the reel on which it appears.
Stacked Wilds – In certain games, expanding wilds can appear “stacked” on top of one another to cover multiple positions on the reel.
Types of Expanding Wilds:
Reel-Filling Wilds: These wilds spread to fill the entire reel they land on.
Stacked Wilds: When stacked wilds appear on the reels, they will be stacked on each other, covering multiple positions.
Moving Wilds: These wilds can shift from one place on the reels to another during a spin or after a win, allowing to create new winning combinations.
Sticky Wilds — These wilds stay in position for next spins or free spins, which increases the chance for even more wins.
Wilds Triggered Randomly: A few games randomly trigger the expanding wilds, creating surprise and excitement.
Games With Expanding Wilds: Examples:
Starburst (NetEnt) — This classic slot comes with expanding wilds that can expand both ways and help you get even more wins.
Gonzo’s Quest (NetEnt): Another volume game that features a right to left winning mechanic where winning symbols are taken out and new ones fall into the void creating the opportunity for consecutive wins, often helped along by sticky wilds. Discover the legendary allure of the Dragon Pearl, where ancient magic and untold riches await
Immortal Romance (Microgaming): This vampire-themed slot boasts expanding wilds along with four different free spins bonus rounds, each highlighting unique free spins features and expanding wild traits.
Benefits of Expanding Wilds:
Wilds play critical roles in many video and slot games, making them the best to win big.
Exciting Mechanics: The ability for wilds to expand adds more engagement, variety, and excitement to the game.
One-of-a-kind Winning Compositions: Expanding wilds make for one-of-a-kind winning compositions that three-reel slot machines are not able to create, leading to a more dynamic and engaging gaming experience.
Wild Expansion & Bonus Features: Many games that feature wild expansion, have that as one of the triggers inside the slot to activate bonus features like re-spins, free spins and multipliers.
How To Play Slot Games Featuring Expanding Wilds:
Understand the Paytable: Each game has its own set of rules regarding how expanding wilds work, including their payouts, so always review the paytable carefully.
Play on Expanding Wilds with Multipliers: Find slots with expanding wilds that come with multipliers to boost wins.
Take Advantage Of Free Spins: Make use of free spin bonuses to increase your odds of triggering expanding wilds and boosting your payouts. Witness the awe-inspiring Rise of Atlantis, where ancient wonders and secrets resurface from the depths!
Bet Responsibly: Keep in mind to bet responsibly and within your means.
Conclusion:
One of the innovation gaming features linked to online slots is the expansion of wilds, making the online slot gaming experience dynamic and vibrant. So, having some knowledge on how expanding wilds function and knowing the optimal strategies when playing with them will help enhance your gaming experience and maximise your chances of winning. But you also have to remember to bet responsibly and not beyond your means.