Slay the Spire 2 Dev Outlines First Big Post-Launch Patch: Huge Balance Pass, New Art and VFX, and a Phobia Mode

Slay the Spire 2 developer Mega Crit has outlined the game’s first big post-launch patch, which will be of particular interest to players given it comes with a huge balance pass.

In a post on Steam, the developer said the aim of the update is to make infinites harder to achieve. But it also adds a Phobia Mode with bespoke assets “that should mitigate various creepy phobia concerns,” Mega Crit said.

There is a long list of changes outlined in the patch notes, but highlights include all relics in the shop costing 25 gold less, the removal of relics that generate gold from the merchant, and you can no longer acquire epochs in Daily or Custom runs (bah!). Clamping down on those infinites, power values can no longer stack above 999,999,999.

The biggest talking point, however, is the rework of Silent’s Prepared card as follows:

• Reworked Prepared card into Prepare: Skill – Cost 1 – Common – “Discard 2 cards. Next turn, gain 2(3) Energy.”

“It feels like they’re trying to nerf some of Silent’s draw/discard strength, but making Prepared not draw cards and 1 cost doesn’t feel like the way to do that,” said one player. “It’s only one of three cards that draws and then discards (acro, dagger throw, formerly prepared) and they already nerfed Calculated Gamble into the ground by making it exhaust no matter what. I guess maybe the new sly mechanic has really upped the strength of draw and discard, but killing one of Silent’s staple cards just feels bad.”

“It’s unpickable IMO,” said another.

https://twitter.com/MegaCrit/status/2034810530054250539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Anyone who’s played the hugely successful early access roguelike deckbuilder will know it’s got plenty of placeholder assets (some of which have delighted the community not just for their charm, but for being human made). The upcoming patch adds new portrait art for various cards, highlighted in the image below: