Slay the Spire 2
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Slay the Spire 2 1.0 release: Sep 2027Not announced: our best guess from Mega Crit's 1 to 2 year Early Access plan.
Best guessMega Crit's Early Access FAQ on Steam says it will stay in Early Access "Until the game feels great! Last time we thought it would be about a year and it took about 1.5 years. So perhaps in the same 1 - 2 year range." We count 18 months from the Mar 5, 2026 Early Access launch, as the first game took, to the first Thursday of Sep 2027 (Mega Crit ships on Thursdays) at 10 AM Pacific, the hour of the Early Access launch. Steam

10Months6Days

Differences from Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire 2 keeps the first game's card combat and map but replaces boss relics with Ancients, adds enchantments, afflictions, Quest cards, an alternate Act 1 and up to 4-player online co-op, swaps the Watcher for two new characters (the Regent and the Necrobinder), and has 10 Ascension levels instead of 20. It is still in Early Access, with no true ending yet.

Slay the Spire 2 plays like Slay the Spire (2019) at heart, with the same turn-based card fights, Energy, Block, map and relics, but Mega Crit's own list of what is new is "Enchantments, afflictions, Ancients, and alternate acts" (Mega Crit's FAQ), on top of online co-op for up to 4 players, two new characters in place of the Watcher, a Timeline of unlocks and an Ascension ladder cut from 20 levels to 10. Mega Crit said at launch that the sequel "already has more content than Slay the Spire 1" (Mega Crit's launch post, Mar 5, 2026). Critics split on how far it moved: PCGamesN's review (Mar 24, 2026) called it "more about refinement than evolution", while PC Gamer's Harvey Randall wrote after about 140 hours that it feels more like a sequel than a DLC (May 15, 2026). The sequel is still in Early Access, so several of these differences may change before 1.0.

Quick facts

Slay the Spire Slay the Spire 2
Release 1.0 on Jan 23, 2019, after Early Access from late 2017 Early Access since Mar 5, 2026; no 1.0 date
Price at launch $24.99 $24.99, "same as StS1" (Mega Crit's FAQ)
Engine A different engine from the sequel's (Mega Crit) Godot, after leaving Unity in 2023 (GameFromScratch)
Characters Ironclad, Silent, Defect, Watcher Ironclad, Silent, Regent, Necrobinder, Defect (PCGamesN)
Players Single-player 1 to 4, online co-op with Steam friends (Mega Crit's FAQ)
After each act A boss relic An Ancient's blessing at the start of the next act (Mega Crit)
Act 1 One Overgrowth or Underdocks, a coin flip (Mega Crit)
End of the climb The Heart, behind three keys (PCGamesN) The Architect; a "true ending" promised for 1.0 (Steam)
Ascension levels 20 10 (PCGamesN)
Win rate (Mega Crit, May 2026) 9% at Ascension 0, 3% at A20 16% at Ascension 0, about 17% at A10 (Mega Crit)
Steam achievements Yes None yet; due with 1.0 (Mega Crit)
Mods ModTheSpire mods Built-in loader, Steam Workshop since Jun 19, 2026; first-game mods cannot load (Mega Crit)

Ancients replace boss relics

The biggest structural change is that boss relics are gone. Mega Crit explained in November 2025 that Neow greets you at the start of a run and that Acts 2 and 3 have "their own separate pools of random Ancients", whose blessings are exclusive relics that take the place of the first game's boss relics (Mega Crit's November 2025 Neowsletter). Each Ancient offers one of three rewards (TheGamer), and the Ancients also heal you, only 80% of your missing HP from Ascension 2 (PCGamesN). Every Ancient and offering is on Neow and the Ancients.

PC Gamer's Harvey Randall says the change removes the first game's near-automatic energy relic. In Slay the Spire, beating an act "nearly always" meant taking an energy relic; in the sequel the energy relics carry big downsides, such as Vakuu's Whispering Earring, which auto-plays your first turn, or Tezcatara's Seal of Gold, which costs Gold every turn, and other Ancient boons can define a run (PC Gamer, May 15, 2026).

Neow's role changed with it. Her blessings at the start of a run are now relics too (Mobalytics), and there are no alternate starting decks: Casey Yano said players "would just choose the best one", so the choice at the start of a run moved to Neow (Mega Crit's June 2025 Neowsletter). Mega Crit's design lead Anthony Giovannetti said in April 2026 he wants "to expand her set of relics even more over time" (v0.103.0 notes).

New card systems: enchantments, afflictions and Quest cards

Enchantments are new modifiers on individual cards that last for the rest of the run, shown in purple with an icon. Mega Crit said most common ones give "a slight edge here and there" while "the more meaningful and potentially run-defining Enchantments can be discovered in rare Events" (Mega Crit's February 2025 Neowsletter). They never stack on one card: Yano wrote, "We want our players to experience deckbuilding rather than cardbuilding!" (Mega Crit's August 2026 Neowsletter). Randall singled out Clone, which can copy a card dozens of times at rest sites, and Momentum, which turns any card into a Rampage (PC Gamer).

