onlinepokies logo
logo

Dragon Shard Slot - Features, RTP, Free Spins & Bonuses

Dragon Shard Slot Screenshots

SoftwareMicrogaming
Slot TypesVideo Slots
Reels5
Paylines40
Slot Game FeaturesWild Symbol, Scatters, Free Spins, Bonus Game
Min. Bet0.02
Max. Bet2
Jackpot10
Slot RTP96.41%

It is a slot game developed by UK-based Stormcraft Studios and published by the Microgaming partnership. In terms of its development, Stormcraft Studio took inspiration from their previous slot game, Fortunium; this earlier game had a steampunk-inspired theme, and it featured the same game engine. Since then, they have learned from their mistakes and failures. And, instead of building another slot machine game with mediocre themes and less-than-mediocre gameplay, they made sure to build this slot game with a lot of magic and mystery. So, in the new slot machine game, The Fire Queen and The Ice King compete to gain possession of the ancient Dragon Shard artifact. Meanwhile, you have the chance to earn money in the process. As you would probably guess, the high-value symbols are the Ice King or Fire Queen along with their respective fire and ice dragons. Low-value symbols are clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds.

Symbols

The highest-paying symbol in this slot machine is either the Ice King or Fire Queen. Each can reward you up to eight times your wager for a complete five-symbol payline. Both the Fire Queen and Ice King can appear anywhere on the reels in sets of 2. The Dragon Shard logo is a wild symbol that replaces all non-scatter symbols in order to generate a win. When 3, 4, or 5 of the Dragon Shard logo appear on a payline, it multiplies the number of times your original stake by 1, 4, or 20. You may also notice that there are Mystery Symbols present in the slot. The Mystery Symbols replace themselves with low-value symbols, high-value symbols or Wild Symbols depending on what you need. When you encounter them in-game, they appear as a golden dragon-shaped question mark.

User Experience and Visuals

As expected from modern slot games today, Dragon Shard features a 5 x 5 grid layout. In addition, it has excellent visuals and animation, with many fantasy-related graphical elements appearing after every spin. The visuals are reminiscent of other titles released by this company. However, when you compare the number of lines offered by Dragon Shard (which is forty), it seems like they did miss an opportunity to introduce additional lines to differentiate itself from other slots featuring the same row size and reel configuration. The minimum coin value is $0.05. Additionally, you can place a maximum of twenty coins per line. Therefore, while the entry point is decent enough to encourage people to spend a bit more money to potentially get better rewards in the long run.

Winnings

With two options being win up to $4000 on a single spin or $160,000 throughout a single round, it is possible to obtain a theoretical maximum payout of 800x your initial wager. As such, it includes free spins, mystery symbols discussed previously and a Win Booster feature.

Unfortunately, Dragon Shard does not feature any type of progressive system or jackpot function. This could potentially frustrate some players looking for bigger payouts in exchange for larger wagers. That said, given the nature of most video slot games available today, you should still expect to win fairly frequently, just maybe not as much as you might wish.

Win Booster

Before spinning the reels for the first time, you must determine if you want to enable the Win Booster feature. If you choose to disable it, the slot will behave normally. On the other hand, if you do choose to enable it, your potential payout will be calculated from both left-to-right AND right-to-left. By doing so, you will also unlock an increased probability of converting Mystery Symbols into Wilds or High-Paying Symbols. Keep in mind that this feature does come with a cost – namely doubling your wager – therefore a regular wager of $100 now becomes $200.

Free Spin Round

If you manage to collect three or more Scatter Symbols (a pair of dragon eyes), you can enter a free spin round. During free spins, you will initially receive ten free spins. If you trigger the free spins round using three Scatter Symbols, four Scatter Symbols, or five Scatter Symbols, you will receive one additional free spin(s). Moreover, you will also receive one additional Mystery Reel(s) per each of those Scatter Symbols. This means that if you trigger three Scatters, you will get one Mystery Reel; if you trigger four Scatters you will get two Mystery Reels; etc. The Mystery Reels are placed randomly among the Medium Reels and will only be populated with Mystery Symbols. Once again, these Mystery Symbols can become Wild Symbols or High-Paying Symbols during Free Spins. While getting Wild Symbols or High-Paying Symbols covering all your reels in a single spin is required to reach the theoretical maximum payout of 800x your initial wager for that spin, triggering these Mystery Reels is still a nice way to increase your chances of achieving multiple consecutive wins.

Mobile Game Experience

Similar to other Flash-enabled games released recently by Stormcraft Studios, Dragon Shard was designed specifically for mobile gaming. Therefore, when compared to the desktop version, there is no difference in terms of functionality or overall experience when accessing the game through your mobile device or tablet.

