Symbol mechanics guide
A wild usually substitutes for ordinary paying symbols. A scatter can pay outside paylines or unlock a feature. The exact paytable decides both roles, including every exception.
Use this table to compare the published facts that distinguish each slot: provider, RTP, volatility, max win, and the main reason to open the full review.
| Slot | Provider | RTP | Volatility | Max win | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Dead1–10 adjustable paylines | Play'n GO | 96.21% top configuration | Very high (provider scale 10) | 5,000x listed top combination | a direct, very-high-volatility expanding-symbol feature |
| Dead or Alive 29 fixed paylines | NetEnt | 96.80% | High (current Evolution page) | 1,600x / 100,000x current-page conflict | three distinct high-volatility free-spin modes |
| Starburst10 fixed paylines, both ways | NetEnt | 96.08% / 96.09% official pages | Low / Mid (Evolution page) | 800x bet (current NetEnt page) | simple both-ways paylines and expanding-wild respins |
| Wild West Gold40 fixed paylines | Pragmatic Play | 96.51% | High | 6,750x bet | players who want a clear western slot with sticky wilds |
| Sherlock's Casebook25 fixed paylines | 1X2gaming | 96.00% | Medium | 1,600x bet | players who want a simple detective slot with sticky wild free spins |
| Gates of Olympus8+ matching symbols anywhere | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% | High (provider release) | 5,000x bet (current USD demo) | readers comparing high-volatility tumbles, multiplier rules, and free-spin retriggers |
| Recycle RichesCluster pays | BGaming | 96.14% | High | 10,000x bet | players who want cluster cascades with two multiplier systems |
| Immortal Romance243 ways | Microgaming | 96.86% | High | 12,150x bet | players who like gothic themes and layered free-spin progression |
A wild is normally part of win formation: it substitutes for one or more paying symbols under the game's rules. A scatter follows its own paytable entry and can award a separate payout, trigger a feature, or do both without following an ordinary payline.
Those are common roles, not universal rules. Some wilds appear only on selected reels, some cannot replace a scatter, and some scatters need exact reel positions. The in-game help and paytable control the answer for the title and version in front of you.
The simplest wild fills a gap in an ordinary winning combination. Variants can then add a second job: an expanding wild covers a reel, a sticky wild remains for later spins, and a multiplier wild increases a win it helps complete.
Starburst uses expanding wild reels to award respins without a separate free-spins round. Dead or Alive 2 starts with substituting wilds, then changes their behavior across three bonus modes. The symbol name alone therefore says less than its reel limits, persistence, and multiplier rules.
A scatter may count anywhere on the visible grid instead of tracing a fixed line. The number that lands can determine a separate payout, the number of awarded spins, or whether a feature opens at all. Other games restrict scatters to particular reels or use a bonus symbol with similar trigger rules.
Book of Dead shows why labels need care: its book symbol acts as both wild and scatter. Dead or Alive 2 pays for two or more scatters and opens free spins from three. Gates of Olympus uses four scatters to start its feature, while its multiplier symbols are a separate mechanic rather than wilds.
Sticky wilds remain in place for a stated part of a feature. Expanding wilds cover more positions or a full reel. Multiplier wilds increase the value of a qualifying win, but the rules decide whether several multipliers add, multiply, or only apply to their own line or reel.
Wild West Gold attaches 2x, 3x, or 5x values to wilds and keeps them sticky during free spins. Sherlock's Casebook uses a simpler sticky Watson wild. Recycle Riches ties a separate multiplier to wilds on each reel, which makes its cluster grid a different comparison again.
A scatter is one special symbol. Paylines, ways, Cluster Pays, and pay-anywhere rules describe how ordinary matching symbols form wins across the board. A slot can use one of those payout systems and still add a separate scatter trigger.
Keep the ordinary win rule, the special-symbol rule, and the bonus rule separate. That makes it easier to compare two reviews without assuming that similar words create the same mathematics or feature timing.
These regulator and provider pages support the definitions and checks used in this guide. Individual review facts still come from the sources listed on each review.
Play'n GO
Book of Dead pairs a 96.21% top RTP configuration with provider-scale very high volatility, 1–10 paylines, and retriggering expanding-symbol free spins.
NetEnt
Dead or Alive 2 is a high-volatility NetEnt western with 9 fixed paylines, 30% hit frequency, and three selectable free-spin modes.
NetEnt
Starburst keeps its 5x3 grid and expanding-wild respins simple, but its two official catalogue pages currently differ by 0.01 percentage points on RTP.
Pragmatic Play
Wild West Gold is a 5x4 western slot with 40 paylines, multiplier wilds, and sticky-wild free spins that make it more direct than the heavier western slots around it.
1X2gaming
Sherlock's Casebook is a medium-volatility 1X2gaming detective slot with 25 fixed paylines, up to 20 free spins, sticky Watson wilds, 96.00% RTP, and a 1,600x max win.
Pragmatic Play
The original Gates of Olympus combines 96.50% RTP, provider-described high volatility, 8+ pays-anywhere tumbles, and multiplier symbols worth up to 500x.
Usually not, but exceptions exist. Check the paytable because the rules must say which symbols a wild can replace.
Often they count anywhere on the visible grid, but some titles require particular reels or positions. The game's rules define the trigger and payout.
No. Sticky wilds remain in place, expanding wilds cover more positions, and multiplier wilds increase qualifying wins under title-specific rules.