Let’s be honest. We’ve all, at some point, dreamt about being a knight. And not just any knight – the Knight, the one that saves the day and gets all the attention (and the girl). The 21st century may not offer that opportunity, but ELK Studios’ Avalon Gold certainly does. If you have a taste for danger and only feel alive when your heart is about to burst from adrenaline, join Kane’s grand venture and experience true knighthood! Destiny awaits…
A map to Avalon
Before joining the fray and getting lost in the adventure, you’ll need some explanation. Avalon may hide treasure, but it doesn’t lack danger. So, for this eerie place, we’ve made a tailored map that will aid you on your journey.
Of course, we’re starting with the basics – Avalon Gold has 6 reels and 4-8 rows depending on which stage of the game you’re in. We already warned you, but we’ll do so again, the game is definitely not for the faint of heart. Its volatility is incredibly high, which means that you’ll be playing with exponentially high risk, but you’ll also have a chance to earn massive rewards. But you know what they say: ‘The bigger the challenge, the sweeter the victory.
For context, the victory we’re implying can be realised in anywhere from 4096 to 262,144 paylines. The max payout a player can get is 25000x the size of their initial bet. It’s simple – high risk, high reward. Nevertheless, the estimated RTP is around 94%, placing Avalon Gold below the 96% necessary for ideal gaming sessions. The minimum bet is set at €0.20 whereas the maximum allowed bet is €100.
But before you’ve thrown Avalon Gold in the ‘Generic games’ pile, let us introduce you to its multitude of features. Come along, the realm awaits…
Symbols
If you intend to win in any Video Slot, you’ll first need to know the core symbols the game uses. Avalon Gold has them divided into 3 groups: Low-value, Mid-value and High-value symbols.
The Low-value symbols are the ones that you’ll encounter most frequently but don’t pay much. They are the A, K, Q and J. If you land a Low-value six-of-a-kind, you’ll be awarded 0.3x the amount of your bet. As you can see, you won’t make a fortune chasing Low-value symbols.
The Mid-value symbols appear as intricately-designed animals, namely a Stag, Wolf, Eagle and Serpent. You needn’t dig deeply into their significance. All you ought to know is that a Mid-value six-of-a-kind will give you 0.8x-1x the size of your initial bet. You don’t need to be a genius to figure out whether that one is worth the hassle…
Finally, the High-value symbols are the Purple, Green and Blue Masks along with Kane himself. You’d think that given the name, they would actually, you know, bring value. However, a High-value six-of-a-kind will amount to 2x-5x the bet you’ve placed. All in all, it could be a lot better.
Big Symbols
Another frequent occurrence at Avalon Gold is the Big Symbols. They are precisely what the name suggests – Big. Depending on the size you find – 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4 – they’ll either be in Super, Mega or Epic variations. According to the predefined paylines, each will constitute a different reward.
Avalanche Feature
Whenever you achieve a winning way, the Avalanche Feature will be activated. What it does, simply explained, is that it removes the combinations from the game grid. Afterwards, new symbols fall down to fill the gaps and an extra row is added to the game. The more Avalanches are triggered, the more rows will be added until the previously-mentioned maximum of 8 is reached. In the base game, if no more wins occur, the grid will return to its original size and the next spin will begin.
Expanding Wilds
Avalon Gold also offers the Expanding Wilds feature. Basically, if a symbol lands on top of a Gold Frame and the spaces above it happen to be free, the empty gaps will be filled with a plentitude of Expanding Wilds.
Mystery Box Feature
So far, so good, only we feel like the real adventure is lacking. And that’s why Avalon Gold has the Mystery Box Feature. Let’s be honest, anything with the word ‘mystery’ instantaneously grabs a hold of our attention. We, as humans, can never resist the sweet, alluring pull of the unknown.
Mystery Boxes can land anywhere on the reels. If at least 5 of them are simultaneously on the game grid, the Mystery Box Feature will be triggered. Otherwise, the Mystery Box symbols are, more or less, worthless and will only serve as fillers.
When a Mystery Box is opened, however, it can reveal a Pay symbol, a Wild or even trigger one of the Avalon Features. Avalon Feature?! Easy there, eager beaver, we’ll break it down for you. The Avalon Features include:
- The Coin – a Coin Win symbol that acts as a multiplier for your the bet;
- Multipliers – they *gasp* multiply the amount of any revealed coins;
- The Swiper – adds 1 to the front of a previously revealed coin value;
- The Collect – collects coin values in view and re-triggers the Mystery Boxes;
- Redrop – gives another symbol drop and guarantees reactivation of Mystery Boxes on the grid.
Free Drop
The Free Drop Bonus round can be activated when 3, 4, 5 or 6 Scatter Symbols land in order to award 10, 15, 20, or 25 Free Drops, respectively. During Free Spins, the Mystery Boxes persist until they can be activated. A minimum of 5 is needed so that activation can commence. The Mystery Boxes will be removed when the Avalanche Feature is over.
At the beginning of the round, you will be playing with only 4 rows. After winning spins, the safety level increases by 1 row, after which the next Free Round fills up the entire grid. This process will continue until an 8-row grid is reached. The Free Spins can be retriggered.
X-iter
In certain situations, players can enter bonus mode and select one of several options.
- Big Symbol – You can purchase one spin with a guaranteed Big Symbol for an amount equal to 5x your bet;
- Expanding Wild – You can buy a single spin with a guaranteed Expanding Wild for 10x the size of your bet;
- Mystery Boxes – A spin with 5 guaranteed Mystery Boxes can be bought for 50x the amount of your bet;
- Bonus – Entrance to the Bonus game can be purchased for 100x the bet;
- Super Bonus – If you pay 500x the size of your bet, you’ll enter a Bonus game where the Mystery Boxes are persistent throughout.
The RTP for all of them will remain the same as for the base game. However, the paid options don’t seem like the most profitable ones out there. Perhaps, it would be better if you stuck to free play and relied on your luck.
Bottom Line
Congratulations, honourable knights, you made it to the end of our guide. If you’ve had the patience and resilience to read along, then you’ll be equipped with everything you need to conquer Avalon Gold. With various features like Expanding Wilds and Mystery Boxes, the game can definitely prove to be a challenge. However, if you have the heart of a lion and the mentality of a warrior, you will handle anything Avalon Gold throws your way. So, what are you waiting for? Claim your destiny!