Valley of the Gods is Yggdrasil’s 2017 Egyptian slot where every win triggers a respin, scarabs break stone blockers and a fully cleared grid unlocks extra lives and a growing multiplier.
Valley of the Gods
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Game Information
Show More
Provider
yggdrasil-gaming
Type
Slots
Reels
5
Min Bet
0.1
Max Bet
100
Max Win per Spin
580000
Valley of the Gods Slot Review
Valley of the Gods takes a familiar theme, ancient Egypt, and pairs it with a mechanic that still feels fresh years after its 2017 release. There are no free spins and no scatters. Instead, every win triggers a respin, and every win breaks stone blockers that hide most of the grid. Clear them all and the game shifts into a second phase, where extra lives and a growing multiplier can keep the sequence going for a long time.
It is a high-volatility slot with a single, clear goal on every spin: open the board. Most attempts fall short, but the ones that make it can turn into memorable runs. If you like features that build visibly in front of you rather than appearing out of nowhere, it is one of Yggdrasil’s most rewarding designs.
Valley of the Gods at a glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Yggdrasil |
| Release | 24 August 2017 |
| Layout | 5×5 grid, up to 3,125 ways to win |
| RTP | 96.2% |
| Volatility | High |
| Bet range | €0.10 to €100 per spin |
| Max win | €580,000 at the top stake, equal to 5,800x |
| Features | Respins, blockers, golden scarabs, extra lives, win multiplier |
| Free spins | None |
An Egyptian temple of stone and gold
The grid sits inside a dark temple, flanked by two statues of the gods, Horus and Anubis. Stone blocks cover most of the board at the start of each spin, and the symbols are a mix of Egyptian icons for the high pays and simpler symbols for the low pays. The music is quiet and atmospheric until a sequence gets going, when the tension rises with every respin.
Yggdrasil’s presentation is clean and calm. The interesting movement comes from scarabs flying across the board and stones breaking, which keeps your eyes on the part of the screen that matters.
How the ways and blockers work
The grid has five reels and five rows, but at the start of every paid spin twelve cells are covered by stone blockers. Only the middle of the board is open: one cell on reels one and five, three on reels two and four, and all five on reel three. That gives you 45 ways to win.
Wins are counted as ways. Matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from reel one, form a win wherever they sit in the open cells. The number of ways is found by multiplying the open cells on each reel. As blockers break, the numbers grow. Opening all of reel one, for example, multiplies the ways by five. With every blocker destroyed, all twenty-five cells are open and the grid pays across 3,125 ways.
The narrow edges are the key to the game. Every win has to start on reel one, and at first only one cell is open there. That bottleneck is why opening the left side of the grid matters so much.
Why the left edge matters most
A little arithmetic shows where the value lies. At the start, the open cells per reel are 1, 3, 5, 3 and 1, which multiply to 45 ways. Open the whole of reel one and that becomes 5, 3, 5, 3 and 1, or 225 ways: five times as many from one reel. Open reels one and two and you reach 375 ways. Clear everything except the right edge and you have 625. Only when the last blocker on reel five falls does the total jump to 3,125.
That pattern explains two things you will notice quickly. First, breaking blockers on the left side changes your chances far more than breaking those on the right, because every win must begin on reel one. Second, the final steps of a clear are the most valuable, since each newly opened cell on an edge reel multiplies the whole grid. You cannot choose which blockers the scarabs hit, but knowing this helps you read how promising a sequence really is.
Respins and golden scarabs
Every winning spin triggers a respin. Each winning symbol releases a golden scarab that flies to a blocker and destroys it, opening more of the grid. As long as each respin produces a win, the sequence continues, with more blockers breaking and more ways appearing.
As soon as a respin misses, the sequence ends. All wins from the sequence are paid, and the blockers return for the next paid spin. Nothing carries over between paid spins, so each spin is a fresh attempt to break through.
This structure makes the game unusually readable. You can see exactly how far you are from a full clear, and every respin feels like a small step forward or the end of the road.
