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The Hive is Act 2 of every Slay the Spire 2 run, an insect nest whose Elites are the Decimillipede, Entomancer and Infested Prism and whose boss is the Kaiser Crab, the Knowledge Demon or The Insatiable; an Ancient greets you at its start.
The Hive is Act 2 of every Slay the Spire 2 run, an insect-filled middle act that Game Rant's Marc Santos calls "significantly more dangerous" than either Act 1; its Elites are the Decimillipede, the Entomancer and the Infested Prism, and its boss is the Kaiser Crab, the Knowledge Demon or The Insatiable. Unlike Act 1 it has no alternate yet: Mega Crit's April 2026 roadmap lists an "Alternate Act 2", and on Aug 14, 2026 the team said it was "actively working on" it. The game is in Early Access, so the Hive is the only Act 2 for now.
Quick facts
| Act | Act 2, every run (after the Overgrowth or the Underdocks) |
| Ancient at the start | Orobas, Pael, Tezcatara or Darv (see Neow and the Ancients) |
| Elites | Decimillipede, Entomancer, Infested Prism |
| Bosses | Kaiser Crab, Knowledge Demon, The Insatiable (one per run, shown on the map) |
| Events | 10 of its own, plus the shared pool |
| Next | Act 3, Glory |
| Alternate | "Alternate Act 2" in development, per Mega Crit (Aug 14, 2026); no date |
| Version | Main branch v0.107.1; numbers below are OP.GG's data from the public beta v0.111.0 unless marked |
What the Hive is
The Hive is a nest of bugs, eggs and burrowers halfway up the Spire. Every route through Act 2 opens with an Ancient: Mega Crit wrote in November 2025 that Acts 2 and 3 have "their own separate pools of random Ancients", and the Act 2 pool is Orobas, Pael and Tezcatara, with Darv able to appear in Act 2 or Act 3 (OP.GG). Each offers a choice of three blessings.
One Ancient can replace the whole map. Tezcatara's Golden Compass swaps the Act 2 map for a single fixed path, which TheGamer's Collin MacGregor lists as fight, Unknown, fight, Rest Site, fight, Rest Site, Unknown, Treasure, Unknown, Treasure, Unknown, Merchant, Elite, Rest Site, Elite, Rest Site, boss. See Acts and the Map.
Some players find the Hive hard to look at. v0.100.0 (Mar 20, 2026) added Phobia Mode, a Settings box that gives the Hive's backgrounds, The Insatiable and the Entomancer alternate, less creepy visuals.
How to read the numbers
Numbers are written base(higher): enemy HP rises at Ascension 8 and enemy damage at Ascension 9. The tables come from OP.GG's monster guides, read from the game data of the public beta v0.111.0 (Aug 14, 2026); a row says so where a beta patch changed a number. See Ascension.
Normal enemies
The Hive's normal fights come from a fixed list. Mobalytics lists Bowlbugs (a duo, or a trio in three mixes), Chompers, Exoskeletons (a pack or a trio), Hunter Killer, Louse Progenitor, Mytes, Ovicopter, Spiny Toad, The Obscura, Thieving Hopper, Tunneler, and a Bowlbug (Egg) with a Tunneler. v0.103.0 removed the "Tunneling Twosome" fight.
| Enemy | HP | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Bowlbug (Egg) | 21-22(23-24) | Bite 7(8) and 7(8) Block |
| Bowlbug (Nectar) | 35-38(36-39) | Thrash 3, then Buff +15(16) Strength |
| Bowlbug (Rock) | 45-48(46-49), Imbalanced | Headbutt 15(16), then Dizzy |
| Bowlbug (Silk) | 40-43(41-44) | Toxic Spit (1 Weak); Thrash 4(5) x2 |
| Slumbering Beetle | 86(89), Plating 15(18), Slumber 3 | Snore, then Roll Out 16(18) and +2 Strength |
| Chomper | 60-64(63-67), Artifact 2 | Clamp 8(9) x2; Screech (3 Dazed) |
| Exoskeleton | 24-28(26-30), Hard to Kill 9 | Skitter 1 x3; Mandibles 8(9); Enrage +2 Strength (the Ascension 8 HP of 26-30 is the beta's, raised in v0.111.0) |
| Hunter Killer | 121(126) | Tenderizing Goop (applies Tender); Bite 17(19); Puncture 7(8) x3 |
| Louse Progenitor | 134-136(138-141), Curl Up 14(18) | Web Cannon 9(10) and 2 Frail; Curl and Grow 14(18) Block and +5(7) Strength; Pounce 14(16) |
| Myte | 61-67(64-69) | Toxic Cornucopia (2 Toxic cards); Bite 13(15); Suck 4(6) and +2(3) Strength |
| Ovicopter | 124-130(126-132) | Lay Eggs (summons Tough Eggs); Smash 16(17); Tenderizer 7(8) and 2 Vulnerable; Nutritional Paste +3(4) Strength |
| Tough Egg | 14-18(15-19) | Hatches, then Nibble 4(5) |
| Spiny Toad | 116-119(121-124) | Protruding Spikes (+5 Thorns); Spike Explosion 23(25), losing the Thorns; Tongue Lash 17(19) |
| The Obscura | 123(129) | Summons a Parafright illusion; Piercing Gaze 10(11); Sail (+3 Strength to all enemies); Hardening Strike 6(7) and 6(7) Block |
| Parafright | 21 | Slam 16(17) |
| Thieving Hopper | 79(84), Escape Artist 5 | Thievery 17(19), stealing cards; Flutter; Hat Trick 21(23); Nab 14(16); then Escape |
| Tunneler | 87(92) | Bite 13(15); Burrow (32(37) Block, Burrowed); Attack from Below 23(26); Dizzy |
Source: OP.GG monster guides (game data, public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026; encounter list from Mobalytics, read Oct 26, 2026; the Exoskeleton change from Mega Crit's v0.111.0 notes.
The Hive's normal fights hit as hard as some Elites. PC Gamer's Harvey Randall (May 15, 2026) names the Hunter Killer as a brutal encounter, and PC Gamer's Evan Lahti sums up the Myte fight as "unload these stupid Toxic cards, block for another 10-20, and oh right, hit these guys".
The Thieving Hopper takes cards and runs. Its Thievery steals cards from you, and its last move is Escape, backed by its Escape Artist 5.
Elites
The Hive's Elites are the Decimillipede, the Entomancer and the Infested Prism, per Mobalytics. The Elites page covers every act.
| Elite | HP | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Decimillipede | Three segments of 40-46(46-52) each, Reattach 25 | Writhe 5(6) x2; Constrict 8(9) and 1 Weak; Bulk 6(7) and +2 Strength |
| Entomancer | 145(155), Personal Hive | Beeeees! 3 x7; Spear! 18(20); Pheromone Spit (+3 Strength, +1 Personal Hive) |
| Infested Prism | 161(171), Vital Spark 2(3) | Jab 15(17); Radiate 11(13) and 11(13) Block; Whirlwind 5(6) x3; Pulsate 8(10), 20(22) Block and Vital Spark |
Source: OP.GG monster guides (game data, public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026. The Entomancer's 145(155) is the main branch's; the beta v0.111.0 raised its Ascension 8 HP to 165, per Mega Crit's notes.
The Decimillipede is three segments that put themselves back together. Each has Reattach 25, and v0.100.0 cut each segment's HP from 42-48 (48-56 at Ascension 8) to 40-46 (46-52).
The Entomancer clogs your draw pile. Kotaku's Lewis Parker says it adds a Dazed to your draw pile each time you hit it while dealing about 18 to 28 damage a turn, one reason he says deck thinning matters less than in the first game.
The Infested Prism became much harder in May. Mega Crit reworked it in v0.106.0 (on the main branch since Jun 19, 2026), and PCGamesN wrote that it and Aeonglass "now have the potential to completely halt a run in its tracks".
Bosses
The Hive's boss is the Kaiser Crab, the Knowledge Demon or The Insatiable. The Bosses page compares them with every other boss.
| Boss | HP | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Crab: Crusher (claw) | 209(219) | Thrash 12(14); Enlarging Strike 4; Bug Sting 6(7) x2, 2 Weak and 2 Frail; Adapt +2(3) Strength; Guarded Strike 12(14) and 18 Block |
| Kaiser Crab: Rocket (claw) | 199(209) | Targeting Reticle 3(4); Precision Beam 18(20); Charge Up +2(3) Strength; Laser 31(35); Recharge; applies Surrounded |
| Knowledge Demon | 379(399) | Curse of Knowledge; Slap 17(18); Knowledge Overwhelming 8(9) x3; Ponder 11(13), +2(3) Strength and a heal |
| The Insatiable | 321(341) | Liquify Ground (6 Frantic Escape cards); Thrash 8(9) x2; Lunging Bite 28(31); Salivate +2(3) Strength |
Source: OP.GG monster guides (game data, public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026.
