⚔️ Slay the Spire 2 Build Guides
Master every character with our definitive build guides. Each guide covers optimal card picks, relic priorities, pathing advice, and Ascension 20 strategies.
🛡️ The Ironclad
Strength Stacking Build
Tier: S | A20 Viable: Yes
The classic Ironclad powerhouse. Stack Strength with Inflame, Spot Weakness, and Limit Break. Use Heavy Blade and Sword Boomerang to multiply damage. Demon Form as boss-killer.
Key Cards: Limit Break, Heavy Blade, Demon Form, Reaper, Flex
Key Relics: Vajra, Girya, Brimstone, Red Skull
Exhaust Engine (Corruption)
Tier: S | A20 Viable: Yes
The most broken Ironclad archetype. Corruption + Dark Embrace turns your entire deck into a zero-cost engine. Feel No Pain generates massive Block. Dead Branch pushes it to infinity.
Key Cards: Corruption, Dark Embrace, Feel No Pain, Fiend Fire
Key Relics: Dead Branch, Charon's Ashes, Medical Kit
Block Engine (Barricade)
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Yes
Stack Block infinitely with Barricade + Entrench. Body Slam converts Block into damage. Impervious for emergency shields. Slow to set up but unkillable once online.
Key Cards: Barricade, Entrench, Body Slam, Impervious, Shrug It Off
Key Relics: Calipers, Self-Forming Clay, Fossilized Helix
Hemorrhage (Bleed) Build 🆕
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Early data
STS2's new Bleed mechanic. Apply Hemorrhage stacks that deal damage over time. Blood Pact sacrifices HP for massive burst. Pairs well with self-damage synergy cards like Rupture.
Key Cards: Hemorrhage, Blood Pact, Rupture, Bloodletting
Key Relics: Blood Vial, Magic Flower, Meat on the Bone
🗡️ The Silent
Poison Stacking
Tier: S | A20 Viable: Yes
The Silent's strongest archetype. Stack poison with Noxious Fumes, Bouncing Flask, and Crippling Cloud. Catalyst doubles/triples poison for insane damage. Corpse Explosion solves multi-enemy fights.
Key Cards: Catalyst, Corpse Explosion, Noxious Fumes, Bouncing Flask
Key Relics: Snecko Skull, Twisted Funnel, Specimen
Shiv Spam
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Yes
Generate infinite Shivs with Blade Dance, Cloak and Dagger, and Infinite Blades. Scale with Accuracy and Wrist Blade. After Image provides defense. Vulnerable to Time Eater — plan accordingly.
Key Cards: Blade Dance, Accuracy, After Image, Finisher
Key Relics: Wrist Blade, Shuriken, Kunai, Ninja Scroll
Discard Cycling
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Yes
Cycle through your deck rapidly with discard synergies. Tactician and Reflex generate energy and draw. Eviscerate and Sneaky Strike as scaling damage. Grand Finale for the memes.
Key Cards: Tactician, Reflex, Acrobatics, Calculated Gamble, Eviscerate
Key Relics: Tough Bandages, Tingsha, Hovering Kite
⚡ The Defect
Frost Focus Engine
Tier: S | A20 Viable: Yes
The Defect's safest build. Stack Focus with Defragment and Biased Cognition. Generate Frost orbs with Glacier and Coolheaded. Blizzard as scaling finisher. Nearly unkillable when set up.
Key Cards: Glacier, Defragment, Biased Cognition, Coolheaded, Blizzard
Key Relics: Data Disk, Inserter, Frozen Core, Runic Capacitor
Lightning Storm
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Yes
Fill your orb slots with Lightning. Electrodynamics handles AoE. Tempest for emergency orb generation. Thunder Strike as boss-killer. High damage, moderate defense.
Key Cards: Electrodynamics, Tempest, Ball Lightning, Thunder Strike
Key Relics: Gold-Plated Cables, Emotion Chip, Symbiotic Virus
Power Spam (Storm)
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Situational
Play as many Powers as possible. Storm generates Lightning per Power played. Creative AI creates more Powers. Heatsinks for draw. Echo Form doubles everything.
Key Cards: Storm, Creative AI, Echo Form, Heatsinks, Buffer
Key Relics: Mummified Hand, Bird-Faced Urn, Orange Pellets
💀 The Necrobinder 🆕
Minion Army
Tier: A | A20 Viable: Testing
Summon skeletons and zombies to fight for you. Minions deal passive damage and can block hits. Scale with Dark Ritual for stronger summons. Army of the Dead as finisher.
Key Cards: Raise Skeleton, Dark Ritual, Army of the Dead, Bone Wall
Key Relics: Necronomicon, Dark Crystal, Graveyard Dirt
Shadow Sacrifice
Tier: B | A20 Viable: Unclear
Use Shadow resource to boost cards at HP cost. Sacrifice minions for powerful effects. High risk, high reward. Soul Link heals based on minion damage.
Key Cards: Shadow Bolt, Soul Link, Sacrificial Dagger, Life Tap
Key Relics: Blood Chalice, Shadow Pendant, Soul Gem