Slay the Spire 2: Best Characters, Ranked

Picking a favorite character for Slay the Spire 2 feels a lot like what I imagine it’s like for a parent to pick a favorite child. You really don’t know search to do it, but also… you know, right? Come on, don’t say.

The reason for this with Slay the Spire 2 is because really, all five characters in the game are really good. In fact, when I play multiplayer with friends, I just let everyone choose their character, because I’ll be good for anyone.

However, life is full of difficult decisions and choices, so let’s make another one today. Below, I’ll rank the five characters in Slay the Spire 2 from “worst” to best, and, with the caveat that everyone actually terrible.

5

Ironclad

Tanks of Memories

If you skipped the intro to the article and just went down to the ratings, this might be when I need to tell Ironclad fans to get off. I know, I know. Fifth place for your boy? It’s hard, I get it. But trust me, I fully understand how good this character is, and I used him a a lot between the two games at this point.

Ironclad is the perfect character to give players priority in the game, and I think Mega Crit was very smart to do so in both titles now. He has the lowest learning curve in the game, and his HP regeneration due to activation with Burning Blood is obviously going well. long way to survive early, especially when paired with the highest starting HP number in the game anyway.

Actually, my only “complaint” with him is that he can’t really be an expert at anything extra between multiple runs and multiple builds. At the end of the day, you are a tank. That character style can work incredibly well in Slay the Spire 2 every time, but it also makes Ironclad feel like it has a low skill ceiling compared to other options.

4

The Regent

The Cosmic Cannon

The first new character in the lineup, the Regent is actually my favorite character in terms of art direction and overall design. An alien ruler who clearly gives zero egg on anything and visibly yawns in both his card artwork and in-game animations is a fun addition to the following list.

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Regent also has a steep learning curve in the game, with many players I’ve talked to saying they feel like they don’t know how to use him yet. However, take your time, and you will succeed immediately learn that he is an absolute beast, although he is also a little weak. He’s a Glass Cannon type, capable of dishing out a lot of damage, but he’s liable to be wiped out quickly if you’re not careful, too.

Of course, he also has an extra learning curve for the star power system, making him a slightly more approachable character in the game. It’s a lot of work to wrap your head around early on, but you can also be sure that this extra mechanic to learn is worth the payoff in the end because Regent can be an annoying OP later on if you play your cards wisely.

3

The quiet one

But it kills

Coming back to the first game, The Silent was my main focus for the hundreds of hours I put into OG Slay the Spire. Here, he is very much the same again, which I have no complaints about.

When you play as The Silent, you know you’re playing one of two things: Poison or Shivs. It’s either completely functional, very powerful options, and you can have a ton of success going anywhere.

The problem, at least for me, is that I often find myself stuck between Poison and Shiv Build due to the game’s RNG and can’t really trust which way to lean more, since I obviously don’t know what future cards are coming down. You it can be you’ve had success with the Dual Poison/Shiv Build, but it’s a tough needle to trigger for sure.

2

The Necrobinder

Osty’s Ol’ Pro Sis

Another new character in the series, The Necrobinder took no time at all to become a fan favorite. Just spend a moment or two with him and his dear friend Osty, a giant amputated skeleton hand, and you’ll see why. Not only can Osty deal damage, but Necrobinder also has the coolest new status effect in the game to upgrade: Doom.

Doom type works like poison, except it doesn’t do anything. As you play cards that pack Doom, you’ll notice a purple bar that fills the enemy’s HP meter. Get their HP lower than the amount of Doom you put in, and they’ll die on their next turn. This program terribleand combined with Poison, The Necrobinder and The Silent are a nasty co-op duo if you’re building a multiplayer squad.

The problem with Doom, however, is that it doesn’t deal real damage like Poison. This makes it very tempting to just stack endlessly, but possibly forget in the process to deal the necessary damage to make it worth it. If you can learn the balance between casting Doom and actually taking damage (where Necrobinder has the lowest effect), this character is amazing. If not, well… You’re doomed.

1

A feature

In Name Only

And coming back from the first game, Defect is currently the best character in Slay the Spire 2. And yes, I know a lot of people struggle to find the right build for him, and I totally understand. However! If you do roll over this guy’s good build, nothing can stand against you.

Specifically, if you can add more orb slots than the three he starts with and keep summoning/casting/casting combinations of them, holy cow. Combined with the Frost orbs it makes him brave enough in the damage reduction category, you indeed can start cooking with The Defect if everything goes well.

I can see the argument that Defect relies too much on RNG to be someone’s favorite character, but I also think you shouldn’t forget how powerful he can be in a run where you get everything right.

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Systems

Released

March 5, 2026

The ESRB

e

Many players

Online Co-Op

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