Welcome to Untapped.gg’s beginner’s guide section! We know what it's like to jump into a challenging new game and try to figure out how everything works. Whether you are a returning veteran or a fresh face ready to begin your climb, Slay the Spire 2 is a brilliantly stimulating puzzle that demands strategic depth to conquer.
This 'Getting Started' hub is designed to be your compass, linking you to comprehensive guides that break down every mechanic, class, and boss to help you secure those hard-fought victories.
Beating the base game is only the beginning; to truly master the Spire and survive its highest, most punishing Ascension levels, you will need to dig much deeper into deck synergies, enemy patterns, and resource management.
Before you dive into our specialized guides below, it is crucial to lay down a solid foundation. You likely have a few burning questions about how progression, pathing, and deckbuilding actually work in this unforgiving roguelike.
To get you started on the right foot, here is a quick-fire breakdown answering the most common questions new players face on their first few runs:
Spire Survival 101: Essential Tips
How do game unlocks work? How do I access the other classes?
Progression happens simply by playing! Win or lose, you will earn experience points at the end of each run based on your performance. Leveling up your account and your characters will naturally unlock new cards, powerful relics, and access to the other playable classes.
Do I get to keep my cards between runs?
No, and that is the great thing about the genre. Slay the Spire 2 is a roguelike, meaning every single run starts totally fresh with a basic starter deck. The only things you carry over between runs are the new items you've unlocked for future runs, and your own understanding of the game.
How do I choose which path to go down?
Look for map routes that balance risk and reward, and always plan your path backward from the Boss. Prioritize fighting Elites if your current deck is strong enough since they drop game-changing relics, visit Campfires to heal or upgrade cards, and try to pick a path with intersections so you can change to a better road if a fight goes horribly wrong.
How do I know what cards to take?
The main rule is to draft cards that solve your immediate problems, rather than hoping to build an ideal combo later in the game. If you are taking too much small damage in hallway fights, draft better block cards. If you have an Elite fight coming up in three floors, prioritize high-damage attacks.
Should I be avoiding fights?
While it's tempting to dodge enemies to save health, regular hallway fights are your primary source of card rewards, gold, and potions. If you avoid too many standard fights early on, your deck will be too weak to survive the Boss. You can certainly amplify this by fighting Elites as well.
Should I take every card?
Definitely not! Actually, hitting the "skip" button is often the smartest play you can make. Taking every card bloats your deck with filler, making it much harder to reliably draw your strongest, most upgraded cards when you actually need them. Keep your deck lean and focused. This is generally one of the great skills and concepts to learn for playable card games.
Want to dive in deeper? Slay the Spire Streamer, Jorbs, shows his guidlines for starting the game.
You can also dive deeper into core deckbuilding with this guide from Baalorlord, another legend streamer in the Slay the Spire world.