Butterfly Staxx 2 Review
NetEnt's Butterfly Staxx 2 arrived in August 2019 as a follow-up to one of the studio's quieter cult favourites, and the sequel's defining upgrade is mechanical rather than cosmetic. Where the original locked you into a single reel set during respins, this version can expand horizontally to reveal two additional reel areas — tripling the active play space under the right conditions. That structural change is the entire reason to consider this game over its predecessor.
The core numbers are straightforward: a 96.35% RTP, low volatility, a 5×4 grid with 40 paylines, and bets that scale from $0.25 to $1,250 per spin. The max win sits at 240x stake — a figure that is unusually modest even by low-volatility standards and one that will immediately filter out a large portion of the player pool. What remains is a slot built around session stability, bonus wagering, and a respin mechanic that rewards patience over aggression. Whether that trade-off suits you depends almost entirely on what you want out of a session.
How the Reel Expansion Mechanic Works
The respin feature is the structural heart of Butterfly Staxx 2, and understanding it is the key to understanding the slot. When a fully stacked butterfly symbol lands on the reels, the respin sequence begins. Every butterfly on screen shifts to the leftmost position on its respective row, and the reels spin again. The feature continues for as long as new butterfly symbols keep appearing.
Here is where the sequel diverges from the original: if butterflies fill the two leftmost reels completely, a second reel set unlocks to the right of the first. Fill three reels and a third set opens. At maximum expansion you are effectively playing across three simultaneous 5×4 grids, which multiplies your active payline coverage significantly. It is a satisfying progression to watch unfold, and it gives the respin feature a sense of escalating stakes that the original lacked.
In practice, reaching full three-reel expansion is rare given the low volatility profile — the math is designed to pay out frequently in smaller increments rather than building to dramatic peaks. But the possibility of that expansion is what keeps individual respin sequences interesting. The free spins feature also operates across whichever reel sets are active at the time, meaning a well-timed trigger during an expanded state compounds the value.
RTP, Volatility, and the 240x Max Win
The 96.35% RTP is one of NetEnt's stronger published figures and sits comfortably above the studio's own Starburst at 96.09%, though it trails the 96.58% on NetEnt's Gonzo's Quest Megaways variant. For a low-volatility slot, that RTP is a meaningful advantage over the long run — the house edge is just 1.65%, which is well below the industry average of roughly 4% for this volatility tier.
The volatility classification matters here. Low volatility means the hit frequency is high and individual wins are small. The paytable confirms this: five butterfly symbols on a payline pay just 2x stake, red, purple, and blue flower combinations return 1.6x for five of a kind, and the card-suit low symbols pay 0.8x for five. These are not paytable values that produce life-changing moments — they are designed to extend session length and keep the balance relatively stable.
The 240x maximum win is the number that most players will fixate on, and reasonably so. For context, NetEnt's own Divine Fortune carries a max win of up to 3,000x, and even the original Butterfly Staxx shares a similarly capped ceiling. At 240x, a $1 spin produces a best-case return of $240. That figure is not a flaw in the technical sense — the slot is engineered for frequency, not magnitude — but it is a hard limit that disqualifies Butterfly Staxx 2 from any serious high-win conversation. The $1,250 maximum bet exists, but at 240x it generates a ceiling of $300,000 that is almost certainly unreachable in practice given the paytable structure.
The game also carries an RTP range feature, which means some casino configurations may deploy a lower RTP variant. Always verify the active RTP at your chosen casino before playing.
Bonus Features Breakdown
Butterfly Staxx 2 operates from a feature set that is focused rather than sprawling. The respin wild and sticky wilds work in tandem during the respin sequence — butterflies function as wilds that lock in place and persist across subsequent spins, which is the engine that drives the reel-expansion system described above. Scatter symbols trigger the free spins round, and the pick-objects bonus game adds a layer of player interaction that the original did not include.
The pick-objects bonus is the most notable addition in this sequel. It introduces a brief decision point that breaks the otherwise passive rhythm of the base game, though the outcomes are predetermined by the RNG and the choice is largely cosmetic. It does, however, add variety to longer sessions where the respin loop can otherwise feel repetitive.
Free spins play out under the same reel-expansion rules as the base game respins, meaning any butterflies accumulated before the trigger carry forward in terms of reel-set status. That continuity is a smart design decision — it rewards players who have already built momentum during the respin phase rather than resetting the state at the start of the free spins round.
Paytable and Symbol Structure
The symbol hierarchy on Butterfly Staxx 2 is simple and transparent. The butterfly is the premium symbol and pays 2x stake for five on a payline. The three flower variants — red, purple, and blue — each return 1.6x for a five-of-a-kind combination. Card-suit low symbols pay 0.8x for five. Wins require between three and five matching symbols on a payline to qualify.
