Slay the Spire 2 has just rolled out its most substantial beta update yet with patch v0.113.0, introducing a brand new character, two fresh game modes, and a sweeping array of balance changes. Currently available exclusively on the game’s beta branch, this massive update requires extensive community testing before making its way to the main build.
New Character, Game Modes and Events
The headline addition is The Fool, a highly anticipated new character joining the roster. They are a Jester, wielding a magical bow and have a host of new mechanics to master: from Aim stacking for massive arrow damage, Melody manipulation for block engines and fun card combos, and a new status package in Sadness and Joy. Lucking the lovely folk over at Untapped.gg have already pulled together a quick overview.
Alongside The Fool, the developers have introduced two new game modes – Dread and Blitz – offering entirely fresh ways to tackle the Spire. Blitz, as the name suggests, is a shorter mode with limited encounters and a completely revamped shop (as the patch notes say, ‘the merchant is weird’), designed to challenge your deckbuilding skills. Dread is only available to players who have cleared Ascension 10 with all characters, and is suitably dread inducing with Bosses buffing all combats in an act and curses becoming much more common.
The Spire itself is more populated than ever, with a host of new events and relics. Additions include the Museum of Torture in Act 2 and the Shrine of the Warlord in Act 3, both introducing unique event exclusive cards and relics. The update also brings substantial balance adjustments to existing events, notably reducing the gold cost of the Zen Weaver’s breathing techniques and increasing the price of the Prickly Sponge at the Waterlogged Scriptorium.
Balance, Artwork and QoL
Combat encounters have seen their share of tuning. Notable enemy changes include a fixed HP pool for the Axebot, increased damage for the Tunneler’s revamped From Below attack, and a complete behavioral rework for the Infested Prism, which now favours a predictable four hit attack pattern and applies Vulnerable instead of gaining heavy block.
Player decks will also feel the impact of this patch. Several cards have been heavily reworked, including Expect a Fight, which now reduces the cost of attacks in your hand, and Memento Mori, which has been transformed into a 3-cost attack that automatically targets the weakest enemy. Other cards like Expertise have shifted to focus on hand retention, while Forgotten Ritual has been nerfed to restrict its energy generation.
On the presentation and technical front, the patch adds a wealth of new portrait art for cards and Epochs, alongside enhanced death animations and updated sound effects for enemies like the Corpse Slug and Haunted Ship. Under the hood, seeded runs have been made far more consistent, and performance has been optimised to reduce hitching during boss transitions like the Waterfall Giant fight.
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