The first major balance patch for Slay the Spire 2 is here. Beta Patch v0.100.0 brings sweeping changes across all five characters, targeting infinite combos, buffing underperforming cards, and introducing the new Phobia Mode. Here's everything you need to know about the latest Steam Slay the Spire 2 patch notes.
A brand-new Phobia Mode has been added to Settings. This option replaces visually unsettling content — including certain card art, enemies, and backgrounds — with bespoke alternative assets. Affected content includes Hive backgrounds, Insatiable, Phrog Parasite, Wrigglers, Terror Eel, and Entomancer.
If a card gets removed from the game mid-run, it now becomes a Deprecated Card — a Status card that reads: "Draw 1 card. Remove this from your Deck. Exhaust." This keeps your run intact while phasing out deleted content.
Two new options at Neow:
- Hefty Tablet — Choose 1 of 3 Rare cards to add, but also gain 1 Injury
- Neow's Talisman — Upgrade 1 Strike and 1 Defend
Several cards have been completely redesigned in this patch:
- Dominate — Reworked: Cost 1 Skill. Apply 1 Vulnerable (2 upgraded). Gain 1 Strength for each Vulnerable on the enemy. Exhaust.
- Expect a Fight — Reworked: Cost 2 (1 upgraded) Skill. Gain Energy for each Attack in your Hand. You cannot gain additional Energy this turn.
- Spite — New: Cost 0 Attack. Deal 5 damage. Hits 2 times (3 upgraded) if you lost HP this combat.
- Stoke — New: Cost 1 Skill. Exhaust your entire hand. Add 1 random Upgraded card to your hand per card Exhausted.
- Prepare (formerly Prepared) — Reworked: Cost 1 Skill. Discard 2 cards. Gain 2 Energy (3 upgraded) next turn.
- Glow — Reworked: Cost 1 Skill. Gain 1 Star (2 upgraded). Draw 1 card. Draw 1 card next turn.
- Hidden Gem — New: Cost 1 Skill. A random card in your Draw Pile without Replay gains Replay 2 (3 upgraded). No longer generated in combat.
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Break | Cost 2 → 1, upgraded damage 25 → 30 |
| Cinder | Damage 17 → 18, upgraded 22 → 24 |
| Fight Me! | Strength 2 → 3, upgraded 3 → 4 |
| Hemokinesis | Damage 14 → 15, upgraded 19 → 20 |
| Tremble | Vulnerable 2 → 3, upgraded 3 → 4 |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Forgotten Ritual | Now Exhausts |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Anticipate | Dexterity 3 → 2, upgraded 5 → 3 |
| Corrosive Wave | Poison 3 → 2, upgraded 4 → 3 |
| Flick-Flack | Damage 7 → 6, upgraded 9 → 8 |
| Pinpoint | Damage 17 → 15, upgraded 22 → 19 |
| Untouchable | Block 9 → 7, upgraded 12 → 9 |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Grand Finale | Damage 50 → 60, upgraded 60 → 75 |
| Skewer | Damage 7 → 8, upgraded 10 → 11 |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Alignment | Star cost 2 → 3 |
| BEGONE! | Now a Skill, creates Minion Strike instead |
| Void Form | Now Ethereal, upgrade removes Ethereal |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Bundle of Joy | Cost 2 → 1 |
| Collision Course | Damage 9 → 11, upgraded 12 → 15 |
| Gather Light | Block 7 → 8, upgraded 10 → 11 |
| Heirloom Hammer | Damage 17 → 20, upgraded 22 → 25 |
| I Am Invincible | Block 9 → 10, upgraded 12 → 13 |
| Kingly Kick | Damage 24 → 27, upgraded 30 → 35 |
| Kingly Punch | Damage 8 → 8 (unchanged), upgraded 8 → 10, scaling 3 → 4, upgraded 5 → 6 |
| Minion Dive Bomb | Cost 1 → 0 |
| Minion Strike | Damage 7 → 6, upgraded 10 → 9 |
| Parry | Block 6 → 8, upgraded 9 → 11 |
| Patter | Block 8 → 9, upgraded 10 → 11 |
| Solar Strike | Damage 8 → 9, upgraded 9 → 10 |
| Spoils of Battle | Forge 10 → 12, upgraded 15 → 17 |
