Hi everyone,

Casey here! Our excellent community manager, Demi, has been in charge of the majority of Neowsletter writings for a while now but I wanted to stop by to say a few words:

🐟HOLY MACKEREL🐟!

But in all seriousness, the response to Early Access has been incredible. Even though I threw out my back from overworking, I'm feeling high in spirits. Thank you to the team for dealing with my constant shenanigans and working extra during this busy rush! We'll be revealing exciting things soon, but for now, please enjoy all the work we put into this initial release.


Ok, it’s Demi time again. Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3,000,000 units sold with more than 25,000,000 runs attempted!! (At least a few million are missing from that last datapoint as we started collecting these metrics a bit after launch. So… wow.) Our team has been extremely excited to see so many people’s enthusiasm for what we’ve been working on for the past 5 years–but our journey is just beginning!

While we know people are curious about what major content updates are coming down the pike, right now we won’t be giving a specific timeline or roadmap for high-level content aside from what we’ve already confirmed (alternate acts for acts 2 & 3, more cards, events, and other content, etc). All of your feedback has been greatly appreciated and has helped us fix some softlocks and other issues already. Balancing the game will be a constant journey, so we appreciate your patience as we analyze all of the data as well as everyone’s feedback.

Here’s what we currently plan on adding next:

- A revamp of the badge/scoring system and a friends-only leaderboard filter
- Phobia accessibility mode
- More art and VFX
- Ongoing balance patches
- Steam Workshop support
- Multiplayer QOL features
- Official Twitch plugin integration

Also, we’ve just introduced a beta branch for players who want to help test out potential changes and features before they get released to the main branch of the game! You can access it by right-clicking on StS2 in your Steam Library, then clicking Properties > Game Versions & Betas > public-beta.

In terms of a release cadence, we don’t want to commit to a strict schedule. New content and balance changes will come to the main branch whenever we feel they’re ready. The beta branch will have more frequent updates in the meantime!


In honor of StS2’s launch, we have a lot of merch drop announcements, so buckle in!

Many of you have been asking about it, and we now have an official date to share: the Kickstarter campaign for the Slay the Spire board game Downfall expansion launches March 24! That’s right–in case you haven’t heard, the iconic community mod for Slay the Spire 1 is getting its own OFFICIAL expansion to Slay the Spire: The Board Game, allowing you and your friends to play as some of the Spire’s infamous bosses. It sounds too good to be true, we know. If you haven’t yet grabbed your own copy of the base board game, this campaign will be a great time to do that, as well! Get notified when the campaign launches here!

Do you hear something…? It’s the classic sounds of the Spire, back once more!! Mana Wave has just released a 2xLP vinyl of our composer Clark Aboud's iconic Slay the Spire OST, including 4 psych rock versions of classic tracks and stunning new artwork from Nimit Malavia. The records come in either retail black or Mana Wave exclusive colors that are reminiscent of The Defect’s orbs. Grab yours here[manawave.co] so you can sway while you Slay!

Some of the Spire’s sharpest Slayers just got a whole lot cuddlier. Makeship just launched these limited edition plushies of Slay the Spire’s original 3 characters, The Silent, The Ironclad, and The Defect–all of whom are sporting their new StS2 designs! Yep, that means BEEFECT IS REAL (and squishable.) The pre-order campaign will last just a few weeks and then they’ll be gone for good, so grab yours now![www.makeship.com]

It’s almost time to Slay in style. Fangamer will be launching a brand new collection of Slay the Spire 2 merch, including a t-shirt featuring the full StS2 roster, pins of The Regent, The Necrobinder, and Osty, and an adorable sticker set! (The latter was designed by Justin Yu, who you may recognize from some of his StS fanart!) The launch drops on March 17 at 10AM PDT! Sign up to get notified when the drop goes live here[www.fangamer.com].


It's the first ever Slay the Spire 2-themed Connections puzzle[custom-connections-game.vercel.app]!! Though it might be a bit easier for those who are familiar with StS1...


Thank you to Soobsidian for this month’s celebratory cover image! And shoutout to our two other runner ups, Alcalmy and Maple!

Next month's theme is: sakura Neow! If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Before we move on to the rest of the community highlights, let us first say that we have been in awe of all of the incredible art, memes, and other creative projects that Slay the Spire 2 has already inspired. While it’s impossible to include even 1% of the awesome things that the community has created that we’ve been enjoying, here is a small roundup of highlights!

This gorgeous, funny, and regal art of The Regent by @Thornclaw[x.com]!

These adorable and hilarious “doodles” of various StS2 characters by @sharkeesart[www.instagram.com]!

And last but not least, some impressive map sketches by u/Flying_Line!

In fact, there were tons of other creative map drawings we saw out there, so many that we’d like to feature more! Maybe as a regular segment in the Neowsletter? If you’d like your own map masterpieces featured, the best way to make sure we get our eyes on it is to email them to us at fanmail@megacrit.com or posting them in the fanart channel of our Discord[discord.gg]!

Alright, that’s all for this issue of the Neowsletter! We’ll see you again next month, as always!

The Spire has finally reawakened.

