Book Of Shadows Pros & Cons
Book of Shadows delivers classic Aristocrat action with a proven track record. The choice-based free spins and stacked symbols create a good variety, but the RTP and max win won't impress everyone.
- 30,338x max win — far beyond typical Book of titles
- Shadow Rows expand the grid from 3 rows to 5 for additional paylines
- Lucky Locks feature — lock up to 4 reels and respin remaining ones
- Free spins can retrigger infinitely — no session-ending feature cap
- Player choice elements throughout — which reels to lock, when to activate rows
- Dark horror/witchcraft aesthetic is genuinely atmospheric
- Extreme volatility — patience required before features deliver
- 96.01% base RTP is modest for a Nolimit City title
- The Shadow Rows cost extra to activate — reduces base bankroll efficiency
- Complexity may confuse players new to Nolimit City mechanics
What Players Are Saying About Book of Shadows
Book of Shadows arrived August 2020 as Nolimit City's entry into the crowded "Book of" genre — a format so saturated with clones that most players had stopped expecting innovation. What Nolimit City built instead is a game that borrows the expandable symbol free spins framework and then stacks it with mechanics that no standard Book of title offers: a grid that grows from 3 to 5 rows through Shadow Rows, a Lucky Locks system where players choose which reels to freeze before respins, and an infinite retrigger potential in free spins that turns a good feature into an extraordinary one.
The 30,338x maximum dwarfs standard Book of titles, which typically cap at 5,000x–10,000x. The expanded grid, stacked premium symbols, infinitely retriggerable free spins, and Golden Symbol expansion all contribute to the ceiling. It requires a near-perfect alignment — but documented hits well above 10,000x exist in the community, confirming the ceiling isn't purely theoretical.
| DEVELOPER | Nolimit City |
|---|---|
| THEME | Horror / Witchcraft / Dark Occult |
| GRID SIZE | 5 Reels, 3-5 Dynamic Rows |
| PAYLINES | 10-20 (expands with Shadow Rows) |
| RTP | 96.01% (up to 96.43% with Bonus Buy) |
| MAX WIN | 30,338x your total bet |
| VOLATILITY | Extreme |
| MIN/MAX BET | €0.10 / €100 per spin |
| BONUS BUY | YES |
| RELEASE DATE | August 20, 2020 |
Symbol Values and Paytable
| SYMBOL | 3 ON A PAYLINE | 4 ON A PAYLINE | 5 ON A PAYLINE |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Book (Wild/Scatter)
|
10x bet | 50x bet | |
|
Witch (Premium 1)
|
5x bet | 25x bet | |
|
Eye (Premium 2)
|
4x bet | 20x bet | |
|
Skull (Premium 3)
|
3x bet | 15x bet | |
|
Candle (Premium 4)
|
2x bet | 10x bet | |
|
A/K
|
1x bet | 5x bet | |
|
Q/J/10
|
0.5x bet | 2x bet |
Shadow Rows and Lucky Locks
Shadow Rows
- At any point during base game play, you can activate Shadow Rows — expanding the grid by adding 1 or 2 additional rows at a cost per spin. This expands paylines from 10 to 15 or 20.
- The additional rows also increase the area covered by any expanding symbol during free spins — a Golden Witch on a 5-row grid covers five positions per reel instead of three, creating more potential win combinations on each expanding reel.
Lucky Locks
- When specific symbol combinations appear during the base game, the Lucky Locks mechanic activates. You can lock up to 4 reels in their current positions and respin only the remaining reel(s). This is a player-skill element: locking reels that already show your most valuable symbols maximises the chance the respin completes a premium payline or book combination.
- Correctly used, Lucky Locks frequently trigger the free spins feature by completing the scatter combination on the respun reel.
My 200 Spins Test Run
Spins 1–70
Activated Shadow Rows for the full session (+1 row). Base game books appeared 9 times, completing pairs but not three-of-a-kind. Lucky Locks activated at spins 34 and 61 — locked 3 reels each time. Spin 61 lock resulted in a book on reel 5: free spins triggered!
