Slay the Spire 2
Home All pages
All vikis
Aion 2AnantaArcheAge ChroniclesCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4Chrono OdysseyCivilization 3Civilization 4Crimson DesertDeadlockDiablo 4Diablo 5EnshroudedFableFinal Fantasy ResonanceGrand Theft Auto 6Heroes of Might and Magic 3Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden EraKingdom Come: Deliverance 2Path of Exile 2Phantom Blade ZeroSlay the Spire 2SoulframeValheimWitcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
Start your own viki
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

Ironclad

The Ironclad is Slay the Spire 2's starting character, playable from the first run: 80 HP, 99 Gold, 3 Energy, a deck of 5 Strike, 4 Defend and Bash, and Burning Blood, which heals 6 HP at the end of each combat. He builds on Strength, Vulnerable, Exhaust and losing HP.

The Ironclad is the character every Slay the Spire 2 player starts with: he is available from the first run, has 80 HP, the most of the five characters, and carries Burning Blood, a relic that heals 6 HP at the end of each combat (Spire Codex, game data, v0.107.1; PCGamesN, Apr 28, 2026). He returns from Slay the Spire (2019) as a warrior who fights with heavy Attacks, Strength, Vulnerable, Exhaust and cards that cost his own HP. Playing one run as him, win or lose, unlocks the Silent. The game is in Early Access, and his cards have changed in almost every patch since its Mar 5, 2026 launch; every one of them is listed on Ironclad Cards, and how to build him is on Ironclad Guide.

Quick facts

Unlock Available from the start (TheGamer)
Max HP 80
Gold 99
Energy 3 per turn
Starting deck 10 cards: 5 Strike, 4 Defend, Bash
Starting relic Burning Blood: "At the end of combat, heal 6 HP."
Ancient relic Black Blood: "At the end of combat, heal 12 HP."
Ancient cards Break, Corruption
Card pool 87 cards on the main branch (3 Basic, 20 Common, 36 Uncommon, 26 Rare, 2 Ancient)
Unlocks next The Silent, after one Ironclad run
Mechanics Strength, Vulnerable, Exhaust, losing HP, Block

Source: Spire Codex (game data, v0.107.1) for HP, Gold, Energy, deck and pool, read Oct 26, 2026; relics from Spire Codex: relics.

Who the Ironclad is

The game describes the Ironclad in one line: "The last soldier of the Ironclads. Crushes foes with sword and flame against his will." (Spire Codex, game data). He is one of three returning characters from the first game, with the Silent and the Defect, beside the new Regent and Necrobinder (PCGamesN, Apr 28, 2026). His story is told, like the others', through the Timeline's Epochs, which the Steam store calls "fragments of its mysterious timeline" unlocked "through your myriad attempts" (Steam store); the world around him is on Lore and Story.

Mega Crit's reveal trailer at the Triple-i Initiative on Apr 10, 2024 showed him with the Silent and the Necrobinder (Game Informer, Feb 19, 2026), and in July 2026 he appeared in Heave Ho 2 as a collaboration (July 2026 Neowsletter).

How to unlock the Ironclad

The Ironclad needs no unlocking: he is the only character available on a new save, and every other character comes from a chain that starts with him (TheGamer, Mar 6, 2026). Finishing one run as the Ironclad, "whether you win or lose", unlocks the Silent through the Epoch "Fog Rolls In" (Spire Codex: epochs). Since v0.100.0 (Mar 20, 2026), Epochs cannot be earned in Daily or Custom runs, so the run must be a normal one. The whole chain is on Unlocks and the Timeline.

His own Epochs add cards and Ascension. Per the game data, The Ironclad (beat Act 1 with him) unlocks Molten Fist, Cruelty and Dominate, Ablaze (kill 15 Elites) unlocks Cinder, Pact's End and Drum of Battle, My Face (beat Ascension 1) unlocks Blood Wall, Tear Asunder and Inferno, and The Pact (beat Act 3) opens Ascension for him (Spire Codex: epochs).

Starting deck and relic

The Ironclad starts with 10 cards: five Strikes (1 Energy, 6 damage, 9 upgraded), four Defends (1 Energy, 5 Block, 8 upgraded) and Bash (2 Energy, 8 damage and 2 Vulnerable, 10 damage and 3 Vulnerable upgraded) (Spire Codex, game data, v0.107.1). Strike and Defend have the same numbers for every character, so Bash is what sets his deck apart.

Burning Blood, his starter relic, heals 6 HP at the end of every combat (PCGamesN). Mobalytics names it the reason he is forgiving to play (Mobalytics).

The Ancient Orobas can upgrade the relic. Its Touch of Orobas replaces your starter relic with an Ancient version (Spire Codex: relics), which for the Ironclad is Black Blood: heal 12 HP at the end of combat. Orobas's Archaic Tooth instead transforms a starter card into an Ancient version (Mega Crit's v0.103.0 notes, Apr 10, 2026). Both are covered on Neow and the Ancients.