The full clear: lives and multipliers
Once every blocker is destroyed, the game changes. Winning symbols now release red and blue scarabs, which fly to the two statues beside the reels.
- Every five red scarabs collected give you an extra life. If a respin then misses, a life is used and the sequence continues instead of ending.
- Every five blue scarabs raise the win multiplier by one, increasing the value of the following wins in the sequence.
With the full 3,125 ways active, wins become more likely, and every win feeds the lives and the multiplier. A good sequence can last many respins and grow steadily in value. The game’s biggest results come from this phase. It ends when a respin misses and no lives remain.
How often does it get there?
Honestly, not often. Many paid spins produce no win at all, and many winning spins break a few blockers before a miss ends the sequence. Reaching the full clear requires a run of consecutive wins across a narrow grid, and that is the main reason the game is rated high volatility.
The upside is that progress is visible. A sequence that clears half the board and then stops is not a disaster; it often pays something along the way. But the long stretches between real breakthroughs can drain a balance, and it is easy to keep spinning because the full clear “felt close”. Every paid spin starts from the same 45 ways, no matter how far the last one got.
RTP, volatility and the 5,800x ceiling
Yggdrasil lists the RTP at 96.2%, which is a solid figure. Over a very large number of spins, that is the average return, but a short session can look very different. Our guide to slot RTP explains how to interpret it.
Volatility is high. The studio lists the top win as €580,000 at the maximum stake of €100, which equals 5,800 times the bet. Reaching anything close requires a full clear followed by a long sequence with several lives and a high multiplier. More on what to expect from this type of game is in our high-volatility slots guide.
How to approach Valley of the Gods with your stake
Bets run from €0.10 to €100 per spin, so the game is accessible at low stakes.
- Use a modest stake. The game needs many paid spins to show its best side, and every spin starts at the same narrow grid.
- Do not chase a full clear after a near miss. Blockers always return, so the next spin is not closer to the goal.
- Enjoy the medium sequences for what they are. Clearing half the grid and collecting a few wins is how the game normally plays.
- Try the free demo above to see how the blockers break before you play for money.
Following a sequence step by step
Picture a spin that lands a small three-reel win through the middle. Three golden scarabs fly out and break blockers on reels one and four. The respin now has more ways and produces another win, which clears most of reel two. Another respin, another win, and only reel five is still partly covered. If the next respin misses, the sequence ends and pays what it collected. If it wins, the last stones fall and the red and blue scarabs start flying.
That is the whole game in miniature. The excitement comes from watching the board open, one respin at a time, and knowing that a single miss ends it. It is a simple loop, but it creates genuine suspense on spins that might otherwise feel routine.
The sequel and other Egyptian slots
Yggdrasil followed up in 2020 with Valley of the Gods 2, which adds a much larger number of ways and Wild reels. It is a bigger and more modern game, but the original’s single, clean goal is still easier to follow.
For an Egyptian slot built around free spins instead, Book of Dead and the newer Legacy of Dead use the classic expanding symbol format. Ways that grow and shrink are also the heart of Megaways slots, though they work differently. From the same studio, Vikings Go Berzerk offers a very different kind of progress through rage meters. More Yggdrasil titles are on our Yggdrasil page.
Valley of the Gods pros and cons
What works:
- A clear, visible goal on every spin
- Breaking blockers creates real suspense
- Lives and multipliers make full clears exciting
- Low minimum stake and a 96.2% RTP
What doesn’t:
- High volatility, with many empty spins
- Full clears are rare
- No free spins round, which some players will miss
- Nothing carries over between paid spins
Our verdict on Valley of the Gods
Valley of the Gods is one of the cleverest respin slots of its era. Its blockers turn every win into progress, its full-clear phase gives the game a genuine climax, and the design keeps the focus exactly where it should be. The cost is high volatility and plenty of spins that end before they begin. If you enjoy watching a feature build step by step and can accept the dry spells, it is well worth a place on your list.
Play only if you are 18+. Keep your play within limits and see our responsible gambling page for support.
Valley of the Gods questions answered
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