Slay the Spire 2, the long awaited sequel to the original genre-defining roguelike deckbuilder, is available now on Steam Early Access!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2868840/Slay_the_Spire_2/
We're so excited for you all to see for yourselves what we've been working on for the past 5 years. If you've been keeping up with our monthly Neowsletters, you already know that this reawakened Spire has a LOT of new features and content compared to the one you may already know, but there's plenty more to discover and much more on the way. For more info, you can check out our FAQ.

For those who have never ventured into the Spire before, you don't need any prior experience with Slay the Spire 1 to enjoy what Slay the Spire 2 has to offer. Now is a great time to dive right in and ascend the Spire, either on your own or—this time around—with your friends!


For 1,000 years, the Spire lay dormant, its secrets buried and its horrors forgotten. Now, it has reopened, hungrier and more dangerous than ever, devouring all who dare to ascend.

New perils demand sharper strategies, relentless cunning, and unwavering resolve. Outwit the Spire’s brutal trials and uncover the truths hidden at its peak.

Climb the Spire with a new and returning cast of characters, each with their own cards, motives, and secrets. Make allies of the most ancient of the Spire’s residents, encounter all-new environments, defeat formidable foes, and uncover fragments of the Spire’s past as you ascend it again and again.

Also, while you can always choose to brave the ascent on your own, up to 4 players can now team up to face the Spire’s challenges together in an all-new co-op mode. Discover multiplayer-specific cards, powerful team synergies, and carry your friends (or get carried) to victory!


The Spire truly is ever-changing… in more ways than one. While Slay the Spire 2 already has more content than Slay the Spire 1, even more content—including cards, events, environments, enemies, and more—will be added and balanced throughout Early Access.

We don't have a specific timeline to share with you all, but we'll be sure to keep you regularly updated and give you peeks behind the development curtain. Your feedback (as well as your fanart and memes) will be invaluable throughout this process, just as it was with the first game. This time, you'll be able to submit your feedback and bug reports in-game! Join the journey now to be a part of the Spire’s next evolution.

Your wait is nearly over. The Spire awakens once more on March 5, 2026.

Learn more about what Slay the Spire 2 has in store in our official Early Access trailer:

https://youtu.be/PW22jwFNxU8
And if you haven’t yet, you can wishlist it here to keep it on your radar:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2868840/Slay_the_Spire_2/

Ascend the Spire once more in Slay the Spire 2 the long-awaited sequel to the original genre-defining roguelike deckbuilder.

For 1,000 years, the Spire lay dormant, its secrets buried and its horrors forgotten. Now, it has reopened, hungrier and more dangerous than ever, devouring all who dare to ascend.

New perils demand sharper strategies, relentless cunning, and unwavering resolve. Outwit the Spire’s brutal trials and uncover the truths hidden at its peak.

Climb the Spire with a new and returning cast of characters, each with their own cards, motives, and secrets. Make allies of the most ancient of the Spire’s residents, encounter all-new environments, defeat formidable foes, and uncover fragments of the Spire’s past as you ascend it again and again.

Also, while you can always choose to brave the ascent on your own, up to 4 players can now team up to face the Spire’s challenges together in an all-new co-op mode. Discover multiplayer-specific cards, powerful team synergies, and carry your friends (or get carried) to victory!

The Spire truly is ever-changing… in more ways than one. More content—including cards, events, environments, enemies, and more—will be added and balanced throughout Early Access. Join the journey early to be a part of the Spire’s next evolution.

It's February, everyone. You know what that means... SLAY THE SPIRE 2 IS OUT NEXT MONTH!!

That also means if your goal was to hit A20 on all characters before StS2's release, you're running out of time.

That also also means that this Neowsletter is a little lighter again. So no major content teases right now, but perhaps something else is just around the corner that will make up for it. In the meantime, we heard you missed the Q&A section last time around, so we've brought it back!


The Singaporean Smoke Machine asks: Will the default hand size limit still be 10? Will there be any way to increase the hand size limit?
Casey: The default is still 10. There's no way to increase it at this time.

A few different people have asked: Will StS2 be available on MacOS on launch?
Casey: Yes

KevsterZ asks: Will there be an unlock all button for when you buy the game on other platforms in STS2?
Casey: No. But we're aiming to have some form of cross-platform saving.

The Fox asks: Is the bread a relic because it has been teleported?
Casey: Bread has always been a relic

Thomas asks: Will Neow still work on the same mechanic that if you die before reaching the first boss you won't get as good choices?
Anthony: no


Thank you to everyone who has applied so far to join our localization team! We now have translators onboarded for the following languages:

- Chinese (Simplified)
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Polish
- Portuguese Brazilian
- Russian
- Spanish (Castilian)
- Spanish (Latin America)
- Thai
- Turkish

If you applied for any language not listed above, then stay tuned for updates as we plan to onboard more languages at a later date.


And now, at long last, it's time to take one more look at our final mystery monster silhouette.

So which hypotheses came the closest to discovering the truth? Or at least made us laugh?

The award for most ??? guess goes to leda789, for this Snecko Eye playing a game of *squints eyes* ...Jongo!

The award for most *insert Metal Gear Solid alert sound* guess goes to Delphine!

