Slay the Spire looks like a game about finding the best cards. For a new player it is mostly a game about saying no: no to the fourth mediocre attack, no to the elite you cannot beat yet, no to resting when you could upgrade. Your HP carries over between fights, so every decision is paid for later in the Act.
This guide starts with the five habits that fix most early losses, then goes through how a run is structured, how to build a deck, how to read enemies, how to path each Act, and what each elite and boss is testing.
The 5 habits that win your first runs
If you only read one section, read this one. Each habit fixes a specific way that first runs end.
| Habit | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Take fewer cards | Pick a card only if it is better than your average card or fixes a problem you will meet soon. Otherwise skip | Every weak card makes your best cards come up less often. Skipping is always allowed |
| 2. Remove Strikes | Use the shop's card removal (75 Gold, +25 per use) and Neow's remove option on Strikes first | Strike is your weakest card. A deck with fewer Strikes draws its real damage more often |
| 3. Fight elites once you can | Take one or two Act 1 elites after you have one or two attacks better than Strike, with a Rest Site after them | Elites always drop a relic and give better card rewards. A run with no elite relics is short of power by Act 2 |
| 4. Plan for the Act boss | Check the boss icon on the map when the Act begins and draft for that fight | Each boss punishes something specific: Powers, many cheap cards, debuffs or slow decks |
| 5. Use your potions | Drink them in elite and boss fights, or whenever a fight could cost you a lot of HP | Potions cost no Energy. A full belt is wasted when you die, and slots fill up fast |
When unsure between a card and a skip, ask what the card does in your next elite or boss fight. If the answer is "nothing much", skip it.
How a run is structured
A standard run is three Acts. Each Act has its own map, 15 rooms of your choosing, a boss on the 16th floor and a boss chest after it. Act 1 is floors 1–17, Act 2 floors 18–34, Act 3 floors 35–51. Some floors are fixed in every Act:
| Fixed floor | Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| First room is always a normal fight | Floor 1 | Floor 18 | Floor 35 |
| Treasure Room at the halfway point | Floor 9 | Floor 26 | Floor 43 |
| Rest Site right before the boss | Floor 15 | Floor 32 | Floor 49 |
| Boss | Floor 16 | Floor 33 | Floor 50 |
You can see which boss you will face from the start of each Act, because its portrait is shown at the top of the map. Beating a boss heals you to full (75% of missing HP from Ascension 5). The Act 1 and Act 2 bosses also give gold, a choice of three rare cards and a choice of three boss relics. The Act 3 boss gives no reward. How to judge boss relics is covered in the relic tier list.
Neow, the whale at the start of every run, offers four blessings if you reached the Act 1 boss on your previous run. If you did not, you only get a choice between extra max HP and Neow's Lament (enemies in your first three combats have 1 HP).
Map nodes and what each one gives
| Node | What you get | Beginner rule |
|---|---|---|
| Monster | A card reward (pick 1 of 3 or skip), gold, and sometimes a potion | Your main source of cards. Take more fights early in Act 1, when enemies are weakest |
| Elite | Always a relic, 25–35 gold and a card reward with better rare odds | Worth the risk once your deck has real damage. Avoid on low HP |
| Unknown (?) | Usually an event. Can instead be a normal fight, a shop or a treasure room | Safer than a fight and sometimes very good, but less reliable for cards |
| Merchant | 5 class cards, 2 colorless cards, 3 relics, 3 potions and one card removal | Visit with gold to spend. Removal is often the best purchase |
| Rest Site | Rest (heal 30% of max HP) or Smith (upgrade 1 card) | Upgrade when healthy, rest before elites and bosses when hurt |
| Treasure | One relic | Free value. Never skip one on a path |
| Boss | End of the Act | Always preceded by a Rest Site |
How the ? room works: the first one in an Act has a 10% chance to be a normal fight, 3% a shop and 2% a treasure room. Each time a ? room is something else, those chances rise (+10%, +3% and +2%), and they reset when that result appears. Everything else is an event. Elites never appear in ? rooms in a normal run.
Act 4 and the Corrupt Heart
Act 4 is hidden at first. It becomes available after you beat the Act 3 boss once each with the Ironclad, the Silent and the Defect (the Watcher is not required). From then on, three keys can appear in your runs, and you need all three in the same run:
-
1
Ruby Key
Choose Recall at a Rest Site instead of resting or upgrading. You can only do it once per run.
