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

Unlocks and the Timeline

Slay the Spire 2 unlocks its characters in a chain by playing one run (win or lose) with each: the Ironclad unlocks the Silent, then the Regent, the Necrobinder and the Defect. Everything else (cards, relics, potions, Ancients, the Underdocks, Ascension, Daily and Custom runs) comes from 57 Epochs on the Timeline, earned by goals such as beating an act or by spending score; Daily and Custom runs earn none.

In Slay the Spire 2 you start with only the Ironclad and unlock each next character by playing one run, win or lose, with the one before: a run as the Ironclad unlocks the Silent, the Silent the Regent, the Regent the Necrobinder and the Necrobinder the Defect (TheGamer, Mar 6, 2026). Every unlock in the game is an Epoch on the Timeline screen, and the game data for the main branch, v0.107.1, holds 57 of them: 34 tied to the five characters, 5 for game modes and Ancients, and 18 bought with the score you earn at the end of runs (Spire Codex, game data v0.107.1). Each Epoch is also a page of the Spire's lore, which Steam's store text calls "fragments of its mysterious timeline" (Steam). Slay the Spire 2 is in Early Access, so Epochs may be added or changed before 1.0.

Quick facts

Starting character Ironclad
Unlock order Ironclad, Silent, Regent, Necrobinder, Defect (TheGamer)
What unlocks a character One run with the previous character, win or lose
Epochs in all 57 in game data v0.107.1 (Spire Codex)
Per character 7 Epochs (the Ironclad 6, since he starts unlocked)
Bought with score 18 Epochs, two of them placeholders
Ascension Unlocked per character by beating Act 3 with them
The Underdocks A score Epoch (Spire Codex)
Custom mode Beat Act 3 three times (Epoch "Seeds")
Daily mode Epoch "The Daily": a run with every character and an Act 3 win
Daily and Custom runs Earn no Epochs since v0.100.0 (Mega Crit)
Co-op runs Count like solo runs (TheGamer)

How the Timeline works

The Timeline is the unlock screen. An Epoch is first revealed by a goal, such as "Beat Act 1 with the Ironclad", or becomes available as you accumulate score, and opening it hands out what it unlocks: a character, three cards, three relics, three potions, an Ancient, an event, an act or a game mode (Spire Codex). Launch hotfixes fixed players "getting stuck at the timeline" (v0.98.3 notes, Mar 10, 2026).

Score pays for Epochs. Mega Crit's notes say there are still "points accrued for unlocking new cards and such" at the end of a run (Major Update #1), and a beta fix in v0.110.0 stopped the game awarding an Epoch "without spending the score that paid for it" (v0.110.0 notes). Mega Crit has not published how much score each Epoch costs.

Daily and Custom runs do not count. Since v0.100.0, on the main branch since Apr 17, 2026, "You can no longer acquire epochs in Daily or Custom runs", and an icon in the top bar shows when a run cannot earn them (v0.100.0 notes). Co-op runs do count, filling the Compendium and earning Epochs like solo runs (TheGamer).

Unlocks belong to each player and profile. Each player has three profiles, and a new one starts with only the Ironclad (PC Gamer); in co-op, the Colorful Philosophers event stays away while any player has only the Ironclad unlocked (v0.103.1 notes). Modded and unmodded progress are saved apart, and on the public beta since v0.108.0 (Jul 3, 2026) your unmodded save is copied over the first time you launch with mods (v0.108.0 notes); see Mods and Steam Workshop.

There is no "unlock all". Mega Crit said in February 2026 that buyers on other platforms would not get one and that it aims for "some form of cross-platform saving" (Mega Crit's February 2026 Neowsletter).

Unlocking the characters

Character Epoch How to unlock
Ironclad None Available from the start
Silent Fog Rolls In Play a run with the Ironclad
Regent Anomalous Planet Play a run with the Silent
Necrobinder Life and Death Play a run with the Regent
Defect Booting Up Play a run with the Necrobinder

Source: TheGamer (Mar 6, 2026) for the order; Epoch names from Spire Codex (game data, v0.107.1), read Oct 26, 2026.

Winning is not needed: any finished run, win or lose, with the previous character reveals the next one's Epoch (TheGamer). Mega Crit's May 2026 figures show the five characters played "almost the same amount", leaning slightly to the first two unlocked, the Ironclad and the Silent (Mega Crit's May 2026 Neowsletter). No character has been added since launch, and the sixth Mega Crit is working on is unnamed (Mega Crit's August 2026 Neowsletter); see Characters.

