Ancients

Ancients are non-playable patrons who grant powerful, one-of-a-kind blessings at key moments. In Slay the Spire 2 they replace the old “pick a Boss Relic after the act boss” loop from the first game, opening space for stranger build-arounds and act-specific stories.

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Mechanics

Keywords on blessings and enchantments

Characters

Class-specific Ancient cards and starters

Relics

Boss and shop relics that stack with Ancient picks

Cards

Full pool for reward and transform effects

Acts

How the climb is divided by act

Bosses

Major gates between acts

Overview

Like the first game, every run begins with Neow, Mother of Resurrection—she offers a random subset of boons, some with costs or downsides. When you enter Act 2 and again Act 3, you meet new Ancients. Each act draws from its own random pool, so route planning includes guessing which patron you might see and which blessings might show up.

Blessings are not simple stat sticks: they rewrite rules (extra turns, map shapes, cross-color rewards, auto-played turns). Skim the lists below before you commit—synergy with your deck and relics matters more than raw rarity.

Neow — run start

Neow's menu is randomized each time. Options below are the full set of offerings catalogued for planning; you will only see a handful per run.

  • Arcane Scroll — Obtain a random Rare card.
  • Booming Conch — At the start of Elite combats, draw 2 additional cards.
  • Cursed Pearl — Receive Greed. Gain 333 Gold.
  • Golden Pearl — Upon pickup, gain 150 Gold.
  • Large Capsule — Obtain 2 random Relics. Add an additional Strike and Defend to your deck.
  • Lava Rock — The Act 1 boss drops 2 Relics.
  • Lead Paperweight — Choose 1 of 2 Colorless cards to add to your deck.
  • Leafy Poultice — Transform 1 Strike and 1 Defend. Lose 10 Max HP.
  • Lost Coffer — Gain 1 card reward and procure 1 random Potion.
  • Neow's Torment — Add 1 Neow's Fury to your deck.
  • New Leaf — Transform 1 card.
  • Nutritious Oyster — Raise your Max HP by 11.
  • Pomander — Upgrade a card.
  • Precarious Shears — Remove 2 cards from your deck. Take 13 damage.
  • Precise Scissors — Remove 1 card from your deck.
  • Scroll Boxes — Lose all Gold. Choose 1 of 2 packs of cards to add to your deck.
  • Silver Crucible — The first 3 card rewards you see are Upgraded. The first Treasure Chest you open is empty.
  • Small Capsule — Obtain a random Relic.
  • Stone Humidifier — Whenever you Rest at a Rest Site, raise your Max HP by 5.

Act 2 Ancients

Three patrons can appear at the Act 2 Ancient encounter. Each has a distinct blessing list—preview what your class might want before you lock a path.

Orobas

Act 2 patron

  • Alchemical Coffer — Gain 4 potion slots filled with random potions.
  • Archaic Tooth — Transform a starter card into its Ancient starter version.
  • Driftwood — You may reroll each card reward once.
  • Electric Shrymp — Enchant a Skill with Imbued.
  • Glass Eye — Upon pickup, obtain 2 Common cards, 2 Uncommon cards, and 1 Rare card.
  • Prismatic Gem — Gain Energy at the start of each turn. Card rewards can contain cards from other colors.
  • Radiant Pearl — At the start of each combat, add 1 Luminesce to your hand.
  • Touch of Orobas — Replace your starter Relic with its Ancient starter version.

Pael

Act 2 patron

  • Pael's Blood — At the start of your turn, draw 1 additional card.
  • Pael's Eye — The first time each combat you end your turn without playing cards, Exhaust your hand and take an extra turn.
  • Pael's Flesh — Gain an additional Energy at the start of your 3rd turn, and every turn after that.
  • Pael's Growth — Enchant a card with Clone.
  • Pael's Horn — Add 2 Relax to your deck.
  • Pael's Legion — Doubles Block gained from a card, then goes to sleep for 2 turns.
  • Pael's Tears — If you end your turn with unspent Energy, gain an additional 2 Energy next turn.
  • Pael's Tooth — Remove 5 cards from your deck. After each combat, randomly add 1 back Upgraded.
  • Pael's Wing — You may sacrifice card rewards to Pael. Every 2 sacrifices, obtain a Relic.