-
2
Emerald Key
Defeat the elite with a burning flame behind its icon. It is buffed (extra Strength, max HP, Metallicize or Regenerate) and appears once per Act until you take the key.
-
3
Sapphire Key
Open a non-boss chest and take the key instead of the relic. If you take the relic, the key appears again in the next chest.
With all three keys, beating the Act 3 boss takes you to Act 4: a Rest Site, a Merchant, the Spire Shield and Spire Spear elite fight, and the Corrupt Heart (750 HP). The Heart cannot lose more than 300 HP in one turn (Invincible) and deals damage to you for every card you play (Beat of Death), so it needs both sustained damage and a plan for its 40-damage hits. Without all three keys the run ends after the Act 3 boss with a "Victory?" screen.
Deckbuilding fundamentals
Your starting deck is 10 cards (12 for the Silent), mostly Strikes and Defends. The whole run is about replacing that deck's weak cards with a few strong ones.
Card rewards and when to skip
After every fight you choose one of three cards, or skip. The odds depend on the fight:
| Fight type | Common | Uncommon | Rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal fight | 60% | 37% | 3% |
| Elite | 50% | 40% | 10% |
| Boss | 0% | 0% | 100% |
These are base rates. Each common card rolled raises your rare chance a little until a rare appears. Cards in rewards are never upgraded in Act 1, 25% of the time in Act 2 and 50% in Act 3.
A useful rule: early in Act 1, take attacks that deal more damage than Strike, because the Act 1 elites need damage. From mid Act 1 onward, take a card only if it improves your elite and boss fights or fills a gap: area damage, block, card draw or scaling. A deck of 20 focused cards beats a deck of 35 decent ones.
Removing cards
Removal is the cleanest upgrade in the game, because it raises the share of good cards without adding anything.
- The Merchant removes one card per visit. It costs 75 Gold the first time and 25 Gold more every time after, across all shops.
- Neow's first blessing can be "Remove a card", and the trade-off blessing can remove two.
- Several events also remove or transform cards.
Remove Strikes before Defends. Defends are weak but still block; Strikes rarely matter after Act 1. Curses are an even higher priority when you have one.
Upgrades at Rest Sites
At a Rest Site you choose one option: Rest heals 30% of your max HP (rounded down), Smith upgrades one card. Each card can be upgraded once (Searing Blow is the exception).
Smith whenever your HP is enough for the fights before the next Rest Site. Rest when it is not, or when the next room is an elite and you are below about half HP, or before the boss when you are hurt. For what to upgrade, pick the card whose upgrade changes the most in your hardest fights: a key Power, the card you build around, or a cost reduction. Upgrading a Strike or Defend is almost never right.
Frontload, block and scaling
Every fight asks your deck one of three questions. Most first decks answer only the first one.
| What the deck needs | What it means | Where it is tested |
|---|---|---|
| Frontloaded damage | Damage you deal in the first two or three turns | Act 1 elites, Act 2 hallway fights, enemies that summon or grow |
| Block and damage reduction | Block, Weak on enemies, Strength reduction | Act 2 multi-hit attacks, Book of Stabbing, Act 3 big hits |
| Scaling | Damage or defence that grows each turn: Strength, Poison, Focus, Powers | Bosses with 250–456 HP and long elite fights |
| Area damage | Attacks that hit all enemies | Gremlin Gang, Lots of Slimes, Sentries, Gremlin Leader, Reptomancer |
Act 1 rewards frontload, Act 2 punishes decks without block and area damage, Act 3 kills decks that do not scale. Draft in that order and you will rarely be caught out.
Reading enemy intents
Every enemy shows an intent above its head: what it will do on its next turn. Attack intents show the damage per hit and the number of hits, already adjusted for Weak on the enemy and Vulnerable on you. The other common intents are buff, debuff, block, sleeping and stunned.
- Block exactly what is coming. If the total incoming damage is 12, 12 Block is enough. Extra Block is usually wasted Energy.
- Multiply multi-hits. "6×3" is 18 damage, and Strength adds to every hit. Book of Stabbing's Multi-Stab gains one more hit every time it is used.
- Turns without an attack are damage or setup turns. When the intent is a buff or debuff, play attacks or Powers instead of Defends.
- Kill order follows intents. In multi-enemy fights, kill the enemy whose attack you cannot block, or the one that buffs the others.
