The Viking era lasted from the late 790s to the mid to late 1060s. Their daring and initially violent escapades are well documented in history and have become the stuff of legends, which have been turned into films, TV series and online casino games. In this blog, we take a brief look at some of the best Viking slots and the enormous fun and entertainment they offer.
Vikings by NetEnt
Screenshot of the Vikings slot by NetEnt, courtesy of Genting Casino
The Vikings TV series that aired on Netflix and Amazon Prime was one of the most popular historical dramas of its genre, and as is the way with many successful TV series, in 2018, NetEnt, recognising its potential draw for slot machine enthusiasts, took the series’ story and created one of the best Viking themed slots.
It traces the celebrated Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking hero who rose from farming to raiding, and who became known as the scourge of England and a legendary Scandinavian King. With Viking Warriors, Shield Maidens, and features like the Shield Wall, Vikings is a medium to high volatility 5×3 slot machine, with 243 paylines and a 96.05% RTP. The symbols and paytable are shown below.
Symbols and Paytable
| Symbol | 3 of a Kind | 4 of a Kind | 5 of a Kind | 6 of a Kind | 7 of a Kind |
| 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| J | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| Q | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| K | 4 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 20 |
| A | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| Floki | 6 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 28 |
| Bjorn | 6 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 28 |
| Lagertha | 6 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 28 |
| Ragnar Lothbrok | 6 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 28 |
Special Symbols
The Raid Spins Symbol: Lands on Reels 3, 4, and 5. Land 3 on any single spin to initiate the Raid Spins Round.
Unlike most Viking themed slots, there is no Wild as such in Vikings. However, Symbols of the 4 Viking characters —Floki,
Bjorn, Lagertha, and Ragnar Lothbrok — can appear in 2 formats: just a face or a full figure.
When the full figure version of any of the 4 Vikings appears and covers Reel 3 in its entirety, any other Viking character symbols you can see (including the full figure on Reel 3) will turn into the full figure face image, and the Scatter Pays Feature is activated
Special Features
It’s the special features that Norse slots incorporate in their gameplay that take the level of excitement up a notch. In Vikings by NetEnt, they are:
The Scatter Pays Feature
Once you’ve landed a full figure Viking character symbol on Reel 3, covering the whole Reel, all of the Viking Symbols visible turn into the same Viking Face Symbol.
The number of faces will be counted, and a payout will then be made. The payouts start at 6 for 3 like symbols and go all the way up to 200,000 for 27.
The Shield Wall Feature
The Shield Wall Feature can appear at random both the ordinary game and the Raid Spins Feature.
Some Viking themed slots have Viking Maiden Warriors, and in this Vikings slot it is Lagertha, and it is she who shouts the instruction, ‘Shield Wall,’ to the Viking warriors.
The Wall of Shields can appear anywhere on the grid, and the Shield Symbols it contains will all change into images of 1 of the 4 Viking characters, and the win will be calculated and paid.
The Raid Spins Feature
The Raid Spins Feature is brought into play by landing 3 Raid Spin Symbols with a single spin. This is where the high volatility of the medium/high volatility rating comes into play, so it’s not easy to do. However, if you can do it or are willing to try, it could be well worth it.
For this Feature, which is one of the best in the Viking slots that we here at GamBonus have reviewed, the grid changes from its 5×3 format with 243 Betways to a 7×5 format with a stomping 78,125 Betways. You’ll be given 7 raid spins with 3 Hotspots on reels 3, 4 and 5. It is possible to win 10,000x your stake with this Feature.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on the Vikings Slot by NetEnt
If you like your Viking themed slots to have authenticity, then Vikings by NetEnt is the slot for you. The gameplay is nice and simple, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment – it adds to it, because you can concentrate your efforts on getting the maximum fun from your marauding and pillaging, as you battle your way to trying to land riches to the tune of 100,000x your wager.
Vikings Go Berzerk by Yggdrasil
Opening Screen of Vikings Go Berzerk by Yggdrasil, courtesy of bitStarz Casino.
When you start the Vikings Go Berzerk slot by Yggdrasil, you’ll be excused for thinking you’ve started watching an epic movie about marauding Vikings. But it sets the tone nicely for what is to follow – one of the best Viking slots ever created.
Vikings Go Berzerk is a 5×4, 25 payline game that is loaded with some great features to help you ransack your way to bagging some riches, that could include the odd treasure chest, and, if the Norse Gods smile kindly on your endeavours, the contents of Golden Treasure Chest, too. Here’s what you need to know about the symbols and their value.
Symbols and Paytable
| Symbol | 3 of a Kind | 4 of a Kind | 5 of a Kind |
| Iron Coin | 0.05x | 0.25x | 0.4x |
| Bronze Coin | 0.05x | 0.25x | 0.5x |
| Silver Coin | 0.06x | 0.3x | 0.6x |
| Gold Coin | 0.06x | 0.3x | 0.7x |
| Female Viking | 0.2x | 0.75x | 1.5x |
| Viking with Skull Band | 0.25x | 0.75x | 1.75x |
| Viking with Eyepatch | 0.3x | 1x | 2x |
| Viking with Warpaint | 0.3x | 1x | 2.5x |
Special Symbols
Viking themed slots use Wilds and Scatters (or in this case, Free Spins symbols) to assist you with your looting quest.
As is usually the case, the Wilds are used as substitutes for all other ordinary symbols, but not the Free Spins or other special symbols, which include:
The Treasure Chest
Only land on reel 4 in both the Base and the Free Spins games.
The Golden Treasure Chest
Only lands on reel 5 in both the Base and the Free Spins games.
