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Slay the Spire - PS4, Switch and Xbox One |OT| Heart of the Cards

Łazy

Łazy

Member
Nov 1, 2017
5,249
WolfeTone said:
Slowly working my way up through ascension levels, I've made it to A5 with the 3 characters available on Switch. This game is fantastic. Such a wonderful blend of card-based RPGs and rogue-likes. Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention.

I love how each character plays so differently while still retaining the same fundamental core mechanics. I like dishing out incredible damage as Ironclad, stalling enemies as I slowly build poison tanking hits as Silent, and generating a barrage of orbs with various effects as Defect. This might be my favourite game of the year.

Is there anything else like this out there?
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Don't know of any other game with such a good balance. It's really cool we're getting free updates in the future.

The only other card game I have on Switch is Steamworld Quest. Definitely not the same, still a nice game.

Also yes, game of the year for me too, with Saga Scarlet Grace. But I played it on vita and japanese switch release before already, so it's not really "new".
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
Completely stuck on A19 Silent, always getting mowed down by a little too much. Longest I've been on one level in like 100 hours.
 
WolfeTone

WolfeTone

Member
Oct 25, 2017
611
Monolithsoft said:
Don't know of any other game with such a good balance. It's really cool we're getting free updates in the future.

The only other card game I have on Switch is Steamworld Quest. Definitely not the same, still a nice game.

Also yes, game of the year for me too, with Saga Scarlet Grace. But I played it on vita and japanese switch release before already, so it's not really "new".
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I love the Steamworld games, but Quest never really grabbed me like the others unfortunately. I might give it another chance.
 
Łazy

Łazy

Member
Nov 1, 2017
5,249
WolfeTone said:
I love the Steamworld games, but Quest never really grabbed me like the others unfortunately. I might give it another chance.
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I kind of agree that it might be the weakest. But it had a fairly original and interesting card system.
It weirdly feels not card enough and almost too "classic rpg" in a way.
I want a Heist 2 personaly : P. Or I'd love a full tactical one.
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
ZeroX said:
Completely stuck on A19 Silent, always getting mowed down by a little too much. Longest I've been on one level in like 100 hours.
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Finally did it in the most bland way possible. 3x After Image, 3x Footwork+ and Noxious Fumes. It took forever, but I didn't get The Awakened One so I just stalled everyone out easily. Didn't even have Catalyst.
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
I'm at A20 with everyone finally, A19 Defect was much easier, managed to beat The Awakened One with a power build.

I expect that beating A20 will take me a long long time though.
 
boontobias

boontobias

Avenger
Apr 14, 2018
9,531
My perfect immortal Defect run was ruined by picking up the velvet choker
patch it out the game

Edit:
2 hours later, got the same deck and beat the game for the first time taking virtually no damage the first 2 acts, and maybe a single hit each boss
 
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ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
Velvet Choker is good, one of my favorite energy relics. Just don't play stuff like Double Tap, Burst, etc or pick 0 cost cards.
 
RiggyRob

RiggyRob

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
174
DrBorisGoltz said:
I'm finding The Ironclad to be the most difficult character by far.
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I always thought Ironclad was the easiest, since Strength scaling is easier to think about than Poison/Focus and the starting relic lets you recover from mistakes where you wouldn't get away with them on Silent/Defect.
 
TheZjman

TheZjman

Banned
Nov 22, 2018
1,369
Man, this game is great. Started playing it on Game Pass last week and played soooo much of it. I've beaten it with the IronClad and Silent and now doing Defect, who i think is the coolest character. I love the orbs and design. I assume Ascension is 'just' a harder mode? I haven't looked at it yet.
 
cakely

cakely

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,149
Chicago
TheZjman said:
Man, this game is great. Started playing it on Game Pass last week and played soooo much of it. I've beaten it with the IronClad and Silent and now doing Defect, who i think is the coolest character. I love the orbs and design. I assume Ascension is 'just' a harder mode? I haven't looked at it yet.
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Ascension is twenty levels of cumulative modifiers that make the game quite difficult.

If you're looking for an extra challenge once you beat Act III with all three characters you can start doing Act IV runs.
 
Exentryk

Exentryk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,234
Love this game! Have completed act 4 runs with all three characters. Looking forward to the 4th character.

I don't have the patience to do all 20 ascension runs. Would prefer to do A20 only.
 
Dreavus

Dreavus

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Jan 12, 2018
1,724
Good lord, I fired this up on a whim after a long time away on PC and got wrapped up in 3-4 run attempts. Dying really makes me want to try again with another deck. Jeez I gotta be careful with this game, lol.

Fast mode is really nice, I have to say. It was my first time messing around with it and I don't think I'll ever turn that setting off.
 