The award for most orb-y guess goes to myles--you really ~channeled~ a certain automaton with this one!

The award for most accurate guess goes to snumodder! Many came close, but you were the first to point out that this creature was already teased in the Ironclad's new Anger card art!

Shoutout to the many other submissions we received this time around! Though we couldn't include them all, here's a selection of them:

Credit from left to right: 唠个beaker, 李华不吃牛肉, 水角神, Tattered Feather, Dpart, Arika, icetea, stickfight2, Merghio, Grief Hammer, PAseer, Phill, Dan K, pedroff_1, Максим, Soren

Now, finally, it is time for the unveiling. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their creative creature hypotheses over the past year--we've gathered more than enough intel by now! It's been a long journey, but your roles as Explorers will soon be upgraded once more to Slayers. So without further ado...

Aha! It seems to be some sort of construct similar to the Spire's old Sentries! Though geometrically they differ quite a bit--let's call it a Cubex Construct!

Hmm. Generally I'd advise you to hide at this point... but this one in particular seems to be for more than just physical security of the Spire. Looks like there's something displayed on its interface...

PR3C1L6 RR8C4L12 RR9C3L1
BR10C4L2 GR14C5L1 PR9C3L5
BR14C5L7 BR3C4L1 RR14C5L1
GR12C1L9 BR13C2L5 GR13C3L15
PR6C5L4 RR15C1L1 RR9C5L6 GR7C1L6

How odd... well, never mind that, I'm sure it's nothing! On with the rest of the Neowsletter!


Our Valentine's present to you: a new Slay the Spire Connections[custom-connections-game.vercel.app]!


Thank you to Mars for this month's lovely cover image, and shout out to Sorisaurus for their runner up submission:

Next month's theme is: Slay the Spire 2 Neow! If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Now let's check out some community highlights!

The 8th (and likely last!) StS1 Mod the Spire Anniversary mod, Spire Quests, created by our wonderful modding community!

Incredible cosplays of The Ironclad and The Silent by ZHENG/SNAKE!

Some classic "Ooh Donut!" achievement fanart by momiage[x.com]!

And that's it for this month's Neowsletter. By the time the next issue lands in your mailbox... Slay the Spire 2 will be out already!!

Happy Slay the Spire 2 year, everyone!

Tomorrow, January 23rd, 2026, is the 7th anniversary of Slay the Spire's 1.0 launch! Also, in just a couple of months, it will have been 8.5~ years between the early access launches of Slay the Spire 1 and Slay the Spire 2. If you've been with us since the very beginning of this journey then that means you're at least 9 years old, probably. Maybe even 10. Thank you to all of the Slayers who have stuck with us for all of these years and to those who are just now tuning in. The next phase of Spire slaying is just around the corner!

In the meantime, let's take a look at...


Since it's been over a year since we started teasing StS2 content, we figured now is a good time to check back in on what some of it looks like now. We did warn you it was all subject to change! Things will evolve even further with all of your feedback throughout early access, of course, but we figured we'd let you get some last minute speculation in.

One of the very first new cards we teased back in November of 2024 was "Gold Axe." While it excited people even in its initial state, it's since seen a buff with the removal of its Exhaust keyword and a reduction in its Energy cost. Not pictured: we still have shiny VFX based on the rarity of card rewards, though it has been toned down from what you see on the left.

On the other hand, "Rolling Boulder," a card we teased this past July was indeed seeming a bit too OP. Its base damage and scaling damage have now both been slashed in half. We'll see what you all think of it soon enough--that is if it doesn't get changed again in the meantime.

This "Bodyguard" card that we showed off this past October was actually The Necrobinder's unique starter card, but it has since been totally reworked. While it has the same art, it now goes by a new name, "Unleash," and has a completely different mechanic. Perhaps we'll see the old card again in some form or another... and perhaps the new card will undergo its own evolution someday.

On a slightly different note, the placeholder event art that we teased for our war historian friend Repy has been updated (as well as the event text and options)! The original art certainly had its own charm, though. RIP beta Repy, gone but not forgotten.

And last but (maybe) not least, let's take a look behind the curtain at some out of context alpha patch notes, since you soon will in fact have the context for them.


We have begun to localize Slay the Spire 2 into several different languages already (French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Thai), but we are now looking to onboard some translators for other languages. If you are interested in helping to localize Slay the Spire 2 as well as our Neowsletters and potentially other important announcements, please apply here[docs.google.com]!


Now it's time to take a trip to the Spire to revisit last month's mystery monster!

Let's see what hypotheses you all submitted this time around...

The award for most out-of-the-box guess goes to eneija for this... aardvark-like creature!

The award for most accurate guess goes to Joanna, though the real beast this time has no fungi, as you'll see.

Shoutout to all of these other weird and wonderful submissions!

Credit from left to right: 晓星, Kamrat, Leo, Turtledunkz, bomo73, Dpart, Snowbyte, Mitlon, leda789, Mailboy002, Brave, koiking213, TheSos, Dolly, skryzhal, PhantomExitus

Now for the grand reveal...

EEK--it's a rat! With two tails! In other words, a two-tailed rat. Despite the silhouette not leaving much to the imagination, you all still managed to be very imaginative!