Afflictions are the hostile twin: enemies "Afflict" your cards "in all sorts of mean ways". Mega Crit said a similar system sat unused in the first game's code (Mega Crit's April 2025 Meowsletter). Both systems are on Enchantments and Afflictions.

Quest cards are a new card type. Mega Crit described them as rare cards with requirements: "fulfill their requirements and you will be greatly rewarded" (Mega Crit's March 2025 Neowsletter). Examples include the Byrdonis Egg, the Lantern Key and, on the public beta since v0.109.0 (Jul 17, 2026), Neow's Dowsing (v0.109.0 notes); see Curses, Statuses and Quest Cards.

Characters: two new, the Watcher gone

Slay the Spire 2 has five characters, "two of whom who are brand new", in Steam's description. The Ironclad, the Silent and the Defect return in new designs, the Regent and the Necrobinder are new, and the Watcher, the first game's fourth character, is not in the game (TheGamer). Mega Crit is working on a sixth, unnamed character (Mega Crit's August 2026 Neowsletter). The roster is on Characters.

The new characters bring new keywords and resources. The Regent uses Stars and Forge with the Sovereign Blade, and the Necrobinder fights beside Osty, her reanimated hand, with Summon and Doom, which kills a creature once its Doom meets or exceeds its HP at the end of its turn (Mega Crit's October 2025 Neowsletter). The returning Silent gained Sly: "Sly cards are automatically played for free when they are discarded" (Mega Crit's May 2025 Neowsletter). Keywords are on Cards.

The returning characters were rebuilt, not copied. PCGamesN's Ironclad guide says his Strength focus gave way to a new Vulnerable archetype while Body Slam and Exhaust stayed largely as before (PCGamesN, updated Apr 8, 2026), and Randall finds Demon Form "now just isn't very good" (PC Gamer).

The Spire: alternate acts, a new map and no Heart yet

Acts can now come in two versions. Mega Crit: "upon entering a new act in Slay the Spire 2, you will be randomly greeted with one of two possible acts" (Mega Crit's September 2025 Neowsletter). In Early Access only Act 1 has two, the Overgrowth and the Underdocks; Act 2 is the Hive and Act 3 is Glory, and alternate Acts 2 and 3 are on the roadmap (Mega Crit's April 2026 Neowsletter). See Acts and the Map.

You can draw on the map. Yano took the idea from a first-game mod: "There's a Colored Map mod for Slay the Spire 1. Somebody showed me that you can also draw on maps and I said, 'That's a fun idea. Let's steal it.'" (Mega Crit's November 2024 Neowsletter). Elites still keep off floor 6, which Mega Crit set in v0.101.0 "to better match StS1" (v0.101.0 notes).

The climb does not end at the Heart. Spoiler note: this paragraph describes the end of a run. After Act 3 the run ends at the Architect, who kills you whatever damage you deal, and there are no keys or fourth act yet (PCGamesN, Mar 11, 2026). Mega Crit lists "True Victory" for the future (Mega Crit's April 2026 Neowsletter).

Co-op

Co-op is new to the series. Up to 4 players "can now team up to face the Spire's challenges together in an all-new co-op mode" with "multiplayer-specific cards" (Mega Crit's launch post). Each player keeps their own HP, deck and rewards while enemies scale with the party (TheGamer). PCGamesN, finding the single-player very close to the first game, wrote that "Slay the Spire 2 is worth it just for the co-op" (PCGamesN, Mar 21, 2026). See Co-op Multiplayer and Multiplayer Cards.

Progression: Ascension 10, the Timeline and Badges

Ascension stops at 10 instead of 20. Yano: "Ascension 10 is close to the highest difficulty we'll have for the game. Grinding out Ascension 20 would be quite a chore as there are more characters in the sequel" (Mega Crit's August 2026 Neowsletter). Ascension 10 adds a second Act 3 boss (PCGamesN). Every level is on Ascension.

Unlocks now come through the Timeline. Characters, cards, relics, potions, Ancients, the Underdocks and the Daily and Custom modes are Epochs on a Timeline screen, each with a fragment of lore (TheGamer; Destructoid). Every Epoch is on Unlocks and the Timeline.

Badges and the Bestiary are additions from Early Access patches. Badges, notes at the end of a run such as beating a boss without losing HP, arrived on the main branch on Apr 17, 2026 and stand in for Steam achievements until 1.0 (Major Update #1); the Bestiary, a screen of every enemy you have met, came on Jun 19, 2026 (Major Update #2). See Achievements and Badges.

Art, engine and modding

The art is crisper and more animated. Yano listed the goals in October 2024: more playful, less painterly, more animation, more "whole-screen art" and more color, under art director Marlowe Dobbe (Mega Crit's October 2024 Neowsletter). Some Early Access art is still placeholder, which Yano chose over AI-generated art (Rock Paper Shotgun, Jul 14, 2026).