Tezcatara

Act 2 patron

  • Biiig Hug — Remove 4 cards from your deck. Whenever you shuffle your draw pile, add a Soot to your draw pile.
  • Golden Compass — Replace the Act 2 map with a single special path.
  • Nutritious Soup — Enchant all Strikes in your deck with Tezcatara's Ember.
  • Pumpkin Candle — Gain Energy at the start of each turn. Extinguishes at the start of Act 3.
  • Storybook — Add 1 Brightest Flame to your deck.
  • Toasty Mittens — At the start of your turn, Exhaust the top card of your draw pile and gain 1 Strength.
  • Toy Box — Obtain 4 Wax Relics. Every 3 combats, your left-most Wax Relic melts away.
  • Very Hot Cocoa — Start each combat with an additional 4 Energy.
  • Yummy Cookie — Upgrade 4 cards.

Act 3 Ancients

Act 3 patrons push late-run scaling, swingy payoffs, or final-act shortcuts. Several options reference curses, Ethereal, or autopilot—read carefully.

Nonupeipe

Act 3 patron

  • Beautiful Bracelet — Choose 3 cards in your deck. Enchant them with Swift 3.
  • Blessed Antler — Gain Energy at the start of each turn. At the start of each combat, shuffle 3 Dazed into your draw pile.
  • Brilliant Scarf — The 5th card you play each turn is free.
  • Delicate Frond — At the start of each combat, fill all empty potion slots with random potions.
  • Diamond Diadem — Whenever you play 2 or fewer cards in a turn, take half damage from enemies.
  • Fur Coat — Mark 7 random combats. Enemies in those rooms have 1 HP.
  • Glitter — Enchant all card rewards with Glam.
  • Jewelry Box — Add 1 Apotheosis to your deck.
  • Looming Fruit — Raise your Max HP by 31.
  • Signet Ring — Upon pickup, gain 999 Gold.

Tanx

Act 3 patron

  • Claws — Transform up to 6 cards into Maul.
  • Crossbow — At the start of your turn, add a random Attack to your hand. It costs 0 Energy this turn.
  • Iron Club — Every 4 cards you play, draw 1 card.
  • Meat Cleaver — You may Cook at Rest Sites.
  • Sai — At the start of your turn, gain 7 Block.
  • Spiked Gauntlets — Gain Energy at the start of each turn. Powers cost 1 more Energy.
  • Tanx's Whistle — Add 1 Whistle to your deck.
  • Throwing Axe — The first card you play each combat is played an extra time.
  • Tri-Boomerang — Choose 3 Attacks in your deck. Enchant them with Instinct.
  • War Hammer — Whenever you kill an Elite, Upgrade 4 random cards.

Vakuu

Act 3 patron

  • Blood-Soaked Rose — Add 1 Enthralled to your deck. Gain Energy at the start of each turn.
  • Choices Paradox — At the start of each combat, add 1 of 5 random cards to your hand. Add Retain to the chosen card.
  • Distinguished Cape — Lose 9 Max HP. Add 3 Apparitions to your deck.
  • Fiddle — At the start of each turn, draw 2 additional cards. You may not draw cards during your turn.
  • Jeweled Mask — At the start of combat, put a random Power from your draw pile into your hand; it is free to play.
  • Lord's Parasol — When you encounter the Merchant, immediately obtain everything he sells.
  • Music Box — Create an Ethereal copy of the first Attack you play each turn.
  • Sere Talon — Add 2 random Curses and 3 Wishes to your deck.
  • Whispering Earring — Gain Energy at the start of each turn. Vakuu plays your first turn for you.

Shared — Darv

Shared pool — can appear in Act 2 or Act 3. These options echo some of the most build-defining effects from the original game—high upside, often with a sharp downside.

  • Astrolabe — Transform 3 cards, then Upgrade them.
  • Black Star — Elites drop an additional Relic when defeated.
  • Calling Bell — Obtain a unique Curse and 3 Relics.
  • Dusty Tome — Obtain a character-specific Ancient card.
  • Empty Cage — Remove 2 cards from your deck.
  • Pandora's Box — Transform all Strikes and Defends.
  • Runic Pyramid — At the end of your turn, you no longer discard your hand.
  • Snecko Eye — At the start of your turn, draw 2 additional cards. Start each combat Confused.