And now, my dear intrepid explorers, this month's issue marks a very special moment. Our research indicates that the secretive veil that has obscured so many of the Spire's creatures is soon to lift, so this may well be the last creature we need to uncover via these methods. With that said, let's take a look together...

Aha! It appears to be mostly rectangular in shape, but there's some sort of sphere suspended in the middle... Our detection equipment seems to experiencing some sort of interference, so in the meantime we'd greatly appreciate your help in deciphering this strange being! Be sure to submit your guesses via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel!


Looks like Snecko Eye has snuck its way into another game?? The team behind Turnbound, a brand new inventory management PvP autobattler, has included a Slay the Spire-themed item and free, early-access-exclusive cosmetic in their game! To celebrate this collab, Turnbound and Slay the Spire will bundled together for a 10% discount starting on their early access launch day... which just so happens to be today!


New year, new Neowsletter, new Slay the Spire Connections[custom-connections-game.vercel.app]!


Now that the holiday season is over, let's take a look at some of your Mega Crit-mas creations!

An adorable drawing of iconic StS character gathered around a tree by Soobsidian[x.com]!

A painterly illustration of some wintery gremlins by taydungeon[www.tiktok.com] (timelapse on TikTok)!

A festive Snecko Eye cookie baked by Steeve_rules!


Thank you to Okasana for this month's beautiful, sparkly cover image, and shoutout to Boltman and Alcalmy for their awesome submissions, too!

Next month's theme is: Valentine's Day Neow! If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Now for our usual community highlights!

A gorgeous illustration of The Watcher underneath some wisteria by 鸡翅好吃喵[space.bilibili.com]!

An illustrated exploration of what the other StS1 slayer's Orbs might look like by Maria/electrohoneys[www.tumblr.com]!

Stunning 3D art of The Ironclad facing off against some giant Sentries by babymango[bsky.app]!

And that's all for the first Neowsletter of 2026! See you all next month!

The last Neowsletter of 2025 is here!

For those who didn't hear, Slay the Spire 2 was recently ranked the number one game on the PC Gaming Show's Most Wanted list! We want to thank the voting council as well as all of you steadfast Slayers out there! As a treat, you can find quite a few tidbits of new StS2 info in the interview we did with PC Gamer in honor of our number one spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NgLqPWqDss
Now, let's cap this year off with a preview of a most mysterious character...


Hailing from a distant planet, The Regent has traveled long and far on his quest for excitement that his homeworld cannot offer. His journey has of course taken him to the Spire, full of strange, formidable creatures to conquer and innumerable treasure to plunder. Heir to the Throne of Stars, he is a domineering and arrogant being who draws on the power of the cosmos and his long-suffering minions to do his bidding.

The most fundamental aspect of The Regent's kit is that he has another resource that some of his cards rely on besides energy: Stars. After generating Stars, they can then be spent on certain cards that require them to deal damage, block, and empower himself with. Some cards even scale with the Stars you have stored up. Stars do not deplete at the end of your turn and there is no cap on how many you can have at once, so the sky is the limit.

The Regent is also capable of transforming other cards into unceasingly loyal Minions to attack and defend for him. Formed of celestial material, you will also find these disposable but adorable Minions painstakingly lugging The Regent around on his giant throne.

As the heir to his family’s empire, The Regent has the ability to Forge his own signature weapon, the Sovereign Blade, a large, gleaming sword that orbits around him. The first time you play a card with the "Forge" keyword each combat, the Sovereign Blade's corresponding card will be created. Every time you Forge after that, the amount of Forge increases the amount of damage Sovereign Blade will deal. It has Retain by default, so you can continue to build up your Blade to be as lethal as possible until the exact right moment.

Something else that is unique to this character is his synergy with colorless cards, which he can both create and interact with in interesting ways. You may have noticed that Sovereign Blade is a colorless card, so this opens up a whole new avenue of Forge-based builds to explore, as well.

Overall, The Regent is a character that revolves around your ability to manage his resources and scale up his power. What exactly his backstory is and what his future entails will be unveiled in due time...


The Singaporean Smoked Machine asks: Are there any ideas that you have decided to completely scrap in STS2 that you could tell us?
Casey: There was a brief exploration of 3D but it was scrapped because the value add wasn't high and Anthony and I are more into games with a lot of content rather than flashy stuff. Sorry flashy lovers, it's just a lot easier to create and iterate content if they're 2D assets.

BaySharp asks: Since STS2 got delayed for a fair amount of time, will we get any new gameplay trailer to compensate for it? Or perhaps, new gameplay footage? Or a demo even? Or just pretty much anything that will bring more hype to the game before the release?
Casey: Yes, we publish a monthly newsletter (The Neowsletter) with sneak peeks and stuff. We even answer questions on there! Also, you may want to keep a particularly close eye out for something happening in February, closer to the launch...


Don't think that the harsh winter weather will keep us from exploring the Spire! Let's take a look at last month's mystery monster...

And now this month's artistic hypotheses...

The award for funniest guess goes to Lyvern, for this statuesque creature reminiscent of the Giant Head.

The award for most logical guess goes to Comfy Chair, for this antenna-headed, snail-like creature. There's a lot of Slay the Spire stylistic DNA in this one!