Mechanics

The Ironclad's cards revolve around five ideas, which PCGamesN lists as physical attacks, self-damage, Vulnerable, Exhaust and Block.

Strength "Increases attack damage", one point of damage per Strength on every hit (Spire Codex: powers). His Strength cards include Inflame, Demon Form, Rupture and Dominate (Spire Codex, v0.107.1).

Vulnerable makes a creature "Receive 50% more damage from Attacks" for as many turns as its stacks (Spire Codex: powers). PCGamesN's Ironclad guide (Apr 8, 2026) calls Vulnerable his new main build, replacing "the old Strength build". Cruelty adds 25% (50% upgraded) more damage against Vulnerable enemies, and the Ironclad relic Paper Phrog raises Vulnerable from 50% to 75% (Spire Codex: relics).

Exhaust removes a card "until the end of combat" (Spire Codex: keywords). Feel No Pain gives Block, Dark Embrace draws a card and Charon's Ashes deals 3 damage to ALL enemies each time a card is Exhausted, and Corruption makes every Skill free but Exhausts it. Mobalytics notes he has "more common access to targeted and mass exhaust" than the others (Mobalytics).

Losing HP is a resource for him. Bloodletting turns 3 HP into 2 Energy, Offering 6 HP into 2 Energy and 3 cards, and Blood Wall 2 HP into 16 Block; Rupture, Inferno, Spite and Tear Asunder pay off each loss (Spire Codex, v0.107.1).

Block is his defense and, in one build, his offense. Body Slam deals damage equal to your Block, Barricade keeps Block from turn to turn and Juggernaut deals 6 damage to a random enemy whenever you gain Block (Spire Codex, v0.107.1). Mobalytics warns that his weak points are defensive: no Weak "aside from Uppercut" and "no access to Retain" (Mobalytics).

Ancient cards

The Ironclad's two Ancient-rarity cards are Break and Corruption, which come from Ancient relics rather than card rewards (Spire Codex, v0.107.1). Break costs 1 Energy (since v0.100.0), deals 20 damage and applies 5 Vulnerable (30 and 7 upgraded); Corruption costs 3 Energy (2 upgraded) and makes Skills free but Exhausts each one played.

Ironclad relics

Seven relics appear only in Ironclad runs on the main branch (Spire Codex: relics, v0.107.1). Red Skull (Common) gives 3 extra Strength at or below 50% HP. Paper Phrog (Uncommon) makes Vulnerable enemies take 75% more damage rather than 50%, and Self-Forming Clay (Uncommon) gives 3 Block next turn whenever you lose HP. Charon's Ashes (Rare) deals 3 damage to ALL enemies per Exhaust, Demon Tongue (Rare) heals the first HP you lose on your turn, and Ruined Helmet (Rare) doubles the first Strength you gain each combat. Brimstone (Shop) gives 2 Strength each turn but 1 to ALL enemies too. Every relic is on Relics.

Builds

Guides name three Ironclad builds. PCGamesN (Apr 8, 2026) names Vulnerable, Body Slam (Block) and Exhaust, says they blend into one deck, and calls Vulnerable the easiest and Exhaust the one with the highest skill ceiling. Mobalytics' JapaneseExport adds "loop" decks that Exhaust a large deck down to a short sequence repeated every turn (Mobalytics). Card picks for each are on Ironclad Guide.

How strong is the Ironclad?

Ranking lists put the Ironclad in the lower half of the five. PCGamesN's character tier list (Apr 28, 2026) puts him in C tier, last, saying his Exhaust and Vulnerable builds are strong but risky and the others improved more. Pocket Tactics' tier list (Oct 5, 2026) puts him in B, calling him a good starting character with a low ceiling who may struggle at double-digit Ascension.

Guides disagree on whether he is the easiest character. Game Rant (Mar 10, 2026) and TheGamer (Mar 9, 2026) rank the Ironclad easiest, while Kotaku (Mar 18, 2026) calls the Necrobinder the easiest. PC Gamer's Austin Wood says Act 1 "almost feels balanced around Ironclad" (PC Gamer, Sep 18, 2026). The others are compared on Characters.

Changes by patch

Mega Crit has changed the Ironclad mostly to help him survive. Major Update #1 (Apr 17, 2026) said "Many of these changes have come with the aim of giving him better survivability and Exhaust synergies." It brought to the main branch the reworks of Dominate, Expect a Fight, Spite and Stoke from v0.100.0 (Mar 20, 2026), and from v0.103.0 (Apr 10, 2026) the new healing card Not Yet, Colossus moved from Rare to Uncommon, and Grapple removed as "too low impact (and redundant with Juggernaut)".

Major Update #2 (Jun 19, 2026) added reworks of Conflagration and Drum of Battle from v0.104.0 and Juggernaut's rise to 6(8) damage from v0.107.0. On the opt-in public beta only, v0.109.0 (Jul 17, 2026) raised Demon Form to 3(4) Strength a turn and v0.111.0 (Aug 14, 2026) reworked Expect a Fight into a Block card; these are not in the live game yet. Every number is on Ironclad Cards and every patch on Patches and Updates.