Spin 61 Feature
Golden Symbol selected: Witch. 10 free spins. Witch expanded 3 times across the feature. Best spin: two full reel expansions = multiple paylines paying 25x bet simultaneously. Feature total: $94 from $0.40. Retriggered twice — 6 additional spins total. Final feature payout: $134.
Spins 62–150
Drought period. Lucky Locks offered twice — neither resulted in a feature. Base game witch and eye symbols occasionally producing payline wins of $1–$4. Down $14 net from spin 62.
Spin 167
Three books naturally — no Lucky Locks needed. Golden Symbol: Eye. 10 spins. Eye expanded on 4 of 10 spins covering 2–3 reels each time. One spin: three reels covered by expanding Eye on a 4-row grid: $78. Feature total: $121. One retrigger: +4 spins, additional $28. Total: $149.
Final balance
Started $80, ended $312. Up $232.
Play Responsibly - 18+ Only
Gambling should be entertaining and fun. Remember that slots are games of chance, and there's no guaranteed way to win. Never gamble more than you can afford to lose, and always set limits for yourself. If you feel gambling is becoming a problem, please seek help immediately.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Shadow Rows work and are they worth activating?
Shadow Rows add 1 or 2 extra rows to the standard 3-row grid, expanding it to 4 or 5 rows and increasing paylines from 10 to 15 or 20. You pay extra per spin for each active Shadow Row — the cost varies by bet level. In free spins, the primary benefit is that expanding Golden Symbols cover more positions per reel (5 positions on a 5-row grid vs 3 on a standard grid), dramatically increasing payline coverage when they expand. Whether they're worth the cost depends on your session strategy: for maximum ceiling potential, Shadow Rows are essential. For a more conservative session, the standard 3-row grid at lower cost per spin is viable.
What is the Lucky Locks mechanic and when should I use it?
Lucky Locks activates when certain symbol combinations appear in the base game. When active, you select which reels to lock in their current positions, then respin the remaining unlocked reels. This is the game's primary player-skill element — locking reels that already show book symbols (the scatter) forces the respin to only need one more book on an unlocked reel to trigger free spins. Most experienced Book of Shadows players always lock reels with book symbols when Lucky Locks activates, using the respin as a semi-directed feature trigger attempt.
Can the free spins retrigger infinitely?
Yes — there is no cap on retriggers. During free spins, landing 3 or more book scatters awards additional spins. This can chain indefinitely: you could theoretically have a feature that runs 100+ spins through multiple retriggers. In practice, retriggers during active features are the single biggest multiplier of potential win values — each retrigger comes with the same Golden Symbol active, and if that symbol has been expanding frequently, additional spins extend the high-coverage period. The infinite retrigger potential is primarily what allows Book of Shadows to reach 30,338x.
How does Book of Shadows differ from Book of Ra or Book of Dead?
Book of Ra and Book of Dead follow an identical structure: expanding special symbol in free spins, 10 paylines, standard 5x3 grid, no player-choice mechanics. They're fixed experiences with no variability in game structure. Book of Shadows adds the dynamic Shadow Rows grid, the Lucky Locks player-choice mechanic, infinite retrigger potential, and a 30,000x+ ceiling vs the 5,000x–10,000x typical of legacy titles. The base RTP is comparable, but the mechanical depth and ceiling are in a different category entirely. If you've outgrown standard Book of titles, Shadows is the natural progression.
What's the best strategy for the Bonus Buy in Book of Shadows?
Book of Shadows' Bonus Buy provides direct feature access at around 100x your bet, with a slightly higher RTP configuration (up to 96.43% vs 96.01%). For players primarily interested in feature play rather than base game grinding, the Bonus Buy is excellent value — you skip the variance of feature triggers and immediately access the expanding Golden Symbol mechanic. Budget for at least 3–5 buys minimum: single-buy sessions can disappoint when a feature runs 10 spins without significant Golden Symbol expansion, while multi-buy sessions allow the average returns to compound toward expected value.