Slay The Spire 2 March 2026 Beta Update Reverts Many Unpopular Changes

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A new update for Slay the Spire 2 is available now, released in late March 2026. Version 0.101.0 addresses feedback from players by reverting some previously disliked changes, and also includes new improvements and bug fixes.

So, Slay the Spire 2 finally hit early access on March 5th, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since! The devs have been super active, pushing out three quick hotfixes and a bigger patch in the first three weeks to smooth things out. They’ve also been experimenting with stuff on a separate beta branch – four updates went live there during the same time. As of March 26th, the latest beta build is version 0.101.0, so they’re really keeping things moving!

Slay the Spire 2 Beta Patch Reverses Recent Card and System Changes

The latest update for Slay the Spire 2, released in late March 2026, mainly addresses player feedback from the recent beta test. A key change is the return of the ‘Prepared’ card for the Silent character. Developers Mega Crit had previously replaced it with ‘Prepare,’ which was more expensive and had a different effect. However, based on player response, the new update restores ‘Prepared’ to its original, more useful design.

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This recent update is especially noteworthy because a previous change to the ‘Prepare’ card caused a lot of upset among Slay the Spire 2 players. The reworked card became a major point of frustration, even leading to negative reviews on Steam. Mega Crit had to publicly remind players that changes in the beta version are experimental and not final. The latest update, 0.101.0, reinforces this point, explaining that the developers feel certain card combinations are too powerful and plan to address this issue with a different approach later on.

The late March update for Slay the Spire 2 didn’t just revert changes to the Prepared skill. Mega Crit Games also brought back stronger versions of two Necrobinder cards, Capture Spirit and Borrowed Time, which had been made weaker in a previous test. According to the game’s patch notes, the developers realized those changes were too drastic at this stage, though they may revisit those cards later. They specifically plan a complete redesign for Borrowed Time eventually. For now, however, they’ve reversed the changes to make the card enjoyable to use in all types of decks, as stated in the patch notes.

The 0.101.0 beta update includes broader game balance adjustments in addition to specific card changes. These changes prevent tough enemies from appearing too soon and improve how maps are created. The developers focused on making the game challenging in a more engaging way, rather than simply increasing difficulty. They’ve also reworked enemy encounters, including the Doormaker fight, to reduce unpredictable elements while keeping it challenging. Finally, items in Slay the Spire 2 have been rebalanced and reorganized to ensure that more powerful items feel appropriately complex.

Recent updates show that Mega Crit is currently focused on making the core gameplay of Slay the Spire 2 as solid as possible. While there’s no confirmed release date for update 0.101.0, it will probably be available to all players within a few days, judging by how quickly the developers usually release updates.

Slay the Spire 2 Beta Update 0.101.0 Patch Notes

Content Changes

Reworks and Reverts:

Silent:

  • Deprecated Prepare and Prepared returns: “Common – Skill – Cost 1 – “Discard 2 cards. Next turn, gain 2(3) Energy.” -> “Common – Skill – Cost 0 – Draw 1(2) card(s). Discard 1(2) card(s).”

Necrobinder:

  • Reverted (Buffed) Capture Spirit to its previous version: “Uncommon – Skill – Cost 1 – Enemy loses 2(3) HP. Add 2(3) Souls into your Draw Pile.” -> “Uncommon – Skill – 1 – Enemy loses 3(4) HP. Add 3(4) Souls into your Draw Pile.”
  • Reverted (Buffed) Borrowed Time to its previous version: “Uncommon – Skill – Cost 0 – Apply 6(3) Doom to yourself. Gain 1 Energy.” -> “Uncommon – Skill – Cost 0 – Apply 3 Doom to yourself. Gain 1(2) Energy.”

I’m undoing the changes I made last week to the cards Prepared, Borrowed Time, and Capture Spirit. While I still believe that focusing on Sly synergies is too powerful, Prepared is a key part of how players experience Silent, so I’ll find another way to balance Sly later. Borrowed Time might get a major redesign eventually, but right now I want it to be enjoyable to use in any deck.

