Expanding Wilds are a feature found in slot machines and online slot games. They are a type of wild symbol that appears on the reels, expanding to cover the entire reel. This expansion can occur vertically or horizontally, depending on the game design. This increases the player’s chances of forming potential winning combinations by substituting for other symbols on the reels, similar to a standard wild symbol.
Expanding Wilds can create multiple winning lines across the slot machine’s paylines. This feature is popular in many online slot games due to its ability to boost excitement and potential rewards for players.
When an Expanding Wild appears, it can stretch to cover one or more reels entirely, turning every symbol on that reel into a wild. The expanded wild can then help form multiple combinations simultaneously. For example, if an Expanding Wild covers a reel that completes several paylines, all those wins are added to the player’s balance.
These wilds typically appear at random during gameplay, although some games may restrict them to specific reels or require them to land in highlighted areas to trigger their expanding feature. The excitement of Expanding Wild lies in its ability to transform a simple spin into something more, especially during bonus rounds where multiple reels may expand at once.
There are also different types of wilds that some types of slot games include, with each of them being very different. For instance, Stacked Wilds occupy multiple positions on a reel from the start, while Expanding Wilds grow after landing. Sticky Wilds remain in place for subsequent spins, while Expanding Wilds only expand when they appear. Finally, Grouped Wilds land together but do not expand, only occupying fixed positions on the reels.
Notable slot games with Expanding Wilds include 1429 Uncharted Seas, with an Expanding Wild in the form of a boat being attacked by a sea serpent, Fate of Fortune, where the wild expands horizontally to fill an entire line, Wild Blood, where the wild is used to expand the game’s vampiric narrative, and Starburst, a classic game that also sticks to a classic type of a Wild system.