AutoPlay Option To Enhance The Gameplay Experience

Stormcraft Studios made great strides in enhancing the user interface and animations within this title. The slot offers an excellent audio/visual experience. There is a background soundtrack accompanying typical sound effects found in many slot machines. Together, they contribute to the thrilling and epic atmosphere experienced with each subsequent round played. Like many other slot titles today, Dragon Shard supports an AutoPlay option allowing users to limit the number of successive wins and/or losses before stopping the auto-play sequence. Therefore, if you'd like to relax and simply watch your winnings accumulate over time, you may use this feature.

Dragon Shard Slot Review: Features, RTP & Free Demo Guide

Dragon Shard is a very engaging online slot from Stormcraft Studios under the Microgaming and Games Global umbrella. It has a rich fantasy theme focused on elemental kings and queens battling each other to control magical artifacts called Dragon Shards. It is geared towards players who appreciate immersive storytelling alongside rewarding gameplay experiences. Dragon Shard combines a standard 5x5 grid with 40 active paylines that can extend in both directions when utilizing its Win Booster feature. As such, Dragon Shard caters to various types of gamers based upon their preferred play styles. Overall, due to its RTP (Return To Player) rate of 96.77 percent paired with its medium volatility level, Dragon Shard is generally considered an average-risk slot machine that can deliver a consistent stream of moderate-sized wins.

In our comprehensive review of Dragon Shard slot game we covered every aspect of its design including its graphics and special features in addition to examining its pay table and identifying how to take advantage of mobile gaming capabilities and expert tips for optimal gameplay strategies.

Game Overview

Dragon Shard represents another fantastic example of the creativity exhibited by Stormcraft Studios (the creators behind popular slot titles such as Fortunium). After developing Fortunium — a Steampunk-themed slot — they were inspired to develop an entirely new type of slot machine with a completely different theme and thus Dragon Shard came into existence. The two main protagonists are once again kings (in this case Fire Kings and Ice Kings); however, unlike Fortunium where they battled each other through mechanical inventions and machinery; here they battle each other using powerful fire breathing dragons and magical artifacts called Dragon Shards. Beyond the differences noted above; Dragon Shard employs numerous features that resemble those found in other slot machines including free spins, mystery symbols and a special Win Booster mode that can modify paytable results.

Graphics, Theme & Music Design

One area in which Dragon Shard truly stands apart from other online slots is its exceptionally high-quality visuals. The backgrounds of the game are composed of contrasting ice-covered mountain ranges and lava-filled volcanic regions representing the opposing powers of ice and fire controlled by The Fire King and The Ice King. All of the symbols on the reels are beautifully illustrated with intricate details depicting crystal-encrusted playing cards as well as large fire-breathing dragons with sparkling gemstones adorning their bodies and heads. In addition to being visually stunning; the music design is equally impressive supporting the epic adventures taking place inside of this game. Although the background music is primarily comprised of orchestral compositions intended to evoke feelings of grandeur; several sound effects are utilized to emphasize key events happening in-game (i.e., scoring wins). Furthermore; animated sequences are included in addition to the mystery symbols feature and Win Booster feature adding excitement to the base gameplay experience as well as free spins feature.

Slot Machine Features

Some of the greatest advantages presented by Dragon Shard can be attributed to its incredible variety of features.

Win Booster Feature

The primary mechanism employed by Dragon Shard is referred to as the Win Booster feature. When enabled; it doubles your bet and enables wins both ways (left-to-right AND right-to-left) resulting in enhanced win possibilities since potential winning combinations can occur twice for each winning combination discovered. Because this feature increases your hit ratio; players seeking to achieve higher hit frequencies typically engage this feature during base game play.

Mystery Symbols

Each time you spin the reels you may discover Mystery Symbols depicted as glowing shards on the reels. Upon landing; these Mystery Symbols change into symbols that match one of three categories:

  • Low paying symbols
  • High-paying symbols
  • Wild symbols

These transformations dramatically enhance both base gameplay and free spins rounds; contributing to longer chains of consecutive wins.

Free Spins & Bonus Rounds

Once you land three or more scatter symbols (representing two dragon eyes) you will be awarded ten free spins. While retriggering these free spins is possible; they occur relatively infrequently. During free spins; Mystery Reels are introduced; transforming one column up to three columns into Mystery Symbols thereby greatly increasing your chances for generating multiple consecutive winning combinations.

Wilds & Stacked High Value Symbols

Both Wild Symbols (displayed as a Dragon Shard logo) and stacked high-value character symbols serve as critical components in forming winning combinations.