Every character Epoch

Each character has the same set of goals: beat Act 1 (three cards), beat Act 2 (three relics), beat Act 3 (Ascension and three potions), kill 15 Elites (three cards), kill 15 bosses (three relics) and beat Ascension 1 (three cards). Kotaku recommends working through these before climbing Ascension, especially the 15 Elite and 15 boss goals (Kotaku, Mar 18, 2026).

Ironclad

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
The Ironclad Beat Act 1 with the Ironclad Cards: Molten Fist (Common), Dominate (Uncommon), Cruelty (Rare)
Devastation Beat Act 2 with the Ironclad Relics: Red Skull (Common), Paper Phrog (Uncommon), Ruined Helmet (Rare)
The Pact Beat Act 3 with the Ironclad Ascension for the Ironclad; potions: Blood Potion, Soldier's Stew, Ashwater
Ablaze Kill 15 Elites with the Ironclad Cards: Cinder (Common), Drum of Battle (Uncommon), Pact's End (Rare)
Snuffed Kill 15 bosses with the Ironclad Relics: Self-Forming Clay (Uncommon), Charon's Ashes (Rare), Demon Tongue (Rare)
My Face Beat Ascension 1 with the Ironclad Cards: Blood Wall (Common), Inferno (Uncommon), Tear Asunder (Rare)

Silent

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
Fog Rolls In Play a run with the Ironclad The Silent
Bigger Prey Beat Act 1 with the Silent Cards: Snakebite (Common), Bubble Bubble (Uncommon), Accelerant (Rare)
Ill Beat Act 2 with the Silent Relics: Tingsha (Uncommon), Tough Bandages (Rare), Paper Krane (Rare)
Trophies Beat Act 3 with the Silent Ascension for the Silent; potions: Poison Potion, Ghost in a Jar, Cunning Potion
Poisoner Kill 15 Elites with the Silent Cards: Reflex (Uncommon), Hand Trick (Uncommon), Master Planner (Rare)
Nemesis Kill 15 bosses with the Silent Relics: Snecko Skull (Common), Twisted Funnel (Uncommon), Helical Dart (Rare)
Soup Beat Ascension 1 with the Silent Cards: Hidden Daggers (Uncommon), Phantom Blades (Uncommon), Blade of Ink (Rare)

Regent

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
Anomalous Planet Play a run with the Silent The Regent
I Arrive Beat Act 1 with the Regent Cards: Spoils of Battle (Common), Furnace (Uncommon), Sword Sage (Rare)
We Need a Hero! Beat Act 2 with the Regent Relics: Fencing Manual (Common), Galactic Dust (Uncommon), Lunar Pastry (Rare)
Grand Strategy Beat Act 3 with the Regent Ascension for the Regent; potions: Star Potion, Cosmic Concoction, King's Courage
Friends Kill 15 Elites with the Regent Cards: BEGONE! (Common), Supermassive (Uncommon), Arsenal (Rare)
Discontent Kill 15 bosses with the Regent Relics: Regalite (Uncommon), Mini Regent (Rare), Orange Dough (Rare)
Little King Beat Ascension 1 with the Regent Cards: Patter (Common), Lunar Blast (Uncommon), Heavenly Drill (Rare)

Necrobinder

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
Life and Death Play a run with the Regent The Necrobinder
The 12 Beat Act 1 with the Necrobinder Cards: Scourge (Common), Countdown (Uncommon), Oblivion (Rare)
Futility Beat Act 2 with the Necrobinder Relics: Bone Flute (Common), Funerary Mask (Uncommon), Book Repair Knife (Uncommon)
Spireborn Beat Act 3 with the Necrobinder Ascension for the Necrobinder; potions: Potion of Doom, Pot of Ghouls, Bone Brew
The Giant Kill 15 Elites with the Necrobinder Cards: Afterlife (Common), Calcify (Uncommon), Sacrifice (Rare)
Annihilation Kill 15 bosses with the Necrobinder Relics: Ivory Tile, Big Hat, Bookmark (all Rare)
To Kill Beat Ascension 1 with the Necrobinder Cards: Sculpting Strike (Common), Veilpiercer (Uncommon), Banshee's Cry (Rare)

