xWays Hoarder 2: Slot Overview

If you’ve spun enough online slots, you’ll inevitably run into a few truly oddball titles. One that’s been drifting around on the stranger end of the spectrum is Nolimit City’s 2021 release xWays Hoarder xSplit. It served up a post-apocalyptic fever dream of toilet paper, Geiger Counters, and a max win number compared to the lifetime kilograms of poo produced by a 76-year-old man. Yep, that happened. And really, who else would do it but Nolimit City? Apparently, one scavenger trip through a nuclear wasteland wasn’t sufficient, because the studio has now unleashed the sequel xWays Hoarder 2—and let’s not ask what that smeared “2” is supposed to be made from. We’ll just say it’s chocolate.

So no, you won’t find refined, polite, high-culture entertainment on offer here. xWays Hoarder 2 doesn’t go fully all-in on the gross-out angle, wallowing in filth, but… it definitely has moments. The base game shifts from the building-speckled scenery of xWays Hoarder xSplit to an underground bunker, where a pipe labelled “Feed Tube” suggests nothing pleasant. Free spins take the action back above ground, where the dystopian future looks every bit as bleak as you’d expect, and it’s hard not to imagine how grim a nuclear winter would be once society has completely collapsed. xWays Hoarder 2 provides a few hints…

Even though the visuals have been reworked compared to the first game (while the audio choice still fits like a lubricated latex glove), plenty of familiar elements remain. One of them is volatility, set at 10 out of 10 and labelled “Extreme,” so caution is advised. The highest available RTP is also identical digit-for-digit to the previous title at 96.14%, although lower RTP setups are available too. On the wagering side, there’s a pile of extra ante bet and feature buy options, while base stakes range from 20 c per spin or as high as $/€100. The action plays out on a 6×3-oriented grid with 729 ways to win, and splitting symbols can push the number of ways even higher.

As for payouts, the symbols are now split into 5 lower-value objects and 6 higher-value characters. A winning way of 6 matching objects pays 1x-1.2x the bet, while 6 matching characters in a winning way returns 1.5-5x the bet. When wilds show up, they can replace any standard paying symbol.

xWays Hoarder 2: Slot Features

xWays Hoarder 2 really does live up to the “hoarder” name on the feature front, arriving packed with xWays, xSplit Wilds, xSplit Nudge, Loot Respins, Raid Spins, Plunder Spins, Binge Spins, Nolimit Boosters, and Nolimit bonus buys.

xWays

The xWays symbol can appear on reels 2, 3, 4, or 5. It uncovers a random regular symbol, and if multiple xWays symbols land, they all reveal the same symbol. The size of the xWays symbol changes based on how many are connected. A single xWays symbol can expand to 2-4, two xWays symbols on the same reel can expand to 3-8, and three connected xWays symbols on the same reel can expand to 4-12.

xSplit Wilds & xSplit Nudge

xSplit Wilds can land anywhere except the leftmost reel. xSplit Wild symbols split all symbols to the left on the same row, doubling those symbols. If a symbol gets split more than once, it shows a multiplier. When xSplit Wilds split xWays symbols, the multiplier doubles for each split. Loot symbols are not split. xSplit Nudge symbols also land anywhere except on the leftmost reel. They arrive as a stacked symbol that always nudges and stops before any special symbol—if one is present. Each xSplit Nudge position then splits symbols to the left on the same row, doubling the symbols.

Loot Respin

In the base game, landing a Loot symbol together with any special symbol (xWays, xSplit, scatter or xSplit Nudge) activates the Loot Respin. During a Respin, the Loot symbol expands on the leftmost reel and locks it in place. If any special symbol lands, it remains, and another respin is awarded. When no new special symbol lands, the leftmost reel is unlocked, and one final respin takes place. A Loot symbol can land again and retrigger the feature.

Scatter Symbol

Scatters can land anywhere except the leftmost reel. Scatter symbols are not split by other special symbols and instead turn into a Super Scatter symbol.

Raid Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters on screen triggers 7, 10, or 13 Raid Spins, respectively. During Raid Spins, xSplit, xWays, or xSplit Nudge symbols become sticky for the rest of the feature once they land. Super Scatters transform themselves and the regular paying symbols beneath them into xSplit symbols. Any extra scatter awards an additional spin.

