Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand Slot Review

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.

Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	3	x15
	2	x5
	3	x7
	2	x2
	3	x3
	2	x1.5
	3	x2
	2	x1
	3	x1
	2	x0.5
	3	x0.8
	3	x0.7
	3	x0.6
	3	x0.5
	3	x0.4
	Scatter

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.

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.

Final Verdict

Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand brings a genuinely different feel to Norse slots with its cartoon art style and the Hot Spot reel mechanic. I'd stream this for a shorter session to show off the Land and Expand feature, because the expanding grid during free spins looks great on camera. The base game can drag when Hot Spots stay quiet, though.

Where it falls short is win potential. A 1,200x cap will put off viewers who chase bigger numbers, and card symbol payouts are thin. Worth a session if chat fancies something lighter and mechanically different, but do not expect massive highlight clips from this one.

FAQ

How does the Land and Expand respin mechanic work?

Two Hot Spot reels sit either side of the main grid. When a Hot Spot symbol matches at least two identical symbols on the main reels, a respin triggers and all matching symbols expand to fill their reel, locking in place for the respin.

How many free spins do you get and can they be retriggered?

You start with 8 free spins from 3 hammer scatters. Additional scatters landing on reel 3 during the round add 2 extra spins each and expand the grid by one row.

What is the maximum grid size and how many paylines does it reach?

The grid can expand from its starting size up to 3x7 during free spins, activating a maximum of 29 paylines.

Screenshots