The Legacy of Dead Series: Book of Dead’s Cousin, Minus Rich Wilde
Legacy of Dead is Play’n GO’s own answer to the question every studio eventually asks after a breakout hit: how do you follow Book of Dead without just remaking it? Rather than another Rich Wilde adventure, Play’n GO built a separate two-game family, Legacy of Dead and Scroll of Dead, that keeps the same Egyptian tomb-raiding DNA but drops the explorer character entirely and genuinely changes the mechanics underneath. If you’re after slots like Legacy of Dead specifically rather than the Rich Wilde series itself, our Book of Dead family guide covers that separately; this page is about the two games built deliberately outside it.
Where to Play Legacy of Dead Slots
18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
Reviewed by Brian TaylorPublished: August 2026
SlotsLike.co.uk contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up through our site, and it never changes what we write about a game. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly (GamCare, BeGambleAware, GamStop).
On this page: The family at a glance · Every game reviewed · How this relates to Book of Dead · Legacy of Dead: quick facts · RTP & the maths · History · Beyond the reels · What players say · Win potential · Which game? · FAQs · Series vs series
The Legacy of Dead Family, Two Games Compared
Both Play’n GO, both built on the Book-format skeleton but without Rich Wilde. Figures checked 5 July 2026:
| Game | Year | Grid | RTP | Max win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy of Dead | 2020 | 5×3, 10 paylines | 96.58% | 5,000x |
| Scroll of Dead | 2021 | 5×3, expands to 6×3 | 96.28% | 7,500x |
Both ship in certified reduced-RTP builds down to roughly 84-87% depending on the operator, standard practice for Play’n GO’s whole catalogue. Note: an unrelated Evoplay Entertainment game called “Temple of Dead” is sometimes wrongly grouped with this family; it isn’t a Play’n GO title and has no connection here.
Two games, one shared tomb-raiding DNA, zero appearances from Rich Wilde.
Every game, reviewed
1. Legacy of Dead
Released 2 January 2020, Legacy of Dead runs on the same 5-reel, 3-row, 10-payline skeleton as Book of Dead, but its free spins feature genuinely goes further: each retrigger adds another symbol eligible to become a full-reel expanding wild, meaning up to nine different symbols can be expanding simultaneously by the end of a session, where Book of Dead only ever expands one symbol at a time. Published at 96.58% RTP by default (higher than Book of Dead’s 96.21%), high volatility, and a 5,000x max win. Rich Wilde never appears; instead, Play’n GO’s own story copy frames it as a direct continuation: a wealth-obsessed king trapped in the Book of the Dead has escaped now that the book has been opened.
2. Scroll of Dead
Released 20 May 2021, Scroll of Dead is the more mechanically distinct of the pair. It starts on the familiar 5×3 grid, but with a sixth reel visibly locked behind a golden scarab clasp: three or more scarab wild/scatter symbols trigger 8 free spins and unlock that sixth reel, turning the game into a genuine 6-reel, 6×3 layout for the bonus round, with one random symbol expanding per spin to fill its reel and pay across all ways. Published at 96.28% RTP, high volatility, and a 7,500x max win, the highest of the two games. Like Legacy of Dead, Rich Wilde does not appear, and no source ties its Shai/tomb theme to the wider Book of Dead story.
How this relates to Book of Dead
Legacy of Dead is best understood as a spiritual sequel rather than a reskin: it keeps Book of Dead’s exact 5×3, 10-payline format and near-identical symbol set, but ships a genuinely upgraded feature (stacking expanding symbols instead of one) and a slightly higher base RTP. You’ll sometimes see it claimed that Play’n GO built Legacy of Dead specifically to get around Rich Wilde branding or jurisdiction restrictions, but we looked into this directly and couldn’t verify it anywhere, including on Play’n GO’s own site. The more consistent explanation across sources is simpler: refreshing a proven formula under a new name is a deliberate, repeatable product strategy for operators and players alike, not a compliance workaround. Scroll of Dead sits further from Book of Dead again, with its locked 6th reel making it the most mechanically distinct entry in either family.
Legacy of Dead: quick facts
| Legacy of Dead Slot Info | |
|---|---|
| Provider: | Play’n GO |
| First released: | 2 January 2020 |
| Layout: | 5 reels × 3 rows, 10 paylines |
| RTP: | 96.58% (reduced builds down to 84.55%) |
| Volatility: | High |
| Max win: | 5,000x |
| Signature feature: | Stacking expanding symbols: up to 9 simultaneous expanding symbols across retriggered free spins |
✓ Facts checked 5 July 2026
The maths: a small but real edge over Book of Dead
What a hundred £1 spins costs at each game’s default published RTP:
| Game | House edge | £1 × 100 spins |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy of Dead (96.58%) | 3.42% | £3.42 |
| Scroll of Dead (96.28%) | 3.72% | £3.72 |
✓ Calculated from the published RTPs, checked 5 July 2026
Legacy of Dead’s 96.58% is a genuine, if modest, RTP improvement over Book of Dead’s 96.21%, a small but real edge for anyone choosing between the two purely on the numbers. Session tools on our Responsible Gambling page.
