Pilgrim of Dead: rules, features and verified RTP

Short answer

Evidence-led verdict

Pilgrim of Dead is a distinct Play'n GO release dated 19 January 2023. The current rules identify Game ID 684, version 1.0 and a five-reel, three-row layout with ten fixed paylines. Three or more Tomb Scatter symbols award five free spins. During those spins, one regular symbol is selected, the first matching symbol on each reel can remain sticky, and enough collected symbols can expand over their complete reels.

The official data rates volatility 8 and labels the game high volatility. The maximum win is 10,000 times total bet. Five RTP configurations are listed, from 96.2% to 84.2%. A live game may use one of those approved values, so the 96.2% figure commonly shown in a headline is not proof of the configuration at a particular operator.

Pilgrim's five-spin starting award is shorter than the ten spins in the original Book of Dead, but sticky progress across the feature changes the comparison. Free spins can be retriggered in blocks of five up to a 30-spin total. A player may also randomise the initially selected special symbol once before the feature proceeds. Those specific steps are more useful than a generic claim that the game has “expanding symbols.”

Exact product

Release, version and game identity

The official product page and rules align on the title Pilgrim of Dead. The rules supply the internal identifier “pilgrimofdead,” Game ID 684 and version 1.0. Both mobile and desktop formats are recorded. These identifiers keep the page focused on the 2023 game rather than treating every Play'n GO title with “Dead” in the name as the same edition.

The naming overlap is meaningful for navigation but not for rule transfer. Pilgrim shares a Tomb Scatter and a selected expanding symbol idea with other releases, yet it begins with five free spins and adds a sticky-per-reel progression. Legacy begins with eight and can add further selected symbols; the original Book of Dead begins with ten and does not use Pilgrim's sticky accumulation. GO Collect adds a Vault feature.

A release date shows when the product entered the studio catalogue. Our check date—6 October 2026—shows when we re-read the currently linked public records. Neither date establishes that a New Zealand operator offers the game now. Distribution, operator terms and local legal status need their own evidence.

If the live help displays a different game ID or feature count, do not force it into this review. Use the deployed documentation, note the version and report the discrepancy. A similarly themed clone or later revision may require a separate assessment.

Base game

Reels, fixed paylines and the Tomb

Pilgrim of Dead uses five reels with three visible symbol positions and ten fixed paylines. Ordinary wins are evaluated from the leftmost reel towards the right on adjacent reels. Only the highest qualifying win is paid on a selected line. Since the line count is fixed, the main stake control is total bet rather than activating fewer lines.

The Tomb symbol acts as Wild and Scatter. It can substitute for ordinary symbols as a Wild, while three or more Tombs anywhere trigger free spins under the scatter rule. The in-client paytable contains symbol-specific awards; this review concentrates on how wins are evaluated and how the feature modifies that evaluation.

During the base game, a regular symbol does not stay fixed from spin to spin. Sticky behaviour belongs to the free-spin feature after the selected symbol is confirmed. Likewise, a full-reel expansion is not an ordinary base-game transformation. Keeping the two states separate avoids creating a feature frequency that the rules do not promise.

Total-bet multipliers use the total amount shown for the round. The reference rules document five coins in their mathematical setup, but a coin field should not be mistaken for five selectable lines or five independent wagers. Use the actual interface to see denomination and total exposure.

Feature flow

Five starting spins, one selection and retriggers

Three or more Tomb Scatters award five free spins. Before those spins, one ordinary paying symbol is selected as the special symbol. The player is given one opportunity to randomise that choice. Using the randomise option replaces the selection; it does not add a second special symbol or guarantee a higher-paying result.

The feature then tracks the first special symbol that lands on each reel. Those symbols remain sticky for the rest of the free-spin round. As progress spreads across reels, enough selected symbols can trigger a full-reel expansion. This creates a different rhythm from a feature that independently checks for expansion on every spin without carrying state forward.

Three or more Tombs during free spins add five more spins. The official rules cap the accumulated total at 30. The cap concerns the number of free spins, not the win multiplier. Reaching it is not guaranteed, and a retrigger does not alter the RTP setting.

A five-spin starting feature can end with little return. Sticky progress does not ensure that every reel will receive the selected symbol, and a randomised choice can be worth less than the first. The high-volatility rating reflects uneven outcomes, so neither a near-complete sticky layout nor a long gap makes the next event due.

Mechanic detail

How sticky symbols become expanding reels

The first instance of the selected symbol to land on each reel becomes sticky. Later spins therefore begin with that symbol preserved in its recorded position. The feature counts the selected symbols across the reels, and when its expansion condition is satisfied, those symbols can cover the entire reels on which they are present.

Expanded symbols do not have to sit on neighbouring reels to form the feature award. That is a special evaluation rule. It does not convert every regular symbol into an anywhere-pay symbol, and it does not remove the ten paylines from the base game. The exception applies to the selected expanding symbol in free spins.

“Sticky” and “expanding” describe two stages. Sticky means a landed special symbol remains for subsequent free spins. Expanding means the symbol fills its reel when the relevant condition is met. A review that collapses them into one automatic event can imply that the first landing instantly fills the reel, which is not a safe reading of the documented sequence.

Only one regular symbol is selected for the feature, subject to the one-time randomise choice. Pilgrim's current rules do not describe Legacy's retrigger mechanic of adding more special symbol types. A Tomb remains the scatter and wild; it is not the chosen ordinary expander.

To check the mechanic in a live client, read the feature page before triggering it, note the selected icon, observe which first copies receive sticky treatment and look for the wording around full-reel expansion. The help text is more reliable than animations alone.

