How to Unlock All Characters in Slay the Spire 2

Your Slay the Spire 2 experience will begin with the Ironclad, but many other adventurers await you as you progress with this roguelike. The unlocking process is painless and straightforward: It should happen naturally as you go from run to run, but if you want to have a specific list of pointers, we have got you covered.

How many characters are there in Slay the Spire 2?

You have five characters in total in the early access of Slay the Spire 2, with three returning from the original game. Alongside the Ironclad and the Silent, the Defect has also come back for round two, with the Regent and the Necrobinder being new additions to the roster.

Slay the Spire 1's bonus character, The Watcher, is not available at the time of writing, and there is no confirmation about whether it is coming back; however, some of its gameplay mechanics and keywords, like Retain, are now evergreen.

How to unlock new characters in Slay the Spire 2

Any time you finish a run with the latest character you unlocked, you will immediately unlock your next character in StS2, win or lose. This means you can immediately press Escape and Give Up on a run if you want to quickly progress to someone else – the game only requires participation, not progress, and this part is very speedrun-friendly.

The same applies to every other character in Slay the Spire 2. You will unlock them in the following order:

1. The Ironclad – the character you start the game with
2. The Silent – by unlocking the Fog Rolls In Epoch ("Played a run with the Regent.")
3. The Regent – by unlocking the Anomalous Planet Epoch ("Played a run with the Silent.")
4. The Necrobinder – by unlocking the Life and Death Epoch ("Played a run with the Regent.")
5. The Defect – by unlocking the Booting Up Epoch ("Played a run with the Defect.")

Other unlocks in Slay the Spire 2, explained

Slay the Spire 2 has a Timeline section in the main menu that tracks additional unlocks beyond characters alongside small story snippets. New cards, Relics, and Potions unlock as you meet certain criteria across runs.

The specifics are tied to progression milestones (defeating bosses, reaching certain Ascension levels, etc.), but these are all subject to change since Early Access is still evolving.

Learn more about the characters in Slay the Spire 2

Just like in the original Slay the Spire, each character in StS2 brings a fundamentally different approach to the roguelike deckbuilding challenge. The Ironclad trades health for raw power; the Silent poisons and slices alongside the new, discard-foused Sly mechanic; the Regent builds up Star Energy and forges a single devastating weapon over the course of a run; the Necrobinder summons a huge skeletal hand called Osty as a living shield while stacking Doom for instant kills; and the Defect channels Orbs for a flexible mix of offense and defense.

Whether you prefer aggressive self-damage builds, slow attrition through Poison, resource management across multiple energy types, minion-based tactics, or some other exotic approach, there is a character here that fits your playstyle – and they are all very fun to play if you learn their basic strategies. Check out our dedicated Characters page for a full breakdown of each character's starting deck, relic, and key mechanics!