Pathing strategy for each Act
Look at the whole map before your first step. Count elites, Rest Sites and shops on each possible path, then pick the path that matches what your deck needs.
| Act | Main goal | How to path |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | Find damage, then 1–2 elites and relics | Take normal fights early for cards. Aim for elites in the second half with a Rest Site nearby. The first three normal fights use an easier enemy pool |
| Act 2 | Add block and area damage; survive | The difficulty jump is large. Take elites only when HP is high and your deck has block. Shops matter more now that you have gold |
| Act 3 | Make the deck scale for the boss | Fewer elites unless your deck is strong. Value Rest Sites and shops; upgrade key cards before the boss |
A path with three elites and no Rest Site is the most common way to die in Act 1. Before entering an elite, check where the next Rest Site is.
The elites that kill beginners
Each Act has three elites, and you meet them more than once. HP values below are for normal (non-Ascension) runs.
Act 1 elites
| Elite | HP | What it does | How to beat it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gremlin Nob | 82–86 | Gains 2 Strength every time you play a Skill (after its first turn). Hits for 14, or 6 with 2 Vulnerable | Play attacks and take some damage instead of playing Defends. Powers and potions do not trigger it |
| Lagavulin | 109–111 | Sleeps for 3 turns, gaining 8 Block each turn. Then attacks for 18 twice and drains 1 Strength and 1 Dexterity every third turn | Use the sleeping turns to set up, or wake it with heavy damage (it is stunned for a turn if you do). End the fight fast |
| Sentries | 3 × 38–42 | Each has 1 Artifact. They alternate a 9-damage Beam and a Bolt that adds 2 Dazed to your discard pile | Kill one of the outer Sentries first. Area damage is excellent; debuffs are blocked once by Artifact |
Act 2 elites
| Elite | HP | What it does | How to beat it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Stabbing | 160–162 | Multi-Stab hits for 6 × (2 + times already used), so it grows every turn. Sometimes a 21-damage Single Stab. Each unblocked hit adds a Wound | Kill it quickly. Weak and Strength reduction cut every hit |
| Gremlin Leader | 140–148 | Comes with 2 Gremlins. Summons more, gives all enemies +3 Strength, or stabs for 6×3 | Killing the Leader makes every Gremlin flee. Area damage clears the minions |
| Slavers | Taskmaster 54–60, two Slavers 46–50 | Three attackers at once: Wounds from the Taskmaster, Weak from the Blue Slaver, Vulnerable and Entangle (no attacks that turn) from the Red Slaver | Kill the Red Slaver first, then the Blue one. Area damage helps a lot |
Act 3 elites
| Elite | HP | What it does | How to beat it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemesis | 185 | Intangible every other turn from turn 2 (all damage reduced to 1). Adds 3 Burns, attacks for 6×3 or a 45-damage Scythe | Attack on its normal turns; play Powers, Block and Poison on Intangible turns. Do not let the Burns pile up |
| Giant Head | 500 | Slow: takes 10% more attack damage per card you played this turn. Counts down, then from turn 5 uses It Is Time for 30 damage, +5 each use | Play Skills and Powers first, attacks last. Kill it before the countdown damage grows |
| Reptomancer | 180–190 | Starts with 2 Daggers and summons more. Daggers hit for 9 (plus a Wound), then explode for 25 and die | Area damage on the Daggers, or race the Reptomancer itself. Block the explosion turns |
Hallway fights worth respecting
Normal fights are not all easy. These end many beginner runs:
- Act 1 — Gremlin Gang and Lots of Slimes. Four or five enemies at once. Without area damage they hit hard; take an area attack early.
- Act 1 — Looter. Steals 15 Gold with each attack and escapes after a few turns. Killing it returns the gold.
- Act 2 — Three Byrds. Flying halves their damage taken until each is hit three times in a turn. Multi-hit attacks remove Flying quickly.
- Act 2 — Chosen and Snake Plant. Chosen's Hex adds Dazed whenever you play a non-Attack card. Snake Plant gains Block every time you hit it, so fewer big hits beat many small ones.
- Act 3 — Transient. 999 HP, but it dies on its own after 5 turns. Its attack starts at 30 and grows by 10 each turn: block, do not attack.
- Act 3 — Writhing Mass and Darklings. The Writhing Mass can permanently add a Parasite curse to your deck. Darklings revive at half HP unless the others are dead too, so spread damage or use area attacks.
