Slay the Spire 2 adds The Fool, plus Blitz and Dread modes, in its biggest beta patch

Mega Crit released Slay the Spire 2 beta patch v0.113.0 on Steam on November 12, 2026. It adds The Fool, the first new playable character since the game entered early access on March 5, and two new modes, Blitz and Dread. The studio calls it the "biggest (beta) patch yet".

Everything new is on the opt-in public-beta branch for now. On PC, right-click the game in your Steam library, open Properties, then Game Versions & Betas, and pick public-beta. The default branch has been brought up to the previous beta, v0.111.0, which Notebookcheck notes includes Indonesian localisation.

What's confirmed

The Fool. Mega Crit's patch notes describe the character only as "a silly musician who wields a bow" and leave the strategy for players to work out. Notebookcheck and Games.gg list the starting details: 77 HP, a unique card called Foolish Shot that costs 1 energy and fires an arrow for 15 damage, and a Song Bow starter relic. Once fired, the arrow sticks in its target (the Impaled status). Until you land three hits on that enemy or kill it, any card that needs the arrow is unusable. Among its cards are Wah, Ki and Cho melodies, plus Sadness and Joy, and there is a rare power, Mythic Form, that adds a random Tarot card to your hand each turn. Mega Crit warns it expects "a great number of content and balance changes" before the character leaves beta.

Blitz. A condensed mode built around deckbuilding. There is no map, Gold no longer matters and the Merchant behaves differently. Its five Ascension levels are shared by every character, and you unlock it by finishing an Ascension run at any difficulty.

Dread. A hard mode for players who have reached Ascension 10 with every character, The Fool included. All Ascension modifiers are on, bosses are stronger and buff every enemy in their Act, and Curses pile up as you climb.

Other changes. Rest sites can now appear one floor earlier in every Act. There are five new events. The Underdocks gets two (Waterfall of Obvious Secrets, Wuppy in Trouble), Act 2 gets Museum of Torture, and Act 3 gets two more (Shrine of the Warlord, Thermae Nonupeipe). There is a new Byrdpip evolution and a Colorless card, My Shinies. Neow's Dowsing Rod relic transforms its card after four ? rooms instead of five.

Balance. Ironclad's Expect a Fight now gives 15 Block (20 upgraded), and until they are played, Attacks in your hand cost 1 less. For the Silent, Expertise keeps your entire hand for the turn, while Memento Mori is now a 3-cost Sly attack for 19 damage (23 upgraded) against the lowest-HP enemy. Games.gg lists the nerfs: Salvo drops from 12 (16) to 10 (14) damage, Phantom Blades' bonus Shiv damage from 9 (12) to 8 (11), and Charge!! Dive Bomb damage from 13 (16) to 11 (13).

Background

Slay the Spire 2 launched in early access on Steam on March 5, 2026. Mega Crit said it sold 3 million copies in its first week, as Notebookcheck reports, and Eurogamer reports it passed 5 million within a month. Its four-player co-op mode, which the Steam page lists alongside solo play, has been a big part of that. Notebookcheck quotes Mega Crit saying many players only play multiplayer.

The last beta, v0.111.0, arrived on August 13, after a run of patches every two weeks. Mega Crit said in its October newsletter that it had spent the gap on larger content that could not be built alongside regular balance updates. Earlier updates also removed the Act 3 boss Doormaker, which Eurogamer reports the studio judged too complex.

The first Slay the Spire went through the same process. It entered early access in November 2017, added the Defect as a third character during early access in 2018, and released in full in January 2019 before testing its fourth character, the Watcher, on a beta branch.

My take: what it means for players

The Fool's arrow is the most interesting idea here. Every character in the first game asked you to manage a resource, such as the Defect's orbs or the Watcher's stances, but the arrow is a resource you lose on purpose. You fire it, then build turns around getting it back. That is a different rhythm from anything in the 2019 roster, and it should push players towards multi-hit cards and single-target focus in a way the current four characters do not.

Dread is the mode I would watch. Requiring Ascension 10 on every character, including a brand-new one, is a long gate, and that is the point. It gives the players who have already cleared the game a reason to learn The Fool properly instead of treating it as a novelty.

Blitz worries me a little. Taking away the map takes away the routing decisions that make a Spire run feel like your own run. A shorter mode for a quick session makes sense, but I would want to see how Mega Crit replaces those choices before I call it a success. This is also a beta, so judge the numbers on the final version, not this week's.

What we don't know yet

• Main branch date. Mega Crit has not said when The Fool, Blitz or Dread will reach the default branch.
• Full release. There is no date for version 1.0.
• More content. The studio has said an alternate Act 2 and more acts are in the works, but has not dated them.
• Console versions. The game is on Steam in early access; no console release has been announced.

Quick facts

FAQ

How do I play The Fool in Slay the Spire 2?

Switch to the public-beta branch on Steam: right-click the game, open Properties, then Game Versions & Betas, and pick public-beta.

What is Blitz mode?

A shorter deckbuilding mode with no map, no use for Gold and a changed Merchant. It unlocks after you complete any Ascension run.

How do I unlock Dread mode?

Reach Ascension 10 with every character, including The Fool.

Is The Fool on the main branch?

Not yet. The main branch was updated to the previous beta, v0.111.0, and Mega Crit expects many changes before The Fool leaves beta.

More: Slay the Spire 2 game page.

Sources: Mega Crit (Steam patch notes); Eurogamer; Notebookcheck; Games.gg. Image: official Slay the Spire 2 art from Steam (© Mega Crit).