Kaiser Crab
The Kaiser Crab is two claws, Crusher and Rocket, that attack from both sides. Both have Back Attack and Crab Rage, and Rocket applies Surrounded to every player. Game Rant advises: "you need to face the claw with the highest damage value. Players will take more damage from claws that hit them from behind." v0.100.0 raised both claws' HP by 10 and their Rage Strength from 5 to 6. Casey Yano named it Kaiser Crab because "I'm tired of things being emperor X and king Y" (June 2026 Neowsletter).
Knowledge Demon
The Knowledge Demon is the Hive's damage race. It has 379 HP, more than The Insatiable's 321, and Game Rant calls it "a straight-up DPS check. Not only does the boss heal itself after a set number of turns, but it inflicts curses that have some seriously punishing effects." PC Gamer's panel (Sep 18, 2026) prefers its design to Aeonglass's "compounding gimmicks".
The Insatiable
The Insatiable eats you on a timer. On its first turn it shuffles 6 Frantic Escape cards into your piles, and its Sandpit power tells you the turn it will devour you; Game Rant says playing the Frantic Escape cards delays it. Mega Crit has clarified two rules: since v0.103.0 Poison always resolves before it tries to eat you, and Major Update #1 confirmed that Fairy in a Bottle does not save you, because it triggers only when your HP reaches 0.
Events
The Hive has 10 events of its own in OP.GG's list, plus the shared pool. The Events page has them all.
| Event | Choices |
|---|---|
| Amalgamator | Combine Strikes: remove 2 Strikes, add Ultimate Strike (14 damage); or Combine Defends: remove 2 Defends, add Ultimate Defend (11 Block) |
| Bugslayer | Add Exterminate (3 damage to ALL enemies 4 times) or Squash (10 damage, 2 Vulnerable) |
| Colorful Philosophers | Pick a character's color for 3 of their cards, or Equality for a Prismatic Shard |
| Colossal Flower | Extract Nectar for 35, 75 or 135 Gold at each stage, or reach deeper (5, 6 and 7 HP) for the Pollinous Core |
| Field of Man-Sized Holes | Enter Your Hole: Enchant a card with Perfect Fit; or Resist: remove 2 cards, add Normality |
| Infested Automaton | Study: a random Power; or Touch the Core: a random 0 cost card |
| Spirit Grafter | Let It In: heal 25 HP, add Metamorphosis; or Rejection: lose 10 HP, Upgrade a card |
| The Lantern Key | Keep the Key: fight the Mysterious Knight for it; or Return the Key: gain 100 Gold |
| The Lost Wisp | Capture the Wisp: add Decay, obtain the Lost Wisp; or Search the Nearby Area: gain 60 Gold |
| Zen Weaver | Breathing Techniques (50 Gold, 2 Enlightenment), Emotional Awareness (125 Gold, remove 1 card) or Arachnid Acupuncture (250 Gold, remove 2 cards) |
Source: OP.GG event pages (public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026.
The Lantern Key starts a quest that ends in Glory. Keeping it means fighting the Mysterious Knight, a Flail Knight with 101 HP (OP.GG); the key then unlocks War Historian Repy's event in Act 3. Mega Crit's April 2026 Neowsletter said 56% of players returned the key for Gold in the first month.
Colorful Philosophers needs a second character. v0.103.1 keeps it from appearing when a player has only the Ironclad unlocked.
Tips from the guides
Your Act 1 deck needs to scale by the Hive. Kotaku advises picking a build near the end of Act 1 or the start of Act 2, and Untapped's Dillon Skiffington warns that "Forcing a build around a single Relic when your cards point somewhere else is how you die in Act 2".
Read the boss icon early. The Knowledge Demon wants damage, The Insatiable wants a deck that can play Frantic Escape and still fight, and the Kaiser Crab wants you to pick the claw that hits hardest, per Game Rant's descriptions of each. The Pathing Guide and Deck-Building Strategy pages go further.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hive in Slay the Spire 2? The Hive is Act 2 of every Slay the Spire 2 run, an insect nest with harder normal fights than Act 1. An Ancient (Orobas, Pael, Tezcatara or Darv) greets you at its start.
