KEY POINTS

  • Some Relics come with detrimental effects as well
  • Pick cards based on a character class' strengths
  • Always plan a route before heading out

Beneath its simplistic presentation, “Slay the Spire” is a difficult game to master, especially for those who are inexperienced with card games or roguelikes.

There are plenty of deck builds and strategies that players can use in their attempts to climb the titular spire, but the game won’t make the trip easy. Here are a few essential tips to help new players finish their first run of “Slay the Spire.”

Do not oversaturate decks

It might be tempting to grab a card after every encounter, but players should avoid doing this. There’s still an element of RNG involved, and more often than not, success will still be reliant on the luck of the draw.

Like any chance-based game, the only thing players can really do is mitigate their odds of failure. As such, always pick cards that synergize with each other and those that can provide a decent balance of attack and defense.

On a related note, when adding cards, always pick ones that play to a certain strength like the Ironclad’s block-based abilities. This will make sure that most turns will have cards that can combo off of each other, which can trivialize some combat encounters.

Prioritize survival

This can come in a variety of ways: one can stack a deck with defensive cards or plot a path of least resistance through the map.

Players will want to avoid all unnecessary damage whenever possible and find a path that will allow them to heal up and rest with little risk.

Be smart when chasing Relics

Relics offer powerful bonuses, but they sometimes come with strings attached. Some question mark nodes may offer Relics in exchange for inflicting Curses on players, which might ruin a run completely down the road.

Get low-cost cards first

Energy determines the number of cards one can play during a turn. Early on, the player’s energy pool will be fairly low, so try to get low-cost cards first.

As the run progresses and the maximum Energy pool grows, feel free to take more expensive ones. Doing this will prevent hands from bricking and completely rendering a turn useless.

Slay the Spire is a roguelite deckbuilder with tons of replayability
Slay the Spire is a roguelite deckbuilder with tons of replayability Slay the Spire