The Special Features of Viking go Berzerk
Norse slots like Vikings Go Berzerk are perfect for players who like to go on the rampage searching for big wins. The Special Features at your disposal include:
The Free Spins Feature
The Free Spins Feature, in which one of the Vikings will be selected to battle an Evil Siren, is activated when you land 3 or more Free Spins Symbols. The number of spins you’re awarded will be between 7 and 21.
During this feature, any Wilds you land become sticky and will stay in position for the duration of the round. When a particular Viking forms part of a winning combo, you’ll see a short video clip of the selected Viking fighting the Evil Siren. As with all the best Viking mythology slots, the Viking always wins.
The Berzerk Mode Feature
This is a precursor to the Free Spins Feature, and it is an alternative way of triggering the Free Spins Round. Just below the grid, you’ll see a picture of the 4 Viking characters, each surrounded by a semicircular meter. This is the Viking Rage Meter, and it’s what this game is all about. When a Viking goes Berzerk, they become invincible.
The Treasure Chest Feature
The Treasure Chest, which can only land on Reel 4, presents you with a lucky pick opportunity. You’ll see 5 Chests, each displaying an amount before they get shuffled and reappear blank. You then get to choose which one to open and are granted the win amount: either a coin amount of up to 1,000 coins or up to 21 Free Spins. If you manage to land one during the Free Spins Round, the prizes are even better.
The Golden Chest Feature
This is one of the best features of any of the Viking slots, for as well as the lucky pick opportunity, it may offer you Ragnarök Free Spins or a Rage Boost.
The Ragnarök Free Spins Feature
This Feature is only triggered by the Bonus Randomiser or a random offering inside the Golden Treasure Chest. It puts all 4 Vikings into berzerk mode, and after they vanquish each Evil Siren, they then become Sticky Wilds.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on the Viking Go Berzerk Slot by Yggdrasil
You can’t help but have fun when you play this slot. Yggdrasil did themselves proud when they came up with this game, which is undoubtedly one of the best Viking themed slots ever created. The soundtrack is dynamic and perfectly suited to the marauding vibe of the game, and its medium to high volatility rating confirms you can expect to win a good mix of money prizes with reasonable regularity. The RTP is an above-average 96.1%
Viking Runecraft by Play’n GO
From L to R: Heimdal, Odin, Thor, and Freya – screenshot courtesy of Cloudbet Casino
The Viking Runecraft slot by Play’n GO is totally different from Vikings Go Berzerk, in terms of concept. Rather than battling Evil Sirens, Viking Runecraft is about utilising ancient Viking Runes to navigate your journey to find the riches you seek. It’s probably the most intellectual of all Viking slots.
Screenshot of the Viking Runecraft slot by Play’n GO, courtesy of Cloudbet Casino
Viking Runecraft is a 7×7, cluster pays, high volatility slot with an above-average RTP of 96.71%. When you begin to play, you start at the first of four levels – the Journeyman, and your progress will be looked upon from the sidelines by Thor, God of Thunder. A different God will accompany you on your journey with each change of level. The end goal is to reach level 5 – the level of the Gods.
This slot uses a cluster pays mechanism whereby you’re presented with the chance to land multiple wins with one spin by landing 5 or more like symbols, touching horizontally or vertically.
The symbols and paytable are shown below.
Symbols and Paytable
The win values shown above relate to a bet size of 1.0. It also means they can be read as multipliers, e.g. bet 1.0 and land 5 Green Runes and win 0.20x your bet.
Special Symbols
Each of the 4 Norse Gods has a special symbol which represents a Gift from the Gods. Each God offers a gift of Free Spins as depicted below.
Special Features of Viking Runecraft
Viking mythology slots wouldn’t be as exciting as they are without a sprinkling of special features, and Play’n GO’s Viking Runecraft has more than most. They include:
The Charge of Destruction Feature
The Charge of Destruction Feature has 4 distinctive offerings. Each time you land a win, it charges the Destruction Meter located to the left of the playing grid. Once it’s filled (which requires 20 winning symbols), it releases one of the 4 following features:
- The Fury of Fenrir: 4 diagonal lines of symbols get slashed. 2 complete lines of symbols are taken away, and 2 other lines of symbols get changed into 1 matching symbol.
- The Judgement of Jörmungandr: A chain of symbols are selected, destroyed and replaced at random with 1 matching symbol along the entire chain.
- The Scorching of Surtr feature: 3 symbols are set alight. The fire spread to surrounding symbols, all of which then disappear and are replaced by new symbols, creating a win/
- The Lure of Loki feature: 2 symbols are randomly selected. 1 is removed, and the other is transformed into a different symbol.
The Runes of Valhalla Feature
Another great feature to add to the Viking Slots genre is the one that triggers the Viking Runecraft’s Runes of Valhalla feature. To do so, you must collect all 5 Rune Stone Gems.
The Gems are held in the Rune Stone Gem Bank at the top LH corner of the screen. Once you’ve collected the gems and cleared the current pattern by landing wins on the backlit panels, you’ll progress to the next level. And activate the Bonsu Wheel. Land one of the highlighted sections of the wheel and you’ll be awarded a cash prize.
The Ragnarök Feature
Viking themed slots come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but Vikings Runecraft is in a class of its own. The last of the features that needs introduction is the Ragnarök Feature. It’s the final stage of the game where the Charge of Destruction Meter is changed into an End of the World Bonus Meter. This is where you can win some big money, as the multiplier can get up to x15.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on the Viking Runecraft Slot by Play’n GO
Renowned for their ferocity rather than their intellectual skill, the Viking Runecraft slot is more difficult to master than some other Viking themed slots. That’s not to say it’s not an enjoyable game. In fact, the team here at GamBonus think it’s one of the best Viking Slots they’ve had the pleasure of playing. But it’s one we certainly recommend trying the free demo version first to get used to its somewhat complex gameplay.