The award for most accurate guess goes to Shor--you definitely captured the gooeyness and the color scheme!

And here are just some of the many other submissions we received over the past month:

Credit from left to right: Vexnator, Kmanscan, Breyson Cherryson, Niké Air, Maria, monmon, placeholder.exe, Dester, RinNekoChan, 9ryu108, Dracia, キョッキョのかば焼き, Star, John, 벌개미's daughter (8 years old!), Moggoose

Now it's time to unveil this strange creature...

Aha, got it! Whatever this creature is, and whatever ability it's using, it appears it was interfering with our photo-capturing equipment... and perhaps the very fabric of reality itself. Let us call it The Obscura.

On the bright side, this next silhouette may be a little easier to parse:

Though this may seem like it has a simple solution, we're sure you'll come up with very creative theories all the same. If you'd like to further our investigative endeavors, be sure to submit your guesses via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel!


Makeship is back at it again with more Slay the Spire drops! You can now add The Collector to YOUR collection as well as some shiny new enamel pins of the first three Slayers' iconic designs! Also, in classic Neow fashion, she's giving you another chance to grab her plush if you missed it the first time around (from all the way back in 2023)!

The pre-order campaign[makeship.com] will only last until Tuesday, December 23, so grab them while you can! Neow may not always be able to resurrect these limited-edition goodies...

Also, we've channeled some more pieces for the Slay the Spire x Artovision collection![artovision3d.com]

Now you can have 3D art of the Defect right there on your desk for every run OR a shadowbox of the Silent facing the Shiv deck's worst enemy, the Time Eater.


It's that time of year again... the time to make the Yuletide SLAY! Tag us on Twitter[x.com] or Bluesky[bsky.app] with any original festive fan creation, be it art, writing, mods, a video, some Spire-y holiday decorations, etc, and we just might spread the cheer, too! AND if you share your work in the event's channel on our Discord[discord.gg], you’ll get an exclusive role to wear with honor throughout the season!

And, as always, no holiday ambience is complete without the official Slay the Spire Yule Log, featuring some cheerful renditions of classic StS boss themes to accompany the crackling rest site flames!


Here's a Slay the Spire Connections puzzle[custom-connections-game.vercel.app] befitting a king. Or a Regent.


Thank you to Alcalmy for this month's cover image (and the rainy cover image from last month's honorable mentions that we couldn't include in time!) Speaking of honorable mentions, thank you to jamqwert and Shor for your lovely, wintery submissions!

Next month's theme is: New Year, new Neow! If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Now let's take a look at some more creations from the people that make up our wonderful community!

These very adorable crocheted keychains of Donu, Deca, and Snecko Eyes by 萝卜头子! (You can find a whole bunch of their crocheted relics in our Discord's fanart channel!)

This lethally beautiful illustration of The Silent by @JasperConcepts[www.instagram.com]!

This stunning atmospheric of The Silent facing off against Giant Head by @taydungeon[www.tiktok.com]! (Timelapse in link)

And that's all for this month's Neowsletter, we hope it put you in the Crit-mas spirit! See you all in 2026 ;)

Greetings, Slayers! It's November. Just a few more months until the sequel is available in Early Access. To get hyped, we've got another big content sneak peek.

Last month, we properly introduced you to one of Slay the Spire 2's new playable characters, The Necrobinder. This month, we're introducing you to some new non-playable characters...


The Spire is brimming with species of all shapes and sizes which have evolved alongside their environments over the ages. However, there are some beings that have persisted since the Spire's inception, accumulating wisdom and power as they witness the death and birth of countless generations. You may already be familiar with one such being: Neow, Mother of Resurrection.

At long last, Neow's fellow Ancients have emerged to bless you with doses of their power each time you enter an Act. These blessings take the form of exclusive, powerful relics, replacing the boss relics you may be familiar with from the Spire's previous incarnation.

The Ancient pictured above is Tezcatara, or "It Which Feeds The Fire." A warm, shining light in the darkness of the Spire, this Ancient's blessings are generally known for burning bright but extinguishing quickly. A selection of its possible blessings includes a transformation of the current Act's map into a single special path, a bounty of temporary relics, and a way to reduce the cost of Strikes but also make them impossible to remove from your deck.

These oldest of the Spire's beings all have their own specialties, therefore their offerings will differ greatly from one another. As Neow's special power is that of resurrection, she will be there to greet you at the beginning of a run like always. However, Acts 2 and 3 will have their own separate pools of random Ancients for you to encounter, such as Tezcatara. Specific Ancients will be denoted by a node on the map similar to the ones that signify specific bosses, as you can see below. This new system adds even more variance to each run, making them feel that much more unique.

Though the individual reasons behind the Ancients' involvement may be unclear--and though some of their blessings may come with significant tradeoffs--anyone would be lucky to count such powerful beings as their allies. Perhaps you will be able to learn more about their mysterious motivations as time goes on...


