Rise of Merlin Overview
Rise of Merlin is a 5x3 video slot from Play'n GO running on just 10 paylines, released back in June 2019. If you have ever played Book of Dead, you already know roughly 90% of what is going on here. Merlin is the younger, flashier cousin with an Arthurian fantasy skin and one meaningful twist in the bonus round.
I'd describe the vibe as deliberately old-school. No cascades, no bonus buy, no ante bet. You spin, you land scatters, you get free spins. For stream sessions I find that refreshing sometimes; the pace is quick and you are not waiting around for complex setups to play out.
Symbols and Paytable
Merlin himself and the Magical Orb sit at the top of the pay table, both worth x500 for five on a line. Below that you have got a second-tier character paying x160, then two mid-tier symbols at x60 each. Five low-pay card symbols round things out with values between x8 and x12 for a full line.
Here is the important bit for chat: the Magical Orb is both Wild and Scatter in one symbol. It substitutes for everything and also triggers the bonus when you land three or more. Payouts start from just two Orbs on a line, so it pulls double duty keeping the base game ticking over.
Symbol Payouts
Merlin
Highest paying regular symbol, equal value to the Magical Orb.
High Pay 2
Second tier high-paying symbol.
High Pay 4
Fourth tier high-paying symbol with same values as High Pay 3.
Low Pay 2
Low-paying card symbol, needs 3 or more to pay.
Low Pay 5
Lowest tier card symbol, same values as Low Pay 3 and 4.
Free Spins and Bonus Features
Landing three or more Magical Orbs triggers 8 Free Spins. Before the round starts, one symbol gets randomly selected to become an expanding symbol. When enough of that symbol appear on a spin, it expands to fill entire reels, pays out, and then you collect any additional wins from the expansion. High-paying symbols need just two on the reels to expand; low-pays need three.
Every re-trigger awards another 8 spins and, crucially, adds a second expanding symbol. Then a third on the next re-trigger, and so on. Stacking multiple expanders is where the 5,000x max win lives. If I am honest with chat, it is the one mechanic that separates this from Book of Dead and it can produce some genuinely wild screens.
There is also a Risk Game after every base game win. Guess the card colour to double, or the suit to quadruple. After free spins you get one shot at gambling the entire bonus payout, which is a nice touch for anyone feeling brave on stream.
Bonus Buy Options
Land 3 or more Magical Orb symbols to trigger 8 free spins. A random symbol is chosen to expand when enough land on the reels. Each re-trigger adds another expanding symbol and awards 8 more spins.
After any win, gamble to double or quadruple the payout by guessing a card's colour or suit. After free spins, the entire bonus win can be gambled.
Volatility, RTP and Max Win
RTP sits at 96%, which is average. Volatility is high, so expect dry stretches between bonus hits. Maximum win caps at 5,000x your stake. Not massive by 2025 standards, but realistic enough that you can actually see it happen on a decent session. Bets range from 0.01 up to 100 per spin, and you can adjust active paylines anywhere from 1 to 10, which is rare these days.
Fewer lines means a cheaper spin but a worse hit frequency. I would keep all 10 active for streaming because dead spins are not exactly entertaining content. The base game can drag a bit with no modifiers or multipliers to spice things up between bonuses.