Noaloha

Noaloha

Member
Oct 27, 2017
314
Ascension climbing is worthwhile I think if only because the 20 micro-adjustments to difficulty allow each player to find their own personal biting point or sweet spot for ideal level of challenge. I'm I'm not good enough at Spire slaying to realistically expect running A20, but I'd have dropped the game a long time ago if A0 were the only option.
 
Noaloha

Noaloha

Member
Oct 27, 2017
314
Exentryk said:
Love this game! Have completed act 4 runs with all three characters. Looking forward to the 4th character.

I don't have the patience to do all 20 ascension runs. Would prefer to do A20 only.
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A20's *real* rough, which isn't a problem in and of itself, rather just a statement about expected win% returns and you may be a player who enjoys that level of difficulty. If you're on PC, I'm pretty sure you can fiddle with tables on the backend to force A20 into your profile (certainly possible on the beta branch), but just be careful jumping into A20 after only dabbling in A0-5. The main worry I have with that is simply, assuming a general ability level, you'll get super familiar with Act 1, a little familiar with Act 2 and not very familiar with Act 3.
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,140
Jinfash said:
What does amplify do? The he description isn't helpful and the internet is even worse.
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When you play Amplify, if you play a Power card during that same turn, it plays it twice. Upgraded, it plays the next two Power cards twice. I usually never take this card in high Ascension, as it's very situational and draw dependent. I can see myself taking it late in my run, once I have built up my deck and have cards like Hologram+. But I'd never take it in Act 1. Plus, most Power cards cost 2 or more energy, and I'd rather play an attack or block instead.
 
Jinfash

Jinfash

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,091
super-famicom said:
When you play Amplify, if you play a Power card during that same turn, it plays it twice. Upgraded, it plays the next two Power cards twice. I usually never take this card in high Ascension, as it's very situational and draw dependent. I can see myself taking it late in my run, once I have built up my deck and have cards like Hologram+. But I'd never take it in Act 1. Plus, most Power cards cost 2 or more energy, and I'd rather play an attack or block instead.
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So if the power is, say, +2 strength amplify will double that as long as I play it while the power card is in hand?
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,140
Jinfash said:
So if the power is, say, +2 strength amplify will double that as long as I play it while the power card is in hand?
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Yeah, it all has to be within the same turn. Following your example, say you have Defragment, which is a Power that grants you 1 Focus.

1. Start of the turn, you have 3 energy
2. Play Amplify for 1 energy
3. Play Defragment for 1 energy
4. It gets played twice, so now you get 2 Focus
5. You still have 1 energy remaining to play another card.

Or alternatively, if you have Amplify and Hologram+ in hand but had discarded Defragment the previous turn

3. Play Hologram+ for 1 energy to draw out Defragment from your discard pile.
4. Play Defragment with your remaining 1 energy
5. It gets played twice, you get 2 Focus
6. Now you have 0 energy, so you can end your turn.

If you play Amplify, then end the turn without playing a Power, nothing happens except you just wasted 1 energy to play it. Its effect doesn't carry over to the next turn.
 
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Exentryk

Exentryk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,234
Noaloha said:
A20's *real* rough, which isn't a problem in and of itself, rather just a statement about expected win% returns and you may be a player who enjoys that level of difficulty. If you're on PC, I'm pretty sure you can fiddle with tables on the backend to force A20 into your profile (certainly possible on the beta branch), but just be careful jumping into A20 after only dabbling in A0-5. The main worry I have with that is simply, assuming a general ability level, you'll get super familiar with Act 1, a little familiar with Act 2 and not very familiar with Act 3.
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Since the game has randomness, the difficulty for me comes more from what cards/relics I get during a run. So I'd rather just try my luck in the max difficulty. I'll see about forcing A20, thanks.

I picked the game up at a good time as the 4th character is about to release. Hope GOG gets it at the same time as well.
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,140
Found this on the subreddit, confirms that the GOG version gets achievements. I'm guessing it gets The Watcher, too.


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super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,140
ZeroX said:
They're adding two achievements? I assume it's beat the game and complete the ending with The Watcher.
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I'm pretty sure it's getting the Watcher ending, and maybe a Watcher specific achievement, like Scry a certain number of cards or switch stances X times in a turn, since there are character specific ones. Isn't there already one for beating the game?
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
super-famicom said:
I'm pretty sure it's getting the Watcher ending, and maybe a Watcher specific achievement, like Scry a certain number of cards or switch stances X times in a turn, since there are character specific ones. Isn't there already one for beating the game?
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There's beat the game (act 3) and get the ending (act 4) with each individual hero. The other achievements aren't technically character specific, although stuff like deal Poison, channel orbs etc, obviously aren't going to come from other heroes outside of Daily Runs or Prismatic Shard shenanigans.
 
