Ascension Guide

0:01 Climbing Slay the Spire 2's Ascension ladder means winning with a deck built to solve problems rather than to chase one combo, and the players who have beaten Ascension 10 say the run is decided early: fix the starter deck's weaknesses in Act 1, then prepare for the two bosses at the end of Act 3. PC Gamer's Harvey Randall, who has won Ascension 10 with every character, puts it as "you should be building for solutions, not builds" in his Silent guide (Jun 12, 2026). Ascension 10 is the hardest difficulty in the game's Early Access, and Mega Crit counted about 17% of runs there as wins (May 23, 2026). This guide gathers what top players and guide outlets advise, level by level, each piece of advice credited to the person who gave it. What each level does is on Ascension.

Quick facts

The rule the experts agree on

28:53 Build to fix problems, not to complete an archetype. Randall's A10 Silent guide (Jun 12, 2026) says Ascension 10 "isn't about getting the perfect synergy, it's about plugging leaks," and that stubbornly forcing an archetype "is a great way to get killed." Untapped.gg's Dillon Skiffington says the same about relics in his relic guide (Apr 2026): "Forcing a build around a single Relic when your cards point somewhere else is how you die in Act 2." GamesRadar+'s Austin Wood, on PC Gamer's panel (Sep 18, 2026), goes further: "Archetypes are often a lie in Slay 2."

Draft in order of need. Randall's priority at A10 is early damage and one or two AoE cards first, then Block, then card draw and discard, and scaling last. Jorbs, writing for Untapped.gg (Mar 2026), frames the same idea as card "jobs" (frontloaded damage, frontloaded AoE, frontloaded Block, scaling, draw) and drafts for the fights directly ahead rather than the deck he hopes to have. The full method is on Deck-Building Strategy.

0:25 Treat Act 1 as a race. Randall wrote in PC Gamer (May 15, 2026) that, unlike the first game's slow thinning toward an infinite, Act 1 is "a make-or-break rush" to cover defense, damage, draw and Energy as soon as possible. Wood says on the panel that a run usually needs to spike within the first five floors.

Neow at high Ascension

6:45 Pick a Neow blessing that solves Act 1's damage problem. On the PC Gamer panel, Randall takes Silken Tress every time: it costs all your Gold and enchants your first card reward with Glam (Replay 1 the first time each card is played each combat), because A10's first floors are about solving damage, and he will abandon a run if that reward is bad. Wood says Act 1 pushes Neow picks toward explosive relics such as Silver Crucible (the first three card rewards upgraded) and names Cursed Pearl (a Greed curse and 333 Gold, per Game Rant, Mar 11, 2026) into a big shop as another early spike. Every blessing is on Neow and the Ancients.

Level by level

Ascension 1, Swarming Elites. More Elites means Act 1 tests your health first. Wood says on the panel that the easiest way to clear Act 1 reliably is to rest at every opportunity, calls Act 1 a health check that "almost feels balanced around Ironclad," and says this is why Miniature Tent is strongest in Act 1. Elite routing is on Pathing Guide and the fights on Elites.

Ascension 2, Weary Traveler. Ancients heal only 80% of your missing HP (PCGamesN, Mar 10, 2026), so you no longer reach Act 2 and Act 3 at full health for free. Plan the last floors before each boss with that in mind.

Ascension 3, Poverty. Enemies and chests drop 25% less Gold (PCGamesN), so each shop buys less. Game Rant's beginner tips (Mar 7, 2026) suggest choosing Neow's reward with the map open: a big Gold reward suits a route with an early Merchant.

Ascension 4, Tight Belt. One fewer potion slot leaves you two before relics. Mobalytics' beginner guide (updated Mar 19, 2026) says to use a potion when your slots are full rather than waste the next drop, and that potions are not only for bosses; with fewer slots that applies sooner.

Ascension 5, Ascender's Bane. You start with an unplayable curse that clogs hands. Cards that discard or Exhaust help clear it; the curse's keywords are on Curses, Statuses and Quest Cards.

Ascension 6, Inflation. Card removal at the Merchant starts at 100 Gold and rises 50 a time (Mega Crit, v0.102.0, Apr 3, 2026), so removal from Neow and events (Precise Scissors removes one card; Precarious Shears removes two for 16 HP, up from 13 since v0.100.0, per OP.GG's Neow page, beta v0.111.0 data) grows more valuable. Kotaku's Lewis Parker (Mar 18, 2026) adds that thinning helps less than in the first game anyway, because Elites and bosses add Status cards to your deck.