Regent:

  • Reworked Arsenal card: “Power – Rare – Cost 1 Whenever you play a Colorless Card, gain 1(2) Strength.” -> “Power – Rare – Cost 1 (Innate.) Whenever you create a card, gain 1 Strength.”

Potions & Relics:

  • Reworked Pendulum relic: “Common – Whenever you shuffle your Draw Pile, draw a card.” -> “Common – Every 3 turns, draw 1 card.”

Enemies:

  • Reworked and nerfed the Doormaker. Fight is now less random.

Doormaker is getting reworked again! This time, each of his forms will have a specific ability designed to challenge players. These abilities should be more predictable and give players more control over how they respond, leading to more engaging gameplay.

Balance Changes

General:

  • Elites can no longer spawn on floor 6 to better match StS1
  • Improved map generation consistency
  • Fixed maps sometimes generating with fewer shops than intended
  • Gloom Ascension modifier no longer affects ? rooms in addition to Rest Sites

We’ve adjusted how early enemies (Elites) appear on the map. Previously, they were spawning one floor too soon because Neow is now considered the first floor. This should make those early fights more balanced. We also improved the map generation process to reduce instances of maps being filled with only monster rooms. Regarding the recent difficulty change (Gloom), we found it wasn’t making the game more enjoyable – it just made maps less interesting. We plan to completely rework Gloom in the future to create a more challenging and engaging experience.

Ironclad:

  • Buffed Cinder card: now Exhausts a random card in your Hand instead of the top card of the Draw Pile
  • Changed Tremble card: now Exhausts

The new ‘Tremble’ card strengthens Ironclad’s strategies that focus on the ‘Exhaust’ mechanic. Combined with recent changes to the ‘Cinder’ card, this should significantly alter how players approach building Ironclad decks.

Silent

  • Buffed Serpent Form: Damage increased from 4(5) -> 4(6)

Regent:

  • Buffed Falling Star card: Damage increased from 7(11) -> 8(12)
  • Buffed Glitterstream card: Next Turn Block increased from 4(6) -> 5(7)
  • Buffed Parry card: Block gain increased from 8(11) -> 10(14)
  • Buffed Refine Blade card: Forge increased from 6(10) -> 9(13)
  • Buffed Celestial Might card: Upgrade changed from +2 damage -> 1 additional hit
  • Buffed Guiding Star card: now draws cards immediately instead of next turn
  • Buffed Sword Sage card: no longer increases the cost of Sovereign Blade
  • Changed Spoils of War card: now draws 2 cards, but Forge decreased from 12(17) -> 5(8)

Defect:

  • Nerfed Voltaic card: Energy cost increased from 2 -> 3

Potions & Relics:

  • Buffed Tiny Mailbox relic:
    • Rarity moved from Common -> Uncommon
    • Potions procured increased from 1 -> 2
  • Changed Permafrost relic: Rarity moved from Common -> Uncommon
  • Changed Bag of Marbles relic: Rarity moved from Uncommon -> Common
  • Changed Red Mask rarity relic: Rarity moved from Uncommon -> Common
  • Changed Bellows relic: Rarity moved from Uncommon -> Rare
  • Changed Lasting Candy relic: Rarity moved from Rare -> Uncommon
  • Changed Crossbow Tanx relic: Now uses Free to Play instead of Costs 0 Energy
  • Changed Vexing Puzzlebox relic: Now uses Free to Play instead of Costs 0 Energy (Now also only lasts until end of turn)
  • Changed Liquid Memories potion: Now uses Free to Play instead of Costs 0 Energy

When designing card rarity, our goal is for common cards to be useful in many decks with straightforward effects. As you move to rarer cards, we increase both how complicated they are and how much they influence the way players draft and play the game.

