Everything a new player needs to understand the game and win their first run.
Slay the Spire 2 is a roguelike deckbuilding game. Each run, you build a deck of cards from scratch, fight through floors of enemies, and try to reach and defeat the final boss. If you die, you start over — but you keep permanent progression through unlocks.
Every run you'll:
Each turn you start with 3 Energy (by default). Every card costs energy to play. Managing energy is the foundation of all strategy — figure out how to spend your 3 energy most efficiently every turn.
Block absorbs damage for one turn, then disappears. Your HP persists through the entire run. Losing HP is fine — you'll find healing at campfires. Dying ends your run. Prioritize block on turns where enemies will hit hard.
Smaller decks cycle faster, meaning you see your best cards more often. Don't just add every card you're offered — be selective. A focused 12-card deck beats a bloated 30-card deck almost every time.
Relics are passive items that grant powerful bonuses for the entire run. They drop from elites, bosses, and shops. Some relics define entire strategies — read them carefully and build around the good ones.
Each act has a branching map. Node types:
At the start of each turn:
Every enemy shows an icon above their head indicating their next action: attack (damage amount), defend (block), buff, or debuff. This is crucial — if an enemy is buffing, consider interrupting with a debuff. If they're attacking for 15+, prioritize block.
Skip weak cards. Only add cards that fit your strategy or are clearly powerful. 10-15 cards is ideal early on.
Use campfires to upgrade your most important card — often your main damage dealer or a defensive anchor. Upgraded cards are dramatically better.
Bosses telegraph their attacks. Save big block cards for high-damage turns, and offensive cards for vulnerable windows.
Relics from elites are run-defining. Fight them when you're above 50% HP and have a decent deck. Skip them if you're low and struggling.
When you get a powerful relic, pivot your card picks to support it. The best runs have synergy between cards and relics.
Shops offer card removal, relics, and potions. Card removal is usually the best buy early. Save gold for shops, don't overpay for mediocre cards.