March 5th: just a couple short weeks from now you'll be able to dive in (or climb, I suppose) once again to the grandparent of all roguelike deckbuilers when the sequel to Slay the Spire launches in early access. A new animated trailer reveals, after following the Silent through a rough boss fight, that this time around others will be able to join you on your quest — meaning perhaps you wont have to be alone for the next several hundred hours you spend in the Spire.
Slay the Spire 2 was announced some time ago, and we know some of what to expect at this point: naturally there will be lots of new cards, relics, potions, bosses etc, and the three previous characters Silent, Ironclad and Defect are confirmed to be returning alongside two new ones. The skeletal summoner known as the Necrobinder has joined the cast followed by the enigmatic, faceless Regent who sits upon a throne.
But a new reveal with this trailer (in addition to the first playable build of the game coming on March 5th) is that the early access launch will be the first time that a Slay the Spire videogame will be playable in a 2-4 player cooperative mode outside of unofficial mods. This is a huge deal for the many superfans of the game who have poured countless hours into the original, opening up so much new potential for cross-character synergizing and cards and events interacting in ways we can't yet begin to predict.
I find it particularly interesting that the very popular physical version Slay the Spire: The Board Game from 2024 was built from the ground up with this kind of 4-player co-op in mind, which went over very well with fans of the game. Perhaps playing this way over the last few years, or being involved in that design space, could have influenced the designers/developers in this direction for the sequel? I've had lots of fun with the co-op in the tabletop version, and being able to collaborate digitally will lower the barrier for so many friends to play together that way.
Slay the Spire 2 will be available in early access (a work-in-progress, beta version of the game) on March 5th on Steam.
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