Slay the Spire 2: Getting Started Guide – Pro Tips for Your First 10 Hours
Key Takeaways
- Focus on removing Strikes and Defends early to thin your deck—your starting cards are the weakest in the game.
- The first boss (The Sentry) always appears on floor 16 unless you take an elite path—prepare accordingly with at least 2 AoE attacks.
- Prioritize campfires for upgrades over resting unless your HP is below 30%—a single upgraded card can double your damage output.
- Hidden secret: On floor 3, interact with the cracked wall in the leftmost corridor to find a free relic (Ruby Fragment) that heals 5 HP per rest.
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Your First Steps in Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 doesn't hold your hand. The game throws you into a chaotic dungeon with three paths, and if you choose wrong, you'll die by floor 8. I've played 200+ hours of the early access, and here's what matters most when you're fresh.
Choose the Ironclad for Your First Run
The Ironclad is the tanky starter character. His starting relic, Burning Blood, heals 6 HP after every combat. That alone saves you from forced rest stops early on. The Silent is too fragile for a new player—one bad draw against an elite and you're toast. The Defect has complex orb mechanics that reward knowledge you don't have yet.
Your starter deck has 10 cards: 5 Strikes (6 damage each), 5 Defends (5 block each), and 1 Bash (weakens enemy for 2 turns). That's it. Your immediate goal is to replace or remove those Strikes and Defends as fast as possible.
Map Pathing: The 80/20 Rule
In Slay the Spire 2, the map shows you every floor from 1 to 51. I follow a simple rule: take 80% ? rooms and 20% shop rooms on the first two acts. The question marks give you random events, many of which grant free relics or remove curses. Avoid elites until you have at least 2 upgraded attacks or AoE cards.
First Act priority path:
- Floor 1-5: Take all ? rooms to build your deck. Skip elites.
- Floor 6-10: One shop (buy a Potion of Strength or a card removal). Then campfire to upgrade one core card.
- Floor 11-16: Fight the first boss (The Sentry). He summons two Shield Golems that deal 8 damage each. You need AoE to kill both within 2 turns.
Best Starter Builds for the Ironclad
Your first few runs will teach you what works. Here are two reliable builds that don't require rare cards.
Strength Build (Most Reliable)
Focus on cards that increase Strength: Innate Strength (+3 Strength for the entire fight), Sword Boomerang (hits 3 times for 4 damage each, scales with Strength). By floor 20, you should have 4-5 Strength cards and at least one multi-hit attack.
Core cards:
- 2x Innate Strength
- 1x Sword Boomerang
- 1x Heavy Strike (deals 15 damage, costs 2 energy)
- 1x Defend (upgraded to give 8 block)
Remove all Strikes by floor 15. Your damage comes from Strength scaling, not basic attacks.
Block Build (Safe)
If you keep dying, switch to a Block build. Cards like Shield Wall (gain 10 block, draw 1 card) and Barricade (block persists between turns) let you outlast enemies.
Core cards:
- 2x Shield Wall
- 1x Barricade (rare, but worth rerolling the shop for)
- 1x Body Slam (deals damage equal to your current block)
This build is slower but almost guarantees you survive the first two acts.
The First Boss: The Sentry
You'll face The Sentry on floor 16 (unless you took an elite path, which I advise against for beginners). Here's his attack pattern:
| Turn | Action | Damage |
| ------ | -------- | -------- |
| 1 | Summons 2 Shield Golems | 0 |
| 2 | Golems attack | 8 each |
| 3 | Sentry beam attack (all) | 12 |
| 4 | Repeat from turn 1 | - |
Strategy: Kill the Golems by turn 2. If you have Cleave (deals 8 damage to all enemies) or Whirlwind (deals 5 damage to all, costs all energy), use them immediately. Otherwise, focus one Golem at a time. Don't block against the Sentry—his beam ignores block anyway. Just kill him faster.
Hidden Secrets Every New Player Misses
Slay the Spire 2 has secrets that many players discover only after 50 hours. Here are the ones that help immediately:
- Ruby Fragment (Floor 3): In the starting area, the leftmost corridor has a cracked wall. Interact with it to get a relic that heals 5 HP every time you rest. This is permanent for that run.
- The Nameless Merchant (Floor 8): If you have exactly 50 gold, the merchant in Act 1's shop will offer a free card removal. Don't spend your gold before floor 8.
- Mimic Chest (Floor 12): In the third zone of Act 1, a chest with a faint glow is a mimic. Attack it immediately for a rare relic. If you open it normally, it deals 15 damage.
FAQ
Q: Should I always take the ? rooms over enemies?
A: Not always. ? rooms have a 30% chance of curses (like Doubt, which gives you 1 less card per turn). If your deck is weak, fight enemies instead—they give gold and cards. I take ? rooms only when my deck has at least 2 good attacks.
Q: How do I know which cards to remove?
A: Remove Strikes first, then Defends. The goal is to have a deck of 10-15 cards that all do something useful. If you have 25+ cards, your good cards get buried. I aim for 12 cards by floor 20.
Q: Is it worth buying relics from the shop?
A: Only if the relic costs 100 gold or less. Most shop relics cost 150-200 gold, and you need that gold for card removals and potions. The exception is the Boot (gain 1 energy per turn) for 100 gold—that's always worth it.