Slay the Spire 2 v0.113.0 Beta Patch NotesBeta

At long last, the biggest (beta) patch yet is here!!!

Reminder that this patch is exclusive to the beta branch of the game as we've got some really impactful bits of content that will require lots of testing before they reach the main branch. Reminder that if you'd like to swap over to the beta branch, you can do so by right-clicking on Slay the Spire 2 in your library and navigating to Properties -> Game Versions & Betas and selecting `public-beta` from the dropdown.

The main branch will be brought up-to-date with all content and changes in the previous, more stable beta version, v0.111.0. So don't be confused that the following content isn't there if you boot up the main branch.

Without further ado, let's take a look at all the new goodies there are to test out...

New Character: The Fool

Wah!! The first new character for Early Access arrives! A silly musician who wields a bow! How can such a whimsical creature survive within the Spire? Why, that's up to you! We expect to make a great number of content and balance changes before the Fool is ready for the main branch. Even more importantly, be sure to have fun figuring out all the strategies and story of this gently bard. It would be foolish not to!

New Game Mode: Blitz

A condensed and chaotic deckbuilding-focused mode, Blitz is here! The Merchant's wares feel a bit off, the map is gone, and Gold no longer matters?? Blitz comes with 5 levels of Ascension shared across all characters and is unlocked upon completing an Ascension run of any difficulty.

New Game Mode: Dread

A brutally difficult mode for those who have reached Ascension 10 on all characters (including the new one) and are seeking the ultimate challenge! All ascension modifiers are enabled. Bosses are stronger and buff all enemies in their Act. Curses will also pile up as you climb the Spire. Death is expected.

CONTENT & BALANCE:

General:

• New character: The Fool
• New game mode: Dread
• New game mode: Blitz
• Rest sites can now appear one floor earlier in every act

Ancients:

• Buffed Neow's Dowsing Rod relic:

• Its Dowsing card now transforms after 4 ? rooms instead of 5
• The ? room that transforms it can no longer be a combat

• Nerfed Nonupeipe's Brilliant Scarf relic. From 5th card -> 6th card.

Events:

• Added Byrdpip evolution.
• Added new Underdocks events:

• Waterfall of Obvious Secrets
• Wuppy in Trouble

• Added new Act 2 event: Museum of Torture
• Added new Act 3 events:

• Shrine of the Warlord
• Thermae Nonupeipe

• Added new event cards:

• Dingy Dagger (Waterfall of Obvious Secrets)
• Mighty Weapon and Mighty Shield (Shrine of the Warlord)

• Changed Doors of Light and Dark event: the Light Door now Upgrades 1 card of your choice instead of 2 random cards
• Changed Zen Weaver event's Breathing Techniques option:

• Gold cost decreased from 50 → 25
• Now adds 1 Enlightenment card instead of 2
• Enlightenment card no longer has Exhaust

• Nerfed Waterlogged Scriptorium event: Prickly Sponge Gold cost increased from 99 → 120

Enemies:

• Changed Axebot: HP is now a fixed value instead of a range, from 70-78 → 70 (76-86 → 80 at A8)
• Changed Infested Prism:

• No longer uses its Radiate move. Its pattern is now Jab, Jab, Whirlwind, Pulsate
• Pulsate move no longer gains 20 Block (22 at A8). It now applies 1 Vulnerable instead

• Buffed Tunneler: Attack from Below move renamed to From Below, and its damage increased from 23 → 24 (26 → 28 at A9)

Colorless Cards:

• Added new Colorless card: My Shinies
• Nerfed Salvo card: damage decreased from 12(16) → 10(14)

Ironclad:

• Reworked Expect a Fight card: from Uncommon - Skill - Cost 3 - "Gain 15(16) Block. Gains 5(8) additional Block for each Strength you have." → Uncommon - Skill - Cost 3 - "Gain 15(20) Block. Attacks in your Hand cost 1 less Energy until played."
• Nerfed Forgotten Ritual card: reverted to only gaining 3(4) Energy if you Exhausted a card this turn

Silent:

• Reworked Expertise card: from Uncommon - Skill - Cost 1 - "Draw 2(3) cards. They gain Retain this turn." → Uncommon - Skill - Cost 1 - "Draw 2(3) cards. Retain your Hand this turn."
• Reworked Memento Mori card: from Uncommon - Attack - Cost 1 - "Deal 9(11) damage. Deals 4(5) additional damage for each card discarded this turn." → Uncommon - Attack - Cost 3 - "Sly. Deal 19(23) damage to the enemy with the lowest HP."
• Buffed Speedster card: damage increased from 2 → 3
• Nerfed Phantom Blades card: additional Shiv damage decreased from 9(12) → 8(11)