Differences from the first game

The Ironclad keeps his first-game role but not all of his first-game cards and plans. His biggest change, in PCGamesN's reading, is that Vulnerable "replaces the old Strength build", while the Body Slam and Exhaust builds are largely unchanged. Corruption is now an Ancient card (Mobalytics). PC Gamer's Harvey Randall found that Demon Form "now just isn't very good" and the old Barricade, Body Slam and Whirlwind plans more niche (PC Gamer, May 15, 2026).

The run around him has changed too. Ancients replace the first game's boss relics (Mega Crit, November 2025 Neowsletter), Ascension has 10 levels rather than 20, and new systems such as Enchantments and co-op apply to him as to everyone. The full list is on Differences from Slay the Spire.

Frequently asked questions

How much HP does the Ironclad have in Slay the Spire 2? The Ironclad starts with 80 Max HP in Slay the Spire 2, the most of the five characters, per the game data for v0.107.1 (Spire Codex). His relic Burning Blood heals 6 HP after every combat.

How do you unlock the Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2? You do not need to: the Ironclad is available from the start of Slay the Spire 2 and is the only character on a new save (TheGamer, Mar 6, 2026). One run as him, won or lost, unlocks the Silent.

What is the Ironclad's starting deck in Slay the Spire 2? The Ironclad's starting deck in Slay the Spire 2 is 10 cards: 5 Strike, 4 Defend and Bash, with 99 Gold and 3 Energy a turn (Spire Codex, game data, v0.107.1). Bash deals 8 damage and applies 2 Vulnerable.

What does Burning Blood do in Slay the Spire 2? Burning Blood, the Ironclad's starter relic in Slay the Spire 2, heals 6 HP at the end of each combat (PCGamesN). The Ancient Orobas's Touch of Orobas can replace it with Black Blood, which heals 12 HP (Spire Codex: relics).

Is the Ironclad good in Slay the Spire 2? Tier lists rank the Ironclad low in Slay the Spire 2: PCGamesN (Apr 28, 2026) puts him in C tier, last of five, and Pocket Tactics (Oct 5, 2026) in B. Game Rant and TheGamer still call him the easiest character to learn.

Is the Ironclad the same as in the first Slay the Spire? The Ironclad returns in Slay the Spire 2 with his old role but a changed pool: PCGamesN says Vulnerable has replaced the old Strength build, and Corruption is now an Ancient card. Mega Crit has also added cards since launch, such as the healing Not Yet in v0.103.0.

Sources

Moments

Slay the Spire 2 Beginner’s Guide | Important Tips You Need to Know

IGN

  1. The Ironclad is the character every Slay the Spire 2 player starts with: he is available from the first run, has 80…

The Lore and Story of Slay the Spire 2

MultiBradx

  1. The game describes the Ironclad in one line: "The last soldier of the Ironclads. Crushes foes with sword and flame…

How To Win With the Ironclad | Slay the Spire 2 Guide

Caleb Gannon Gaming

  1. Burning Blood, his starter relic, heals 6 HP at the end of every combat (PCGamesN). Mobalytics names it the reason he…
  2. Strength "Increases attack damage", one point of damage per Strength on every hit (Spire Codex: powers). His Strength…
  3. Vulnerable makes a creature "Receive 50% more damage from Attacks" for as many turns as its stacks (Spire Codex…
  4. Exhaust removes a card "until the end of combat" (Spire Codex: keywords). Feel No Pain gives Block, Dark Embrace draws…
  5. Losing HP is a resource for him. Bloodletting turns 3 HP into 2 Energy, Offering 6 HP into 2 Energy and 3 cards, and…
  6. Block is his defense and, in one build, his offense. Body Slam deals damage equal to your Block, Barricade keeps Block…

Every page

See also

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

Edit History

Hotkeys

/
Jump to the search box
? or Ctrl + /
Open this list
Esc
Close this list, the photo viewer, or the account menu

Video

Space or K
Play or pause
← →
Back or forward 5 seconds
J L
Back or forward 10 seconds
0 to 9
Go to 0% to 90% of the video
, .
Previous or next frame, while paused
M
Mute or unmute
C
Captions on or off
F
Full screen on or off
A D
Previous or next moment

Photo viewer

← → or A D
Previous or next photo
↑ ↓ or W S
Previous or next photo
Home End
First or last photo
I
Show or hide the photo's info
C
Clickless on or off: a pointer over a thumbnail shows it
N
Compare with the last photo: back to the one shown before this, and N again comes back
Q
Move the thumbnails to the next edge: top, bottom, left and round
Ctrl + ,
Open or close the viewer's settings
V
Clickless pan: a zoomed photo follows the pointer, rather than being dragged
B
Browse on or off
Z
Everything out of the way: full screen, no thumbnails, no button bar. Z again puts them back.