Ascension 7, Scarcity. Rare and upgraded cards appear less often. Randall says Rares are scarce at A10 and that three-Energy powers such as Serpent Form are "way too costly at Ascension 10" without Energy relics; and in an earlier column he says Demon Form "now just isn't very good" for the same reason (PC Gamer, May 15, 2026).

Ascensions 8 and 9, Tough Enemies and Deadly Enemies. Enemies get more HP, then hit harder. Kotaku's Parker says an Act 1 eel hits for 36 and that a starter deck often blocks about 15 against 24-damage attacks, so Block cards that also scale matter. PC Gamer's Evan Lahti names Mytes as an underrated hard fight: they add Toxic cards while hitting for 10 to 20, and most characters lack a free discard or Exhaust to clear them. Randall names Hunter-Killer as a brutal encounter (PC Gamer, May 15, 2026).

25:27 Ascension 10, Double Boss. You fight two bosses at the end of Act 3, so the deck must win two long fights in a row. Randall says every boss can be prepared for because the map shows who you face, unlike the first game's Act 3 surprises; he once thickened his deck in Act 3 to prepare for the Doormaker (since removed). Wood calls Aeonglass "markedly harder" than the other two Act 3 bosses because it fills your deck with Status cards that deal ramping damage, and Lahti says it punishes an all-in Shiv deck, while Sly answers the curses it adds. Each boss is on Bosses.

Rest sites and relics

1:31 Rest when the run needs it, but weigh every rest against an upgrade. Mobalytics warns "Resting is bait" because healing costs a Smith, while Wood rests at every chance in Act 1 at A10. The two views meet in Miniature Tent, which lets you take several rest-site options: Randall calls it an instant buy at high Ascension because resting and upgrading together is huge when HP margins are thin, and it combines with "when you rest" relics such as Shovel and Girya (panel). More on Merchant and Rest Sites and Relics.

Take relics from every source. TheGamer's climbing tips (Mar 16, 2026) are to thin the deck through the Merchant, Ancients and events, prioritize relics wherever you can get them, learn each character's builds, and understand how your deck scales.

By character

The guides rate each character's A10 chances differently. Randall has beaten Ascension 10 on every character at least once (Jun 12, 2026), and Wood went on an A10 win streak through every character in turn (panel), so each of the five has a reported A10 win from a press player.

• The Silent. Randall ranks Sly (draw and discard) as her strongest archetype at A10, Poison second and Shiv the most relic-reliant; he warns that Sly cards without reliable discard act like curses. Lahti says Shiv plus Sly wins A10 mostly through relics such as Shuriken, Kunai and Ornamental Fan. Full builds on Silent Guide.
• The Ironclad. Pocket Tactics (Oct 5, 2026) calls him a good starter with a low ceiling who may struggle at the top Ascensions; Randall says he wins more Ironclad runs by going for value and Energy generation than for the old Barricade or Demon Form plans. See Ironclad Guide.
• The Regent. PCGamesN (updated Apr 8, 2026) says his builds are not tuned for consistent A10 wins, and Lahti found his A10 clear "the least pleasant of the four characters" he cleared, since Stars cost Block cards until enough are built. See Regent Guide.
• The Necrobinder. PCGamesN (updated Apr 7, 2026) says to take attack cards early, especially at higher Ascension, because Doom kills only at the end of your turn. See Necrobinder Guide.
• The Defect. PCGamesN (updated Apr 7, 2026) focuses on Orbs because its Status and Claw builds fall off at higher Ascension. See Defect Guide.

Watching the climb

2:13 Kotaku's Parker names Baalorlord, Frost Prime and Jorbs as the expert players to learn from. Baalorlord streams long Ascension 10 runs with commentary on drafting, pathing and Neow choices, kept on his YouTube channel Baalorlord Unedited, such as Show #1982 (Oct 14, 2026). Players and streamers are on Records and Speedruns.

Ascension in co-op

Co-op Ascension is a separate ladder. A party plays at the lowest level any member has unlocked, and a win unlocks the next level for all five characters at once (PC Gamer, Mar 24, 2026). Team advice is on Co-op Strategy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest difficulty in Slay the Spire 2? Ascension 10, Double Boss, is the hardest difficulty in Slay the Spire 2's Early Access: it stacks all ten Ascension effects and adds a second boss at the end of Act 3. Casey Yano said on Aug 14, 2026 that it "is close to the highest difficulty we'll have for the game."

