Slay The Spire 2’s New Character Is “Absolutely Busted”

Slay The Spire 2 Just Got A New Character, And Players Are Already Expecting Nerfs Published Nov 13, 2026, 3:12 AM EST Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 3,000 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, provided context on some AI drama, and revealed that Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on three occasions. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. Slay the Spire 2 probably still has at least a year left in early access. Mega Crit's deckbuilding roguelike might not be as beloved as its predecessor yet, but it has one of the biggest concurrent player counts of all time, and its developers are continuously balancing and updating the game. Launched earlier this year, the game just received its biggest update yet, with two new game modes—Blitz and Dread—plus new buffs, nerfs, events, and a brand-new character: The Fool. After a few hours of testing, players are convinced that Fool nerfs aren't far off, with some describing them as "absolutely busted." The Fool Has Been Added To Slay The Spire 2, And They're Already Completely Broken The Fool is a bard with a bow. They use arrows for their standard attacks, but can call on the power of tarot for exceedingly powerful moves. One, shared on Reddit, has a cost of 0 and deals 3 damage for each floor traveled. It has to be exhausted, but late in a run, you can potentially deal upwards of 60 damage without spending any energy. They also have a Power card that plays the least expensive card in your hand at the end of your turn. The character is an awful lot of fun to play, but they are very broken, and players are discussing just how broken they are online. "Who tf gave him the numbers lol it's like he starts with 5 strength," said bottlemonstro on Reddit. "I've given them a go and holy crap are they powerful. I was on the lowest ascension admittedly, but I absolutely swept through the game with them. They can do some insane stuff pretty easily, I'd expect some very big nerfs," added jprocter15. This consensus was shared by almost everybody, with the tarot cards being called "totally overpowered" and The Fool "absolutely busted." The game's official patch notes hint that even Mega Crit thinks they're busted, saying, "We expect to make a great number of content and balance changes before the Fool is ready for the main branch." What Else Is Changing In Slay The Spire 2? Slay the Spire 2 now has two new modes: Blitz and Dread. Blitz removes the map and the need for gold, and is "condensed and chaotic" with a big focus on deckbuilding. Dread is for the hardened player; it's only unlocked after reaching Ascension 10 with all characters, and, with all Ascension modifiers activated, bosses are stronger, enemies are buffed, and curses "pile up as you climb the spire." There are also five new events with three new event cards, and a huge range of buffs and nerfs to playable characters, enemies, and bosses. It's a really significant update, and it seems to have been way better received than the first. You can check out the full patch notes right here, but for many people, that's their weekend sorted. Systems Released March 5, 2026 ESRB e Developer(s) Mega Crit Publisher(s) Mega Crit Multiplayer Online Co-Op