The engine change ends mod compatibility with the first game. Mega Crit began the sequel in Unity, said in September 2023 it would leave over Unity's Runtime Fee (PCGamesN), and moved to Godot (GameFromScratch). Asked about first-game Workshop mods, Yano answered: "Compatibility is impossible between sts1 and sts2 as it's a separate game engine" (Mega Crit's March 2025 Neowsletter). See Mods and Steam Workshop and Development History.

Some rules did not change. The hand limit is still 10 cards with no way to raise it (Mega Crit's February 2026 Neowsletter), save scumming is still allowed ("Play how you want", Mega Crit's October 2025 Neowsletter), and there is no endless mode, which Yano said is "probably not" coming (Mega Crit's April 2026 Neowsletter).

What veterans of the first game say

Veterans find the sequel harder early and less about infinites. Kotaku's Lewis Parker, with about 1,000 hours in the first game, says enemies hit much harder, citing an Act 1 eel hitting for 36, and that deck thinning helps less because Elites and bosses add status cards to your deck (Kotaku, Mar 18, 2026). Randall describes Act 1 as "a make-or-break rush" to cover defense, damage, draw and Energy rather than a thinning race toward an infinite (PC Gamer).

Mega Crit also pushed against infinite combos. Its first big patch, v0.100.0, had as its main aim "to make infinites harder to achieve" (v0.100.0 notes, Mar 20, 2026), on the main branch since Apr 17, 2026. See Deck-Building Strategy and Patches and Updates.

Opinions on difficulty at the top differ. PCGamesN's review lists "Easier than the original at high Ascension levels" among its cons, and Mega Crit's May 2026 figures show about 17% of runs won at Ascension 10, against 3% at Ascension 20 in the first game (Mega Crit). Gamersky, quoted by Metacritic, found it "can easily feel like a massive DLC expansion", and Ars Technica that it "builds on the essential skeleton of its predecessor". More reviews are on Reception and Sales.

Frequently asked questions

Is Slay the Spire 2 different from Slay the Spire? Yes: Slay the Spire 2 keeps the first game's card combat but adds Ancients in place of boss relics, enchantments, afflictions, Quest cards, an alternate Act 1, online co-op for up to 4 players and two new characters. PCGamesN's review still called it "more about refinement than evolution".

Do I need to play Slay the Spire before Slay the Spire 2? No: Slay the Spire 2 teaches its rules from the first run and starts every player with the Ironclad. Knowing the first game helps with the returning Ironclad, Silent and Defect, though their card pools were rebuilt.

Is the Watcher in Slay the Spire 2? No: the Watcher is not one of Slay the Spire 2's five characters, and Mega Crit has not named its sixth. A community mod adds her, per PCGamesN's list of mods.

Does Slay the Spire 2 have boss relics? No: Slay the Spire 2 replaces boss relics with Ancients, who offer a choice of three exclusive relics at the start of Acts 2 and 3, as Neow does at the start of the run.

Why does Slay the Spire 2 have 10 Ascension levels instead of 20? Casey Yano said Ascension 10 "is close to the highest difficulty we'll have for the game" because grinding Ascension 20 with more characters "would be quite a chore". Ascension 10 adds a second Act 3 boss.

Do Slay the Spire mods work in Slay the Spire 2? No: Casey Yano said "Compatibility is impossible between sts1 and sts2 as it's a separate game engine." Slay the Spire 2 has its own mod loader and Steam Workshop support since Jun 19, 2026.

Is there a Heart in Slay the Spire 2? Not yet: in Early Access Slay the Spire 2 ends at the Architect after Act 3, with no keys or fourth act. Mega Crit promises "a true ending" for 1.0.

Sources

Moments

Slay the Spire 2 - 15 Biggest Changes From Slay the Spire 1

IGN

  1. Slay the Spire 2 plays like Slay the Spire (2019) at heart, with the same turn-based card fights, Energy, Block, map…
  2. The biggest structural change is that boss relics are gone. Mega Crit explained in November 2025 that Neow greets you…
  3. Enchantments are new modifiers on individual cards that last for the rest of the run, shown in purple with an icon…
  4. The new characters bring new keywords and resources. The Regent uses Stars and Forge with the Sovereign Blade, and the…
  5. Acts can now come in two versions. Mega Crit: "upon entering a new act in Slay the Spire 2, you will be randomly…
  6. Co-op is new to the series. Up to 4 players "can now team up to face the Spire's challenges together in an all-new…

Slay the Spire 2: Q&A with Anthony & Dani of Mega Crit

Manifest Conference

  1. Mega Crit also pushed against infinite combos. Its first big patch, v0.100.0, had as its main aim "to make infinites…
  2. Opinions on difficulty at the top differ. PCGamesN's review lists "Easier than the original at high Ascension levels"…

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See also

Last updated Oct 26, 2026 by the Vi.ki team. Page text CC BY-SA 4.0.

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