Enemies:

  • Nerfed Skulking Colony: deals less damage, damage scales slower, and no longer applies Dazed status cards
  • Changed Haunted Ship: now applies Dazed status cards to the player
  • Nerfed The Lost and Forgotten: stat theft no longer scales with Ascension
  • Nerfed Waterfall Giant: HP decreased from 250(260) -> 240(250)

Skulking Colony was initially too easy, then became overpowered. This adjustment should make the fight appropriately challenging, as originally intended. We also discovered that the ‘Dazed’ effect didn’t quite fit with how the boss was designed to be fought, so the new version offers a clearer and more consistent challenge for players. If the fight is now too easy, we can easily increase the boss’s stats later on.

Events:

  • Disallowed Gold generating relics from showing up as the featured relic in the Welcome to Wongo’s event
  • Mad Science Skill Chaos option (In the Tinker Time event) now uses Free to Play instead of Costs 0 Energy

Art Changes

  • Added Test Subject burn animation
  • Axe and Crossbow Ruby Raiders now have improved textures
  • Added Portrait art for the following cards:
    • Compact
    • Shatter
    • Fuel
    • Consuming Shadow
    • Subroutine
    • Trash to Treasure

User Interface and Experience Changes

  • Date at top-right now reflects build date instead of current date
  • Increased feedback form character limit from 500 to 8000

We really value your feedback – it’s the best way for us to make the game even better! A lot of you asked for more space to share your thoughts, so we’ve increased the character limit by sixteen times. We can’t wait to read what you all write!

Slay the Spire 2 Bug Fixes

General:

  • Fixed exploit where you could controller navigate to card grid when the upgrade/remove/enchant/transform preview screen is open
  • Fixed a crash that could occur at the start of the player’s turn when abandoning a run
  • Fixed a softlock that could occur when abandoning a run during a combat-style event
  • Fixed cards upgraded to cost 0 no sorting correctly when ordering by cost in the deck view
  • Fixed the Y and X glyphs being incorrect on Switch controllers
  • Format large numbers on victory screen using the player’s language
  • Localize feedback screen Category label
  • A proper error is displayed if you try to join an in-progress game
  • Fixed softlock when a monster’s visuals would fail to load
  • Numbers now are formatted appropriately to the player’s language

Necrobinder:

  • Fixed Grave Warden+ showing Soul+ in its hovertip preview
  • Fixed Seance+ showing Soul+ in its hovertip preview
  • Foul potion no longer damages Osty

Potions & Relics:

  • Fixed a state divergence related to Joss Paper relic
  • Fixed a state divergence related to Dualcast card and Snecko Eye relic

Enemies:

  • Fixed a softlock when playing Scrape card against The Doormaker boss
  • Fixed blackscreen when loading a game saved at the rewards from the Mysterious Knight combat

Ancients:

  • Fixed being able to save and load at Neow to avoid the damage taken from Precarious Shears
  • Fixed softlock when you play an Imbued card that prompts a card selection and Vakuu’s Whispering Earring relic
  • Fix issues with Pael’s Eye relic when the player dies at the start of the extra turn

Events:

  • Fixed Doll Room SFX continuing to play if you save and quit out from the event
  • Fixed state divergence when you use Driftwood relic at any event
  • Fixed timing-related state divergence at the Doll Room event
  • Fixed timing-related state divergence when entering Battleworn Dummy event
  • Waterlogged Scriptorium event’s Tentacle Quill and Prickly Sponge options now properly show a hovertip for Retain

Multiplayer:

  • Fixed back button not reappearing if you unready in an Multiplayer load game lobby
  • Fixed Beacon of Hope power hovertip description so it no longer says it stacks
  • Bottled Potential now shuffles the target player’s cards, not yours
  • Fixed Radiate card counting Stars from other players
  • If both players have Pael’s Eye and only one player triggers the extra turn, the second player no longer takes their extra turn immediately afterward
  • Fixed rare timing issue when any player selects Random
  • Fixed Haunt proccing when another player plays Soul

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2026-03-28 18:40