History and legacy
Play’n GO built Legacy of Dead in 2020 as its first major attempt to extend the “Book” formula beyond the Rich Wilde character that made Book of Dead a breakout hit in 2016. Rather than another explorer adventure, it reframed the same tomb-raiding mechanics around a standalone Egyptian narrative, then followed it a year later with Scroll of Dead’s more ambitious locked-reel structure. Together they show Play’n GO treating the underlying “Book” mechanic itself as reusable intellectual property, separate from any one character or story.
Why this family still matters
Legacy of Dead and Scroll of Dead prove the Book format has more room to evolve than a simple reskin would suggest: stacking expanding symbols and a genuinely unlockable sixth reel are real mechanical additions, not just fresh art on an old engine.
Beyond the reels
Both games are part of Play’n GO’s wider catalogue, a studio also behind Reactoonz, Fire Joker and the original Book of Dead. Play’n GO holds an active UK Gambling Commission licence, and both titles are broadly available across UKGC-licensed operators including William Hill Vegas, BetVictor, BetMGM UK and Casumo.
What players say
Players who know Book of Dead well tend to notice Legacy of Dead’s stacking expanding symbols immediately; it’s the single most-cited reason to prefer it over the original, alongside the slightly better RTP. Scroll of Dead draws praise for the tension of watching the sixth reel unlock, though some players find its base-game pace slower without that reel in play.
Win potential
We couldn’t find a specific, verifiable big-win story for Legacy of Dead, no named player, date or confirmed amount, only generic marketing claims and unverifiable streamer clips, so we’re not publishing one. What’s genuinely documented is the mechanical ceiling: Legacy of Dead’s stacking expanding symbols can theoretically fill the whole grid with wilds across a long enough retrigger streak, and Scroll of Dead’s 7,500x cap is meaningfully higher than the 5,000x on offer elsewhere in this pairing.
Legacy of Dead or Scroll of Dead: Which Should You Play
| If you want… | Play | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The closest thing to Book of Dead, slightly improved | Legacy of Dead | Same format, stacking expanding symbols, a better RTP |
| The biggest structural departure | Scroll of Dead | A genuinely unlockable 6th reel and the higher 7,500x cap |
How Legacy of Dead Compares to Its Nearest Rivals
Every series on this site has its own crowd, and Legacy of Dead’s isn’t the only one worth knowing about; here’s how it compares with Starburst, Templar Tumble and Moon Princess, which helps if stacking expanding symbols turns out not to be the draw for you.
| Series | Choose them if… | Choose Legacy of Dead if… |
|---|---|---|
| Starburst (NetEnt (now Evolution)) | You’re drawn to NetEnt’s approach: expanding wilds on reels 2/3/4 with up to 3 consecutive respins | You want high volatility and Play’n GO’s stacking expanding symbols |
| Templar Tumble (Relax Gaming) | You want maximum (5/5) volatility and Relax Gaming’s take on Mystery Reveal | A high-volatility session centred on stacking expanding symbols suits you better |
| Moon Princess (Play’n GO) | Play’n GO’s Princess Trinity sounds more like your kind of session | You want high volatility and Play’n GO’s stacking expanding symbols |
There’s no wrong answer here; it depends on the kind of session you’re after. Legacy of Dead’s stacking expanding symbols is what keeps bringing players back to it specifically.
Our verdict on Legacy of Dead
SlotsLike score: 7/10. Proof the Book formula had real room left to grow, once you set the explorer character aside.
| Features: | 7/10: stacking expanding symbols is a genuine, not cosmetic, upgrade |
| Win potential: | 7/10: solid rather than spectacular, Scroll of Dead edges ahead |
| Design: | 6/10: handsome but visually close to Book of Dead by design |
| Playability: | 7/10: anyone who’s played Book of Dead will feel at home within a spin or two |
Play here if you love Book of Dead’s format and want a mechanically upgraded take on it. Look elsewhere if you specifically want the Rich Wilde story and character; that’s a separate family entirely. See our three-way book-slot comparison for how it stacks up against both directly.
Legacy of Dead FAQs
Who makes Legacy of Dead?
Play’n GO, the same studio behind Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Fire Joker.
How many Legacy of Dead games are there?
Two genuine entries: Legacy of Dead (2020) and Scroll of Dead (2021). “Temple of Dead” is an unrelated Evoplay Entertainment title, not part of this family.
Is Legacy of Dead the same as Book of Dead?
No, it shares the same format and Egyptian theme but drops the Rich Wilde character and upgrades the free spins to stack multiple expanding symbols simultaneously, rather than just one.
What is the RTP of Legacy of Dead?
96.58% by default, slightly higher than Book of Dead’s 96.21%, with reduced builds available down to 84.55%.
Which game has the bigger max win?
Scroll of Dead, at 7,500x, versus Legacy of Dead’s 5,000x.
Was Legacy of Dead created to get around Rich Wilde branding restrictions?
This is a commonly repeated theory we could not verify anywhere, including on Play’n GO’s own site; treat it as unconfirmed rather than fact.
What is Scroll of Dead’s locked reel feature?
Three or more golden scarab symbols trigger free spins and unlock a genuine sixth reel, turning the game into a 6×3 grid for the bonus round.
Are these slots fair?
Yes, Play’n GO holds an active UK Gambling Commission licence with independently tested RNGs.
Sources & Verification
Primary sources checked 9 July 2026: Play’n GO’s own corporate site; and the UK Gambling Commission’s public register (Play’n GO Malta Limited, account 55949).