What are Wild symbols and why are they so important in slot games?

Without doubt, the most important feature of modern slot games, by a country mile in my view, is the Wild symbol. That may sound strange given that Scatters can unlock Free Spins bonus games that can prove to be very lucrative, or there are progressive jackpot games available that have huge progressive jackpot prizes to be won.

However, while the Wild may not offer some of the huge wins available in those other bonuses, the sheer frequency of which they trigger makes them a players most valuable ally on a slot game.

However, over the years Wilds have developed from the standard type of Wild, into many different forms. In this article we are going to take a look at those different types of Wild found in games and then we will also list some of the games you can find them in.

Types of Wilds in slot games

Standard Wild

A standard Wild is a symbol which replaces another symbol on the reels in the game. These are often placed on the reels singly, or in pairs and can be combined with one or more symbols to land wins in the base game and during Free Spins.

In all of the different types of Wilds outlined below, Wilds serve as substitutes for other symbols to help players land one or more wins on spins.

Stacked Wilds

The sporting 'star' series of games from Microgaming are all great examples of how Stacked Wild bonuses work. In these games there are smaller stacks and super-sized stacks of Wild symbols on the reels. Obviously, the greater the size of the stack, then the more chance you have of filling a reel completely with Wilds and of course, this offers you more flexibility of how to win, especially if you have landed other Stacked Wilds on other reels.

Stacks of Wilds can range in size from 2 or 3 up to 20, 30 or even more. On occasion, you may see an entire reel turn Wild as part of a bonus trigger in the game (although this is probably more an Expanding Wild as we explain in the selection below).

When landed together on the reels, Stacked Wilds can allow players some cracking value wins, especially when landed on two of the first three reels.

Expanding Wilds

In the video you can see Expanding Wilds at work in the Atlantean Treasures Mega Moolah slot game. Expanding Wilds as the name suggests, Expand on the reels to fill the reel up completely when they land. Often they will trigger a Free Respin (as they do in Atlantean Treasures), but in other games, they may just expand on the reels in the hope of triggering a win for the player on that spin.

Expanding Wilds are hugely beneficial when landed together across the reels, especially when landed on the second and third reels of a slot. Many games only allow Expanding Wilds on the middle three reels, rather than across all reels, but even so, they can still be a very beneficial feature for the player when they land in multiple numbers.

Expanding Wilds have been used popularly on 10-pay line, win both ways slots for some time now, with one Free Respin when landed. This game format has proven to be very popular with players and is available on games like Atlantean Treasures, Aurora Wilds and Banana Odyssey.

Sticky Wilds

Sticky Wilds are Wilds that are placed on the reels as a result of a spin or of a bonus triggering. They then remain on the reels for a stated number of spins (usually it is around 3 spins or respins, but can be a greater number than this on some games).

Some bonus features feature Sticky Wild Respins, which allows you to respin the reels to see if you can add further Sticky Wilds to those you have already collected. The more Sticky Wilds you can land on the reels, then the greater the potential return is for the player.

Multiplier Wilds

Multiplier Wilds are exactly what they sound like. They are a Wild that when landed as part of a paying win, will multiply that value of a win by a set amount. In many games, Wilds come with a multiplier attached as standard in the base game (Mega Moolah slot is a good example of this with the Lion Wild offering a 2x win on base game wins).

In some games, multiplier wilds can have varying amounts applied to them, often decided at random when you click the button to start the spin. In others, the amounts are set at predetermined amounts.

One feature to look for with Multiplier Wilds is whether they accumulate or not on a spin. For example, in some games if you land a 2x Wild Multiplier with a 3x Wild Multiplier, you will be paid out at 6x the standard bet amount. On other games, it may just be the standard multiplier amount that you win.

Shifting/Random Wilds

One of the less commonly used Wild symbols on the reels is the Shifting Wild or Moving Wild. These Wilds appear on reels in games either from spins or through a bonus triggering. When they do, they will then move on the reels for set number of spins afterwards. Their movement can be across the reel, from one reel to the next, before the fall off the screen, or they can be random moves around the reels for a set number of spins.

On some games, Wilds on these reels can then trigger additional bonus features if certain conditions are met in the game and as with all wilds, the more you land on the reel at any one time, generally the more favourable the outcome for the player.

Wild Scatters

Some games, although they are generally rare, allow their Wild symbols to also be used as substitute for Scatter symbols. Of the relatively few games that allow this, perhaps the Absolootly Mad Mega Moolah slot is one of the best-known recent releases.

Most slot games stipulate that their Wild symbol will substitute for all symbols, but not the Scatter. Some games may also stipulate other symbols are not substitutable for a wild, but on rare occasions, you can find games where the Wild will double as a Scatter.

In the case of Absolootly Mad, you need to land one Scatter or two Scatters with two or one Wilds respectively in order to trigger the Free Spins bonus round. You must land at least one Scatter with the Wilds for the bonus round to trigger.

This is possibly one of the rarest uses of Wilds in slot games and it is only infrequently that games are released with Wild Scatters on the reels.

Games using multiple types of Wilds

In some games, and including many of the very popular slots, you may find that many different wilds are used in different parts of the game. In the new Aurora Beast Hunter slot, for example, you can access a number of different types of Wild outlined above within the base game and in the bonus rounds.

However, in some older games like the perennially popular Thunderstruck 2, you will find that the Free Spins bonus game will each have their own wild bonus attached to them which changes as you progress through the triggers and unlock more of the Free Spins bonus rounds.

Games that use multiple types of Wild either in the base game or in bonus features have been around a while and there are more of them than you would think. Many very popular games, such as Immortal Romance and its sequel, Immortal Creatures, have different Wilds in play in the game.

Wilds are a fundamental aspect of most slot games and it is rare nowadays for a slot to be released that does not feature one or more of the Wilds outlined above. They may not offer the riches of some of the other bonuses you can find on slot games, but the sheer number of times they trigger mean they are of huge value to players.