Slay the Spire beat me. Punished me. Broke me. Put me back together and humbled me. Showed me the way — when I was finally willing to listen. A gleeful monster relishing in my torment became my greatest teacher. This is the story of how Slay the Spire became one of my all-time favorite games.
For the unaware, let me explain Slay the Spire‘s structure real quick. To start, there are four different characters/classes to choose from — all requiring different strategies. As you set upon the torturous road ahead, you only have “The Ironclad” unlocked, centered around heavy hitting, buffs, debuffs, and strategic defenses. You’ll have to take yourself from the bottom to the top of three spires. This presents itself as a spiderweb of encounters, events, campfires, shops, and finally, that spire’s boss.
As someone who merely “liked” deck-builders before Slay the Spire, I was expecting a cakewalk. Something you need to know about me and deck-builders (and RPGs, too) prior to this game is that I wasn’t a patient dude. If it dealt with buffs and debuffs, I didn’t have time for it. “Hit thing hard before it hit me hard” was the caveman mentality I carried with me. For the most part, that “throwing yourself at the wall until it gives” strategy worked pretty well! …Until that wooden wall became the solid concrete tower that was Slay the Spire.
‘slay the spire’ hated me because it loved me
So, with my hard-set ignorance and hubris aligned, I started my journey! “Of course getting to the boss will be easy — when isn’t it?!” I got rinsed during my first encounter with an Elite enemy. I wasn’t even halfway to the boss at that point. “…What? But–but my cards! I optimized my deck!” I didn’t, dear reader. I took all the high-offense cards and assumed I’d slay anything before it could do any meaningful damage to me.
It was my fifth death without getting more than 50% of the way up the spire that I began to see the folly of my ways. “Fine,” I grumbled. “I guess I’ll try a damn buff/debuff build and see how that goes.” This time? I made it about 75% of the way through the perilous map before my untimely demise! Progress! Hadn’t hit the boss yet, but purposeful progress was being made! My next lesson? Understanding that a bigger deck isn’t necessarily a better deck. (Get the giggles out now, guys.)
That’s when I smartened up and started to cut out cards I didn’t need. Rather than a cumbersome roster of cards I couldn’t make plans for, I began to rifle through my discard pile to anticipate the cards I was most likely to draw next so I could better strategize. Elite encounters went from borderline impossible to consistently feasible! If I messed up, it wasn’t Slay the Spire‘s fault! It was mine for not properly optimizing my deck! Sure, RNG mostly decides which enemies you encounter. But it’s a little less important to hyperfocus on the enemy and imperative to focus on yourself and your overall game plan.
the best in the business for a reason
When I finally got to the spire’s boss for the first time, I had my day ruined within 10 turns. But, by then, I had a good enough grasp on everything in the Ironclad’s toolbox to finally (eventually) reach the summit of that mountain. And when I triumphed at long last, I cheered. I’d done it — I’d had good gaming habits beaten into me and applied them dutifully! …Then, the game told me I had two more spires left to complete a fully successful run. It was time to get back in the lab to prepare for all-new enemies and a fresh rotation of end-of-spire bosses.
Slay the Spire taught me that sometimes, brute force can’t be the way forward. You have to use every tool (or card, in this case) at your disposal — learning the synergies, trusting your build — to have a snowball’s chance in hell at winning the great game. If you were like me before my “awakening,” this could be a frustrating experience, if you let it. But if you’re willing to put in the work? Slay the Spire becomes one of the most deeply satisfying and rewarding experiences you’ll ever have.
Early Access for Slay the Spire 2 in 2025 can’t arrive soon enough!
The post How ‘Slay the Spire’ Harshly Developed My Deck-Building Skills appeared first on VICE.
The post How ‘Slay the Spire’ Harshly Developed My Deck-Building Skills appeared first on VICE.