These are conservative paytable values by any measure, and they are consistent with the low-volatility, high-frequency design philosophy. The trade-off is that the game rarely produces a dead spin — the 40-payline structure and high hit frequency mean the balance moves in small, regular increments rather than swinging sharply. For players who find high-volatility slots psychologically draining, that consistency has genuine appeal.
The butterfly symbol's dual role as both the premium paying symbol and the respin-triggering wild is an elegant piece of design economy. It means the most valuable symbol is also the one that activates the game's primary feature, creating a natural alignment between base-game wins and feature triggers.
Bet Range and Practical Staking
The $0.25 minimum bet makes Butterfly Staxx 2 accessible at the lowest end of the market, and the low-volatility profile means that stake level can sustain a meaningful session without rapid balance depletion. At $0.25 per spin, a $25 bankroll provides 100 spins — and given the high hit frequency, that bankroll is likely to last considerably longer in practice than the raw spin count suggests.
The $1,250 maximum bet is an outlier for a slot with a 240x ceiling. At maximum stake, the theoretical best-case single-spin return is $300,000, but the paytable structure makes that figure essentially academic. The high max bet is more relevant for high-volume bonus wagering scenarios where a player needs to clear a large wagering requirement quickly at a casino with a generous contribution rate for this title.
For most recreational players, the $1–$5 per spin range is where Butterfly Staxx 2 makes the most practical sense. It keeps individual wins in a range that feels meaningful without requiring the kind of bankroll that the $1,250 ceiling implies.
Who Should Play Butterfly Staxx 2
Butterfly Staxx 2 has a clearly defined audience, and being honest about that audience is more useful than trying to broaden its appeal. The slot is purpose-built for three specific use cases: bonus wagering, casual low-stakes entertainment, and players who actively prefer session stability over the possibility of a large single win.
For bonus wagering specifically, the combination of 96.35% RTP and low volatility is close to optimal. High-RTP, low-volatility slots erode bonus funds slowly and predictably, which maximises the probability of meeting wagering requirements before the balance hits zero. The 240x max win also means there is no realistic scenario where a single spin dramatically overshoots a withdrawal threshold — a practical concern for bonus hunters managing cashout caps.
Players who want a 200x-plus win on a regular session, or who are drawn to the kind of high-variance swings that slots like NetEnt's Dead or Alive 2 produce, will find Butterfly Staxx 2 frustrating rather than satisfying. The slot is not trying to be that game, and it should not be evaluated as if it were. Judged on its own terms — frequency, RTP quality, and mechanical interest — it delivers what it promises.
Final Verdict
Butterfly Staxx 2 is a competent, well-executed sequel that improves on its predecessor in the one area that mattered most: the respin feature now has somewhere to go. The triple-reel expansion gives the game's central mechanic genuine escalation, and the 96.35% RTP is among the better figures in NetEnt's catalogue for this volatility class.
The 240x max win is the defining constraint and the reason this slot occupies a niche rather than a mainstream position. NetEnt has built a slot that is excellent at being a low-volatility slot — the paytable, the feature set, and the RTP all point in the same direction with unusual coherence. The mild criticism worth noting is that the base game between respin triggers can feel slow; the interesting moments are concentrated in the feature, and the path to triggering it can test patience during cold stretches even at low volatility.
For its target audience, Butterfly Staxx 2 earns a straightforward recommendation. For everyone else, the 240x ceiling is a clear signal to look elsewhere.
- +96.35% RTP — above average for NetEnt's low-volatility catalogue
- +Triple reel expansion during respins is a meaningful mechanical upgrade over the original
- +Low volatility delivers high hit frequency, ideal for bonus wagering
- +Wide bet range ($0.25–$1,250) suits multiple staking strategies
- +Pick-objects bonus game adds player interaction absent from the original
- +Sticky wilds and respin wilds work coherently within a single feature system
- -240x maximum win is extremely low — limits appeal for most player types
- -Base game pacing between respin triggers can feel slow
- -Low paytable values (2x for the top symbol) mean wins rarely feel impactful
- -RTP range feature means some casino configurations may use a lower RTP
Best for
Butterfly Staxx 2 is a mechanically clean, low-volatility slot with a 96.35% RTP that makes it a strong candidate for bonus wagering and extended low-stakes sessions. The triple-reel expansion during respins is a genuine upgrade over the original. The 240x max win, however, is a hard ceiling that makes this a poor fit for anyone chasing meaningful payouts. Play it for the ride, not the destination.