Anonymous asks: Can we get more of the pear? I really like pears, maybe it could be as an enemy that spits pear juice or a card that includes a pear.
Casey: If you like pears, why would you want an enemy that spits pear juice? That seems disrespectful

Justin Quirk asks: How in the world does the Ironclad keep his mask on? Clearly it doesn't wrap all the way around his head, and he is a very active fighter. Does it fall off sometimes in the middle of a fight, or does he have a strap or something? Was this part of his demonic pact? What terrifying power allows him to always stay protected and fashionable?
Casey: The ironclads keep their masks on by biting. I will not elaborate.

Ballsyjones asks: has everything about Slay the Spire 1 been discovered by players!?
Casey: Since the game code can be decompiled, I don't think there are too many undiscovered game logic secrets. StS1 was also translated by the community, so patches and translations always came with notes and a reference cheat sheet so the translators understood the reasoning for odd naming or choice of relic objects.

Anonymous asks: Are you guys planning on also making Slay the Spire 2 a low spec friendly game or will it be more demanding than the first one?
Casey: Yep, we're quite strict on performance! We try to accumulate a wide range of cheap and terrible computers to test the game on :).

A big STS fan asks: Does jaw worm still exist floors 1-3 in sts 2?
Anthony: No


As we continue our investigations into the Spire's many new species, it's time to first take a look at last month's mystery silhouette:

And now for your hypotheses...

The award for most... award-like goes to Snowbyte! It kind of looks like a solid gold, automaton-shaped trophy.

The award for most accurate goes to bojhyg! The mask in particular came the closest to the real deal.

And here are the rest of the guesses from our community of Spire explorers:

Credit from left to right: 빙길, Tinamyte, 水角神, PorpleKnight, Sebastian, ssorgatem, LoneDonut, Dracia, Lyvern, hazudee, SamuraiBaker, mainasuarufa, Dolly, koiking213, Simon, mitlon.

And now for the unveiling...

Ooh--it seems that the pattern of Defect-ive hypotheses wasn't totally far off. It's definitely some sort of automaton construct, seemingly designed for punching. A Punch Construct?

Now, what's next on our roster of shadowy species...

Our work is never done! If you have any clues as to what this creature could be, be sure to submit them via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel!


Time to dive right into this month's Slay the Spire Connections puzzle[custom-connections-game.vercel.app] like a fresh pile of autumn leaves!


Thank you to Snubobo for this month's corNeowcopia-themed cover image!

Next month's theme is: Wintery Neow! If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Thank you to everyone who submitted their spooky Spire content for Mega Crit-or-Treat last month! Here are just some of the highlights:

A creepily cute illustration of the 4 Slay the Spire characters by spacelarktemple[x.com]!

This super accurate Reptomancer cosplay by commentbagel[twitch.tv]!

Some Spire-y jack-o-lanterns by LegendofLonk, JoeGo, Zoie, Falspar, and Pug!

Alright, hopefully this month's Neowsletter was a nice sneak peek into what we're cooking up for Slay the Spire 2! We'll be back next month with even more good tidings.

It's October, the month of tricks, treats, and... spooooky things~🦇💀

For those who missed it, we announced a delay last month. Slay the Spire 2 is coming to Early Access in March 2026. I know, I know, it's hard to wait.

But speaking of spooky things, let us properly introduce you to...


At long last, the time has come to dive deeper into the first new character we announced for Slay the Spire 2: The Necrobinder, a sassy lich who relies upon a giant, reanimated hand called Osty in battle. (It's a funny name but not technically a pun, so should be safe.)

Her kit is themed around necromancy, fittingly enough, and plays with the balance of life and death. Osty can attack enemies independently of the Necrobinder and is unaffected by debuffs afflicting her. Faithful companion that he is, Osty also takes attack damage that would normally affect the Necrobinder... as long as he has HP to give, that is. To increase Osty's HP or revive him from the dead once more, the Necrobinder can Summon him. Your strategy may see you building up a high HP Osty for a constant source of protection or sacrificing him only to bring him back from the dead over and over again.

Another key component of the Necrobinder's kit is Doom, which we have teased in previous Neowsletters. When a creature's Doom meets or exceeds its current HP, it will die. It's a debuff that's applied similarly to Poison, but it does not deal damage over time or tick down, and it only affects creatures at the end of their turn, as opposed to the start.

She can also use her necromantic magic to draw (ha) on the power of Souls, giving her a source of card draw.

Transformation is a major part of necromancy, of course, so the Necrobinder also has many cards that allow her to alter other cards, applying different keywords to them and changing how they play.

That's all the information on our little lich that we have for you today, but there will be plenty more to uncover still.


We didn't answer any questions last month because there was a Q&A section for the delay announcement. Fear not, we're back to answering your exciting questions. As always, send your questions to fanmail@megacrit.com and we'll respond within 90 business days. Yes, it's slow. At least we're honest about it.

posmen asks: The community has dubbed quitting and reloading from the start of a floor as savescumming. It seems to be a pretty divisive topic but being that Slay the Spire is a single player game there's no real impact aside from being used as a progression loophole. Is this still going to be a "feature" of StS2?
Casey: Yeah you can still save scum. Play how you want

Brandon asks: Do the characters have canon names? Like, sure, they're the Ironclad, but is his real name Steve? What about watcher? Is her name Jasmine? Cause that's a pretty name
Casey: Well, it's not Steve

OdditY asks: Are you guys thinking of adding more to the game after it fully releases? Maybe additional characters, new events, more enemies, maybe even collab content (especially since you guys have always given in collabs and haven't taken)?
Casey: If people like the game we'll add more stuff. I don't know about collabs, I feel like it dilutes the identity of games? Then again, it depends on the genre.

