STS2 Patch Notes — 2026-03-19 (v0.100.0 Beta)

Welcome to the first BIG post-launch patch, Slayers!! This one has a huge balance pass, the main aim of which is to make infinites harder to achieve. We're also introducing a Phobia Mode with bespoke assets that should mitigate various creepy phobia concerns. Speaking of visuals, some snazzy new portrait art for various cards, and cool new character-specific VFX for when you gain energy!

Reminder: this patch is exclusive to the beta branch for now.

CONTENT

General:

• Added a Deprecated Card placeholder: Status — "Draw 1 card. Remove this from your Deck. Exhaust." If a card in your deck is removed from the game due to a recent update, it will be replaced with "Deprecated Card"

Ironclad:

• Reworked Dominate: Skill - Cost 1 - Uncommon - "Apply 1(2) Vulnerable. Gain 1 Strength for each Vulnerable on the enemy. Exhaust."
• Reworked Expect a Fight: Skill - Cost 2(1) - Uncommon - "Gain [E] for each Attack in your Hand. You cannot gain additional [E] this turn."
• Reworked Spite: Cost 0 - Attack - Uncommon - "Deal 5 damage. If you lost HP this turn, hits 2(3) times."
• Reworked Stoke: Skill - Cost 1 - Rare - "Exhaust your Hand. Add 1 random (Upgraded) card into your Hand for each card Exhausted."

Silent:

• Reworked Prepared into Prepare: Skill - Cost 1 - Common - "Discard 2 cards. Next turn, gain 2(3) Energy."

Regent:

• Reworked Glow: Skill - Cost 1 - Common - "Gain 1(2) Stars. Draw 1 card. Next turn, draw 1 card."

Colorless Cards:

• Reworked Hidden Gem: Skill - Cost 1 - "A random card in your Draw Pile without Replay gains Replay 2(3)."

Enemies:

• Reworked Doormaker. Beware.
• Reworked Skulking Colony to have a deadlier moveset

Ancients:

• Added new Neow blessing: Hefty Tablet — "Choose 1 of 3 Rare cards to add to your Deck. Add 1 Injury to your Deck."
• Added new Neow blessing: Neow's Talisman — "Upgrade 1 of your Strikes and 1 of your Defends."

BALANCE

General:

• All relics in the shop now cost 25 Gold less
• Relics that generate Gold (Bowler Hat, Amethyst Aubergine) no longer appear at the Merchant
• Gloom Ascension now also affects ? rooms
• Power values can no longer stack above 999,999,999
• You can no longer acquire Epochs in Daily or Custom runs
• Certain character stats no longer update in Daily or Custom runs

Ironclad:

• Buffed Break: Energy cost 2 → 1; Damage 20(25) → 20(30)
• Buffed Cinder: Damage 17(22) → 18(24)
• Buffed Fight Me!: Self-Strength gain 2(3) → 3(4)
• Nerfed Forgotten Ritual: now Exhausts
• Buffed Hemokinesis: Damage 14(19) → 15(20)
• Buffed Tremble: Vulnerable 2(3) → 3(4)

Silent:

• Nerfed Anticipate: Dexterity 3(5) → 2(3)
• Nerfed Corrosive Wave: Poison 3(4) → 2(3)
• Nerfed Flick-Flack: Damage 7(9) → 6(8)
• Buffed Grand Finale: Damage 50(60) → 60(75)
• Nerfed Pinpoint: Damage 17(22) → 15(19)
• Buffed Skewer: Damage 7(10) → 8(11)
• Nerfed Untouchable: Block 9(12) → 7(9)

Regent:

• Nerfed Alignment: Star cost 2 → 3
• Changed BEGONE!: Now a Skill that no longer deals damage; creates Minion Strike instead of Minion Dive Bomb
• Buffed Bundle of Joy: Energy cost 2 → 1
• Changed CHARGE!!: Now creates Minion Dive Bomb cards instead of Minion Strike cards
• Buffed Collision Course: Damage 9(12) → 11(15)
• Buffed Gather Light: Block 7(10) → 8(11)
• Buffed Heirloom Hammer: Damage 17(22) → 20(25)
• Buffed I Am Invincible: Block 9(12) → 10(13)
• Buffed Kingly Kick: Damage 24(30) → 27(35)
• Buffed Kingly Punch: Base damage 8(8) → 8(10); Scaling damage 3(5) → 4(6)
• Buffed Minion Dive Bomb: Energy cost 1 → 0
• Nerfed Minion Strike: Damage 7(10) → 6(9)
• Buffed Parry: Block 6(9) → 8(11)
• Buffed Patter: Block 8(10) → 9(11)
• Buffed Solar Strike: Damage 8(9) → 9(10)
• Buffed Spoils of Battle: Forge 10(15) → 12(17)
• Nerfed Void Form: Now Ethereal; upgrade changed from +1 card → losing Ethereal
• Buffed Wrought in War: Forge 5(7) → 7(9)

