Slay the Spire II (2026)

Build idea for Regent: Miniature Cannon with any upgraded multi-hit attack. Miniature Cannon adds 3 damage for each upgraded card. Upgraded cards are scaled, but multi-hits are scaled even better. Peck can deal 20 base damage instead of 8. Vigor would greatly help with the build. Monarch's Gaze can reduce multiple enemy strength with a single multi-hit attack. And there's the fact that multi-hits work well with Beat into Shape by forging multiple times. The gears in my mind keep spinning for a Regent build that isn't based around the Sovereign Blade and I love it. I feel like I opened up a new eye. A sixth sense. I'll be seeing dead people soon enough.

I played the first Slay the Spire a decent amount, but not nearly as much as a lot of other people. After playing this one for 10 hours, I can see myself playing this one for a long time. I've really enjoyed my time playing so far, and the co-op is such an awesome addition. The current pool of 5 characters are pretty interesting, I definitely have my favorites and least favorites, but that can still definitely change as I better learn how to play as each of them. I think the enemy and boss visual and gameplay designs are quite fun. The one thing I haven't liked so far is that you have to do runs to unlock more stuff, which sounds kind of idiotic to say because that's how every Rougelite is, but idk I feel like you are too hampered by the amount of cards you can get on each character in the first 2-3 runs of a character. Overall though, having a very fun time so far, high 8/10.

Of the 3 returning characters, Defect gets the biggest changes. It is much less likely that you will get focus that lasts entire fights. There's a greater emphasis on focus that lasts 1 turn. The problem with this though is that it doesn't scale with Loop because Loop's effect happens at the start of each turn, not at the end. Dark orbs would go even crazier, but frost feels neutered with these focus changes. If you want Loop to scale, you need focus that lasts the whole fight. Thing is though, Defragmentation (gain 1 focus, 2 if upgraded) is now a rare card instead of uncommon. Biased Cogniton is now an event card and even then, there is no method to remove debuffs.

Ah, I had a look at the second one and realized I already played it: the first one! Looks just the same, same characters, same same same-y. The lack of innovation of triple A has firmly grasped hold of the indie world as well it seems. Or what brilliant new mechanic is there to make me want to try out this one?

Ironclad's combo game with his new cards is crazy. Juggling works so well with a bunch of Anger cards and Aggression brings an Anger card back so you can most likely get two Anger cards handed to you in tbe same turn on top of the ability that using Anger adds a copy of it to the discard pile. Basically, Shiv+ build if each shiv added another shiv to the discard pile and each 3rd attack added another shiv+.