Matt asks: Is Poison back for The Silent in STS2, or does she now have to rely on a new kit to make her way through The Spire?
Casey: we like poison

The Singaporean Smoke Machine asks: Will there be a feature for shiv cards where there will be a "throwing" card animation? Like when you play a shiv, the card itself flies striaght into an enemy before spinning and falling off-screen? I think it would be really cool!
Anthony: No


And now it's time for some spoooooky research into one of the Spire's many new denizens!! Although it's no more spooky than it usually is, I suppose.

As always, let's take a look at last month's mystery monster silhouette:

Now let's see what guesses you all had this time around...

The award for cutest guess goes to rinny.Ly._.nn, which might have been the toughest category this time around!

The "Hit the Slay button" award goes to gold! No need to sashay away.

The award for most accurate goes to Lemonpie--super close!

Here are some other incredible hypotheses that we've received from our community of Spire explorers:

Credit from left to right: koiking, bomo73, Gabe, Peter, EcksDee, Oliver, Eqyizo, Super malfunctioning robot, ramy, tree bucket, Metonka, Brave

I think we finally have enough information to dispel the veil of shadow...

AAAAAH... aww? It's just a little guy, surely he's harmless! Either he's a sentient stack of hay or that's just a very convincing costume.

JUMPSCARE! I'm sure you weren't expecting that--another shadowy creature is in need of unveiling. If you have any clues as to what this creature could be, be sure to submit them via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel!


SLIME... plush??

For a limited time ONLY, you can grab this Makeship Slime Boss doughboi (meaning it's BIG and squishy just like the real, in-game deal) as well as a couple of cute, fuzzy Louse plushies for you to Curl Up with <3

Get into the spooky, slimy spirit and pre-order yours right here[makeship.com] before the campaign ends forever!


BOO! This month's terrifying Slay the Spire Connections[custom-connections-game.vercel.app] puzzle is here!


What's this? Could this be the work of the Necrobinder? Everyone's favorite spooky, seasonal Slay the Spire event has been revived once more!

Here are the details for those out of the loop: Mega Crit-or-Treat is your chance to share any Halloween-themed Slay the Spire content, be it drawn, written, modded, cosplayed, cooked, carved, crocheted, interpretively danced, whatever!

Until Sunday, November 2, post your beautiful and/or terrifying creations in our Discord server[discord.gg] and you will be granted this year's limited time "Ghostly Gremlin" role!

If you want to participate in the time-honored tradition of pumpkin carving but can't think of a design, you can always use these StS stencils[www.dropbox.com] made by our art director, Marlowe!

Also, if you post any spooky Spire content on Twitter or Bluesky, be sure to spread the eerie cheer by tagging us @MegaCrit!


Thank you to Jolfe for this month's hauntingly beautiful cover image, and shout out to these other great submissions from 문서영 and Alcalmy--they're so good it's scary!!

Next month's theme is: Neowvember! This one can be a free space, so you can draw anything as long as it's Neow-related. If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Without further ado, let's look at this month's community highlights!

An incredible illustration of the Ironclad facing off against the Awakened One and its Cultists by taydungeon (timelapse on TikTok[www.tiktok.com] again!)

These amazing Ironclad and Watcher cosplays by Rocklin and Smartz!

A beautiful illustration of the Silent by triggeredtale!

That's all the spooky news we have for you this month, but be sure to tune in next month for less spine-chilling but just as thrilling Slay the Spire 2 info!

Hi everyone, it's time for the September Neowsletter. This one comes with a pretty big update right off the top, so let's dive right into it.


After a lot of internal discussion, we've made the call to move Slay the Spire 2's Early Access launch to a secret Thursday in March 2026.

We know this isn't the news anyone wanted to hear (ourselves included, we're dying to get this into your hands!) Originally, we were shooting for late 2025, but turns out we were wrong. We need some more time.

There's no single dramatic reason. Some personal life stuff hit the team (everyone's okay!), we kept saying "wouldn't it be cool if..." one too many times, and honestly, the game just needs more polish to meet our standards.

All that said, we know you still have questions, so Demi, our community manager, has put together a pre-emptive FAQ to help answer some of them.


Is the real reason for the delay the timing of the Silksong release?
We got together as a team to determine our new release window before Silksong’s date was announced. The timing just worked out like that, but on the bright side, everyone can keep busy playing Silksong during the wait!

Is the real reason for the delay that you’ve been spending your time on making merch/community events/etc?
Our merch is made by 3rd party partners and our community manager is the primary liaison on our team for collabs like that. No game development was harmed in the making of those plushies! Likewise, anything community-focused that we create, participate in, or promote is generally handled by the CM and doesn’t cut into any game development time.