For every third xWays, xSplit, or xSplit Nudge collected, you reach a new Radiation level as part of the Radiation Level Up feature. Binge Spins is the final level, featuring the maximum number of collected xWays, xSplit, or xSplit Nudge symbols and only 3 different symbols on the reels. Each level upgrade grants an extra spin:

• Radiation Level 1 – 3 xSplit, xWays or xSplit Nudge symbols collected. The lowest-paying character symbol and object symbol are removed from the reels.
• Radiation Level 2 – 6 xSplit, xWays or xSplit Nudge symbols collected. The second lowest-paying character symbol and object symbol are removed from the reels.
• Radiation Level 3 – 9 xSplit, xWays or xSplit Nudge symbols collected. The third lowest-paying character symbol and object symbol are removed from the reels.
• Radiation Level 4 – 12 xSplit, xWays or xSplit Nudge symbols collected. The fourth lowest-paying character symbol and object symbol are removed from the reels.

Plunder Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols (with at least 1 being a Super Scatter) triggers 7, 10, or 13 Plunder Spins, respectively. The Super Scatter position and the positions below it turn into sticky xSplit symbols for the duration of this feature. Any additional scatter awards an extra spin. Radiation Levels remain active and upgrade the same way they do in Raid Spins.

Binge Spins

Binge Spins activate when Raid or Plunder Spins progress to level 4. In this mode, only the top 2 highest-paying character symbols and the highest-paying object symbols can appear.

Nolimit Booster

There are three Nolimit Boosters available. Turning on the xBet costs 3x the base bet and makes it 4 times more likely to trigger free spins. For 10x the base bet, the xSplit Nudge Bet ensures at least one xSplit Nudge. Lastly, for 30x the base bet, the Loot Respins Bet guarantees the Loot Respin feature will trigger.

Nolimit Bonus Buy

On top of that, players can choose from four bonus buys. For 80x the bet, you can purchase Raid Spins, while Plunder Spins with 1 guaranteed Super Scatter costs 300x the bet. Plunder Spins 2, featuring 2 guaranteed Super Scatters, costs 800x the bet, and the Lucky Draw option costs 312x.

xWays Hoarder 2: Slot Verdict

If nothing else, xWays Hoarder 2 proves you can’t keep a good Karen down—though what “good” means here is very much up for debate. She was one of the standout characters in the first Hoarder game, then got her own spotlight moment in Karen Maneater, and now she’s shuffled back in to oversee xWays Hoarder 2. Put differently, the theme is as beside-the-point as ever, and trying to survive the end-of-the-world wasteland is as bleak as you’d expect. Grab what you can, forget everyone else, and let the chips land wherever they land…

And in xWays Hoarder 2, those chips can land in plenty of different ways, since it’s a highly—sorry, extremely—volatile Nolimit City release. The variety is there too: from the trio of “x” symbols to the new Loot Respin feature and the selection of bonus rounds. Loot Respins, in particular, look interesting and add a welcome spark to the base game.

Respin mechanics that build up wilds or paying symbols aren’t exactly rare, but respins that pile up x-symbols could be a different kind of trouble. That phase can involve a huge amount of splitting—if you’re lucky, in the same way you’d be lucky to stumble upon a stash of 4-ply toilet paper while scavenging in the wild. The sticky x-symbol concept carries into free spins too, where x-symbols cling to the grid once they land, in a way that felt reminiscent of Nitro Reels in a Nitropolis slot. Still, xWays Hoarder 2 didn’t feel frantic or overly adrenalized in terms of tempo. Even so, the potential for serious devastation is always close by, as shown by the 25,920x max win that’s theoretically possible in less than 1 in a million spins.

From start to finish, xWays Hoarder 2 is unmistakably Nolimit City. The studio derailed a while back (in the best sense) and hasn’t bothered climbing back on track. There have been a few stumbles—no need to point fingers—but also an impressive run of bangers. xWays Hoarder 2 lands on the stronger side of the quality meter, offering powerful (if daunting) stats, x-driven thrills, Karen’s return, a box of Beefy Dick’s massive dildos, and a bag of consumables called Shittles. What else could a hoarder possibly want?