Defect

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
Booting Up Play a run with the Necrobinder The Defect
Tricked Beat Act 1 with the Defect Cards: Loop (Uncommon), Null (Uncommon), Consuming Shadow (Rare)
Hello Hello! Beat Act 2 with the Defect Relics: Data Disk (Common), Symbiotic Virus (Uncommon), Metronome (Rare)
Resolving Bugs Beat Act 3 with the Defect Ascension for the Defect; potions: Focus Potion, Essence of Darkness, Potion of Capacity
Confrontation Kill 15 Elites with the Defect Cards: Barrage (Common), Smokestack (Uncommon), Flak Cannon (Rare)
Laser Beams Kill 15 bosses with the Defect Relics: Gold-Plated Cables (Uncommon), Emotion Chip (Rare), Power Cell (Rare)
Ooh Shiny! Beat Ascension 1 with the Defect Cards: TURBO (Common), Scavenge (Uncommon), Helix Drill (Rare)

Source for all five tables: Spire Codex (game data, v0.107.1), read Oct 26, 2026; Epoch names spelled as Mega Crit's patch notes spell them ("The 12", "Hello Hello!"), as in Major Update #2. Card rarities and effects are on Ironclad Cards, Silent Cards, Regent Cards, Necrobinder Cards and Defect Cards; relics on Relics; potions on Potions.

Game modes and Ancients

Epoch How to reveal it Unlocks
Neow Play a single run The Ancient Neow
Seeds Beat Act 3 three times Custom mode
The Daily Play a run with every character and beat Act 3 Daily mode
Orobas Play a run with every character The Ancient Orobas
Darv Encounter all the other Ancients The Ancient Darv

Source: Spire Codex (game data, v0.107.1), read Oct 26, 2026. Destructoid's Epoch guide (Mar 7, 2026) gives the same goals: finish your first run for Neow, complete Act 3 three times for Seeds, complete Act 3 with all five characters for The Daily, play every character for Orobas, and meet all the Ancients for Darv.

The two modes are covered on Daily Climb and Custom Mode, and the Ancients on Neow and the Ancients.

Epochs bought with score

Eighteen Epochs have no goal: they read "Unlock by accumulating score" and come one after another, each adding the next ones to the Timeline. The table lists them in that order, from the game data.

Epoch Added to the Timeline by Unlocks
Preon Neow Colorless cards: Automation (Uncommon), Catastrophe (Uncommon), Entropy (Rare)
Open Preon Potions: Beetle Juice, Mazaleth's Gift, Droplet of Precognition
Scribbles Preon Relics: Reptile Trinket (Uncommon), Unsettling Lamp (Rare), Intimidating Helmet (Rare)
Underdocks Preon The Underdocks, an alternate Act 1
The Architect Underdocks Colorless cards: Prep Time (Uncommon), Eternal Armor (Rare), Jackpot (Rare)
Ancients Underdocks Relics: Book of Five Rings (Common), Kusarigama (Uncommon), Ice Cream (Rare)
The Calm Underdocks Potions: Powdered Demise, Ship in a Bottle, Touch of Insanity
Somewhere The Calm Placeholder: "It is not yet known what this unlocked..."
Traitors The Calm Colorless cards: Prowess (Uncommon), Rend (Rare), Beat Down (Rare)
Civilization The Calm Relics: Festive Popper (Common), Ripple Basin (Uncommon), Vexing Puzzlebox (Rare)
Elsewhere Civilization Placeholder: "It is not yet known what this unlocked..."
Slumber Civilization Colorless cards: Alchemize, Nostalgia, Scrawl (all Rare)
Consequences Civilization Relics: Miniature Cannon (Uncommon), Tungsten Rod (Rare), White Star (Rare)
Cultists Consequences The Trash Heap event
Buy Something! Consequences Colorless cards: Splash (Uncommon), Anointed (Rare), Calamity (Rare)
Arise Consequences Relics: Tiny Mailbox (Uncommon), Joss Paper (Uncommon), Beating Remnant (Rare)
They Return Arise The Reflections snoitcelfeR event
The Spire Arise The Colorful Philosophers event

Source: Spire Codex (game data, v0.107.1), read Oct 26, 2026. Colorless cards are on Colorless Cards and events on Events.

Two of them unlock nothing yet. Somewhere and Elsewhere carry only the line "It is not yet known what this unlocked...", and their internal names in the game data are those of Act 2 and Act 3 "B" Epochs (Spire Codex). Mega Crit has announced an Alternate Act 2 and an Alternate Act 3 for Early Access but has not said how they will unlock (Mega Crit's April 2026 Neowsletter).

