Introduction to Knights vs Barbarians
Knights vs Barbarians is a casino slot from Pragmatic Play that throws you in the middle of a medieval battle between two powerful armies. If we were to guess which real historical nations are at each other's throats in this spectacular display of melee warfare, it would probably be the Anglo-Saxons pitted against the Vikings, which were probably an inspiration for this game's factions. The intense conflict not only envelops the audiovisual setting of this production, but it's also a focal point of its mechanics. Throughout the gameplay, you'll need to keep your eye on the central grid position, where Barbarian, Knight, or Battle Scatters may land and convert symbols from their army into Wilds, potentially also awarding multipliers up to x100. During Free Spins, you'll be guaranteed to land one of those special symbols in the middle position to benefit from the feature trigger or extra spins on every round!
Join the fight for wins up to 10,000x the bet or try the demo mode at the top of this page to practice your tactics before jumping into the real battle.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Knights vs Barbarians is a video slot from Pragmatic Play with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 paylines. You can choose your stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.2, which makes the game quite affordable, up to a Max.bet of 240, suitable for high-rollers. This value can grow even further with the use of the Ante Bet option, up to 960 per spin. The math offers a default RTP of 96.51%, with two lower variants of 95.48% and 94.50% also released for the operators, so be sure to keep an eye on what version you're playing. Because of the highly volatile profile, high wins may be further apart, but they should be more valuable on average. You will experience a base hit frequency of 25.00%, with a max win of 10,000x the bet achievable at an average rate of 1 in 30,487,805 spins. It takes roughly 402.18 spins to trigger the bonus round.
As you enter the game, the battle is already in full swing, with the constant clang of weapons and thick clouds of smoke filling the air. Crowded fields in front of the fortress under siege are flooded with never-ending waves of soldiers, while flaming missiles whizz above their heads, trying to bring down the walls. Your battle, however, will play out on the 5x3 grid set in the middle of the screen, encased in a thick, iron frame, where symbols will land on the red canvas lining the reels. Join in on any device you like to play on, as the game is available on desktops, smartphones, and tablets alike.
In the paytable, two distinct sets of symbols form the payout hierarchy. Among the low-paying ones, we recognise royal playing card emblems, J, Q, K, and A, awarding from 2x to 3x the bet for a complete payline of 5. An axe, a mace, a barbarian helmet, a knight helmet, a knight, and a barbarian represent the high-paying icons, delivering payouts of between 10x and 30x the bet for a payline running across all 5 reels. Alongside regular icons, there are also Wilds represented by the crossed sword and axe, and Scatters appearing as a fortress engulfed in fire.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Knights vs Barbarians?
You can win up to 10,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Knights vs Barbarians?
The features are Center Symbol, Free Spins, and Feature Buy & Ante Bet.
Center Symbol
The middle position of the third reel is marked with a golden frame. Whenever you hit a Knights Scatter, a Barbarians Scatter, or a Battle Scatter in that field, the symbol will trigger its respective feature.
Knights Scatter = converts the knight, knight's helmet, and mace symbols into Wilds.
Barbarians Scatter = converts the barbarian, barbarian's helmet, and axe symbols into Wilds.
Battle Scatter = triggers a battle between the knight and barbarian, assigning a multiplier of between x2 and x100 to each side. The winning warrior will convert its respective symbols to Wilds and will hold the multiplier that applies to any wins crossing through it.
Free Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters anywhere on the grid during the same base game spin awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. Throughout the round, the centre position will only be able to land Knights Scatters, Barbarian Scatters, Battle Scatters, or Free Spins Scatters. No other symbols can appear inside it. Free Spins Scatters award 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 additional spins.
Feature Buy & Ante Bet
Diving head-on into the battle is honourable, but sometimes it's worth sneaking around and looking for a better opportunity to attack. That's why the game offers a Buy Feature and Special Bets options.
4x = Ante Bet with a 12-times higher chance of triggering Free Spins.
10x = Super Spin with a random Scatter guaranteed in the centre position.
100x = Standard Free Spins triggered with 3-5 Scatters.
500x = Super Free Spins triggered with 3-5 Scatters, where the centre position always lands a Battle Scatter or a Free Spins Scatter.
Final Thoughts on Knights vs Barbarians
Knights vs Barbarians is an intense warfare-themed slot, where the endless battle happening behind the reels seamlessly merges with the mechanics running on them. The constant motion of the armies clashing in a deadly skirmish charges the game with loads of energy, letting you fully take in the fierce atmosphere of medieval combat. And while the overall look may be considered quite generic, the detailed, semi-realistic depictions of two furious warriors and their equipment on the high-value symbols add enough character to turn a blind eye to the lack of uniqueness. So, if you're looking for a well-done, uncomplicated war setting to entertain you during spins, this should hit the spot just right.
Slots revolving around two conflicting sides battling for dominion over the reels may not be extremely common, but they pop up from time to time. Even in Pragmatic Play's portfolio, we've seen a couple of nicely executed feuds, like Zeus vs Typhon or Zeus vs Hades - Gods of War, which smoothly combined the theme with the game's mechanics. Knights vs Barbarians follows the same logic, with its division of high-paying symbols into two groups, where each can convert into Wilds whenever its matching Scatter lands in the central position. Naturally, basic Wilds being a dominating feature may not sound too impressive or original, but having them potentially appear as a result of regular high-paying symbols from the initial grid setup does add a bit of flair to it. Not a trebuchet knocking down a castle wall kind of flair, but still. Then, there's also the combination of symbol transformation and a multiplier up to x100, which can let those combinations reach truly impressive heights. On top of that, free spins guarantee a random Scatter on each spin, essentially triggering the feature every time, so you can see how the game progressively builds on that seemingly plain mechanism. Plus, those with deeper wallets will be able to experience the most powerful bonus variant, where only Battle Scatters and Free Spins Scatters can appear. All in all, the action nicely evolves throughout the gameplay despite centering exclusively around Wilds.
Knights vs Barbarians is a solid medieval warfare slot that competently utilises the power of Wild symbols throughout all its stages.
