Elk Studios has once again pushed creative boundaries with its latest release — Cathedral 9, a gothic-inspired 6-reel, 5-row slot that blends intricate design, high volatility, and an arsenal of innovative features. Released on Oct. 23, 2025, Cathedral 9 invites players into a shadowy world of mystery and treasure, where cascading wins, expanding symbols, and powerful mechanics like Entombed, Holy Collect, and the Feature Reel bring every spin to life.
Whether you’re here to explore the mechanics, try the free demo, or uncover the path to the 25,000x max win, this guide covers everything you need to know about Elk’s most ambitious release yet.
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Cathedral 9 Demo
Here are some of the key features that make “Cathedral 9” a must-play:
- Feature Reel: Located at the top of the main grid, it consists of two rows and six columns. It contains feature symbols, empty symbols, and empty cells. These symbols become active when moved into the primary grid.
- Entombed: All grid symbols become the payout symbol when the entombed symbol covers the entire reel.
- Holy Collect: “Holy Blockers” from the feature reel contribute to the Holy Collect, which retains its status between rounds. When the Holy Collect is triggered, three to six coffins are added to the grid. It can be activated during any initial drop.
- Bonus: The free bonus drop game is triggered with three or more bonus symbols. Each bonus symbol will award between two and four free drops, with bonus symbols landing inside the bonus awarding additional free drops.
- Super Bonus: The Super Bonus is triggered by winning on all nine payout symbol types in the bonus. This is played with exclusively super mystery coffins.
- X-iter: Elk Studios; X-iter feature allows players to dive into the action with five unique game modes in Cathedral 9.
Slot Mechanics
Cathedral 9 begins each round by filling the feature reel (the 2×6 reel above the main grid) and symbols filling the primary grid (6×5, offering 30 grid spaces).
Winning combinations are paid for eight or more identical symbols scattered anywhere on the primary grid. Feature symbols become active when dropping down into the primary grid (triggered by making winning combinations).
With every winning combination, the matching symbols in the primary grid are collected, allowing the symbols in the feature reels above to drop down and fill in the gaps. New winning combinations are then collected, and the cycle repeats.
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Bonus Rounds
The Bonus Round (Free Drop Bonus Game) is triggered by collecting between three and six bonus symbols. Each collected bonus symbol is worth between 2 and 4 free drops. If a bonus symbol is landed during the free drop bonus game, it adds additional free drops.
A Super Bonus Round can be triggered by winning on all nine different payout symbols when in bonus mode. This mode credits additional free drops. Unlike the standard bonuns round, it is played exclusively with Super Mystery Coffins.
Features X-iter Feature Buys
If there’s one thing Cathedral 9 isn’t short on, it’s features. There’s an enormous list, all of which translates to bigger wins. Alongside the previously mentioned Feature Reel, the base game offers the following:
- Explosion Feature: Removes all payout symbols on its own and adjacent columns.
- Collect Feature: Collects one payout symbol and collects all payout symbols into one 2×2 position.
- Wild Symbols: Can be substituted for any random symbol to collect payouts.
- Mystery Coffins: Found in the Feature Reel and activated when reaching the bottom of the primary grid. Mystery coffins reveal the same payout symbols for their entire length before nudging one position down. The Mystery Coffin multiplier is added to the global multiplier.
- Global Multiplier: Found between the primary and feature reels, it remains active until the end of each free drop or round.
- Entombed: All primary grid symbols are replaced by a single symbol type. This is activated when the Entombed Symbol covers the entire Feature Reel.
- Holy Collect: Adds between three and six coffins to the primary grid when triggered. The Holy Collect can be triggered at any initial or free drop. Energy is added to the feature when a “Holy Blocker” is dropped from the Feature Reel.
Elk Studio’s unique X-iter feature lets players dive straight into the action with five feature buy options. Alongside the Bonus and Super Bonus rounds, players can use X-iter to trigger:
- Coffin Drop: Play a drop with Mystery Coffins
- Mega Hint: More than 10x the chance to trigger the bonus game
- Bonus Hunt: More than 3x the chance to trigger the bonus game
RTP and Volatility
Cathedral 9 offers a relatively low theoretical payout (RTP) of 94.0 and a maximum win of 25,000x per game round. Volatility is rated high with a bet range between $0.20 min to $100.00 max.
Final Thoughts
Cathedral 9 is one of ELK Studios’ most ambitious slots yet. Scatter pays and cascading wins offer a great place to start – but it’s the long list of features that separates this title from the competition.
The Feature Reel is a fantastic mechanic that opens the door to unique features, including Mystery Coffins, Entombed, and Holy Collect. Combine this with the Explosion Feature, Collect Feature, and Wild Symbols, and you’ve got an exciting, albeit complicated, game.
Ultimately, Cathedral 9 best suits adventure-minded players who enjoy dark fantasy and the chance for big wins. The high volatility and 94% RTP mean that dry spells will be inevitable, but when it pays, it can pay big (up to 25,000x)!
You can find this new slot at top sweepstakes casinos, many of which offer generous sweeps promo codes for new users.
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