Mega Crit has released a major beta update for Slay the Spire 2, adding The Fool as the early-access deckbuilder’s first new character and introducing two game modes with different requirements. The update is available first through the game’s beta branch on Steam, while the developer continues testing the new content before moving it to the main branch.
The Fool is described as a musician who fights with a bow. Mega Crit has cautioned that the character is still being developed and that further content and balance adjustments are expected before a main-branch release. That makes the beta update a testing phase rather than a final version of the character’s design.
“Wah!! The first new character for Early Access arrives!” Mega Crit said in its Steam post.
Two modes with separate unlock conditions
The first new mode, Blitz, is built around a shorter and more chaotic deckbuilding format. It removes the map and changes the role of the Merchant, whose inventory is described as unusual in this mode. Gold also no longer has a purpose. Blitz includes five Ascension levels shared across all characters, and it becomes available after completing an Ascension run at any difficulty.
Dread is aimed at players who have already completed a much more demanding progression path. Access requires reaching Ascension 10 with every character, including The Fool. The mode enables all Ascension modifiers, strengthens bosses, and allows them to improve enemies in their Act. Curses also accumulate as a run continues, with Mega Crit describing death as an expected outcome.
How to access the beta branch
Players who want to test The Fool and the new modes can opt into the beta through Steam. The instructions reported alongside Mega Crit’s patch notes are:
- Open Slay the Spire 2’s properties in the Steam library.
- Open the Game Versions & Betas tab.
- Select public-beta from the available branch menu.
The beta content may change before it reaches the standard version. The same caution applies to Blitz and Dread as the studio evaluates how the new systems perform in the early-access environment.
Other changes in the update
The patch also adjusts the wider run structure. Rest sites can now appear one floor earlier in each Act, and new events have been added to Underdocks as well as Acts 2 and 3. These changes give the update a broader effect than the new character and modes alone.
Several interface improvements are included as well. The standard-run character selection screen now opens on the character used most recently, and controller navigation at the Merchant has been improved. For players in the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia who access the game through Steam, the important distinction is that these additions are currently tied to the public beta branch; the update has not yet been presented as a finalized main-branch release.
