Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand Overview
Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand is a Norse mythology slot from NetEnt that takes a lighter, more colourful approach to the Viking theme than most. Instead of the usual grim warriors and dark palettes, you get a cartoon-style grid featuring Odin, Thor and Freya in vivid tones. The grid starts at a compact size but can expand up to 3x7 during free spins, which is really where this one comes alive.
I'll be straight with chat here. The standout mechanic is Land and Expand, which uses two extra Hot Spot reels flanking the main grid. When matching symbols appear in these spots and on the reels, you get respins with locked, expanding symbols. RTP sits at 96.03% and max win caps at 1,200x your stake. Not massive, but the mechanics keep things moving.
Symbols and Paytable
Odin tops the paytable at 15x your stake for three on a payline. Thor follows at 7x, then Freya at 3x. Below the character symbols you have a horn at 2x and a large ham at 1x for three-of-a-kind. Card royals fill the low end: A pays 0.8x, K 0.7x, Q 0.6x, J 0.5x and 10 just 0.4x for three. Those card symbols pay next to nothing, so premium lands are crucial.
Wilds only appear during the bonus round, shown as gold lettering, and they substitute for everything. The scatter is Thor's hammer; three of those trigger Free Spins. Worth mentioning to chat that wilds being locked to the bonus does limit base game potential quite a bit.
Symbol Payouts
A
Highest-paying card royal symbol.
10
Lowest-paying card royal symbol.
Land and Expand Mechanic and Free Spins
Two single-position Hot Spot reels sit on either side of the main grid. They spin with every regular spin but their symbols do not count towards wins on their own. If a symbol in a Hot Spot matches at least two of the same on the main grid, a respin triggers. All matching symbols expand to fill their entire reel and lock in place. Any further matches landing during the respin also expand. For streaming, these respins create decent visual moments, though they can be sparse.
Landing three hammer scatters gives you 8 Free Spins. During the round, extra scatters on reel 3 add 2 more spins each and expand the grid by one row, pushing towards the full 3x7 layout with 29 active paylines. Wilds start appearing in the Hot Spots too, substituting for whatever symbol sits in the opposite spot. Getting to a fully expanded grid is the real goal here.
If I'm honest with chat, the build-up to full expansion feels rewarding when it happens, but the 1,200x max win cap means even a perfect round won't produce the kind of clip-worthy moment that really high-volatility slots can. Still, the expanding grid mechanic keeps every free spin round interesting to watch.
Bonus Buy Options
Hot Spot reels on either side of the grid spin alongside the main reels. When matching symbols appear in Hot Spots and at least two of the same land on the main grid, a respin triggers and matching symbols expand to cover their reels, locking in place.
Landing 3 hammer scatters awards 8 free spins. Additional scatters on reel 3 grant 2 extra spins each and expand the grid by 1 row, up to a 3x7 layout with 29 paylines. Wilds appear in Hot Spots during free spins.
RTP, Volatility and Max Win
RTP is confirmed at 96.03%, which is fair and around the industry average. Volatility data is not officially published by NetEnt, but from sessions I would estimate it sits somewhere in the medium range based on how often the Land and Expand respins trigger versus the payouts they produce. Max win is 1,200x your total bet. For context, that is quite low compared to what many Norse-themed competitors offer, and not everyone will stick around for that ceiling.