| Wrought in War | Forge 5 → 7, upgraded 7 → 9 |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Banshee's Cry | Cost 6 → 9 (upgraded 7), upgrade no longer increases damage |
| Borrowed Time | Self-Doom 3 → 6, energy gain no longer upgrades |
| Capture Spirit | HP loss 3 → 2, upgraded 4 → 3; Souls 3 → 2, upgraded 4 → 3 |
| Dirge | Now Exhausts |
| Seance | Cost 0 → 1 (upgraded 0), upgrade no longer makes Soul+ |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Danse Macabre | Block 3 → 4, upgraded 4 → 6 |
| Debilitate | Damage 7 → 10, upgraded 9 → 12 |
| Defy | No longer upgrades Weak, adds +3 Block instead |
| Grave Warden | Block 8 → 8 (unchanged), upgraded 10 → 11 |
| Sculpting Strike | Damage 8 → 9, upgraded 11 → 12 |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Hotfix | Now has Exhaust, upgrade removes Exhaust |
| Rocket Punch | Cost reduction now lasts until played (not just turn end) |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Seeker Strike | Damage 6 → 9, upgraded 9 → 12 |
| Discovery | Clarified that Star costs are also reduced |
| Eternal Armor | Plating 7 → 9, upgraded 9 → 12 |
| Production | Upgrade changed from losing Exhaust to +1 Energy |
| Card | Change |
|---|
| Beacon of Hope | No longer stackable |
| Believe in You | Energy 3 → 2, upgraded 4 → 3 |
| Huddle Up | Now Exhausts |
| Relic | Change |
|---|
| All Shop Relics | Cost reduced by 25 Gold |
| Amethyst Aubergine | Gold 10 → 15 |
| Book of Five Rings | Healing 15 → 20 |
| Bowler Hat | Gold 20% → 25% |
| Permafrost | Block 6 → 7 |
| Planisphere | HP 4 → 5 |
| Stone Cracker | Now works in ALL combats, upgrades 2 cards |
Gold-generating relics have been removed from the Merchant's relic pool.
- Power value cap — All power values are now capped at 999,999,999
- Gloom Ascension — Now affects ? (mystery) rooms
- Epochs — Unavailable in Daily and Custom runs
- Treasure chests now allow you to skip relics
- Multiplayer map drawing toggle added
- Controller hotkey for invite button
Notable enemy changes:
- Doormaker — Completely reworked with new moveset
- Skulking Colony — Given deadlier attack patterns
- Bygone Effigy — Damage reduced (15/17 → 13/15)
- Rocket Claw / Crusher Claw — HP increased, Strength and Rage buffed
- Decimillipede — HP reduced
- Test Subject — Phase 2 now removes Pounce, repeats Multi Claw
- Neow's Fury — Cards returned 2 → 3
- Neow's Leafy Poultice — Max HP loss 10 → 12
- Tanx's Tri-Boomerang — Now doubles damage instead of reducing cost
- Vakuu's Preserved Fog — Cards removed 5 → 3, Folly curse is now Ethereal
Over 30 bug fixes in this patch, including:
- Fixed Steam cloud sync errors and save resets
- Fixed controller navigation exploits
- Fixed visual effect and screen transition crashes
- Fixed large number display issues
- Fixed Rip and Tear transformation softlock (Defect)
- Fixed multiple multiplayer state divergence issues
- Fixed several event and Ancient-related softlocks
- Fixed card selection softlocks and hovertip display errors
The v0.100.0 patch sends a clear message: infinite combos are on notice. Necrobinder's Banshee's Cry, Seance, and Borrowed Time all received significant nerfs targeting loop strategies. Meanwhile, Regent received a massive wave of buffs, making the character significantly more competitive. The universal shop relic price reduction is a welcome quality-of-life change that should make relic purchases feel less punishing.
For the full card database with updated stats, check our Card Database. For character-specific strategies, visit our Build Database.
