Slots with Wild Symbols Explained
With the ever-growing abundance of wild slot machines in the industry, it is hard to choose the most profitable one. In fact, before selecting such a game, it is worth drawing a distinct line between various types of additional free symbols presented in diverse slots. Fundamentally, you can find not only conventional wild symbols but also several special ones with each of them turning the gameplay into an entertaining and captivating process filled with numerous opportunities to win big money. Let us analyze the diverse kinds of wild symbols in a more detailed way. Here are only a few of the existing wilds slots:
- Among others, there may be a sticky symbol that can often be used instead of a doubling or tripling image availing more chances to use paylines offered in the game.
- You could also come across a shifty symbol, which is generally derived from the previously defined one. It is supposed to shift from one place to another up until it completely disappears, allowing you to get more rewards in the process.
- One more type of a bonus symbol is stacked icon, which can cover up some other images that might come out in the gameplay. This variant of a wild symbol is supposed to eventually cover the reel itself, allowing you to obtain much bigger winnings than you could imagine.
- Any wild symbol will definitely trigger your imagination, as you will expect to win much more than you would get without such icons. As a rule, any wild symbol can appear during the gameplay unexpectedly without any particular link to what is going on in the slot. For this reason, it is many times more exciting to come across a wild symbol throughout the game, as it is generally a big surprise that is quite unexpected.
Types of Wild Simbols
Slots have evolved to feature a number of different types of wilds, such as the shifting, stacking or expanding ones. Depending on their behavior, these wilds can award smaller or bigger prizes.
- Sticky wilds
These are the most popular and usually the most rewarding type of wilds. Sticky wilds stay in place during a series of spins, which means more chances for winning paylines. If they appear during a free spins round, which is common, they will remain “stuck” until the round is completed. You can see sticky wilds in action in BetSoft’s Mamma Mia! slot below.
- Shifting wilds
They are similar to the sticky ones, except they move horizontally across the reels until they disappear completely. Arguably less rewarding than the sticky ones, the shifting wilds can still help you complete many winning paylines. Spinomenal’s Divine Forest, pictured below, is a great example of a slot with shifting wilds.
- Stacked wilds
Stacked wilds appear multiple times on a single reel, sometimes filling it up. They are very common among video slots. Their winning potential is proportional to the space they cover on the reels. You can play around with stacked wilds in the IGT’s Western Belles slot.
- Expanding wilds
This type of wilds expand to cover an entire reel. They’re not only extremely profitable but they also usually come with great animations. A great slot where you can see expanding wilds in action, as well as admire the beautiful animations that come with them is 1×2 Gaming’s slot Sherlock’s Casebook.
- Multiplier wilds
If you’re extra lucky, you’ll come across a slot where wilds also double as multipliers. That means that your winnings can get doubled, tripled or multiplied by a larger figure. The winning potential of this type of wild is huge. Below you’ll find pictured NetEnt Mega Fortune slot, which features multiplier wilds.
- Reel specific wilds
Reel-specific wilds may be the least rewarding of the bunch, but they are still fun and valuable. These will only appear on certain reels and complete winning paylines from that position. In Red Rake Gaming’s slot Magic Wilds, pictured below, you’ll find this type of wilds perfectly illustrated.