Act bosses and how to prepare
| Act | Boss | HP | What it punishes | Prepare with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Guardian | 240 | After losing 30 HP it shifts to Defensive Mode: 20 Block and Sharp Hide (3 damage to you per Attack you play) | Steady damage and Block. In Defensive Mode, play fewer, bigger attacks |
| 1 | Hexaghost | 250 | Its opening Divider hits 6 times for (your current HP ÷ 12 + 1) each, then Burns pile up | Status removal helps; arriving with less HP lowers the Divider damage |
| 1 | Slime Boss | 140 | Slam for 35 every third turn; splits at half HP into two large slimes with its remaining HP | Burst damage on the split turn so the slimes start low |
| 2 | Bronze Automaton | 300 | 3 Artifact, two Bronze Orbs that steal your best card, and a 45-damage Hyper Beam | Kill the Orbs to get cards back; block the Hyper Beam |
| 2 | The Champ | 420 | Below half HP it clears debuffs, gains 6 Strength and uses Execute (10×2) repeatedly | Block for the Execute turns, and burst damage to finish the second half fast |
| 2 | The Collector | 282 | Summons Torch Heads, buffs all enemies, and on turn 4 applies 3 Weak, 3 Vulnerable and 3 Frail | Area damage for the Torch Heads, damage before turn 4 |
| 3 | Awakened One | 300 + 300 | Gains 1 Strength per Power you play in phase 1; revives, then opens phase 2 with a 40-damage hit | Hold Powers until it revives; keep Block for the 40-damage opener |
| 3 | Time Eater | 456 | Every 12 cards you play ends your turn and gives it 2 Strength. Heals to half HP once | Fewer, stronger cards per turn. Shiv and 0-cost decks suffer |
| 3 | Donu and Deca | 250 each | 2 Artifact each; Donu gives both +3 Strength every other turn, Deca adds Dazed and Block | Scaling damage and Block; kill one quickly |
The Act 3 boss is where most first wins are lost, because all three need scaling. If your deck still wins by playing Strikes at the end of Act 2, the Act 3 boss will usually outlast it.
Which character to start with
| Character | HP | Starting relic | Verdict for beginners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ironclad | 80 | Burning Blood (heal 6 HP after combat) | Start here. The most forgiving: high HP, free healing, simple Strength scaling |
| Silent | 70 | Ring of the Snake (draw 2 extra cards in turn 1) | Hardest early: low HP and a 12-card deck with more Strikes and Defends. Strong once you remove them |
| Defect | 75 | Cracked Core (Channel 1 Lightning at the start of combat) | Rewards understanding of orbs and Focus. Good third character |
| Watcher | 72 | Pure Water (a Miracle in hand at the start of combat) | Very strong but punishes mistakes: Wrath doubles the damage you take as well as deal |
The Silent unlocks after you complete a run with the Ironclad, and the Defect after a run with the Silent. Builds for all four are in the character guide.
Ascension, briefly
Beating the Act 3 boss with a character unlocks Ascension 1 for that character. Each win unlocks the next level, up to 20, and every level adds one more penalty on top of the previous ones: more elites, stronger enemies, less healing after bosses, a curse at the start, fewer potion slots, and two Act 3 bosses at Ascension 20. Losing never lowers your level. Level-by-level changes and how to climb are in the Ascension guide.
Common mistakes
- Taking a card from every reward. The deck bloats and your best cards stop showing up. Skip freely after Act 1.
- Avoiding every elite. It feels safe, but you reach Act 2 with no relics and weak cards. One or two Act 1 elites are usually right.
- Fighting elites on low HP. Rest first, or route around it. HP carries over.
- Hoarding potions. You hold three at most (two from Ascension 11). A full belt means the next potion drop is lost.
- Never visiting the shop. Card removal at 75 Gold is one of the best things you can buy in Act 1.
- Ignoring the boss icon. Playing Powers into the Awakened One, or a Shiv deck into the Time Eater, loses runs that could have been won with a different draft.
- Blocking more than the intent. Block beyond the incoming damage is wasted unless you have a way to keep it.
Once these habits are in place, the next step is the relic tier list for the boss relic choices, the character guide for builds, and our review for an overall view of the game.
★Honest Take: the game tells you why you lost
Slay the Spire is unusually fair to beginners in one way: enemy intents show you what is coming, and the boss is on the map from the start of each Act, so most losses trace back to a decision you can name. The hard part is that the decisions that matter look small: one extra card, one skipped shop, one elite too many. The game also teaches some of this badly. Nothing tells you that skipping a card is often correct, and the Act 2 difficulty jump arrives with no warning. Expect to lose your first several runs; if you play the Ironclad with the five habits above, your first win usually comes much sooner than it would by collecting cards.