Five options

Verified RTP configurations

The rule sheet lists five theoretical return configurations. They are deployment choices, not stages unlocked through play and not a range that changes with a selected symbol.

RTP describes a theoretical long-run average over a very large population of game rounds. It does not say that a player will receive $96.20 after staking $100, and it does not force losses to be repaid after a dry sequence. High volatility increases the practical uncertainty of short samples.

Open the game's information panel and record the percentage displayed. If an operator lobby lists 96.2% but the client lists 91.2%, evaluate the deployment using 91.2%. A historic review may also predate a current certification option, which is why this page records its check date.

Demo play cannot identify the setting. The sample is too short, and virtual credits do not create a laboratory. The appropriate use of demo mode is interface familiarisation, not reverse-engineering return.

Limits in context

Volatility, 10,000x cap and maximum exposure

The official volatility score is 8, described publicly as high. Compared with the level-7 games in this batch, it signals a more concentrated risk profile on the studio's own scale. It does not supply a probability for the next free-spin round or guarantee larger returns.

The product page lists a maximum win of 10,000 times total bet. A hypothetical $1 total wager would therefore correspond to a $10,000 mathematical ceiling before operator-specific limits. The calculation explains the unit only; it is not a claim about supported currency, accessibility or likely value.

The rule sheet separately lists maximum exposure of 1,000,000 and probability of less than 1 in 100,000,000. Maximum exposure is a currency-denominated model limit at maximum bet, not a one-million-times cap. Preserving that distinction prevents a tenfold exaggeration of the stake-relative maximum.

A cap is the upper boundary, not a target. Most rounds cannot be evaluated by comparing them with the maximum. RTP combines the full distribution, volatility describes its unevenness, and the feature rules explain how certain outcomes are formed. All three are needed for a responsible reading.

Stake facts

Documented bet range and practical exposure

The official rules document a minimum bet of 0.1 and maximum of 100 in the reference currency setup. They also record five coins. These generic figures should not be described as a guaranteed NZD range. Currency denominations and account limits can vary by deployment.

With ten fixed lines, the interface's total-bet figure is the useful number. Check it after changing denomination. A 10,000x maximum applies to total bet, while individual symbol multipliers use the paytable's own basis. Do not combine them as though every high symbol could independently pay the overall cap.

Faster spin settings can increase money exposed per minute even though they do not affect theoretical RTP. If autoplay is available and permitted, set a hard stop and loss limit first. A sticky symbol or near-expansion is not a reason to raise the stake; the next result remains random within the game model.

Maximum exposure in the rules is not a suggested bankroll. Personal limits should be far smaller and based on affordable entertainment spending. Chasing a retrigger or the last missing reel can turn a defined session into uncontrolled loss.

Device check

Mobile support, help and demo boundaries

The game is officially recorded for mobile and desktop. On a phone, verify that balance, total bet, the help control and selected-symbol screen remain visible and readable. The one-time randomise choice should be clear enough that a tap cannot be mistaken for an automatic confirmation.

An official entertainment-only page may allow interface practice without a purchase. It does not prove real-money availability, legal access or a particular RTP in New Zealand. Demo credits cannot be withdrawn, and short demo outcomes are not evidence about future play.

Useful demo checks include locating the five-spin trigger description, seeing how sticky symbols are marked, confirming the 30-spin cap in help and finding the stop or sound controls. Do not use repeated demo sessions to search for a “pattern”; random outcome sequences are not a strategy guide.

If the mobile help hides the RTP or conflicts with the operator desktop page, use the deployed client record and ask the operator for clarification before wagering. Save the game ID, version and date for a useful correction report.

Separate legal task

New Zealand availability is not verified here

The global Play'n GO product page establishes publication, not New Zealand operator availability. An operator may not carry the title, may restrict it geographically or may use one of several RTP options. This review therefore avoids “play in NZ” claims without a dated operator-level check.

The Department of Internal Affairs' player information was checked on 6 October 2026. It describes the current transition under the Online Casino Gambling Act, including timing around 1 December 2026 and the subsequent licence process. Refer to that official source and our dated legal-status page for the framework.

Before using any operator, confirm identity, age requirements, New Zealand status, account verification, payments, payout limits, complaints and safer-gambling tools. A New Zealand flag, NZD selector or localised advertisement does not prove authorisation.

Do not use technical workarounds to bypass geography or age controls. If a demo is blocked, that restriction should be respected. The review explains the game; it does not provide access instructions.

Two-minute audit

What to verify in the game client

1. Confirm the full title and Play'n GO provider credit.
2. Look for Game ID 684 or version 1.0 where displayed.
3. Record which of the five RTP options is active.
4. Confirm five reels, three rows and ten fixed paylines.
5. Read the Tomb Wild and Scatter rule and the five-spin trigger.
6. Check the one-time randomise option before choosing it.
7. Confirm first selected symbols stick on each reel and understand expansion.
8. Verify five-spin retriggers and the 30-spin limit.
9. Review operator status, currency and payout terms independently.

If a field differs, do not average the two descriptions. Treat the live rules as the operative version, record the evidence and use our corrections channel. Transparent versioning is more useful than a confident but mixed ruleset.

Series navigation

How Pilgrim differs from related games

Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead uses up to ten selectable lines, begins with ten free spins and selects an expanding symbol without Pilgrim's sticky-per-reel progression. Its verified cap is 5,000x and its top listed RTP is 96.21%.

Legacy of Dead begins with eight free spins and can add another special expanding symbol when scatters retrigger the feature. GO Collect starts with ten free spins but adds Gold Staters, a Treasure Vault and optional gamble.

Use those differences to choose the correct rules page, not to infer which game will return more in a session. For the broader studio catalogue, series labels and verification method, open the Play'n GO games guide.