Fire in the Hole 2

A sequel to Nolimit City’s popular slot game Fire in the Hole xBomb from 2021, Fire in the Hole 2 (had big shoes to fill and heaps of hype surrounding its release. Nolimit City is known for making excellent blow-it-up mining games, and Fire in the Hole 2 is no exception. Even though we expected a little bit more compared to the original Fire in the Hole xBomb game, the sequel definitely brings some exciting elements that make it worth a visit.

The game takes you deep in a timber-supported mine shaft, where you might be lucky enough to find riches beyond measure, or hit a terrible dead end. The vibe is heavy and intense, brought to life by sound effects that make you think of dwarves marching underground with pickaxes on their shoulders.

With so many similarities to the base game, FitH2 gave us mixed feelings - on the one hand it was great to find something familiar and well-known, but on the other hand, why bother making a new game if so much is the same? That said, FitH2 is super enjoyable and engaging, so read on to find out more about it!

Fire in the Hole 2 is available at any casino that offers Nolimit City slots. Go to your favorite casino and search the game list for Fire in the Hole 2. If you want new casino suggestions, our casino list has more than enough filters to help you narrow down on a choice that fits your needs.

Once you open the game you’ll be greeted by a 6x6 grid, the 3 bottom rows of which are locked. You can adjust your bet amount by clicking on the coin icon on the bottom left of your screen - it will bring up a popup with the different amounts you can have. You can also choose to activate the xBET option from here and you can also control the speed of the game.

The play button will open the Autoplay Settings menu where you can configure your session for auto playing, so that you don’t have to spin manually every single time.

xBET

When the xBet feature is active, you're guaranteed to have at least 1 scatter symbol on the last inactive row with each spin. Additionally, all dirt positions are cleared from the base game, and any buried features trigger as soon as they land on active reels. We feel that this is the best way to enjoy the game as it makes the stakes - and the potential rewards - that much higher. This may mean that you would be better off lowering your base bet to withstand the swings, but to us the xBet feature brings this slot game to the next level.

Fire in the Hole 2 comes with a ton of features and all are neatly connected to a specific symbol, or a combination of symbols. It is a kind of open ended structure that can give rise to some crazy combinations.

Symbols

The low-paying symbols are boxes with 9, 10, J, Q and K on them. These pay 1 to 1.5 times the bet for a 6-of-a-kind hit. The high-paying symbols are a shovel, boots, a map, a bag, and a lantern, which award 1.75 to 7.5 times the bet for a 6-of-a-kind.

xSplit

When an xSplit lands, it doubles the symbols on its row. If the split results in 8 or more symbols, they will display a multiplier instead. Scatter symbols and xSplits themselves cannot be split. If a collapse occurs, any dirt blocks affected by the split are removed. After all xSplit symbols have been activated, they change into one of the regular symbols.

xBomb Wild Multiplier

xBomb Wild symbols can stand in for any symbol except Bonus symbols. When they explode, they clear out all the symbols around them (except Bonus symbols) and boost the win multiplier for the next collapse. All xBomb Wilds will explode before the next Collapse, unless the Wild Mining feature is triggered.

Collapsing Mine

The Collapsing Mine is one of FitH2’s core features. Each spin starts with 3 active rows. The locked rows can be unlocked by triggering a Collapse - this happens when you get a winning combination, an xBomb Wild explodes, or the Wild Mining feature is triggered.

Winning symbols are removed before the next collapse, causing symbols to fall downwards and fill the empty spaces, offering another chance to win. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to activate all 6 rows for maximum chances at winning.

Wild Mining

Wild Mining is triggered in the main game when 3, 4, 5, or 6 of the same symbols land in a horizontal or vertical line without forming a winning combination. The triggering symbols are removed, and up to 4 Wild symbols will appear in the middle positions of the alignment.

• 3 symbols - 1 Wild
• 4 symbols - 2 Wilds
• 5 symbols - 3 Wilds
• 6 symbols - 4 Wilds

All other positions above the bar explode, except scatters or wilds, causing a new collapse. This mechanic can be your key to hitting a crazy multiplier in the base game. When it hits the right way, it will bring xSplits and xBomb Wild Multipliers to the bottom, increasing the multipliers exponentially. With plenty of wilds present, you’re bound to be able to make several solid winning combinations.

Lucky Wagon Spins

By landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols, you can trigger Lucky Wagon Spins with 2, 3, or 4 active rows, respectively. The Lucky Wagon Spins round starts with 3 spins and resets to 3 every time a Coin lands on the reels. During the feature, the top row shows enhancers like Coin values, Multipliers, Dynamite, Beer, or Dwarf, which activate when a Coin lands below them.

Lucky Wagon Spins Symbols

The symbols found in the Lucky Spins feature are very different from the base game’s.

• Coin values: Set the value of the Coin.
• Multipliers: Boost the value of all Coins on the reel below.
• Dynamite: Adds its count to the Coin and throws that many dynamites to reel positions. Dynamite can remove dirt, double a Coin's value, or activate a chest.
• Beer: Reactivates 0-5 old Coins, making their enhancers trigger for the next spin, while the triggering Coin gets a 1x value.
• Dwarf: Collects all values on the reels to the triggering Coin position.

Upgrade Crystals

A special 7th reel on the far right might show Upgrade crystal symbols on each spin. Coins landing on this row get extra effects:

• Coin values and multipliers stay active for the next spin, which means that the next wagon in that position is guaranteed to trigger on top of the upgraded symbol (this does not reset our 3 spins though).
• Dynamite, Beer, and Dwarf features keep activating (on every new spin) until the bonus round ends.

The bottom row has locked Collect Chests that can be activated by Dynamite. Once active, a Collect Chest collects values from the reel above it on each spin. The round ends when the reel area is full and no active features are left.

The Nolimit Bonus section can be found by clicking the star button on the left side of the screen. Here players can purchase the Lucky Wagon Spins triggered by 3, 4, or 5 scatters, or a guaranteed collector bonus. The costs and RTPs are as follows:

• 3 scatters: 70x the bet (RTP 96.1%)
• 4 scatters: 200x the bet (RTP 96.34%)
• 5 scatters: 600x the bet (RTP 96.33%)
• Guaranteed collector bonus: 3,600x the bet There’s also a Lucky Draw option, which costs 175x the bet (RTP 96.12%).

We recommend you give the bonus buy options a try in the demo version of the game to familiarize yourself with how they work. It can give you good insight into the game's workings.

There’s a host of stuff to explore in FitH2, with a lot of mechanics and features working together to provide an enjoyable experience. It’s definitely worth giving it a try - our only hangup is that it’s too similar with the original Fire in the Hole xBomb, so don’t expect to be blown away by innovation.

That said, if you’ve been considering giving the first game a try, our take on this is that you should skip it and go straight for FitH2 - it’s better in every aspect, from simpler stuff like the sounds and graphics to more complex elements, like the bonus round’s mechanics and fun factor.