Slay the Spire 2 – Which character is best for climbing high Ascension levels

[JohnB17]

Slay the Spire 2 – Which Character Is Currently Best for Climbing High Ascensions?

Slay the Spire 2 has been performing strongly on Steam and especially on Steam Deck, with players constantly theorycrafting the strongest paths.


In the current patch, the Ironclad equivalent (the aggressive warrior-style character) remains the most consistent for high Ascension climbs for most players. Its straightforward block-and-strike identity, strong early relics, and reliable scaling make it the safest choice when learning the new act structures and enemy patterns.
The more complex characters (the new deck-manipulation focused one and the poison/status specialist) have higher ceilings but steeper learning curves and can brick more easily on higher Ascensions.
Beginners and intermediate players should master the aggressive starter first, then branch out. Focus on early block generation and one strong scaling engine rather than forcing fancy combos every run.