Wild Features in Slot Games: Helpful and Innovative

You can hardly imagine a slot machine without Wild symbols. They have become indispensable in slot machines since they help players complete winning combinations by substituting for other symbols. Today, you can play more and more slot games where Wilds come with additional features making the game even more exciting and lucrative. Here is a list of Wild features you can benefit from while playing online slots.

Multiplier Wilds

Multiplier Wilds or Wild Multipliers are symbols that replace other symbols and add a multiplier to your winnings when contributing to them. You can find many games offering this feature that will double or triple your payouts. However, in some games, these symbols are even more lucrative as they award higher or accumulative multipliers that multiply themselves when included in a winning combo. A game that offers this feature is Coach Potato by Microgaming. Despite its straightforward rules, this classic slot comes equipped with Wild carrying a 5x multiplier. What’s more, if you manage to complete a winning combination with two Wilds, your payout will be multiplied by 25x.

Random/Floating Wilds

Just as their name suggests, this type of Wild symbols is added to the reels at random. It can be done during the base game or in the free spins feature. Depending on the provider, these Wilds may come under different names. A nice example of this feature is the Floating Wilds feature in Bollywood Story by NetEnt. The feature is present throughout the game turning between 2 and 4 randomly selected symbols into Wilds in the base game and adding between 3 and 6 Wilds to the reels during free spins.

Sticky Wilds

Sticky, Locked or Frozen Wilds are substitutes that stay in their position during a respin or throughout free spins. Once they appear on the reels, they stick to their position and remain in it for the duration of the feature. Sometimes, they can expand as well thus additionally boosting your winning chances. The game that has become huge with players thanks to Sticky Wilds is Dead or Alive by NetEnt. The Sticky Wild feature is active during free games with all Wilds hitting the reels held in their positions. What’s more, whenever you land Sticky Wild, you will get extra 5 free spins.

Stacked Wilds

These Wilds appear in stacks, meaning that they cover a reel they hit entirely. This can result in completing multiple winning combinations at once. They can also come under different names. For instance, the Microgaming slot Football Star offers so-called Striking Wilds. The feature is triggered at random and it can turn one of the three central reels into Wild. Another example of this feature comes in Immortal Romance, a widely popular game also released by Microgaming. The randomly triggered Wild Desire feature can turn up to five reels into Wilds.   

Expanding/Spreading Wilds

Just as their name says, Expanding Wilds are substitutes that expand when landing on the reels. In most cases, they expand when they can contribute to a win only. Guns n’ Roses by Microgaming is a video slot offering Expanding Wild that covers the reel fully to boost your winning chances. At some games, Wild can expand and stay in its position awarding a respin. Think about the legendary Starburst by NetEnt or Kawaii Kitty by Betsoft. Spreading Wild is a variation on this feature with Wilds spreading in different directions. In Legacy of the Wild, a Playtech video slot benefiting from collapsing reels, Wild spreads to adjacent positions in four directions on every collapse.

Stashed Wilds

In some games, you can have a free spins feature during which Wilds appearing on the reels are collected and added to the reels. In Wild Scarabs, a Microgaming video slot, the feature is called Stashed Wilds. All Wilds that don’t contribute to a winning combination are stored and once you collect 3 or more of these, they are added to random positions on the reels for a guaranteed win.

Shifting/Walking Wilds

The name of this feature is self-explanatory. You have Wilds that shift, walk or simply move one position to the left or right until they fall off the reels. The feature may vary from one game to another, but the principle is the same – Wilds stay on the reels to enhance your winning chances. Instead of turning Sticky, they change positions which can turn out to be even more rewarding. One of the slot machines offering so-called Walking Wilds is Halloween Jack, a NetEnt 2018 release. In this slot, Wild trebles your winnings and awards respins during which it moves one reel to the left. Respins are awarded as long as Wild is on the reels. The feature is active during free games as well. In addition, you can trigger one of three Wild extras including 2 and 3 symbols high Stacked Wilds and a Wild Reel moving one reel left on every free spin.