Mugen

Mugen

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,439
Stockholm, Sweden
Beat the game with the Defect. So once with each of the three main characters done. Still have some unlocks for the Silent and the Defect. This game is such a priviledge to play. Happy I waited for 1.0 before diving in. Was my obvious no. 1 pick for Era and PCEra GotY.
 
Molecule

Molecule

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,691
Started playing this on Gamepass and thought there was something there so I got it for Switch. I think this is easily one of my top games of all time. I have been playing this game exclusively. After I spent a couple hundred bucks on the black Friday and holiday eShop sales, this is all I'm playing.

So far, the Ironclad is my favorite, closely followed by the Defect. I have beat the game with those two. I'm trying to beat it with the Silent but haven't been able to do it. The game is so fun and addicting. I find myself saying one more run a lot.

Any good video guides that aren't super long?

Also, is there an unlimited climb mode? Or is the ascension stuff all there is?
 
cakely

cakely

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,149
Chicago
Jinfash said:
What does amplify do? The he description isn't helpful and the internet is even worse.
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After playing Amplify the next power card (or 2 power cards, for the upgraded version of Amplify) you play that turn will be copied and played.

So basically, the effect listed on the power card will occur twice. If it says "Gain 2 Dexterity", then you'll end up gaining 4 dexterity for the rest of the combat. That's it.

Note that this counts as a second played power card for that turn so it will trigger effects like the Time Eater Time Warp effect, Choke and A Thousand Cuts.
 
Exentryk

Exentryk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,234
Waiting on the Watcher, but can't see it yet on GOG.

In the meantime, I've completed A20 with Ironclad using a Barricade setup.
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,107
The new character seems really fun. I hadn't played her before, I've played for something like 50 hours on console and finally bought the game on Steam so I can play on my laptop while my wife watched TV. I only played one quick run but managing stances seems really fun, and Mark is a cool twist on poison (I only saw one Mark card, not sure if you can build a deck around it like you can poison). See seems sort of opposite to the Defect in a way, many of my successful Defect runs involve gaining some focus and then channeling orbs like mad to take advantage of the evoke bonuses. It can feel a little random at times, especially if I'm using Chaos. It's interesting to feel completely in control with the Scry cards.

I'm really curious to find out what Divinity does, I got a rare card that a did amount of damage plus X, where X is the number of Divinity you've gained this combat. Apparently when you get 10 you enter a third stance, I didn't get any cards that actually give you divinity so I didn't get to check that out.
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,140
steamcommunity.com

Steam :: Slay the Spire :: Patch V2.0: The Watcher

Hey everyone, Patch 2.0 is finally here, hooray! This patch brings new cards, relics, potions, balance changes, reworks, bug fixes, performance improvements, and a 4th character. The previous version of the game can still be played by selecting "v1.1 - 2019-17-07" found in the BETAS tab within...
steamcommunity.com steamcommunity.com

Enjoy The Watcher! She's my second favorite character, after Defect. And after playing maybe 50 hours of her in the beta, she might even take Defect's spot in my heart. She definitely needs more time to learn, since her playstyle is very unique. With her Wrath and Divinity stances, she can be very attack oriented, so you can think of her as like the Ironclad in that regard. I'll try to post some more thoughts on her later.

In regards to the above post asking about Divinity:

Upon entering this stance, gain 3 Energy. While in this stance, deal triple damage. Leave this stance at the end of your turn. Divinity can be entered by gaining 10 Mantra.

Divinity is basically a way for you to do super burst damage and end the combat that turn. It takes a while to set up, so make sure you have the defense and ability to Scry the cards you need. There's a power card that grants you 2(3) Mantra every turn, and other cards can grant you Mantra upon being played as well.
 
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ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
Ahhhhhhhhhh I can't wait for it to come to console and mobile

I've been playing Pirates Outlaws on mobile. It's... certainly a different take on StS. The monetization is pretty intense and it works on a reverse ascension. So you get permanent upgrades that make your runs easier (increased max health, cheaper store prices). Energy doesn't refill each turn, you need to use cards for that. Armor doesn't disappear each turn. Only one status effect at a time, positive or negative. It's definitely not as well balanced but it's something to pass the time with.
 

Deleted member 28523

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
2,911
yeah started replaying on PC now that Watcher has officially released. I really wish they would let you skip right to ascension 20. I already have the other 3 at Ascension 20. not a lot of fun at level 7 ascension. :/
 
OP
OP
TeamLeftMatch

TeamLeftMatch

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,683
Guess who finally remembered to update the OP. I've done some slight changes here and there. On topic I haven't put too much time with the watcher since I want to finish off every character's 4th act before that but I love the stance changes.
 
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