How do you beat Ascension 10 in Slay the Spire 2? PC Gamer's Harvey Randall, who has won A10 with every character, says to plug your deck's leaks rather than chase synergies: early damage and AoE first, then Block, then draw, then scaling (Jun 12, 2026). Prepare the deck for both Act 3 bosses before you reach them.

What percentage of players beat Ascension 10 in Slay the Spire 2? Mega Crit said about 17% of Ascension 10 runs were wins as of May 23, 2026, compared with about 3% at Ascension 20 in the first game.

Which character is best for Ascension 10 in Slay the Spire 2? The tier lists put the Silent on top: S tier in both PCGamesN's (Apr 28, 2026) and Pocket Tactics' (Oct 5, 2026). PC Gamer's Randall has won A10 with all five.

Should you rest or upgrade at high Ascension in Slay the Spire 2? Guides differ: Mobalytics calls resting "bait" because it costs an upgrade, while GamesRadar+'s Austin Wood rests at every chance in Act 1 at A10. Both views favor Miniature Tent, which PC Gamer's Harvey Randall calls an instant buy at high Ascension because it lets you do both.

What are the A10 tips for Act 1 in Slay the Spire 2? Pick a Neow blessing that solves damage (Harvey Randall takes Silken Tress, Austin Wood likes Silver Crucible), take early damage and AoE cards, and rest when HP is low, since Wood calls Act 1 a health check (PC Gamer, Sep 18, 2026).

Sources

• Best Silent cards and builds in Slay the Spire 2, PC Gamer (Harvey Randall), Jun 12, 2026
• After 894 hours in Slay the Spire 2, these are our 12 strongest opinions, PC Gamer (Evan Lahti, Harvey Randall, Austin Wood), Sep 18, 2026
• After close to 140 hours with it, I think Slay the Spire 2 feels more like a sequel than a DLC, PC Gamer (Harvey Randall), May 15, 2026
• How Slay the Spire 2 multiplayer co-op works, PC Gamer (Andrea Shearon), Mar 24, 2026
• The Neowsletter - May 2026, Mega Crit (Demi Montes), May 23, 2026
• The Neowsletter - August 2026, Mega Crit (Casey Yano), Aug 14, 2026
• Beta Patch Notes - v0.100.0, Mega Crit, Mar 20, 2026
• Neow, Slay the Spire 2 Event, OP.GG (beta v0.111.0 data), read Oct 26, 2026
• Beta Patch Notes - v0.102.0, Mega Crit (Anthony Giovannetti), Apr 3, 2026
• Slay the Spire Deckbuilding Strategy: Solving the Spire with "Jobs", Untapped.gg (Jorbs), Mar 2026
• The Best Relics in Slay the Spire 2: Identifying Directional Relic Signals, Untapped.gg (Dillon Skiffington), Apr 2026
• A Slay The Spire 2 Guide For Getting Better And Surviving Your First Full Run, Kotaku (Lewis Parker), Mar 18, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 Ultimate Beginner Guide, Mobalytics, updated Mar 19, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2: Essential Tips & Tricks for Beginners, Game Rant (Matt Vatankhah), Mar 7, 2026
• Here's Every Ancient and All the Relics They Offer You in Slay the Spire 2, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Mar 11, 2026
• All Ascension levels in Slay the Spire 2, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), Mar 10, 2026
• How To Unlock Every Ascension Level In Slay The Spire 2, TheGamer (Collin MacGregor), Mar 16, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 character tier list, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated Apr 28, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 Regent guide - strategy, builds, and tier list, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated Apr 8, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 Necrobinder guide - strategy, builds, and tier list, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated Apr 7, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 Defect guide - strategy, builds, and tier list, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated Apr 7, 2026
• Slay the Spire 2 tier list - the best characters ranked, Pocket Tactics (Connor Christie), updated Oct 5, 2026
• Stop Losing Runs In Act 1 | Complete Max Ascension Guide | Slay the Spire 2, vmService, Mar 28, 2026 (video)
• Why You Lose in Slay the Spire 2 (And How to Fix It), Caleb Gannon Gaming, Mar 14, 2026 (video)
• The Secret to Beating EVERY Boss on Ascension 10 | Slay the Spire 2 Guide, vmService, Jun 16, 2026 (video)
• Slay the Spire 2 Seeded Run, Ascension 10 Runs and XCOM: Baalor Edition [Show #1982 (2026-10-14)], Baalorlord Unedited, Oct 16, 2026 (video)