Regent:

• Nerfed CHARGE!! card: Minion Dive Bomb damage decreased from 13(16) → 11(13)

Defect:

• Buffed Power Cell relic: now picks zero-cost cards without Innate before Innate ones

Potions & Relics:

• Added new event relics:

• Wuppy (Wuppy in Trouble)
• Obsidian Vice, Thumbscrew and Tormentous Collar (Museum of Torture)
• Mighty Wings (Shrine of the Warlord)
• Bath Towel and Bath Robes (Thermae Nonupeipe)

• Buffed Ringing Triangle relic: now gives Retain Hand at the start of combat, so it stacks with other Retain Hand effects like Equilibrium

WRITING:

• Improved wording for the Tracking card: Weak enemies take 50% more damage from "your" Attacks (was "from Attacks")
• Renamed the Kaiser Crab boss's Rocket moves: Targeting Reticle → Calculating, Precision Beam → Precise Smash, Laser → Rocket Claw
• Fixed some typos in The Round Tea Party event
• The buff from the Ambergris potion is now called Extra Turn

USER EXPERIENCE & INTERFACE:

• Opening a run saved by a newer version of the game now tells you to update the game instead of reporting a corrupt save
• The character select screen for Standard runs now starts on the character you last played (Random included), remembered separately for singleplayer and multiplayer
• Improved controller navigation at the Merchant: rows now wrap around from one end to the other, and moving between the cards, relics, potions and card removal goes to the nearest item
• Inspecting a card now shows its high-resolution portrait
• Relics revealed from treasure chests now show their high-resolution art
• Fiend Fire card now shows how many times it will hit while in combat

ART:

• Added portrait art for the following cards:

• Blaze
• Outrage
• Sidestep
• Abundance
• Dowsing

• Added art for the following Epochs:

• Ancients
• Bigger Prey
• Buy Something!
• Confrontation
• My Face
• Resolving Bugs
• Snuffed
• The Daily
• The Spire
• Underdocks

• Enhanced the Infested Prism death animation

AUDIO:

• Added a second background music track to the Underdocks
• Added music and voice lines for the Welcome to Wongo's event
• Added voice sound effects and ambience for Tezcatara
• Added a sound effect for The Architect's lightning attack
• Added or updated sound effects for the following enemies:

• Aeonglass
• Corpse Slug
• Haunted Ship
• Living Shield
• Mawler
• Nibbit
• Snapping Jaxfruit

BUG FIXES:

General:

• Fixed an error when using Save and Quit while the game over screen was still animating the run summary
• Opening a run or a Run History entry on an older version of the game no longer deletes it on your other devices
• Fixed feedback screenshots from ultrawide screens being sent blurry and larger than intended
• Fixed in-game feedback sometimes failing to send
• Fixed the feedback response text box not working in Keyboard Only mode
• Made a rare crash to desktop during creature animations less likely
• Seeded runs are more consistent:

• Events and the merchant no longer change future card reward rolls
• The following now use the correct random streams: Beat Down, Uproar, Stampede, Entropy and Catastrophe cards, the Entropic Brew potion, the Alchemical Coffer, Delicate Frond and Phial Holster relics, and the Thieving Hopper

• Two players who launched the game in the same second no longer get the same run seed
• Fixed the Skip button on card choice screens not being localized
• Fixed a shop item losing its tooltip when the mouse and the focus were both on it
• Fixed the shop sometimes offering two of the same card when a Daily or Custom run has a character cards modifier
• Fixed seeing several "Hatch" options at rest sites with more than one Byrdonis Egg card in your deck (e.g. from the Hoarder modifier)
• Fixed the Dowsing card's transform animation not playing right after a combat
• Cards that are downgraded now keep keywords added by other effects (e.g. the Ghost Seed relic)
• Fixed seeing duplicate visuals for the same card in your hand
• Fixed the ascension tutorial popup blocking the character unlock animation
• Fixed right-click to inspect a card not working during the Neow's Fury card selection
• Daily scores now post to the day you played, even when the daily resets while the game is open
• Fixed the daily leaderboard letting you page to days that have not happened yet
• Fixed Top Bar button hotkeys breaking after using the share button on the map

