The character you select in Slay the Spire 2 is one of the most important choices throughout your entire run. Each character comes with their own deck, abilities, and stats that require you to use a unique playstyle compared to one of the other characters.
Slay the Spire 2 has five total characters that you can choose from, but not all of them are unlocked right from the start of the game. If you want to see how to unlock a certain character or see which characters are better than others, take a look at the complete guide below.
All characters in Slay the Spire 2
When you launch Slay the Spire 2 for the first time, you’ll only have access to one character. This doesn’t have a huge impact on the game, though, especially if you played the first Slay the Spire, as your first run is always about learning mechanics and strategies.
However, for future runs, you want more options to pick from, which means you have to know how to unlock the other four characters. We’ll go over all five characters in Slay the Spire 2 below, as well as how to unlock them.
The Ironclad
- Unlock method: Unlocked by default
The Ironclad is one of the three returning characters in Slay the Spire 2, and it resumes its place as the default character. You’re forced to use The Ironclad as the character for your first run since it’s the only one you have unlocked. However, this is certainly not a detriment by any means, as The Ironclad is a powerful character that utilizes a large sword to deal damage while staying healthy thanks to tanky stats and self-healing relics/cards.
The Silent
- Unlock method: Unlocked after completing a run as The Ironclad
Next up is The Silent, which can only be unlocked after you’ve completed an entire run as The Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2. Once again, we have a returning character who plays very similarly to how she did in the first game.
The Silent is an assassin-type character who can utilize poison damage and quick attacks to slowly whittle an opponent’s HP down. Her starting relic, Ring of the Snake, is also incredible, as it allows you to draw an additional two cards at the start of every combat engagement.
The Regent
- Unlock method: Unlocked after completing a run as The Silent
Finally, we have a new character in Slay the Spire 2, and for this reason, The Regent has become extremely popular amongst the player base. Thanks to The Regent’s Forge mechanic and the Stars it can obtain throughout combat, it has a variety of build combinations that can be used to deal huge chunks of damage to enemies.
The Necrobinder
- Unlock method: Unlocked after completing a run as The Regent
The Necrobinder is the final new character in Slay the Spire 2, and it’s the second-to-last character you’ll unlock. However, The Necrobinder also comes with a summon named Osty, who essentially acts as the shield for you during battle. Osty tanks all of the damage for The Necrobinder, but you can also weaponize it to dish out damage. If all else fails, though, you have access to the Doom mechanic, which can one-hit KO enemies under the right circumstances.
The Defect
- Unlock method: Unlocked after completing a run as The Necrobinder
Finally, we have The Defect, which is the last character you unlock in Slay the Spire 2. While it takes a bit to unlock the character, The Defect is certainly worth the wait, as it has access to Orbs that have a variety of effects. Orbs can either be used frequently throughout combat or stored up to unleash a massive wave of damage at the end of a fight. You can also use them to protect yourself or provide other buffs.
Slay the Spire 2 character tier list
Now that we’ve gone through all of the characters in Slay the Spire 2, which ones should you prioritize using during your runs? While all of the characters definitely have merit in different areas, there are a couple of characters that stand above the rest.
We’ll list out what characters we’ve placed into each tier and go into why those characters were placed where they were below:
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S Tier | The Regent, The Necrobinder |
| A Tier | The Ironclad, The Silent |
| B Tier | The Defect |
S Tier
Starting off with S Tier, we have The Regent and The Necrobinder. The Regent is clearly the top character in Slay the Spire 2 so far, as its Stars mechanic can completely change up how you play the game and defeat enemies. Your deck is all about acquiring more Stars and using them to your advantage.
We also have The Necrobinder in S Tier. With The Necrobinder, you have to know how to manage Osty during every fight. However, as long as you know when to tank and when to tank with your summon, you’ll have few issues using The Necrobinder.
A Tier
Next, we have A Tier, which has The Ironclad and The Silent. The Ironclad is simply a great all-around character that’s terrific for beginners, as you’ll mostly use them when you’re just learning Slay the Spire 2.
However, The Silent is a difficult-to-master character that has S Tier potential. The Silent’s posion damage and damage-over-time capabilities are a threat in any fight, but you also have to master her quick attacks and extra cards that you’ll gain at the start of every engagement. If you can figure out how to master The Silent, she’s arguably a top two character in the game.
B Tier
At long last, we have B Tier, which just has The Regent in it for now. While The Regent certainly doesn’t deserve to be the worst character in Slay the Spire 2, that more so speaks to how strong the other four characters are. The Regent is a strong character who can utilize its Orbs to get out of most sticky situations you might find yourself in. However, learning to use those Orbs can be tricky, and relying on them in combat can lead to some frustrating turns.
