Slay the Spire 2 events get an overhaul to force you into "difficult decisions"

The shadow of Slay the Spire 2 looms large over the roguelike deckbuilder landscape. We've had some real winners in recent years, from Balatro to the celebrated launch of Monster Train 2. But Mega Crit's highly anticipated sequel to its 97%-rated Steam strategy champion is certain to be a big deal. To help tide us over until its early-access release, a new blog from the StS 2 creator outlines its approach to in-game events, which are getting a visual overhaul along with some changes to their core design.

Up front, the Slay the Spire 2 dev acknowledges the absence of the roguelike from the recent Summer Game Fest celebrations. "As a small team, it's quite a bit of work to put together a trailer, do press stuff, and coordinate with event organizer folks, so we try to keep that stuff to a minimum," Mega Crit says. Otherwise, the blog focuses on Slay the Spire 2 events and how they'll differ from those in the original game. Along with a visual overhaul that will replace the previous pop-up window with full-screen illustrations and animations, StS 2's events are governed by a more demanding design philosophy.

As the second-biggest part of most runs outside of battles, events have always been a central part of Slay the Spire - presenting you with a range of decisions, the outcomes of which may either help or harm you, they can dramatically alter the shape of your deck or build. Perhaps one will carve off a chunk of your maximum health in return for a card upgrade, or give you the chance to gamble on a getting a powerful relic, with the risk that you'll take a heap of damage if you lose. In many cases, however, you're often able to walk away and ignore the effects entirely, but Mega Crit wants to change that.

"This time around we're trying to avoid having any options where you simply do nothing and pass through," the developer explains. This means you'll be forced to make a choice, even if the outcome ends up feeling detrimental overall; indeed, the developer remarks that some events will insist that you choose between bad options. The 'Slippery Bridge,' for example, tasks you with crossing a dangerous ravine amid heavy wind. You must remove a specific card from your deck to continue, but can optionally 'hold on' first, taking some damage to randomize the card in question.

In another example, you encounter a trapped academic called 'War Historian Repy.' You're able to use a key to free him and obtain the 'History Course,' or instead spend the one-use unlock on a nearby chest containing a pair of rare relics. "The types of events vary between acts [and] what state you're in, and they don't all have positive choices for the player," Mega Crit teases. Some options can still force you into battle, but that might be good news. "Don't just seek the unknown," the developer continues. "Sometimes it's better to take down enemies in order to strengthen your deck."

Mega Crit says there are currently more than 50 events in Slay the Spire 2, and notes that "we're always experimenting with what may or may not be interesting so sometimes the artwork or writing is in a rough form for a good while." Asked whether we might see more adorable animal enemies, lead developer Casey Yano says that the studio's art director Marlowe Dobbe, who previously worked on Dicey Dungeons, "is VERY adept at drawing cute things.

"It's actually a minor problem," Yano jokes. "If you don't find enough cute things in Slay the Spire 2 I would be shocked."

Yano also responds to a player asking whether multiple loadouts may be offered per class at the start of a run. "There are no different starting decks as players would just choose the best one and they could lean too hard towards specific archetypes," the developer replies. "Instead we're messing about with more choices at the start of the run." Expect to see some more choices coming your way courtesy of Neow the whale when the Slay the Spire 2 release date finally appears.

In the meantime, we've dealt out a guaranteed hand of the best card games on PC right now, along with our pick of the best indie games in 2025 to make sure you're up to date on the latest and greatest from smaller studios.

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