Forging Wilds

Forging Wilds Slot Review

Slot Provider: Pragmatic Play

RTP: 96.52% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 10,000x

Our Score: 7.2

Play at Grand Ivy Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Forging Wilds

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 2nd August 2024

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Forging Wilds by Pragmatic Play invites you right into the heart of a Viking forge, with armour and heavy hitting hammers on the reels. The slot is played on 5 reels and 3 rows, with 20 paylines. With high volatility and a max win of 10,000x your bet, this slot will appeal to those chasing big payouts. It’s a simple slot with one core feature – the forged wilds stick in place for re-spins with multipliers added to them, and in the free spins round up to 15 random wilds are added to the reels with each spin. Play from 20p.

Forging Wilds Game Information

  • Release Date: 26.08.24
  • RTP: 96.52% | 95.51% | 94.46%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 10,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 3
  • Paylines: 20
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Viking
  • Features: Free SpinsRe-SpinsWilds
  • Format: 5-Reel

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Forging Wilds

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

Test spins and results analysis by Mark Wadie.

Results from 250 spins for free on Forging Wilds on Pragmatic Play’s test servers.

  • Stake Size: 1
  • Start balance: 100,000
  • End balance: 99,845.75
  • Hit Rate: 23.2% (58 winning spins in 250)
  • Biggest Win: 18.35x
  • Bonus Round: 0

Forging Wilds has a cool atmosphere, with the echoing sound of the blacksmith’s hammer, furnace-like backdrop and orchestral score. I enjoyed that and it gives a good sense of drama to your spins.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite matched in the gameplay.

The win rate is fine at 23.2%, roughly in in 4 or 5 spins producing a win, but the I only saw the Forged Wilds – the main even in the base game – 5 times in 250 spins, or 1 in 50 spins on average. That meant the session dragged a bit.  Also, to get any value from the Forged Wilds you need to get a run of 4 or 5 re-spins going and good multiplier values in there too. That only happened once, producing a win of 18.35x thanks to 5 re-spins and multipliers of 3x and 4x.

Forging Wilds Re-Spins
An 18.35x win from the Forging Wilds feature

It’s a nice feature, but in this event it dropped too rarely, and with too little impact. I didn’t crack the free spins round either which itself looks very powerful. Had I done that, I might feel differently as it brings a lot more wilds to the reels. This is all evidence of the volatile nature of the game. It will requires a lot of patience. Whether you have that will depend on whether you feel the production is enough to carry the game through those slower spells.

What We Liked

  • A simple slot, easy to follow
  • Re-spins with progressive multipliers when wilds lock in place
  • Nice 10,000x max win to play for
  • Fun theme for fans of Norse and Viking slots

What We Didn't like

  • Some slot sites run at lower RTPs
  • Main Forging Wilds feature didn't appear enough

Forging Wilds Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 8
  • RTP and Variance 7
  • Maximum Win 7
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 6

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Great atmosphere, but the one multiplier wild feature on show lacks the power to really elevate this game to the top level"

Overall Score: 7.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

The ideas factory at Pragmatic Play has been pumping out new things again, this time a blacksmithing slot. Forging wilds has a fairly unusual subject matter, but feels kind of similar to a handful of other mediaeval, fantasy, viking slots. 

Forging Wilds by Pragmatic Play
Forging Wilds Game Screen

The game is set in what seems to be a castle with lots of forge tools and a distinctly Viking-esque character. The graphics have a beautiful glow, with lots of light and shadow. It feels properly ‘finished’, especially with the intricate metal knotwork surrounding the reels.

RTP and Variance

Our Score 7

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Like many Pragmatic Play titles, this game has different options for RTP. The default is a perfectly respectable 96.52%, but operators can also choose to set the RTP to 95.51% or 94.46%. It’s worth checking that you’re playing with the default, as the other two are a little on the low side. 

The volatility on this game is also high, so make sure you’ve got a generous bankroll to see you through any dry spells.

Maximum Win

Our Score 7

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

A top payout of 10,000x is certainly not a prize any of us would be annoyed to win, but there are a few games that offer a larger max win. 

If you’re searching for massive prizes and don’t mind taking a hit to RTP then Templar Tumble 2 Dream Drop has a similar mediaeval/fantasy theme and has a non-progressive max win of 20,000x the bet, plus a progressive jackpot too.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

Forging Wilds is played on 5 reels and 3 rows with 20 paylines. Wins are made by matching at least three symbols, running from the leftmost reel to the right. 

Forging Wilds Paytable
Forging Wilds with 40x for 5 top paying premiums

The game features 10 pay symbols in total, plus a wild and a scatter. The lower value symbols are the J, Q, K, and A card ranks, which award 2x to 2.5x the bet for a line of five. The premium symbols include an Air Blower, Anvil, Helmet, and a Warrior character. These symbols pay between 10x to 40x the bet for a line of five matching symbols. 

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 6

The gameplay in Forging Wilds, as the name suggests, revolves mostly around wilds. The mechanics are pretty interesting though, so let’s take a look at them.

Wilds

The Wild symbol, which can appear on any reel, has the same value as the Warrior, paying 40x the bet for five and substituting for all regular symbols to help complete winning combinations.

Forging Wilds

Sometimes, after a wild symbol has made a win it might become ‘forged’. If it does, you get a respin with this wild locked in its place and a +1 added to its multiplier. The forged wild might remain after the respin, in which case you get another (and another, and another) until there are no more forged wilds on the reels. 

Tip: Wild multipliers only apply to winning combinations that the wild itself is part of. In the case that more than one wild with a multiplier is included in a single winning combo then their multipliers are added together.

Forging Wild Respins

If you hit 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols you begin the free spins feature with 5, 10, or 15 wild symbols respectively in a ‘pool’. On each respin, a random number of these pooled wilds will be added to the reels in random positions.

These wilds can also become forged and the round ends when the pool of wilds is empty and no forged wilds remain on the reels. You can also get an additional 5, 10, or 15 wilds added to the pool by hitting 3, 4, or 5 scatters in this round.

The Final Verdict

The Forging Wilds slot does as the name suggests, offering a couple of interesting mechanics that all revolve around wilds. The fact that you get a respin until the forged wilds are no longer forged is a great touch, that means you get a lot more bang for your buck. The multipliers are handy too, again edging you closer to that 10,000x top prize.

The graphics are the thing that sets this game apart from poorer competitors. Everything feels super polished, and the theme, although a little unusual, feels cohesive. Overall, it’s a solid slot with some fun features and a top prize that’s worth shooting for.

Useful Tips When Playing Forging Wilds

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. It’s All About The Wilds

Watch for these locking in place on any spin to give you a re-spin with multipliers.

2. Look For The Blue Hammer Symbol

This is the scatter and THREE or more landing on one spin triggers the free spins round.

3. Check The RTP Before You Play For Real

Some slot sites will run this game at less than optimum RTP rate. Load up the game rules page and check there before you spin to be sure you are getting good value.

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.

Who Made Forging Wilds?

  • Name: Pragmatic Play
  • Established: 2015
  • UK License: Remote 046683-R-325951-014
  • Total Games: 500 +
  • Known For: Wide range of themes and styles, live casino including gameshow formats, and bingo
  • Popular Slots: Fruit Party, Dog House Megaways, Big Bass Bonanza, Release the Kraken
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