Marcos 
Mega Crit pushed v0.113.0 to the Slay the Spire 2 public beta on November 12, 2026, and it’s the first update since the March Early Access launch that really changes what a run can be. You get the Fool, the first new character of Early Access, plus two new modes called Blitz and Dread that work solo and in co-op. My honest read? Dread is the headline for the sweatlords, but Blitz is the one that’s going to eat my weeknights.
There’s a catch. It’s all beta-only, while the main branch just caught up to the previous beta, v0.111.0. Right-click the game in your Steam library, open Properties, go to Game Versions & Betas and pick public-beta. Back up your save first, since some beta players are already reporting wiped saves. Full notes are in the official Mega Crit post on Steam.
What Blitz and Dread change in a Slay the Spire 2 run
Blitz trades the map for pure deckbuilding
Blitz deletes the map. You open by picking three cards from a random pool of ten, then face just four encounters per Act. Gold stops mattering, chests hand you an extra relic and the Merchant lets you grab three special goods. Think card packs, enchantments or a full heal with bonus max HP that also slips a curse into your deck.
It plays like the draft phase of a card game: fewer picks, so every pick is louder. No pathing to agonize over (elite or ? room, again?), so all your brain goes into synergy. Blitz unlocks after you finish an Ascension run at any difficulty, and its 5 Ascension levels are shared across every character. Smart call. Nobody wants five separate grinds.
Dread is for players who think Ascension 10 is too comfy
Dread is gated hard. You need Ascension 10 on every character, the Fool included, before it opens up. Inside, every Ascension modifier is on, bosses hit harder and buff all enemies in their Act, and you pick up an Ascender’s Bane curse at the end of each Act.
Mega Crit says death is expected, and I believe them, because a deck that gets worse the longer you survive flips the usual snowball on its head. Still climbing the normal ladder? Our Slay the Spire 2 Ascension guide covers A1 to A10. Honestly, the real wall is getting a brand-new character to A10, not Dread itself.
How the new modes work in co-op
Casey Yano confirmed in the October Neowsletter that the new modes support singleplayer and multiplayer, and co-op already takes up to four players. Blitz is my pick for a group night, because four encounters per Act keep things moving when someone has to log off early. Funny side effect: Casey said gold can’t be shared so one player doesn’t snowball, and in Blitz gold doesn’t matter anyway.
The small multiplayer fixes matter more than they look
Potions can no longer be used or discarded while moving between rooms, which kills a softlock that could stop the enemy turn from starting. Several Tutor softlocks are gone too, and hosting a Daily Run no longer times out a friend who joins right away.
Necrobinder players get a quiet one, as Osty no longer becomes interactable by other players while reviving. None of this makes headlines, but it’s exactly the stuff that used to ruin a good four-player run.
The Fool and the balance changes that shape your builds
The Fool plays with arrows, Aim and melodies
The Fool is a masked bard with a bow. Their starting relic, Song Bow, gives 6 Aim every combat, and Aim makes your next Arrow hit harder. Arrows Impale enemies, and you need three more hits (or a kill) to Dislodge one and fire it again, which nudges you toward attack-heavy decks.
Wah, Cho and Ki cards switch on melodies that other cards feed off, and Sadness and Joy form a sad-clown pairing that turns dead draws into energy once you find Ecstasy. Early players rate the Bow archetype as the strongest, and Mythic Form is already a meme. Mega Crit expects lots of changes before the Fool hits the main branch, so enjoy the broken stuff while it lasts.
Balance changes for Ascension climbers
Rest sites can now appear one floor earlier in every Act. Infested Prism no longer gains 20 Block on Pulsate and applies 1 Vulnerable instead, so that fight turns into a damage race. Neow’s Dowsing Rod now transforms after 4 ? rooms instead of 5.
Ironclad’s Expect a Fight now makes Attacks in hand cost 1 less, Silent’s Memento Mori became a 3-cost Sly card hitting the lowest-HP enemy for 19, and the Regent’s CHARGE!! Dive Bomb drops from 13 to 11. The Necrobinder got no balance changes, so our Necrobinder builds guide still holds up.
My take
This update makes Early Access feel alive again. Blitz is the most interesting thing Mega Crit has added since launch, because it tests your deckbuilding instincts without the safety net of pathing. Dread is niche on purpose, and the Fool already feels as distinct as the Watcher did in the first game.
Love the draft side of roguelikes? Blitz scratches the same itch as a quick Monster Train 2 run. Live for suffering? Dread is home. Slay the Spire 2 is in Early Access on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux at $24.99, currently 20% off at $19.99. Have you tried Blitz or Dread yet, and which Fool archetype is working for you? Tell me in the comments.
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