What are the Hive bosses in Slay the Spire 2? The Hive's boss is the Kaiser Crab (two claws of 209 and 199 HP), the Knowledge Demon (379 HP) or The Insatiable (321 HP). The map shows which one you face.
How do you beat The Insatiable in Slay the Spire 2? Play the Frantic Escape cards it adds to delay the turn it devours you, Game Rant advises, and deal damage fast. Fairy in a Bottle will not save you from it, Mega Crit confirmed on Apr 17, 2026.
How do you beat the Kaiser Crab in Slay the Spire 2? Turn to face the claw with the highest damage, because claws hitting you from behind deal more, Game Rant advises. Crusher has 209 HP and Rocket 199 on the main branch.
Is there an alternate Act 2 in Slay the Spire 2? Not yet: the Hive is Slay the Spire 2's only Act 2 in Early Access. Mega Crit said on Aug 14, 2026 that an "Alternate Act 2" is in active development, with no date.
What are the Hive Elites in Slay the Spire 2? The Hive's Elites are the Decimillipede (three segments that reattach), the Entomancer (145 HP, swarms of bees) and the Infested Prism (161 HP), which Mega Crit reworked in May 2026.
Sources
- The Neowsletter - November 2025, Mega Crit, Nov 13, 2025
- The Neowsletter - April 2026, Mega Crit (Casey Yano, Demi Montes), Apr 17, 2026
- The Neowsletter - June 2026, Mega Crit (Casey Yano), Jun 20, 2026
- The Neowsletter - August 2026, Mega Crit (Casey Yano), Aug 14, 2026
- Beta Patch Notes - v0.100.0, Mega Crit (Steam news), Mar 20, 2026
- Beta Patch Notes - v0.103.0, Mega Crit (Steam news), Apr 10, 2026
- Beta Hotfix Patch Notes - v0.103.1, Mega Crit (Steam news), Apr 16, 2026
- Major Update #1 - v0.103.2, Mega Crit (Steam news), Apr 17, 2026
- Beta Patch Notes - v0.106.0, Mega Crit (Steam news), May 22, 2026
- Beta Patch Notes - v0.111.0, Mega Crit (Steam news), Aug 14, 2026
- Slay the Spire 2 Monsters, OP.GG (game data, public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026
- Slay the Spire 2 Events, OP.GG (public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026
- Flail Knight (Mysterious Knight), OP.GG (game data, public beta v0.111.0), read Oct 26, 2026
- Slay the Spire 2 Monsters, Mobalytics, read Oct 26, 2026
- Slay the Spire 2 Elites, Mobalytics, read Oct 26, 2026
- All Acts, Biomes, and Bosses in Slay the Spire 2, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Mar 12, 2026
- Should You Take The Golden Compass In Slay The Spire 2?, TheGamer (Collin MacGregor), Mar 17, 2026
- Slay the Spire 2's least frightening enemies just got a lot more scary, PCGamesN, May 22, 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
- 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
- Slay The Spire 2: Tips And Tricks For Getting Started, Kotaku (Lewis Parker), Mar 18, 2026
- The Best Relics in Slay the Spire 2: Identifying Directional Relic Signals, Untapped.gg (Dillon Skiffington), Apr 2026
- How to Beat EVERY Boss in Slay the Spire 2 | Complete Boss Guide, Nerdy Hickey, Oct 5, 2026 (video)
- Slay the Spire 2 - 15 Biggest Changes From Slay the Spire 1, IGN, Mar 7, 2026 (video)
- How to Beat EVERY Elite in Slay the Spire 2 (Full Guide), Nerdy Hickey, Apr 15, 2026 (video)
- The game just got 200% harder | Spire 2 Patch Rundown V0.106.0, JapaneseExport, May 22, 2026 (video)
- The Secret to Beating EVERY Boss on Ascension 10 | Slay the Spire 2 Guide, vmService, Jun 16, 2026 (video)
- The Optimal Choice for EVERY Event in Slay the Spire 2, vmService, Aug 25, 2026 (video)
Moments
How to Beat EVERY Boss in Slay the Spire 2 | Complete Boss Guide
Nerdy Hickey
Slay the Spire 2 - 15 Biggest Changes From Slay the Spire 1
IGN
How to Beat EVERY Elite in Slay the Spire 2 (Full Guide)
Nerdy Hickey
The game just got 200% harder | Spire 2 Patch Rundown V0.106.0
JapaneseExport
The Secret to Beating EVERY Boss on Ascension 10 | Slay the Spire 2 Guide
vmService
- The Kaiser Crab is two claws, Crusher and Rocket, that attack from both sides. Both have Back Attack and Crab Rage…
- The Knowledge Demon is the Hive's damage race. It has 379 HP, more than The Insatiable's 321, and Game Rant calls it…
- The Insatiable eats you on a timer. On its first turn it shuffles 6 Frantic Escape cards into your piles, and its…
The Optimal Choice for EVERY Event in Slay the Spire 2
vmService
Related
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ArchitectThe Architect is the figure at the top of the Spire who ends every Slay the Spire 2 run after the Act 3 boss, killing you before you can play a card; in Early Access there is no Act 4, no keys and no true ending, which Mega Crit promises for the 1.0 release.
