Phoenix Graveyard 2: Slot Overview

To risk sounding a touch pedantic: if phoenixes perish only to rise again from the ashes, would they even need graveyards? Hard to say, but here we are with a second chance to mull it over while diving into Phoenix Graveyard 2 from Light & Wonder owned software provider ELK Studios. The first Phoenix Graveyard arrived in 2022 as a bleak, ominous slot packed with Grim Reapers and gloom. Phoenix Graveyard 2 keeps that same oppressive vibe, while adding more features and boosting the game’s win potential.

If that sounds like uplifting news, don’t worry—Phoenix Graveyard 2 is just as miserable-looking as its predecessor. The reels sit in a moonlit old town scene, dotted with a twisted tree and gravestones. Candles drip wax and skulls decorate the play area, and character symbols become skeletons during the bonus rounds. It’s far from the most inviting setting ELK Studios has created, but for players who enjoy a spooky atmosphere, Phoenix Graveyard 2 offers a richly joyless world to get lost in.

Wins start from the left side of the 5×4 grid and are calculated from at least 1,024, scaling up to millions of ways to win. Fearless players can choose stakes of 20 c to $/€100, and there are five X-iter feature buys available to potentially speed things up. Whether you purchase features or play normally, the RTP is 94%, and the game runs on a highly volatile math model.

The paytable contains 10-A royals, paying 0.2x to 0.4x for 5 OAK, plus five character symbols that return 1x to 2.5x the bet for five of a kind. Wilds come in multiple forms and substitute for any standard pay symbol. A win made entirely of wilds pays up to the value of the highest-paying symbol.

Phoenix Graveyard 2: Slot Features

There’s a lot to unpack, including Phoenix/Reaper Wilds, Wild Battles, skull activations, the feature row and feature symbols, bonus games, and feature buys.

Phoenix & Reaper Wild

In addition to substituting for all paying symbols, the Phoenix Wild also grants a respin and unlocks a random position on the feature row when it lands, which can reveal a feature row symbol. The Reaper Wild also substitutes for pay symbols and unlocks a feature row position when it lands. The Reaper Wild is a walking wild that triggers respins as it moves left until it eventually exits the grid.

Wild Battle

When a Phoenix and Reaper Wild land on the same row or sit adjacent vertically, they battle after any wins have been paid. The winner receives a multiplier, while both get a multiplier if the battle ends in a draw. If the Phoenix wins, it removes all low symbols on the following spin; if the Reaper wins, then 1-5 feather wilds spread across the grid. Feather wilds may spawn after a Phoenix has been split, after it loses a battle, or when a split lands on a position that already has six ways.

Phoenix Skull and Reaper Skull

On any spin, the Phoenix skull or Reaper skull can glow, meaning it may trigger. When activated, the Reaper skull places one Reaper wild on the rightmost reel, and any unlocked feature row positions remain active for the rest of the round. When the Phoenix skull is active, it drops 1-3 Phoenix wilds onto the reels, followed by one respin per Phoenix with the feature row unlocked—this behavior also applies to any respins triggered during the sequence.

Feature Row

The feature row contains five locked positions. Whenever a Phoenix wild or Reaper wild lands, it unlocks one position before wins are checked. Unlocked positions spin to reveal a blank or a feature row symbol. Feature row positions become locked again after a win unless a respin symbol or skull feature triggers, or unless the bonus or super bonus is running. Feature row symbols are:

• Split All – increases the ways to win of all positions on the grid by +1.
• Split Right – selects a random position on the reel underneath it and increases its ways to win as well as all positions on the row to its right by +1.
• Split Left – the same as above but to the left.
• Split Reel – increases the ways to win of all positions on the reel underneath it by +1.
• Split One – chooses a random position on the reel underneath it and increases its ways to win by 1-6.
• Spawn Phoenix – spawns a Phoenix wild on a random grid position.
• Spawn Reaper – spawns a Reaper wild on a random grid position.
• Respin – locks all Reapers and Phoenixes in place and triggers a respin. A respin occurs even if there are no Reapers or Phoenixes. Reapers and Phoenixes do not open new feature row positions during this respin.

Split positions increase ways to win up to six. If a split hits a position already at six ways, that position receives six wild feathers. When a Split symbol lands above a reel containing a Reaper, it becomes powered up, meaning directional splits increase ways to win by 2-6 instead of 1, and the Split one symbol boosts 2-5 positions rather than just 1. Also, if splits land on a Phoenix or Reaper, their multiplier is increased instead of boosting the position they occupy.

Bonus Game

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 scatters awards 6, 8, or 10 free spins, respectively. Scatters become sticky if a respin is pending. The bonus starts with one Phoenix wild that remains in play and shifts to a new position each spin. Any ways increase from the triggering spin carries into the feature. Additional Phoenix symbols that appear during the bonus also persist and award +1 free spin. Landing Phoenix or Reaper symbols unlocks one feature row position per spin. All split positions, unlocked feature row positions, and any multipliers are persistent for the full bonus. In addition, when a Phoenix or Reaper lands on—or moves onto—a position with increased ways to win, they absorb those ways, adding them to their multiplier. The ways to win return to the position once the Phoenix or Reaper moves away.

The standard bonus can upgrade into a super bonus by landing a super bonus symbol on the rightmost reel, opening all feature rows that weren’t already open, and activating the powered up effect. +2 free spins are added as well. Another route is triggering a bonus during Phoenix skull or Reaper skull, which also activates the super bonus.

X-iter Feature Buys

The X-iter includes Bonus Hunt for 2.5x the bet, giving a spin with more than four times the chance to trigger the bonus game; Mega Bonus Hunt for 5x, offering more than eight times the chance; or Splitting Frenzy, which is a single spin where all feature row positions are unlocked, the chance of landing feature symbols is increased, and bonus symbols are replaced by super bonus symbols for 50x the bet. Players can also directly buy the regular bonus for 100x or the super bonus for 500x.

Phoenix Graveyard 2: Slot Verdict

Overall, it’s not entirely obvious that Phoenix Graveyard 2 is a monumental leap over Phoenix Graveyard, but it undeniably packs in more activity. The battles return, the splitting is still here, and the split reels keep that familiar Nitropolis-style feel. Splitting also has more variety this time, since feature symbols can slice left, right, entire reels, a single position, or everything at once. Each position can be split up to 6 ways, so the total ways to win can stack to such an extent that the info sheet doesn’t even list a fixed maximum. In short, it can get huge—though that doesn’t automatically mean enormous payouts. You still need to connect the split positions with matching symbols, after all.

As with the first game, unless you actively enjoy heavy, threatening themes, Phoenix Graveyard 2 didn’t deliver the same kind of adrenaline spike as a strong Nitropolis session can. Something about the reel area feels less visually striking than much of ELK Studios’ other work, and the feature row looks a bit plain. That said, it’s difficult to criticize what the feature symbols can actually do if you’re into splitting, and Wild Battles can be genuinely tense. Another welcome touch is that the standard bonus can be upgraded by landing a super bonus symbol, which powers up the splitting effect. Taken together, it’s a tempting feature set for the right type of player.

If Phoenix Graveyard didn’t scare you off to the nearest bright and breezy fruit slot, but instead pulled you into its grim fantasy setting, then the sequel is just as likely—perhaps even more so—to deliver those dark thrills. It’s still debatable which game is the more entertaining package, but with more than double the potential at 25,000x plus a pile of features, players who fall within Phoenix Graveyard 2’s target audience should have a satisfyingly sinister time finding out.