Mega Crit added The Fool as Slay the Spire 2's sixth playable character in beta patch v0.113.0, released on November 12, 2026. The bow-wielding musician is the first character added since early access began on March 5, and arrives alongside two new modes, Blitz and Dread.
The Fool makes you work for your arrow
The Fool starts with 77 HP and has a card called Foolish Shot, which costs 1 energy and fires an Arrow for 15 damage. Firing the Arrow leaves its target with the Impaled status.
Recovering that Arrow takes three hits against the Impaled enemy, or killing it. Until you retrieve it, cards that require the Arrow cannot be used. Choosing a target means considering both the initial damage and how quickly the rest of your hand can get the Arrow back.
The character's card pool also includes Wah, Ki, and Cho Melody cards, plus Sadness and Joy. The rare Power Mythic Form adds a random Tarot card to your hand each turn, giving The Fool another source of cards beyond the bow.
Blitz cuts the map, Dread stacks the danger
Blitz changes the structure around the card battles. The map is gone, Gold no longer matters, and the Merchant supplies free buffs and card rewards in place of the usual relics and specific cards. Mega Crit describes it as a condensed, chaotic mode focused on deckbuilding.
Blitz unlocks after completing an Ascension run at any difficulty. It has five Ascension levels, with progression shared across all characters.
Dread has a steeper entry requirement: you must reach Ascension 10 on every character, including The Fool. Every Ascension modifier is active, bosses are stronger and buff all enemies in their Act, and Curses accumulate as you climb. Veterans who have already cleared that threshold with the existing roster still have a new character to learn before they can enter.
Familiar decks get current balance changes
Expect a Fight changes a defensive option for Slay the Spire 2 Ironclad builds. The Skill no longer gains extra Block from Strength. It now grants 15 Block, or 20 when upgraded, and makes Attacks in your hand cost 1 less energy until played. Its cost remains 3 energy.
Silent's Expertise still draws 2 cards, or 3 when upgraded, but now retains the whole hand for the turn instead of just the drawn cards. Memento Mori becomes a 3-cost Sly Attack that deals 19 damage, or 23 upgraded, to the enemy with the lowest HP.
Several damage cards also take reductions. The values in parentheses below are their upgraded values:
- Salvo: damage drops from 12 (16) to 10 (14).
- Phantom Blades: additional Shiv damage falls from 9 (12) to 8 (11).
- CHARGE!!: Minion Dive Bomb damage drops from 13 (16) to 11 (13).
Outside combat, rest sites can now appear one floor earlier in every Act. Five events join the pool: Waterfall of Obvious Secrets and Wuppy in Trouble in the Underdocks, Museum of Torture in Act 2, and Shrine of the Warlord and Thermae Nonupeipe in Act 3. The patch also adds a Byrdpip evolution and the Colorless card My Shinies.
The interface gets practical fixes, too. Opening a run saved in a newer version now prompts you to update instead of reporting a corrupt save. Fiend Fire also displays how many times it will hit during combat, putting that count on the card before you commit to playing it.