Ironclad:

• Fixed a copy of Stomp card made by Juggling card not keeping the cost reduction from the original

Silent:

• Fixed cards copied by Nightmare card keeping "free this turn" from a Bullet Time card played the turn before
• Fixed Echoing Slash card not playing its attack animation

Defect:

• One for All card now only boosts the damage of autoplayed cards that would have cost 0
• Fixed Helix Drill card hitting the wrong number of times when its cost was raised by Transfigure card and it was then made free
• Fixed Imitation Learning card losing a charge when its copy could not be played (e.g. a Bound card after you had already played one that turn)

Regent:

• Foregone Conclusion card no longer skips next-turn draw effects like Guiding Star card
• Plot card now highlights its upgraded draw count in upgrade previews
• Fixed the Pale Blue Dot counter not visually resetting at the start of the turn

Colorless Cards:

• Effects that trigger on attack damage (e.g. Reaper Form and Envenom cards) now trigger on Omnislice card's second hit
• Fixed Catastrophe card letting you go over the 6 card limit of the Velvet Choker relic

Ancients:

• Losing HP from Tezcatara's Brightest Flame card no longer uses up Buffer

Potions & Relics:

• Regal Pillow relic's heal amount is now shown in green like other healing relics
• Fixed the Miniature Cannon relic making a downgraded attack sometimes show its damage in red
• Using an Ambergris potion no longer uses up the Pael's Eye relic's extra turn when you end your turn without playing any cards
• Fixed the Letter Opener relic flashing outside of combat
• Fixed the Kusarigama relic flashing after combat ended
• Fixed the Pael's Legion relic doubling the Block of both cards when a Block card autoplayed another one (e.g. Survivor card discarding Untouchable card)
• Fixed a Music Box relic copy of a card duplicated by the History Course relic being removed from combat after it was played
• The power made free by the Jeweled Mask relic now stays free for the whole combat instead of only turn 1

Enemies:

• Ceremonial Beast no longer regains its Strength at the end of Plow if it was stunned during the attack (e.g. by Thorns)
• Fixed Gas Bomb triggering the Gremlin Horn relic twice when it exploded after already being killed by Reflect or Thorns
• Thieving Hopper can no longer steal Quest cards
• Fixed a card copied by the Hoarder modifier not getting its 2 extra copies when taken back from the Thieving Hopper
• With the Bing Bong relic, a card taken back from the Thieving Hopper is now always copied

Multiplayer:

• When the Whispering Earring relic plays Tutor card, the other player still gets to choose
• Fixed several softlocks with Tutor card, including one when it was played at the start of the turn
• Potions can no longer be used or discarded while moving between rooms. Fixed a potion used just before a room change taking effect at different times for different players, and a softlock where a potion used just before a fight could stop the enemy turn from starting
• Osty no longer becomes interactable by other players while reviving
• Fixed enemies losing Shrink from the Beetle Juice potion when the player who used it died
• Fixed Act 3 maps sometimes having no rest sites before the final row
• Doll Room whispers no longer keep playing after the host leaves the game
• Sic 'Em card is now tracked separately for each player
• The Book Repair Knife relic no longer triggers when an ally dies to Doom
• Fixed a softlock when a player killed themselves with Brand card
• When hovering an ally's enchanted card that gains energy, the ally's energy icons are now shown instead of yours
• With the Night Terrors modifier, the Mend rest site option now says the mended player will lose 5 Max HP
• Hosting a Daily Run no longer times out a friend who joins right away
• Joining a friend on a different game version now shows the right error
• The "ascension unlocked" text now only shows for players who actually unlocked it

Controller:

• Right stick move prompts in the Bestiary now work with Steam Input
• Fixed the hand pulling focus away from what you were hovering when a turn starts
• Fixed navigation breaking if you selected a targeted card during the Phrog Parasite death animation
• Fixed being unable to reach the top bar when the Lord's Parasol relic gave you Cauldron in the shop
• Fixed a softlock when pressing right mouse button while selecting a non-targeted card
• The daily leaderboard's Global Rank checkbox no longer responds while it is hidden

PERFORMANCE:

• Reduced the hitch when entering the Waterfall Giant fight
• Compressed the textures for Ancient backgrounds, high-resolution relics, Timeline art, the character select screen and some enemy effects, so they load faster and use less memory