Pragmatic Play's Coven Rising Brings Witchcraft and Cluster Pays to the Reels

Pragmatic Play has released Coven Rising, a witch-themed slot built around an unconventional grid and a cluster-pays engine rather than the usual spinning reels. Four witches stand around a circular ritual space, viewed from above as if the player is perched in a nearby tree, and the theme carries through into the mechanics rather than sitting on top of them as pure decoration.

The grid itself is the first thing that will catch a regular's eye: it runs on a 1-4-7-6-7-6-7-4-1 pattern, an odd shape clearly meant to echo the witches' circle rather than a standard reel set. Symbols pay out in clusters of five or more connected horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and winning symbols pay and then clear, with new symbols dropping into their place for a respin. Blanks can also land, adding a bit of tension to each cluster attempt since not every space is guaranteed to carry value.

There are six regular pay symbols, but each one comes in five levels. Level 1 symbols pay between 0.05x and 0.5x the bet, while level 5 versions of the same symbols climb to 5x-50x. A wild substitutes for any regular pay symbol. The real engine of the game sits in the middle of the grid, where up to four Witch symbols can land and apply a modifier to the current spin; those modifiers, in either standard or upgraded form, also carry over through the respin sequence rather than disappearing after one use.

Free spins are triggered by landing 3, 4, 5 or 6 scatters, worth 12, 16, 20 or 24 free spins respectively, and hitting two or more scatters in a single round adds two extra free spins per scatter beyond the first. Witch symbols and their modifiers remain active during the free spins round, layering on top of whatever progressive elements have already built up. Players who want a faster route in can use the ante bet to triple their stake in exchange for seven times the chance of triggering the feature, or buy in directly for 100x the bet for standard free spins, or 200x for a version that removes blanks from the middle position entirely.

Pragmatic Play has set Coven Rising to a medium volatility model with a top RTP of 96.24% and a bet range running from $/€0.20 up to $/€240, with a maximum win capped at 5,000x the stake. That volatility rating and prize ceiling put it in a fairly normal spot for a modern release, even if the way it gets there is anything but conventional.

Atmosphere-wise, the game lands somewhere between NetEnt's What's Up Witches? and Nolimit City's True Kult, leaning into glowing sigils and lines during the free spins to sell the sense of a ritual reaching its peak. The presentation is a genuine strength, and the decision to fold the four witches into the modifier system rather than treating them as window dressing gives the theme actual purpose within the reels.

Where Coven Rising is likely to split opinion is the learning curve. Between the unusual grid shape, the cluster-and-respin rhythm, and five tiers of symbols that behave differently once upgraded, it takes longer than most slots to fully click. Players drawn to novelty and witchcraft themes will likely find plenty to enjoy working it out; those who prefer a more streamlined, pick-up-and-play format may bounce off it before the mechanics fully reveal themselves.