Secret of the Stones MAX Overview
Secret of the Stones MAX is a refreshed version of NetEnt's 2013 classic, built on a 5x3 grid with 25 paylines. Stonehenge is the inspiration here, so expect stone-carved animal symbols, earthy tones, and a mystical vibe. The standout feature is the toggle between two modes: a low-volatility classic version capped at 2,500x and a high-volatility Max version reaching 25,000x the bet.
Bets run from 0.25 to 25 per spin. RTP sits at 96.72% in classic mode and 96.81% in Max, both comfortably above average. If I'm honest with chat, the graphics still look their age, but the core mechanic, that stone-picking bonus, gives this slot genuine character.
Symbols and Paytable
Lower-paying symbols are the standard 10, J, Q, K, and A carved into stone. Five of a kind pays between 2x and 6x the bet, and these values stay the same regardless of which mode you pick. Nothing exciting there, but they keep the base game ticking over with small returns.
Premium symbols are a snake, wolf, bull, owl, and deer, all etched into rock. Five matching premiums pay between 8x and 50x in classic, but that jumps to 10x through 160x in Max mode. The deer is the top payer. Worth knowing: the deer, owl, and bull can all convert into wilds during Max Free Spins, which is how the big wins happen.
Wild is an old man with a cane. He subs for everything except the scatter. During free spins he can appear stacked across a full reel. Scatter is a golden tree trunk; land 3 and you trigger the bonus.
Symbol Payouts
Hidden Bonus Feature and Free Spins
Here is where the game earns its keep on stream. After 3 scatters land you get the Hidden Bonus Feature: 20 stones appear and you pick as many as the number of scatters you hit. Each stone hides one of four rewards. Extra Free Spins add 3, 4, 5, 6, or 10 spins in Max mode. Multipliers stack on top of a base 1x, with a 3x boost possible only in Max. Wild Reels lock reels 2, 3, or 4 as fully stacked wilds for the entire round. Extra Wild Symbols turn the deer, bull, or owl into additional wilds.
Once you have picked, the free spins play out with whatever combination of bonuses you collected. A good pick session with stacked wild reels plus a 3x multiplier is genuinely exciting on stream; chat goes wild for the stone picks because each reveal changes the round's potential completely.
Bonus Buy Options
Before free spins begin, players pick stones from a set of 20. Each stone reveals extra free spins, multipliers, wild reels, or extra wild symbols. The number of picks equals the number of scatters that triggered the feature.
Triggered by landing 3 or more scatter symbols. Starts with 3 free spins, enhanced by whatever bonuses were picked during the Hidden Bonus Feature. In Max mode, extra wild symbols and higher multipliers are available.
Volatility, RTP, and Max Win
Switching modes is as simple as pressing one button mid-session. Classic mode plays like a low-volatility grinder: steady, smaller hits, 2,500x ceiling. Max mode flips that to high volatility with a 25,000x cap. As NetEnt put it, you either win big or win often. I like having both available because it lets me adjust pace depending on how the session is going.
96.81% RTP on Max is solid. Not everyone will enjoy the swings in Max mode though; the base game can drag a bit between triggers, and when the picks go badly your free spins round feels underwhelming. That contrast is the trade-off with high volatility.
