Slay the Spire 2 has received a major update that rolls all of the additions, tweaks and fixes from recent beta updates into the main branch of the game – though developers Mega Crit are at pains to repeat that “this is still an Early Access game, so just because something made it from beta to main does not mean it’s set in stone”.
Those beta patches were pretty gargantuan, so this is quite the overhaul. The Ironclad, Silent, Regent and Necrobinder have all been substantially regeared, and there’s new art (pictured above) to replace the cheery MS Paint placeholders you’re all so fond of. The update also includes a Phobia mode that makes wriggly enemies less wriggly, new VFX, reworded descriptions, adjusted leaderboards, and a Badge system to highlight specific things you did in each run, like neglecting to spend your gold.
“We continue to rely on the experiences of players across both branches to eventually get the game into its final, ideal state, just like we did with StS1,” the devs write on Steam. “Trust the process! And don’t forget to press F2!” (F2 is the in-game feedback button.)
Given that the new patch consists of all the stuff they already discussed in beta, the Steam post doesn’t give the full changelog, just a set of highlights. I will strive to boil them down even further. Firstly, some notes on overall campaign progression: Ascension level 6 now gives you Inflation, which makes removing cards from your deck at the Merchant more expensive, not Gloom. Relics cost 25 less at merchants, but gold-generating relics no longer appear in the shop. Map generation is “more consistent”.
Now, let’s talk characters. The Ironclad has a new rare and Exhaustible “Not Yet” card, which heals 10-13 HP, but has lost Grapple, which let you deal damage while gaining block till the end of the turn. A bunch of other Ironclad cards have been reworked. The devs note that “many of these changes have come with the aim of giving him better survivability and Exhaust synergies.”
Silent’s (ah Silent! My beloved) Blade Of Ink card now gives you shivs enchanted with Inky, which applies Weak, while her Acrobatics card is now Uncommon. That’s in addition to buffs and nerfs designed to “make Sly builds less overly dominant while making sure they still feel satisfying”.
The Regent’s Arsenal Card and Regalite cards have been powered up – they now grant Strength and Block based on any cards created, not just Colorless. “Notably, his card pool has seen more buffs than any other character with just a couple of nerfs, which should address concerns about him feeling weaker than the other characters,” the devs write. Good-O. I’ve only played a couple of rounds of Regent, I confess. Perhaps now that Silent (Silent! My beloved!) is less Sly, I’ll take him out for a spin.
Necrobinder’s Borrowed Time no longer applies Doom to yourself in return for energy; instead, it gives you energy while increasing the energy cost of cards in the same turn. “This new version should go particularly well with high cost cards like Reap and Bury and help to flesh out other ways to play Necrobinder,” the devs write.
Defect has had barely anything done to him, just “a couple of buffs and nerfs”. Seems like the Steam post could have made more of the irony, here.
Now let us speak of relics. Neow has some new ones for you. Here they are.
Hefty Tablet: “Choose 1 of 3 Rare cards to add to your Deck. Add 1 Injury to your Deck.
Neow’s Talisman: “Upgrade 1 of your Strikes and 1 of your Defends.
Neow’s Bones: “Upon pickup, gain 2 random Neow Relics. Add 1 random Curse to your Deck.
Phial Holster: “Upon pickup, gain 1 potion slot and procure 2 random potions.”
Winged Boots: “You may ignore paths when choosing the next rooms to travel to 3 times.”
The new Badge system aside, the game’s leaderboards have been revamped to only show your friend’s scores, not global scores. This is partly because the devs are aware that some of you are cheating, but “don’t really want to incorporate invasive anti-cheat protection into the game so it’s sort of impossible for us to prevent people putting in the maximum score.” I guess there’s no helping it if your friends are among those DIRTY ROTTEN CHEATERS.
They’re also now basing scoring simply on whether you won, how many badges you got, and how quickly you did it, rather than including points for card unlocks and so on. Main and beta branch leaderboards will also be separate in future, as they’re effectively distinct games. Gosh, some of you clearly care an awful lot about your high score.
Needless to say, there are many bug fixes, including remedies for state divergence in multiplayer, controller navigational problems, softlocks and crashes.
Now that all these things are non-beta, I guess it’s time to start debating the balancing ramifications in earnest. Mega Crit copped some flak over their beta updates – they rolled out one specifically targeting infinites (card combos that let you extend a turn endlessly), then patched that patch following a Steam user review backlash. More substantial planned additions include three potential new Slay the Spire 2 modes.