So is it because you’re adding in a bunch of new features and content?
Yes, in part. Because you know what does cut into game development time? Game development! Compared to Slay the Spire 1's early access launch (and for that matter it's final 2.0 form) this new sequel has a lot more content that we can't wait to share with you. In addition, we want to make sure we're upholding the quality bar that both we and the gaming community have come to expect for Early Access titles.

So what’s so different from StS1?
In case you haven’t been keeping up with our trailers and Neowsletters–quite a lot. There are new characters, more cards/potions/relics/events/etc, more visual polish, more animation and VFX, quality of life changes, entirely new mechanics, and still a whole lot more we can’t tell you about just yet. Although, if you read on to the next section you'll learn about a pretty big one...

When was the game originally planned to launch?
2025! Ok, but in all seriousness, we were initially aiming for a Fall 2025 release window. For now, we’ll just have to savor these moments of anticipation a little longer.

Will this be anything like other games that get repeatedly delayed with no explanation?
No, for one thing, you should never expect radio silence from us. That’s why we’re here talking to you now. And, as opposed to a general release year, we have an actual specific date that we’re aiming for internally and are confident we can hit this time. As you've already heard, it’s releasing on a Thursday, but the exact date will be revealed closer to launch.

So, do you regret the “Still coming in 2025” gag at the end of the TGA trailer?
Demi, the CM, who is writing this, pushed for that one so she can take the fall for it. In her defense, it was pretty funny at the time.


As a treat, this month's content teaser is a pretty big one: alternate acts.

Once unlocked, upon entering a new act in Slay the Spire 2, you will be randomly greeted with one of two possible acts. These acts differ radically in their environments, enemies, events, and bosses, all of which greatly increase the variety of gameplay between runs.

For instance, Act 1a is Overgrowth, a lush, tangled ruin with much of its fauna resembling mystical woodland creatures and sentient flora that might just eat you alive. This is the act you've primarily been seeing in our teasers and trailers, though there's still plenty left to uncover here.

Act 1b is known as the Underdocks, a miry waterway connected to the Spire's sewer system, from which all manner of mutant sea creatures and vagrants might emerge. We've only just begun to tease the trove of content that lurks within these murky depths.

As the mathematically-inclined among you have probably realized, that means there will be double the amount of content in this new act structure. We won't be launching with all of the alternate acts right away, but Acts 2b and 3b will come later down the road in Early Access updates.

The capabilities of these different enemies, the opportunities these events offer, and how they all might impact your strategy as you ascend the Spire will be seen in time.


For those who haven't heard: the new community-run Slay the Spire wiki[slaythespire.wiki.gg] is now live on wiki.gg!!

It's still a work in progress, so if you'd like to contribute and help make it a fully comprehensive one-stop-shop for Slay the Spire info, visit this page[slaythespire.wiki.gg] to learn how. Also, the ⁠wiki channel on our Discord[discord.gg] is always there for wiki-related discussions/questions!

The old wiki hosted on Fandom is still live, especially during this transitional phase, but the wiki.gg one exists as an alternative for those who were looking for one and is the one that will be maintained going forward.

Thank you to the organizers and thank you in advance to all of those who contribute!


Though the Spire is still being prepared for your arrival, there are always some more Spire species to spot in the meantime!

First let's take a look at last month's mystery monster silhouette:

Now let's examine our community's hypothetical renderings of said monster...

The award for grossest guess goes to Snubobo, which might be the hardest award to achieve honestly!

The award for most abstract goes to Vanessa and (9 year old!) Lucas, who physically illustrated their guesses instead of digitally!

And the award for most accurate goes to NewGuyJack–it’s even animated and everything?!

As always, we got many Spire Spotting submissions, so here are some other great guesses we got!

Credit from left to right: Brave, tenacious_unicorn_94746, Cyb3rm00k, Emma, ssorgatem, karmamitch, pasq, Panez, Alcapwne101, koiking213, BlakeDrake, Nevve1776, Purcy, bomo73, duckgoquack

So what does this creature really look like?

It's a terrifying eel-like creature covered in wiggly little eyeballs… wait, it’s that inhabitant of the recently revealed Underdocks! We'll call it the Terror Eel for now. But I have a strange feeling that our work has just begun...

Just as I thought, another shadowy monster has emerged! If you have any clues as to what this creature could be, be sure to submit them via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel!


And for you Slay the Spire Connections[custom-connections-game.vercel.app] lovers out there, don’t think we forgot about you!


Thank you to Qmint for this month's gorgeous cover image, and thank you, as always, to all of the other incredible submissions as well!

Credit from left to right: Alcalmy, clover, Cyb3rm00k, Suspa

Next month's theme is: Neow-loween! (That's Neow, but Halloween.) If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, reminder that it must be submitted to us via fanmail@megacrit.com or in our Discord's[discord.gg] fanart channel, have dimensions of 800x450px, feature no text, and leave room for a title!

Now to highlight some work from our wonderful, steadfast community...

This stunning pixel Ironclad art by D.M.!

Inscryption-style cards of StS1’s heroes by JustOzzy[www.instagram.com]!

A beautiful illustration of Ironclad by Linke!

Thanks so much for tuning into this month's Neowsletter! We'll have lots of dev updates and content teases in the coming issues as we get closer to Slay the Spire 2's launch. See you next month!