Slay the Spire 2 Teases New Creature Ahead of Nov. 12 Beta

Mega Crit plans to release the next beta update for Slay the Spire 2 on Thursday, Nov. 12. The update will include a creature from an alternate Act Two, while future plans cover co-op improvements and expanded custom-run features.

The developer announced the date in its October Neowsletter after waiting for more details to be ready. The new content will first appear on the experimental beta branch. The main branch will receive the content, balance changes and fixes currently available in the stable beta version, v0.111.0.

Mega Crit has not provided a full list of the update’s additions. The studio previously identified experimental game modes, an alternate Act Two and a new character as active projects. These features require more design, interface work, art, animation and balancing before testing can begin. Mega Crit has described the update as large and wrote on X that its size will reflect the wait.

Work on the additions began in earnest in August, after the team brought the core game to a state it considered ready. The developer took its annual break throughout September and returned at the end of the month.

Co-founder Casey Yano wrote that the positive response to co-op had encouraged Mega Crit to add more longevity to the mode. He rejected the idea of allowing players to share resources such as gold, arguing that pooled resources could let one player become disproportionately powerful.

Yano also outlined plans for more custom-run features, which would give players additional ways to explore the game. That work will probably arrive in a later update close to the 1.0 launch. Controller support and minimum text-size requirements make custom-run features harder to implement, he wrote. Desktop players and mod creators are likely to have more flexibility.

Co-founder Anthony Giovannetti added that Mega Crit plans to create a way for players to revisit older beta artwork for cards and the game’s Timeline.

The studio also revealed the first creature from the alternate area of the Spire teased in its previous Neowsletter. The aquatic creature appears to come from a shadowy location that may be connected to the Underdocks. Mega Crit did not provide a name or confirm the area’s identity.

Players who want to test the Nov. 12 update will need to select the preview branch through Slay the Spire 2’s “game versions and betas” menu in the Steam Library game properties. Mega Crit advises players to back up their saves before changing branches.