Gates of Hades Cluster Pays: Five Must Touch
In short: Gates of Hades pays clusters: a block of at least five matching symbols touching horizontally or vertically on a 6x6 grid. Diagonals are excluded, and the wild multipliers above the reels are added together rather than multiplied.
Five touching symbols is the entry price on this grid, and a diagonal run of five is worth nothing. The rule matters because most summaries of the game describe a different one entirely.
| Grid: | 6x6, thirty-six positions |
|---|---|
| Smallest paying block: | 5 symbols connected horizontally or vertically |
| Diagonals: | Never count |
| Paylines: | None at all |
| Tumbles: | No stated limit while blocks keep forming |
| Multiplier meters: | Added together, never multiplied |
| Base-game wild values: | 1x to 100x, sixteen discrete steps |
Table of contents
Gates of Hades Clusters: Key Features
Five Touching Symbols, Nothing Looser
The rules put it in one sentence: symbols pay in blocks of minimum five connected horizontally or vertically, on a 6x6 grid. A diagonal run of five returns nothing, and that single restriction is what most descriptions of this game get wrong.
Paid Symbols Leave, the Grid Refills
Once a block pays, those symbols disappear, whatever remains drops down, and fresh symbols fall from above. Tumbling repeats while blocks keep forming, and the rules leave the count open: one spin can tumble as many times as the grid allows.
Meters Are Summed, and Only Some of Them Count
A block is multiplied by the aggregate of the meters positioned above the reels its own symbols occupied. Meters above uninvolved reels are excluded from that calculation entirely. Affiliate summaries almost invariably flatten this distinction into simple multiplication.
Base Meters Clear, Feature Meters Stay
In base play the meters wipe once a spin stops tumbling. In the feature they stay put. That one change is why a bonus round builds where base play resets.
How That Looked on Our Own Screen
We logged one base round on that carried a 10x meter on the fourth reel and a 20x on the fifth. It tumbled three times and paid $36.00 at a $2.00 stake. That is 18x from a summed 30x, and a single round proves nothing about the long run.
Payouts, Limits and Caps
| Parameter | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grid | 6x6 | Thirty-six positions and no paylines |
| Smallest paying block | 5 symbols | Horizontal or vertical connection only |
| Diagonal blocks | No prize | Excluded by the wording of the rule |
| Tumbles per spin | No stated limit | Repeats while each refill forms another block |
| Base-game wild values | 1x to 100x | Sixteen discrete steps with nothing between them |
| Feature wild values | Up to 500x | The base set plus 200x and 500x |
| Meter behaviour | Summed across winning reels | Cleared after base tumbles, sticky through a feature |
Key Terms Used on This Page
- Cluster pays
- A model where blocks of five or more touching symbols pay, with no paylines anywhere on the 6x6 grid.
- Tumble
- The refill after a paid block; the rules set no limit, and our best base round ran 3 of them.
- Multiplier meter
- The running total above a reel, summed across winning reels only; ours peaked at 310x.
- Sticky meter
- A meter surviving every spin of a feature round, where single wild values reach 500x.
Not sure yet? Try the free demo first and learn the round with play money before any deposit.
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Related Reading on This Game
More on this game, from the same section first:
ReferenceThree RTP Builds
96.52% default, 96.47% on Super buy
ReferenceMax Win Ceiling
Hard cap 10,000x, base and bonus
ReferenceThe 10x Wild Floor
Minimum wild 10x, buy costs 500x
ReferenceSymbol Pay Ladder
Crown pays 150x, blue gem 5x
ReferenceMedium or High
Medium badge in client, 29.01% hit rate
ReferenceVersus Gates of Olympus
6x6 clusters vs 6x5 pay-anywhere
What Else Do Readers Ask?
Two things trip readers up on this grid: whether diagonals count, and whether the meters multiply each other. The rules answer both in a single screen, and neither answer is the intuitive one.
Do diagonal lines pay?
No, only horizontal and vertical connections count. Five matching symbols sitting on a diagonal return nothing at all on this grid.
Are the multipliers added or multiplied?
The multipliers are added. A block takes the sum of the meters above the reels its symbols occupied, never their product.
How many tumbles can one spin produce?
No limit is stated anywhere. Tumbling repeats for as long as each refill creates another block of five or more.
Do the meters carry between spins?
Meters clear once a base-game spin finishes tumbling. Inside a feature round they stay on screen until the final spin.
What is the smallest block that pays?
Five connected symbols is the floor. A block of four returns nothing, however valuable that symbol happens to be.