Essential Tips & Tricks for Beginners
Deckbuilders like Slay the Spire 2 can be quite daunting for the inexperienced, but they’re really not as hard as they may appear. With a bit of practice and a dash of patience, you can overcome the slew of cards, status effects, and unfamiliar keywords the game throws at you all at once. In this Slay the Spire 2 guide, we’ll go over the best tips and tricks for beginner players so they can climb the Acts successfully and reach the top of that tower.
Best Ironclad Cards in Slay the Spire 2
If you want to take on the Spire as a brutal warrior, then the Ironclad is the perfect character to pick.
Slay the Spire 2: Choosing Your Character
Slay the Spire 2 has a total of five characters to unlock, with three returning characters from its prequel and two brand-new entries to the series. Each character has their own starting HP and Relic, as well as a unique pool of cards to add to their decks. As such, the five characters all bring diverse play styles to the arena, and some of them may stick with you more than others.
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The Ironclad
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HP
80
Relic
Burning Blood: At the end of combat, heal 6 HP.
Difficulty
Easy
Pros
Big damage, Big defense, Highest max HP
Cons
Expensive cards, Self-damaging
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The Silent
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HP
70
Relic
Ring of the Snake: At the start of each combat, draw 2 additional cards.
Difficulty
Easy/Medium
Pros
Card draw, Low-cost cards, Poisons, Combo potential
Cons
Low max HP, Weaker damage
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The Regent
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HP
75
Relic
Divine Right: At the start of each combat, gain (3 stars).
Difficulty
Advanced
Pros
Huge damage potential, Interesting build experimentation
Cons
Must manage 2 separate resources
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The Necrobinder
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HP
66
Relic
Bound Phylactery: At the start of your turn, Summon 1.
Difficulty
Medium
Pros
Minion blocks damage, Can Doom enemies to death
Cons
Lowest max HP, Minion management, Slow start
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The Defect
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HP
75
Relic
Cracked Core: At the start of each combat, Channel 1 Lightning.
Difficulty
Advanced
Pros
Great build diversity, Insane Energy manipulation
Cons
Mostly reliant on orbs, Slow start
It’s important to experiment with each of the characters to find your fit. While all of them are perfectly viable to win, each character offers a radically different approach to tackle the enemies of the Spire.
The more you play a character, and the farther you progress, the more unique cards and Relics you’ll unlock for that character. That means more ways to create interesting builds in future runs!
Plan Your Route Before Anything Else
In Slay the Spire 2, the map is your best friend. You can access the map at any time during a run by clicking its icon at the top-right of your screen, even during dialogue with an NPC.
Before starting your run (and choosing a reward from Neow), you should take a look at your map and plan the best route for you to take. For instance, if Neow offers you hundreds of Gold to start, it may be helpful to take a route with an early Merchant. Or, if you choose an option that reduces your max HP, it may be wise to pick a route with less Elite encounters.
You can highlight all encounters of a given type by hovering your cursor over the appropriate icons on the Legend.
The safest routes are those with less Elites and more Unknown rooms. However, you’ll miss out on extra Relics if you avoid Elite battles. A good route should provide a balanced mix of normal battles, Unknown rooms, Elite encounters, and plenty of Rest Sites to regain HP and upgrade cards.
Defend First, Ask Questions Later
In combat, it can be tempting to dish out as many attacks as possible to slay your opponents quickly. However, taking unnecessary damage is the easiest way to see your run come to an early end. You can’t win if you’re dead, after all.
If your enemies intend to attack you, it’s always wise to stack up on Block first, then use Attacks with your remaining Energy. Sometimes, that means you won’t be able to attack for a turn – and that’s okay. There’s no turn limit in Slay the Spire 2, and you’ll never run out of cards to draw. Many enemies will spend their turns preparing a buff or shields for themselves instead of attacking you. When that happens, it’s your chance to strike with all you’ve got.
Each turn is situational. Sometimes, it’s better to block, while other times it’s better to take a little bit of damage. Consider what rooms are ahead of you and where your next Rest Site is to determine whether you can afford to take a 10 HP attack or a 1 HP attack.
Remove your Strikes and Defends
Every character starts a run with five Strike and five Defend cards, along with a couple of unique cards for their decks. However, virtually every additional card you add to your deck will be better than those Strikes and Defends, either by providing higher damage, lower cost, or better utility.
Take the Ironclad’s Pommel Strike card, for instance – a 1 Energy cost card that deals 9 damage and draws 1 card. For the same cost as a Strike, you’re getting an extra three damage and the benefit of card draw. Or, take the Silent’s Cloak and Dagger card, a 1 Energy cost card that gains 6 Block and adds 1 Shiv into your hand. For the same cost of a Defend, you’re getting an extra point of Block and a 4 Damage Attack that you can play for free.
You can pay the Merchant to remove one card from your deck each time you visit him. Some Unknown event rooms will also offer you the choice to remove a card from your deck.
Why Remove your Starting Cards?
So, why would you ever want to remove attack and defense cards from your deck? Simply put, because more isn’t always better. Your goal is to draw your best cards as much as possible, but you can only draw so many cards per turn. Every time you draw a Strike card, that’s a missed opportunity to draw a Pommel Strike, or a Cloak and Dagger, or something even better.
Realistically, you’ll rarely be able to remove all of your Strikes and Defends in a single run. However, if you’ve found a card that serves as a better replacement for either of them, it’s always a good idea to remove them when you’re able.
Don’t Be Afraid to Switch Lanes
Slay the Spire 2 has a ton of build diversity when it comes to the amount of Relics and cards you can combine with each character. However, as much as you may want to stick with a purely Poison build with the Silent, or a strict Block build with the Ironclad, you shouldn’t avoid the opportunity to pivot when the opportunity arises.
While Rare cards offer some of the most powerful plays you can make, the Relics you find are really what help shape each run through the Spire. If you happen to obtain a build-defining Relic early on, it’s perfectly fine to lean heavily into it. Otherwise, it’s okay to slightly diversify your deck until it really starts to come alive. It’s better to have an extra trick or two up your sleeve than to realize you’re stuck with a build that isn’t working in Act 2.
Remember, once you get a synergized build going, you can always shave off unwanted cards later by paying to have them removed.
Pick Your Battles
In Slay the Spire 2, you have the luxury of choosing the obstacles in your path (for the most part). While normal enemy encounters are unavoidable, there’s usually always a path that avoids Elite battles. Depending on your current circumstances, skipping an Elite battle could be a far better option.
Elites reward you with a card, a random Potion, and a Relic upon defeat. However, they are some of the toughest enemies you’ll encounter as you ascend the Spire, and many of them can easily end your run. While a free Relic may be tempting, keep in mind that you can also purchase all the same rewards from the Merchant. In fact, you’ll have even more options to choose from.
The Merchant offers a variety of goods for sale:
- 5 Cards unique to your character
- 2 Colorless cards
- 3 Relics
- 3 Potions
- Card removal services
Provided you have the Gold available, you can purchase as much as you’d like instead of only getting one of each from an Elite enemy. Thankfully, the Merchant isn’t interested in killing you, so you’ll save a lot of HP in the process as well.
If you’re sitting on a pile of Gold on your run, it’s a much safer and smarter option to visit the Merchant than to face an Elite enemy.
When you’re ready for greater challenges, make sure to check out the new multiplayer co-op mode in Slay the Spire 2.
- Released
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March, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Mega Crit
- Publisher(s)
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Mega Crit
- Engine
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Godot
