Plus two new modes and more. Slay the Spire 2, which released into early access earlier this year, is expanding once more with a major new beta update. This introduces the deckbuilder's first new character since launch - a whimsical musician armed with a bow - alongside two new modes, and more. When Slay the Spire 2 arrived back in March, it was to much enthusiastic acclaim. Eurogamer's Bertie Purchie is a big fan, and has trumpeted its successes on multiple occasions, calling the sequel's co-op mode "transformative". And it was a commercial hit too, managing to shift over 5m copies in just a month of release. All of which means there are plenty of eyes on Slay the Spire 2, eager to see what developer MegaCrit does next. Here's a Slay the Spire 2 trailer.Watch on YouTube So far major updates have brought the likes of buffs, balance adjustments, art updates, UI improvements, bug fixes, and more - and MegaCrit has also made other substantial adjustments including the jettisoning of third act boss Doormaker, after it decided the encounter was overly complex. And now, as 2026 nears its conclusion, the studio has released its "biggest (beta) patch yet", including a sweep of major additions. As per MegaCrit's v0.113.0 patch notes, the headliner is The Fool; Slay the Spire 2's first new character, who's described as a "silly musician who wields a bow". Unsurprisingly, The Fool doesn't arrive in their final form, and the studio says it expects to make a "great number of content and balance changes" before the character is ready for the main branch. Accompanying The Fool are two new game modes: Blitz and Dread. Blitz is described as a "condensed and chaotic" mode focused on deckbuilding. Unlocked after completing an Ascension run of any difficulty, it comes with five levels of Ascension shared across all characters. "The Merchant's wares feel a bit off," MegaCrit teases, "the map is gone, and Gold no longer matters??" If you're looking for a more gruelling challenge, though, there's the "brutally difficult" new Blitz mode, designed for players who've reached Ascension 10 on all characters, including The Fool. All ascension modifiers are enabled, according to MegaCrit, while bosses are stronger and buff all enemies found across their Act. And if that's still not enough to get your heart racing, MegaCrit notes curses will also pile up as you climb the Spire. Beyond the headline stuff, v0.113.0 tweaks rest sites so they appear one floor earlier every act, and that's alongside the usual list of UI changes, art additions, nerfs, balance adjustments, and more. Full patch notes can be found on Steam. Those players eager to put Slay the Spire 2's latest additions through their paces will need to enable the beta branch by right-clicking on Slay the Spire 2 in their Steam library and navigating to Properties > Game Versions & Betas and selecting 'public-beta' from the dropdown menu. MegaCrit notes the game's main branch has also been updated with all content and changes from the previous beta. Mentioned in this article
