Dead West – Colossal Grid Action with Growing Multipliers and Feature Chaos

NetEnt is throwing players into a dark, lawless frontier in Dead West, where the dead don't stay buried and the reels are haunted by skull-faced outlaws. This high-octane slot is built on a massive 7×7 grid and utilizes the Scatter Pays win mechanic, where wins trigger an Avalanche™ effect. With a high potential max win of 10,863x the bet, this game offers a chaotic, feature-filled journey into the Wild West.

The Base Game: Hot Zones and Feature Lane Chaos

The base game thrives on two interconnected mechanics: the Hot Zones and the Feature Lane chaos:

Hot Zones: At the start of every spin, at least two random reel positions are marked as Hot Zones with a red frame, each carrying a random starting multiplier of x1, x2, or x3.

• If a symbol inside a Hot Zone is part of a win, the win's payout is multiplied by the combined value of all Hot Zone multipliers involved.

• Crucially, after the win and before the next Avalanche, each used Hot Zone multiplier increases by 1. This allows multipliers to grow significantly throughout Avalanche chains.

• These Hot Zone positions and their multipliers carry over into the Free Spins bonus.

The Feature Lane: Located above the main reels, the Feature Lane is home to Special Symbols that drop onto the grid when an Avalanche clears the symbol directly below them. This unleashes one of five chaotic features:

• Bomb: Explodes, removing all adjacent symbols (except Scatters, Wilds, Swap, and unused multipliers) and triggers a new Avalanche.

• Swap: Transforms itself and all adjacent symbols into the same symbol, guaranteeing a scattered match. If a symbol is affected by two Swap features, it transforms into a Wild.

• Multiply: Multiplies all multipliers on its own reel and adjacent reels by its value (x2 or x3).

• Expand: Turns its position into a Hot Zone, or upgrades an existing Hot Zone. Upgraded Hot Zones increase their multiplier by +1 on a win. The ultimate Persistent Hot Zone not only increases its multiplier by +1 on a win but also adds the sum of all adjacent multipliers to its total.

• Expand+: Similar to Expand, but turns its position and up to 8 adjacent positions into Hot Zones, offering widespread multiplier creation and upgrades.

Free Spins and Super Free Spins Showdown

The bonus round is triggered by landing 3 or more Scatter symbols, awarding 5 to 12 free spins depending on the number of Scatters (3 Scatters = 5 spins; 6 Scatters = 12 spins).

• Carry Over: The Hot Zones and their multiplier values from the base game carry over into the bonus.

• Active Features: All Special Features, including the Avalanche™ mechanic, remain active, ensuring sustained chaos and multiplier growth.

• Retrigger: Landing 3 or more Scatters during the bonus will retrigger the same number of extra spins, keeping the showdown going.

• Super Free Spins: This ultimate bonus is guaranteed to start with all positions on the Feature Lane filled with Special symbols, ensuring maximum feature chaos from the very first spin.

Chasing Carnage with the Elevate Feature

The Elevate Feature allows players to buy directly into specific volatility levels and bonuses:

• Feature Lane Max (5x bet): Guarantees the Feature Lane is filled with Special symbols on every spin, maximizing feature activations.

• Hot Zone Frenzy (30x bet): Guarantees every position on the reels is highlighted as a Hot Zone from the start of the spin, setting up massive multiplier potential.

• Free Spins (100x bet): Guaranteed activation of the standard Free Spins round.

• Super Free Spins (300x bet): Guaranteed activation of the Super Free Spins round with a fully loaded Feature Lane.

Final Verdict: Is Dead West a Must-Play? (Personal Insight)

Dead West is a wild, complex, and incredibly compelling slot that fully embraces the chaos of the Wild West setting. While the Scatter Pays mechanic on a 7×7 grid provides ample opportunity for wins, the true thrill comes from the multiplier system.

The way Hot Zone multipliers grow with every single win they participate in during an Avalanche sequence creates fantastic snowball potential. Combine that with the Feature Lane symbols—like Expand+, which can instantly turn nine spots into Hot Zones—and you have a recipe for explosions of high-value payouts. The 30x Hot Zone Frenzy buy option is the standout feature for me, offering a chance to start a spin with a maximum multiplier grid, instantly setting the stage for a massive score. This is a game for players who love high volatility and dynamic, interconnected features that promise massive chain reactions.