Wild Symbols Guide

Due to their excellence, naturally, Wild Symbols also transferred to online slots. You can think of the Wild as the Joker in playing cards. This is the symbol that will help you create wins whenever needed, as it will substitute for other symbols in the formation of a winning combo.

The Wild has evolved a lot since its first appearance, and as you’ll soon learn, it can take many shapes and forms, to eventually take you to those much-wanted big wins.

What Does the Wild Do?

The Wild is the most-appreciated symbol by slot players. It is the symbol that has the power to substitute for any symbol in the formation of winning combos. In the past, the rule of thumb was that Wilds can replace all regular symbols, but not Scatters or other special symbols like Free Spins symbol or any other Bonus symbol. Nowadays, however, you will also find slots where the Wild replaces literally all symbols, with no exceptions.

To put it in simpler words, imagine landing matching symbols on reels 2 and 3, and a Wild on reel 4. Thanks to its ability to substitute for regular symbols, the Wild will help you scoop the prize for a spin that wouldn’t have resulted in a win otherwise.

But, the Wild in contemporary slots also has a value of its own; this means that in most slots, Wilds will be capable to deliver winning combos with their own symbols. As if that wasn’t enough, in most cases, Wilds that have a value of their own also are among the highest-paying symbols in the respective slots.

How Does the Wild Make an Appearance?

Even though it depends on the slot you’re playing, usually, Wilds land at random, just like normal, regular symbols. In some slots, they can only appear on some reels, either the middle reels, reels 1 and 5, or in an entirely different combination. In some games, Wilds only appear in the bonus round or another special feature the slot offers.

You would need to go to the slot’s Paytable to learn more about the specific Wilds in that particular slot and figure out where to expect them to land.

Most Common Types of Wilds

As mentioned, the Wild in the past had one role only; to substitute for regular symbols in the creation of winning combos. Nowadays, however, it can come with all kinds of different powers to provide you with the best possible win.

We said that compared to the Wilds from the past, Wilds now can have values on their own, and substitute for special symbols, too, in some games. But you should also expect the following common types of Wilds to appear in different modern slots:

Multiplier Wilds

These are Wilds that, whenever they land, they hold a Multiplier value. Whenever you hit a winning combo with that Wild as a substitute, that win would be multiplied by the Multiplier value in sight.

Expanding Wilds

These are Wilds that have the ability to expand and cover the entire reel they landed on, transforming every position on that reel to a Wild symbol, contributing to more than one win.

Stacked Wilds

Similar to the Expanding Wilds, these are Wild symbols that land one on top of the other on the reel they landed on, again, covering the entire reel and making all positions on that reel Wild.

Sticky Wilds

These are Wilds that have the capacity to remain on the reels in the exact same place they landed on, over the next or multiple spins, helping you form consecutive wins.

Shifting or Walking Wilds

These are similar to Sticky Wilds, only instead of sticking into one position on the reel, they have the ability to move horizontally across the reels. Since they normally appear in the Free Spins round, expect them to shift from one reel to another on each spin, until they disappear from the grid or the Free Spins end.