Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (2024)

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (1)

I thought I had finally won roguelike deck-builder Slay The Spire. In building my Silent deck I focused on card draw and energy production, which allowed me to generate near-infinite loops that, even if ended by a bad draw, generated so much block that nothing could touch me.

I was strong as hell. There's a regular enemy in the third act with 999 health, and you don't have to actually beat it, just outlast it, because it dies on its own after a set number of turns. With this deck, I felt confident I could've killed it even without the timer. Nothing could stop me.

And then I got stomped by the final boss. Just wrecked.

My deck contained too many useless cards that created the potential for what happened: drawing the worst possible hands at the worst possible moments. It was unrefined, and missing some key components that would've given me a truly infinite loop. It was a great deck until it was terrible.(Alas, I didn't screenshot it at the time and it'd take forever to find it among my other runs, but it's nothing unbelievable.)

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (2)

One of the many brilliant things about Slay the Spire is how often it's possible to reach the end, whether or not I'm strong enough to beat the bosses. I can take easy routes, hitting events and rest sites and merchants and avoiding elite enemies, build a decent deck, feel good, and then stare down 60-or-whatever incoming damage with a hand that can do nothing about it and realize my deck is complete trash.

This is evidenced by the achievements. 60.3 percent of players have beaten The Shapes, the boss that appears at the end of the third act, but far fewer have reached and completed the ending beyond that. Many arrive, few survive.

I love that about Slay the Spire. I'm often turned off by roguelikes because, heck, I don't want to play the opening level or act or section 100 times to learn how to handle whatever's after it. I could never get into Spelunky for that reason, although I respect that its design clicks for others.(We gave it one of our highest review scores ever.)

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What makes Slay the Spire different to me is that I don't start a new run thinking, 'Can I reach the end this time?' I know I can reach the end. The question is, 'When I reach the end, will I be a god?'

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (3)

To that end, plenty of my runs do end in the first or second act, because you don't become a god without taking risks. Sometimes, I start building a deck that I know will be weak until I find the right card, and just don't find it before eating dirt. Other times, I die because I targeted elite enemies too aggressively, hoping for a key relic drop (if you haven't played, relics are items with passive effects that can completely change the deck you build).

Dying can be frustrating in Slay the Spire, but these are calculated deaths, and that softens them a lot. I'd rather not reach the end of the game if I'm not going to be strong enough to win it all—or at least have a chance—so really it's better if I die early when things aren't panning out. Rarely in a game have I died and thought, "Well, this is for the best." That's part of what makes Slay the Spire so hard to put down.

And, generally, that's just one of the reasons Slay the Spire is currently one of my favorite games—Evan nicely encapsulates many other reasons in his review.

If you haven't picked it up, Slay the Spire is on Steam. If you're not into card games or roguelikes, this is the game to change your mind.

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (4)

Tyler Wilde

Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.

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Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part (2024)

FAQs

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part? ›

Part of Slay the Spire's brilliance is that getting to the end isn't the hard part. The hard part is being a god when you arrive. Above: This is not the 'final' boss I'm talking about, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone still working their way there.

Does Slay the Spire ever end? ›

Act 4 or The Ending is the fourth and final act of Slay the Spire.

How do you unlock the ending of Slay the Spire? ›

Slay The Spire's hidden final boss can only be unlocked by mastering the three base characters. Each carries one of the three keys you need to progress into the last act. You are rewarded with a single attempt against the game's most challenging enemy, which can easily wipe out an unprepared deck.

How do you actually beat Slay the Spire? ›

To truly "beat" the game, players will need to first get to the heart of the spire with the Ironclad, Silent, and Defect first. Until that happens, players should focus on one character, leveling them up until reaching the heart. Then, after getting to the heart, move on to the next. This only needs to happen one time.

Is dual wield good in Slay the Spire? ›

Any mechanic which creates 0-cost cards that are normally expensive can be very powerful with dual wield as the copies also cost 0. Potions that do this are power, attack and liquid memories. Relics include Mummified Hand and cards include Discovery, Infernal Blade, Madness and more.

What is the end goal of Slay the Spire? ›

Your goal is to reach the top of the tower and defeat its rotating final boss, a goal as simple to comprehend as it is brutal to execute. I've been with Slay the Spire almost from the beginning. Since I picked it up in 2019, I've spent about 200 hours on it across saves on Switch and PC.

How long does it take to 100% Slay the Spire? ›

When focusing on the main objectives, Slay the Spire is about 12 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 191 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

Can you cheat in Slay the Spire? ›

If the game detects you cheating, you get a -999 "cheater" score at the end of the game (which, when hovered over, says something like "If caught cheating twice, your score will never appear on the leaderboard"). That -999 applies to unlock progression, so you lose progression if you are using cheats for that purpose.

Why is the heart so hard to Slay the Spire? ›

Really, though, the heart requires very specific strategies and knowledge in order to beat it. Yep, you need to understand the mechanics of the fight to the T in order to be able to beat it. Some deck archetypes make the fight unreasonably difficult or even impossible to beat as well.

What is the creature at the end of Slay the Spire? ›

Once reaching the final room of the spire, having defeated the third floor champion, the character is faced with a giant heart which they attack. No matter how much damage they do it will not burst or die.

What happens when you beat Slay the Spire with every character? ›

Once the Act 3 Boss has been defeated with all characters except the Watcher at least once in a normal run, three keys will begin to appear in subsequent normal runs. If all three keys are collected in the run, the run will not end after the Act 3 boss; instead, the player will enter Act 4.

Is Dark Embrace good to Slay the Spire? ›

Dark Embrace is extremely powerful in concert with Corruption. Corruption allows you to play any Skill for free, and when that card Exhausts itself, Dark Embrace will draw an additional card to replace it.

Can you play a power twice in Slay the Spire? ›

Upon Upgrade, it will trigger for the 2nd Power card played in the same turn. The second play is NOT added to your draw or discard pile.

What happens when you win with all characters Slay the Spire? ›

Once the Act 3 Boss has been defeated with all characters except the Watcher at least once in a normal run, three keys will begin to appear in subsequent normal runs. If all three keys are collected in the run, the run will not end after the Act 3 boss; instead, the player will enter Act 4.

Does Slay the Spire have endless mode? ›

Endless mode allows you to play through the spire multiple times, facing more challenging enemies, afflicted by blights that makes the game more difficult. One of these blights, time maze, limits you to a maximum of 15 cards played per turn.

Can you win every game of Slay the Spire? ›

1 Learn To Enjoy Both Victory And Defeat

It's a guarantee that you will not win every run of Slay the Spire you start. Sometimes that's because you made a silly mistake early on against some tough elite. Other times you decided to go for a specific synergy but didn't get the cards and relics you needed.

Can you actually beat the heart in Slay the Spire? ›

It is certainly possible, but can be difficult to perform due to both Beat of Death and Invincibility on its side.

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