You’ve spent months climbing the Spire, carefully building decks, collecting relics, and watching perfectly good runs fall apart because you decided to take one more risky encounter. By now, you’ve probably got a favorite character and a few strategies you trust to get you through the tougher fights. Well, Mega Crit has decided it’s time to shake things up. There’s a new adventurer joining the roster, two additional ways to play, and enough balance changes to make you reconsider some of your favorite cards. Oh, and one of those new modes is designed to make Ascension 10 look like a warm-up exercise.
Slay the Spire 2 has received its biggest Early Access beta update yet, with developer Mega Crit releasing patch v0.113.0 on November 12th. The headline addition is The Fool, the game’s sixth playable character and its first new hero since entering Early Access in March. The update also introduces Blitz and Dread modes, new events, relics, card adjustments, and numerous fixes. There’s quite a bit to investigate, although you’ll need to switch to the game’s public beta branch to access the new content.
Meet the Fool, Who’s Brought a Bow to a Card Fight
The newest member of the Slay the Spire 2 roster is The Fool, a whimsical musician who appears to have wandered into one of the most dangerous places imaginable with a bow and a collection of unusual tricks. Her combat revolves around an Arrow mechanic that introduces some interesting decisions. Certain cards fire the Arrow at an enemy, applying a status called Impaled. Once that happens, you’ll need to hit the affected enemy three times or defeat it to retrieve your Arrow.
Until you get it back, cards that require the Arrow can’t be used. That means firing it isn’t always the smartest decision, especially if you’ve got several Arrow-dependent cards waiting in your hand. You may deal some useful damage now, only to discover you’ve temporarily locked yourself out of other attacks.
The Fool also has access to Tarot Cards featuring characters from the wider Slay the Spire universe, including the Watcher and the Hermit. Their appearances are an interesting little surprise for longtime fans, although they don’t confirm either character will become playable.
Mega Crit has warned that The Fool is still undergoing testing, with substantial content and balance adjustments expected before she joins the main Early Access branch. For now, players can experiment with her unusual mechanics and discover which combinations work best.
Blitz Mode Throws the Map Out the Window
If you’re tired of spending ages deciding which route to take through the Spire, Blitz Mode might be exactly what you’re looking for. This new mode offers a shorter, faster version of the usual experience, placing greater emphasis on deckbuilding while changing several familiar systems.
For starters, the map is gone. Gold also becomes irrelevant, removing two major considerations from your normal runs. Even the Merchant has changed how he operates. Instead of offering his usual selection of relics and individual cards for purchase, his shop provides free buffs and card rewards.
It’s a different approach that encourages players to concentrate on their decks without spending quite so much time worrying about which path offers the best rewards or whether they’ve saved enough money for the next shop. Blitz also includes five Ascension levels shared across all characters, giving players additional challenges once they’ve learned how its altered rules work.
To unlock the mode, you’ll need to complete an Ascension run at any difficulty.
Dread Mode Is for People Who Think Ascension 10 Is Too Easy
Another addition to the game is Dread Mode, which appears to have been created specifically for players who think Slay the Spire 2 isn’t punishing them enough. Unlocking it requires reaching Ascension 10 with every character, including The Fool.
Once you’re inside, all Ascension modifiers are active, bosses become stronger, and those bosses also provide buffs to the other enemies in their respective Acts. As if that weren’t enough, you’ll accumulate curses while climbing the Spire, adding more problems to an already difficult journey.
A carefully constructed deck might struggle against enemies strengthened by their boss, while the additional curses could interfere with the cards you need at the worst possible moment. Dread is clearly aimed at experienced players who have already mastered the regular Ascension challenges and want something that demands even more careful planning.
If you’ve been comfortably clearing Ascension 10 and wondering what to do next, congratulations. Mega Crit has found you something to worry about.
New Events, Relics, and a Surprise for Byrdpip
The update goes well beyond the new character and modes. Several new events have been added throughout the Spire, including Waterfall of Obvious Secrets and Wuppy in Trouble in the Underdocks, Museum of Torture in Act 2, and Shrine of the Warlord and Thermae Nonupeipe in Act 3.
These encounters introduce additional decisions and rewards, including new event cards and relics. There’s also an intriguing addition involving Byrdpip, the hatchable companion who can now evolve through a new event. Exactly what that means for the little creature is something players can discover during their adventures.
Existing cards have received attention too. The Ironclad’s Expect a Fight now reduces the Energy cost of attacks in your hand, while the Silent’s Expertise has been changed to retain your entire hand for the turn. Other adjustments include increased damage for Speedster, reduced bonus Shiv damage from Phantom Blades, and changes to several relics and enemies.
Rest sites can also appear one floor earlier in each Act, potentially giving players an opportunity to recover or upgrade their cards sooner than before. These might seem like smaller changes compared with an entirely new character, but anyone who’s spent hundreds of hours experimenting with builds will know that adjusting a single card can change how an entire strategy works.
How to Play the New Slay the Spire 2 Update
There’s one important detail to remember before launching the game and wondering where everything has gone. Patch v0.113.0 is currently exclusive to the public beta branch. Mega Crit is using this version to test the new character, modes, and balance adjustments before introducing them to the main game.
To access it, right-click Slay the Spire 2 in your Steam library, select Properties, open Game Versions & Betas, and choose public-beta from the dropdown menu. Players who remain on the default branch will instead receive the changes from the previous, more stable beta version, v0.111.0.
Mega Crit hasn’t announced when The Fool, Blitz, and Dread will move into the main Early Access build, so there’s still some testing ahead. After several months of relatively quiet development, this update represents a substantial expansion of what Slay the Spire 2 has to offer. A new character brings fresh deckbuilding possibilities, Blitz provides a quicker way to experiment, and Dread gives experienced players another mountain to climb.
Whether you’re eager to try The Fool’s Arrow mechanics or simply curious to see how much punishment Dread Mode can dish out, there’s plenty of reason to return to the Spire. Just don’t be surprised if the new character makes a fool out of you before you’ve even reached the first boss.