Necrobinder:

• Nerfed Banshee's Cry: Cost 6 → 9(7); upgrade no longer increases damage
• Nerfed Borrowed Time: Self-Doom 3(3) → 6(3); Energy gain no longer increases on upgrade
• Nerfed Capture Spirit: HP loss 3(4) → 2(3); Souls generated 3(4) → 2(3)
• Buffed Danse Macabre: Block 3(4) → 4(6)
• Buffed Debilitate: Damage 7(9) → 10(12)
• Changed Defy: Upgrade no longer increases Weak, but increases Block by +3 instead of +1
• Nerfed Dirge: now Exhausts
• Changed Grave Warden: Upgrade changed to 8(11) Block and no longer upgrades the Soul
• Buffed Sculpting Strike: Damage 8(11) → 9(12)
• Nerfed Seance: Cost 0 → 1(0); upgrade no longer makes a Soul+

Defect:

• Nerfed Hotfix: Now has Exhaust; upgrade now removes Exhaust instead of increasing Focus
• Buffed Rocket Punch: Cost reduction effect now lasts until played, instead of just until end of turn

Colorless Cards:

• Buffed Seeker Strike: Damage 6(9) → 9(12)
• Changed Discovery: "It costs 0 [E] this turn." → "It's free to play this turn." (now also reduces Star costs to 0)
• Buffed Eternal Armor: Plating 7(9) → 9(12)
• Changed Hidden Gem: Can no longer be generated in combat by effects like Skill Potion
• Changed Production: Upgrade changed from losing Exhaust → +1 additional Energy

Potions & Relics:

• Buffed Amethyst Aubergine: Gold gain 10 → 15
• Buffed Book of Five Rings: Healing 15 → 20
• Buffed Bowler Hat: Gold gain 20% → 25%
• Buffed Permafrost: Block gain 6 → 7
• Buffed Planisphere: HP gain 4 → 5
• Buffed Stone Cracker: Now works in ALL combats but only upgrades 2 cards

Enemies:

• Nerfed Bygone Effigy: Damage 15(17) → 13(15)
• Buffed Byrdonis: Swoop attack damage 16(18) → 17(19)
• Changed Calcified Cultist + Toadpole encounter: now Calcified Cultist + Seapunk
• Buffed Rocket Claw: Charge Up Strength scales with Ascension 2(2) → 2(3); HP 189(199) → 199(209); Rage Strength 5 → 6
• Buffed Crusher Claw: Adapt Strength scales with Ascension 2(2) → 2(3); HP 199(209) → 209(219); Rage Strength 5 → 6
• Nerfed Decimillipede: HP 42(48)–48(56) → 40(46)–46(52)
• Nerfed Fabricator: HP of all bots decreased by 5
• Changed Tunneler encounter: Bowlbug replaced by a Chomper that gives Dazed status cards on turn 1
• Nerfed Living Fog encounter: Gas Bomb HP 10(12) → 7(8)
• Buffed The Lost and The Forgotten: Stat stealing scales with Ascension (increased to 3 at A9); The Forgotten deals +1 damage per Dexterity
• Changed Nibbit: Now properly scales with Ascension; Hiss Strength 2 → 3 on A9; Slice damage 6 → 7 on A9; Slice Block 5 → 6 on A8
• Nerfed Phantasmal Gardeners: HP 28(29)–32(33) → 26(27)–31(32)
• Buffed Seapunk: Sea Kick damage 11(12) → 11(13)
• Nerfed Terror Eel: Crash damage 17(19) → 16(18); Thrash Vigor 7 → 6
• Changed Test Subject: Phase 2 no longer has Pounce; will instead repeat Multi Claw every turn

Ancients:

• Buffed Neow's Fury card: Cards returned to hand on upgrade 2 → 3
• Nerfed Neow's Leafy Poultice: Max HP loss 10 → 12
• Nerfed Neow's Precarious Shears: Self-damage 13 → 16
• Changed Tanx's Tri-Boomerang: Instinct enchantment no longer reduces cost; instead doubles damage on enchanted Attacks
• Changed Vakuu's Preserved Fog: Cards removed 5 → 3; Folly curse is now Ethereal

