- The latest addition to the popular Pirots series
- The CollectR mechanic is replaced with cluster pays
- Still a great range of features but a low RTP
Pirots X is the latest in the series from Elk Studios, and it comes with a big change as they no longer use the CollectR mechanic, instead using cluster pays. The design will certainly be familiar though, as will many of the features which we’ll discuss now.
RECOMMENDED CASINOS TO PLAY Pirots X Slot
Pirots X Slot Bonuses and Features
Cascading Reels. In Pirots X, winning clusters of 5 or more symbols are removed, allowing new symbols to drop into the empty spaces. Cascading continues as long as new winning clusters form.
Pirots. The four pirate birds sit atop the grid and are activated when a nest symbol lands. A random bird flies down to the nest and collects all adjacent symbols of its color once clusters are removed. Each collected low-value symbol adds +1 to the global win multiplier, while premium symbols add +2. After collecting, the bird returns to the top of the grid or may be removed if it’s scared by a bomb, crushed by a big symbol, or if there are no matching symbols to collect.
The Pirots can randomly trigger features from their position above the reels:
- Bomb: A bomb symbol explodes nearby symbols, excluding feature symbols, and causes a redrop while expanding the grid up to 7×7. This feature may activate at the end of a cascading sequence.
- Feature Release: This feature opens a chest, transforming random symbols into feature symbols like wilds, nests, bombs, scatters, or super scatters. In Free Spins, feature chests can also award extra spins.
- Big Symbol Drop: A large symbol of the same color as the bird drops down, crushing 1×1 symbols in its path except for matching symbols and feature symbols. Big symbols can range in size up to 4×4 and count as a block of 1×1 symbols for win calculations.
Wild Symbol Features. Wild symbols substitute for pay symbols. When wilds connect to multiple clusters, they split, joining each cluster individually. Wilds that appear together in the same cluster merge to create a multiplier wild, applying a multiplier equal to the number of contributing wilds. This multiplier combines with the global win multiplier.
Pirots X Free Spins. The regular Bonus Round is triggered by landing 3 scatter symbols, awarding 5 free spins. In this mode, the global win multiplier does not reset between spins. Additional Free Spins can be gained with free drop symbols.
Super Bonus Round. Triggered by 2 regular scatters plus 1 super scatter, the Super Bonus Round also awards 5 free spins and plays on a 7×7 grid. Each spin in this mode guarantees a feature chest, which can reveal wilds, nests, or extra free spins.
X-iter (Bonus Buy). The X-iter feature buy options allows some players to purchase certain features directly:
- Bonus Hunt: 3x the bet for more than triple the chance of triggering a Bonus Round.
- Big Symbol: 5x the bet to guarantee a big symbol drop on a 6×6 grid.
- Feature Release: 25x the bet for a round with a 7×7 grid and guaranteed feature chest.
- Bonus Game: 100x the bet to trigger the regular Bonus Round.
- Super Bonus Game: 500x the bet to trigger the Super Bonus Round.
Conclusion
Pirots X slot from Elk Studios make a big change from the original by offering cluster pays with a great design and a solid win potential up to 10,000x. It’s not entirely clear whether this makes it better or worse than the original, and will likely come down to preference. They’ve kept the RTP at 94% as usual though which is disappointing. To compare this one with the other Pirots slots, read our review on Pirots 3 here.
Cluster Pays Instead Of CollectR
Pros
- Great design.
- Big win potential.
Cons
- Low RTP.
- Unsure whether cluster pays are better.