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BossesSlay the Spire 2 has 12 bosses in Early Access, three per act: Ceremonial Beast, The Kin and Vantom (Overgrowth), Lagavulin Matriarch, Soul Fysh and Waterfall Giant (Underdocks), Kaiser Crab, Knowledge Demon and The Insatiable (Hive), and Aeonglass, Queen and Test Subject (Glory).
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ElitesSlay the Spire 2 has 12 Elite fights in Early Access, three in each of its four areas (Overgrowth, Underdocks, Hive and Glory), and every Elite drops a relic along with a card reward. Ascension 1, Swarming Elites, makes them appear more often.
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EnemiesSlay the Spire 2's normal enemies differ in each of its four areas (the Overgrowth and Underdocks in Act 1, the Hive in Act 2 and Glory in Act 3), with HP that rises at Ascension 8 and damage that rises at Ascension 9. The in-game Bestiary, added in v0.105.0, shows the moves of every monster you have met.
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CardsSlay the Spire 2's game data holds 577 cards on the main branch (v0.107.1): about 88 for each of the five characters, 64 Colorless, 18 curses, 16 statuses, 3 Quest cards, and Event, Ancient and Token cards. Cards are Attacks, Skills, Powers, Statuses, Curses or Quests; rarities run Basic, Common, Uncommon, Rare and Ancient; card rewards offer 3 cards and you take 1.
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Colorless CardsSlay the Spire 2 has 64 Colorless cards on its main branch (v0.107.1), 39 Uncommon and 25 Rare, that any character can use; 11 of them appear only in co-op. You get them from the Merchant (2 a visit), Neow's Lead Paperweight, events, relics such as Dingy Rug and Toolbox, and cards that create them, such as Jack of All Trades and the Regent's.
See also
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OvergrowthThe Overgrowth is one of the two possible first acts of Slay the Spire 2, a jungle ruin chosen by a coin flip against the Underdocks, with the Elites Bygone Effigy, Byrdonis and Phrog Parasite and the bosses Ceremonial Beast, The Kin and Vantom.
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UnderdocksThe Underdocks is the alternate first act of Slay the Spire 2, a sewer waterway chosen by a coin flip against the Overgrowth once unlocked, with the Elites Phantasmal Gardener, Skulking Colony and Terror Eel and the bosses Lagavulin Matriarch, Soul Fysh and Waterfall Giant.
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GloryGlory is Act 3 of Slay the Spire 2, the upper Spire, whose Elites are the Knight Trio, the Mecha Knight and the Soul Nexus and whose boss is Aeonglass, the Queen or the Test Subject; at Ascension 10 you fight two of them.
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Acts and the MapA Slay the Spire 2 run climbs three acts, the Overgrowth or the Underdocks (a coin flip), then the Hive, then Glory, each opening with an Ancient and ending in a boss, before the Architect ends the climb. Each act is a branching map of combat, Elite, ? (Unknown), Merchant, Treasure and Rest Site rooms; Game Rant puts a run at about 45 to 50 encounters and up to about 40 minutes.
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AscensionSlay the Spire 2 has 10 Ascension levels, not 20: each one stacks a new handicap, from Swarming Elites at Ascension 1 to Double Boss at Ascension 10, and you unlock the next level by winning on your highest one. Ascension 6 has been Inflation (pricier card removal) since Apr 17, 2026; it was Gloom (fewer rest sites) at launch.