Events:

• Changed Dense Vegetation: Trudge On option now "Lose 8 HP. Gain 61–99 Gold."
• Changed Endless Conveyor: Can no longer spawn unless all players have at least 120 Gold (up from 105); "Grab off the Belt" cost 35 → 40 Gold
• Changed Grave of the Forgotten: Can no longer spawn unless every player has a card with Exhaust in their deck
• Changed Morphic Grove: Can no longer spawn unless all players have at least 2 transformable cards; Group option now costs ALL of the player's gold; now a collaborative event in multiplayer
• Changed Spirit Grafter: Rejection option now "Lose 10 HP. Upgrade a card."
• Changed The Round Tea Party: Can no longer spawn unless all players have at least 12 HP

Multiplayer:

• Nerfed Beacon of Hope: Can no longer be stacked
• Nerfed Believe in You: Energy 3(4) → 2(3)
• Nerfed Huddle Up: Now Exhausts

ART

• Infection affliction card overlay is no longer animated when Phobia Mode is turned on
• Added alternate Phobia Mode visuals for: Hive backgrounds, The Insatiable, Phrog Parasite, Wrigglers, Terror Eel, Entomancer
• Added portrait for the following cards: Gang Up, Seeker Strike, Spinner, Volley, Knockdown, Lift
• Updated asset for Kifuda relic
• Added asset for No Energy Gain power
• Added animation for Ovicopter buff
• Added placeholder sketches for Neow's Talisman and Hefty Tablet relics

USER INTERFACE & EXPERIENCE

• Added Phobia Mode tickbox in the Settings
• You can now skip relics received at treasure chests
• Added disclaimers for Daily and Custom runs (no Epochs or Achievements)
• Added icon in top bar if player is unable to obtain epochs/achievements in a run
• Hovering over the character icon now explains if you can't get achievements or epochs
• Added a way to disable map drawings in multiplayer
• The invite button now uses a hotkey on controller instead of manual navigation

WRITING

• Huddle Up card now says "ALL players" instead of "ALL allies"
• Improved wording clarity for Bombardment and Howl from Beyond cards
• Fairy in a Bottle potion and Lizard Tail relic descriptions now specify they trigger when you reach 0 HP specifically
• The Insatiable boss's Sandpit power is now worded more clearly on the turn that it will eat you

LOCALIZATION

• Updated translations for various languages
• Updated Korean text spacing
• "Fight" message in multiplayer treasure room is now translatable

BUG FIXES

General:

• Fixed rare Fatal Error when syncing Steam cloud saves
• Fixed rare bug where save could be reset
• Fixed exploit where players could controller navigate to card grid when upgrade/remove/enchant/transform preview screen is open
• Fixed a crash that could occur when triggering the thin slice visual effect
• Fixed crashes related to screen transitions, logo animation, and creature deaths
• Fixed an issue when viewing text of a card or power with very large numerical values
• Fixed an issue where, after winning a combat that rewards a predetermined relic, the relic reward would be randomized when continuing the run later after saving and quitting
• Fixed an issue where viewing deck with "View Upgrades" enabled and changing sort order would break the screen
• Fixed softlock when card selection screen would show 0 options
• Fixed an issue with Call of the Void card's hovertips when playing in Castilian Spanish

Regent:

• The Regent's character select screen now properly displays all constellations among the stars in the background

Defect:

• Fixed softlock when trying to transform Rip and Tear card

Ancients:

• Fixed card prompts auto-selecting without player input after a run with Vakuu's Whispering Earring relic
• Fixed softlock when Vakuu's Whispering Earring relic would auto-play Hand Trick card with 2+ eligible Skills

Events:

• Fixed missing Eternal hovertip when showing card preview for Greed curse in Sunken Treasury event

Multiplayer:

• Fixed a crash that could occur when rapidly retrying multiplayer joins
• Fixed a multiplayer sync issue that occurred when players used different OS languages
• Fixed a softlock that could occur when a player would die to Breakthrough card's self-HP loss in multiplayer
• Fixed softlock at the end of the Architect event in multiplayer
• A proper error is now displayed when trying to accept a stale invite
• Fixed state divergence related to Imbued enchantment and Letter Opener relic
• Fixed state divergence related to Defect orb passives triggering during a player choice
• Fixed a multiplayer softlock caused by auto-playing a sequence of multiple cards and dying before the last card in the sequence has been played