Pay Table & Symbol Payouts

Dragon Shard's paytable consists of low paying symbols (Crystal-Encrusted Suits) and high-paying symbols (Fire Queen/Ice King/Fire Dragon/Ice Dragon).

Additionally:

  • The Wild Symbol can replace all symbols except for the scatter symbol.
  • The scatter symbol can initiate free spins.

Since both high-value character symbols and Wild Symbols can appear in stacks (up to five tall); it's possible for them to produce multiple consecutive winning combinations.

RTP/Volatility/MAX WIN POTENTIAL

With an RTP rating ranging from 96.41% - 96.77%; Dragon Shard ranks relatively high for an online slot machine — as this indicates a good return on investment over prolonged periods of playtime.

Also; due to its medium volatility level; Dragon Shard offers players an opportunity to win consistently without having to wait too long between big wins.

Ultimately; its max payout amount of 800X your stake may seem somewhat lower than other highly volatile slot games; yet; this structure helps protect bankroll stability while still delivering exciting gameplay.

Free Demo Vs Real Money Gameplay

Before deciding whether or not you want to invest your own money into Dragon Shard; we strongly recommend testing it out for FREE first in demo mode.

Not only will practicing your skills help prepare you for actual gameplay; but also help teach you how to utilize the Win Booster feature and free spins rounds effectively to maximize your returns.

Additionally; by choosing reputable casino websites offering bonuses/free spins/secured payment methods you will also receive extra value when funding your account for your first deposit!

MOBILE GAMING EXPERIENCE

Dragon Shard has also been optimized for mobile/tablet play — with smooth touch interfaces — allowing players to access it regardless of whether they are gaming on-the-go using iOS or Android devices.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Engaging fantasy theme
  • Medium volatility for balanced play
  • Free spins with mystery reels
  • Win booster for increased winnings

  • Fully mobile friendly
  • Demo available.

Cons

  • Capped maximum win at 800×.
  • Limited number of features.
  • Retriggers occur rarely.

Expert Verdict

The Dragon Shard Slot Game offers a fun and well-balanced slot experience based upon a solid fantasy themed design. The combination of free spins with mystery reels along with the Win Booster creates a fun loop of gameplay. Although it may not be ideal for high-risk players seeking large payouts, it does provide consistent entertainment and smooth gameplay on all devices. For those who prefer playing slot games which offer a mix of strategy and moderate risk, the Dragon Shard Slot is definitely one that should be tried, either through the free demo version prior to placing bets using real money.

Final Thoughts

The Dragon Shard Slot Game has a nice balance of quality design, accessible features, and functionality. The fantasy theme of the slot game is visually appealing as well as unique. As this slot game has a moderate level of volatility and often includes feature triggers in succession, players can expect to have longer session lengths when enjoying this slot game. In addition, players who would like to incorporate some degree of strategy with their slot gaming experience will likely find the Dragon Shard Slot very satisfying. Whether you decide to try the free demo version of the Dragon Shard Slot Game or jump directly into real-money versions of the game, you will certainly receive a high-quality slot gaming experience from Stormcraft Studios.

FAQs About Dragon Shard Slot

How much RTP does the Dragon Shard slot have?

The Dragon Shard slot has an RTP (Return To Player) that ranges from 96.41% to 96.77%. The RTP is therefore on a level well over what would be expected as average RTP for online slots and should provide a good balance of gameplay for many players.

Will I be able to find Dragon Shard for free to play at some licensed online casino sites?

Yes, the Dragon Shard slot can also be found in Demo Mode at numerous licensed online casino sites and slot review sites. In this way you will be able to try out all the game's features such as Free Spins and the Win Booster Feature during Free Spins, all before spending any actual cash.

What is the largest possible payout when playing Dragon Shard slot?

The biggest wins possible while playing Dragon Shard slot range up to 800 times your initial wager. The big wins occur due to Mystery Symbols being added to the reels, Stacked Symbols occurring on each reel and during Free Spins the Win Booster can increase the likelihood of larger wins.

Does Dragon Shard slot include a Free Spins Bonus Round?

Yes, if you land three or more Scatter Symbols then ten Free Spins will be awarded to you and there will be mystery reels. Each time you spin one to three reels can become fully stacked with mystery symbols, creating greater winning opportunities.

Are Mobile Devices Compatible with the Dragon Shard Slot?

Yes, the Dragon Shard Slot is fully optimized

 

SoftwareMicrogaming
Slot TypesVideo Slots
Reels5
Paylines40
Slot Game FeaturesWild Symbol, Scatters, Free Spins, Bonus Game
Min. Bet0.02
Max. Bet2
Jackpot10
Slot RTP96.41%