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| Slay the Spire is 90% off on Steam until January 5. |
If there's a single game that perfectly captures the addictive "just one more run" feeling of modern gaming, it's Slay the Spire—and right now, it's practically free.
If you've been watching the Steam Winter Sale and wondering why a 2019 deck-building roguelike is still trending, here's your answer: Slay the Spire is not just a game; it's a genre-defining masterpiece that has captivated nearly every player who touches it. With 97% positive reviews from over 194,000 players on Steam and currently available at a historic 90% discount for just $2.50 (from $25), it's experiencing a well-deserved renaissance.
This isn't just another card game. It's a brutally strategic, endlessly replayable climb up a procedurally generated tower where every decision matters, every death teaches you something new, and victory tastes incredibly sweet.
The Heart of the Spire: What Makes This Game Special
At its core, Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck-builder. You choose one of four distinct heroes—the brute-force Ironclad, the poison-focused Silent, the strategic Defect, or the high-skill-cap Watcher—and attempt to climb a three-act tower.
The magic lies in its procedural generation. No two runs are ever the same. The map layout, enemies, relics you find, and cards you're offered are reshuffled every time you start a new ascent. Combine this with permadeath (when your character dies, you start from the very beginning), and you have a recipe for a game that demands adaptation and strategic thinking over rote memorization.
Combat is a brilliant dance of risk and reward. You draw a hand of cards each turn, spending Energy to play Attacks, Skills, and Powers. The game's masterstroke is that enemies telegraph their next move. You always know what's coming—a massive attack, a debilitating debuff, or a defensive posture. This transforms combat from random card-slinging into a tense puzzle: do you go all-in for damage this turn, or play it safe and block, knowing what the enemy plans next?
From Rags to Riches: The Art of Building Your Deck
You start each run with a basic deck of weak "Strike" and "Defend" cards. The journey upward is about transforming this pile of junk into a powerful, synergistic engine.
- Acquiring Cards: After most combats, you choose one of three new cards to add to your deck. The choice is constant and critical. Do you take a powerful, high-cost attack for future bosses, or a cheaper, more versatile card to survive the next hallway fight?
- Understanding Card Types: Cards fall into clear categories. Attacks deal damage, Skills often provide Block or utility, and Powers grant persistent effects for the entire combat. Learning to balance these types is key to a functional deck.
- Beyond Cards: Relics and Potions: You also collect Relics (permanent passive bonuses) and Potions (powerful one-time-use items). A well-timed potion can save a run, and the right relic can define your entire strategy.
A Pro's Mindset: How to Think About Your Deck
Experts stress that new players should forget about forcing a specific "build" like a "poison deck" from the start. Instead, build flexibly around what the game offers you.
"Since you pick up cards as you go... it's best to focus on getting a strong foundation to your deck first, making it more well-rounded, and then focus on honing it towards a certain synergy or combo later on," advises a community guide with over 400 hours of experience.
The goal is to answer the different challenges each Act presents. Act 1 often demands upfront damage to defeat early Elites. Act 2 tests your ability to scale your damage output over longer fights. Act 3 bosses ask very specific things of your deck's capabilities.
Here is a quick breakdown of how to approach the game's strategic layers:
Meet the Characters: Four Unique Ways to Play
Your choice of hero dramatically changes the game. Each has a unique starter relic, card pool, and playstyle.
The Ironclad (The Warrior): The most straightforward, specializing in high HP, strength-gaining cards, and powerful attacks. A great starting character for learning the basics.
The Silent (The Assassin): Relies on poison (damage that ticks up each turn), shivs (zero-cost attack cards), and clever deck manipulation through draw and discard mechanics.
The Defect (The Automaton): A complex character focused on orbs. You channel passive orbs that automatically trigger effects—like dealing lightning damage or granting block—each turn, allowing for deep strategic planning.
The Watcher (The Ascetic): The high-skill-cap character. Masters stance dancing, switching between Calm, Wrath, and Divinity stances to generate massive energy and deal explosive damage. Not for the faint of heart.
Playing on the Go: A Perfect Steam Deck Companion
One of the game's biggest strengths is its portability. Slay the Spire is Steam Deck Verified and feels "absolutely brilliant" on the handheld, according to hands-on reports. Developers added full Steam Input support in 2022, ensuring it "works nicely out of the box" on the Deck.
The community is vibrant, with extensive mod support. Popular expansions like Downfall (which lets you play as the bosses!) even have their own Steam pages. While getting mods to run on the Steam Deck requires some tinkering, dedicated players have found ways to make it work.
Is This Game for You? The Critical Verdict
The critical and player consensus is overwhelmingly positive. At launch, German magazine GameStar praised its engaging strategy and immense replayability, giving it an 86/100. On Metacritic, it holds a stellar Metascore of 89 with a User Score of 8.0.
The criticisms are minor but noted: the game can sometimes feel luck-dependent, especially for newer players. The enemy designs are functional but not groundbreaking, and combat animations are simple and static. However, these are footnotes in a near-flawless strategic experience.
Your Chance to Climb
For a limited time until January 5, as part of the Steam Winter Sale, you can own one of the highest-rated and most influential indie games of the last decade for less than the price of a coffee.
This 90% discount, bringing the price to just $2.50, is the game's lowest historical price according to SteamDB. Whether you're a strategy fanatic, a card game enthusiast, or just someone looking for a deep, rewarding game you can play in short bursts or long sessions, this is an unmissable opportunity.
Claim your historic discount on Slay the Spire on Steam here