Unlocking the Underdocks

The Underdocks, the alternate Act 1, is unlocked with score, not a goal. In the game data its Epoch is the fourth score Epoch, added to the Timeline by Preon, and its text reads "Unlocked the Underdocks, an alternate Act 1" (Spire Codex). Mega Crit's own posts say only that alternate acts appear "once unlocked" (Mega Crit's September 2025 Neowsletter), and Destructoid lists the Epoch without a requirement (Destructoid). IGN's "15 Biggest Changes" video (Mar 7, 2026) says instead that "When you defeat all three overgrowth bosses, you'll unlock the underdocks". Once it is unlocked, each run's Act 1 is a coin flip between the Overgrowth and the Underdocks (Major Update #2); see Acts and the Map.

Unlocking Ascension

Ascension unlocks per character, with that character's Act 3 Epoch: The Pact for the Ironclad, Trophies for the Silent, Grand Strategy for the Regent, Spireborn for the Necrobinder and Resolving Bugs for the Defect, each reading "Unlocked Ascension for" the character (Spire Codex). After that, each win on your highest level unlocks the next, up to Ascension 10 (TheGamer, Mar 16, 2026).

Co-op Ascension is separate. It starts from scratch, is not tied to characters, and a co-op win unlocks the next level for all five (PCGamesN, Mar 10, 2026). Every level is on Ascension, and co-op on Co-op Multiplayer.

The Compendium and the Bestiary

The Compendium is where unlocks are kept. It holds the card, relic and potion libraries, your statistics and Run History, and, since Major Update #2 on Jun 19, 2026, the Bestiary, which shows the enemies you have met; Casey Yano called it "this final screen in the compendium (outside of the Achievements page, which is to come much later)" (Major Update #2). In the Bestiary, keys 1 to 8 play a monster's animations (v0.105.0 notes), and on the public beta since v0.108.0 (Jul 3, 2026) it has a stats section (v0.108.0 notes). Enemies are on Enemies, and Badges in Run History on Achievements and Badges.

Frequently asked questions

How do you unlock characters in Slay the Spire 2? In Slay the Spire 2 you unlock each character by playing one run, win or lose, with the previous one: the Ironclad unlocks the Silent, the Silent the Regent, the Regent the Necrobinder and the Necrobinder the Defect.

How do you unlock the Defect in Slay the Spire 2? Play one run as the Necrobinder, win or lose, to reveal the Epoch Booting Up, which unlocks the Defect in Slay the Spire 2. The Defect is the last of the five characters in the chain.

How do you unlock the Necrobinder in Slay the Spire 2? Play one run as the Regent, win or lose, to reveal the Epoch Life and Death, which unlocks the Necrobinder. The Regent itself unlocks after a run as the Silent.

What are Epochs in Slay the Spire 2? Epochs are Slay the Spire 2's unlocks: entries on the Timeline screen, each with a page of lore, that unlock characters, cards, relics, potions, Ancients, the Underdocks, Ascension or game modes. The main-branch game data has 57.

How do you unlock the Underdocks in Slay the Spire 2? The Underdocks Epoch in Slay the Spire 2 is bought with score at the end of runs; in the game data it follows Preon, the first score Epoch, while IGN (Mar 7, 2026) says it unlocks once you have defeated all three Overgrowth bosses. After that, Act 1 is a coin flip between the Overgrowth and the Underdocks.

Do Daily runs unlock Epochs in Slay the Spire 2? No: since v0.100.0, Slay the Spire 2's Daily and Custom runs cannot earn Epochs, and an icon in the top bar says so. Standard runs, solo or co-op, can.

How do you unlock Custom mode in Slay the Spire 2? Beat Act 3 three times to reveal the Epoch Seeds, which unlocks Custom mode in Slay the Spire 2. The Daily mode needs a run with every character and an Act 3 win.

Sources

Moments

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

IGN

  1. In Slay the Spire 2 you start with only the Ironclad and unlock each next character by playing one run, win or lose…
  2. The Timeline is the unlock screen. An Epoch is first revealed by a goal, such as "Beat Act 1 with the Ironclad", or…

Slay The Spire 2 Ultimate Beginner's Guide

Tenkiei

  1. Winning is not needed: any finished run, win or lose, with the previous character reveals the next one's Epoch…

Beta Patch v0.105.0 Review | A New Boss! also shatter is broken now - Slay the Spire 2

NaveGreed

  1. The Compendium is where unlocks are kept. It holds the card, relic and potion libraries, your statistics and Run…

See also

About this page

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

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