The newest version of awaits at the top of the climb.
That simple set up hides many challenges. Players must carefully manage deck size, health, and upgrade potential while picking a path that will keep their character safe. Not too safe, that is, as their player’s deck needs to increase in strength through victories and random events. This guide will introduce some of the basic strategies players should be familiar with to survive their first couple run.
Pick A Path In Slay The Spire
Essential to success in Slay The Spire is having a plan. Before players begin encounters, they should take the opportunity to look down the map and pick a path. Use the legend on the upper right-hand corner of the map to highlight where all of the shops, campsites, and elites are and formulate a rough plan of what the best path will be.
A pathway that is just encounter after encounter with no rest opportunities may be too dangerous for most early builds to power through. A path that is only random events might help players jump to the top of the tower but leave their character too weak to make it past the boss. A good route through the first act should include at least one elite and two campsites.
Understand The Power Of Removal In Slay The Spire
While players need to improve their deck to become a viable contender later in the game, that doesn’t mean that they should feel obligated to take a card every time it is presented to them. In the short term, a card that doesn’t help a player survive, deal damage, or provide a synergistic bonus doesn’t have much value.
By the same token, it is also important to understand that when visiting a shop, it is almost always better to remove a card than it is to purchase one. This is because almost any attack or defend card the player finds will be of equal or better value to the standard attack and defend cards each character starts with. Eliminating these cards increases the likelihood of drawing a stronger one. Also, all things being equal, it is better to remove a strike than a defend.
Focus On Surviving Now In Slay The Spire
Another important thing to realize about card choice in the early game is the importance of picking cards that will benefit the player's survival chances now. Even basic attacks cards that may seem like dead weight later in the game are stronger than a powerful synergy card whose effects can’t be used until significant progress is made.
To illustrate this choice, let's look at a common choice the Ironclad might encounter early in the game. If the player has a choice between Barricade and Clash, Barricade seems like an obvious choice in the long term. Barricade eliminates defense removal at the end of the turn, creating one of the most powerful defense builds in the game.
In contrast, Clash is a strong, zero cost attack card that is powerful in the early game but loses effectiveness later. its condition of only being playable if there are no skills or powers in hand becomes extremely limiting, to the point where most players would pay to have the card removed.
However, Barricade’s high cost and low synergy with starting defense skills mean that taking it too early will more than likely cause the player to lose. In contrast, Clash creates the momentum a player needs to push through early encounters and make it past the Act One boss. Take cards that will help now and make strategic decisions further down the road.
Be Defensive In Slay The Spire
Like many other CCGs, including Hearthstone, the character’s health is a resource. That means the player can sacrifice it to gain an advantage but needs to remain conscious of its status to keep it from running out, as the game will of course be over after that.
If the player can avoid taking damage, they should. Especially in the early game when enemies don’t scale very quickly. That’s also the reason why cards such as Glacier or Shrug It Off are pretty much always takes in the beginning. The advantage they give to survivability is vital and these cards continue to deliver value throughout the entire run. Players that prioritize them will see more success in their early Slay The Spire efforts.
Slay The Spire is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS.
