Slay the Spire 2 Epochs Guide: How to Actually Progress
Mega Crit completely scrapped the traditional leveling system from the first game, replacing it with a massive, interconnected timeline that tracks literally everything you do.
If you just started playing Slay the Spire 2 and are wondering why your card pool feels incredibly limited after five hours, you are probably ignoring the Epoch system. Progression is no longer tied strictly to grinding XP on a single character until a bar fills up. Instead, the game uses a global "Timeline" populated by nodes called Epochs. Every time you hit a specific milestone, whether that is killing a certain number of bosses or just playing a class for the first time, you unlock an Epoch. Unlocking an Epoch permanently adds new cards, relics, potions, or entirely new mechanics to your future runs.
If you are struggling to even reach these milestones because the new Act 1 enemies are crushing you, go read my Slay the Spire 2 beginner's survival guide first. You cannot unlock late-game Epochs if you keep dying to a random slime. Here is the complete breakdown of every Epoch currently known in the game and exactly what you need to do to trigger it.
The Foundation Unlocks
These are the core Epochs that expand your general gameplay options, adding new encounters and completely altering how the Spire generates its floors.
You unlock these by accumulating raw score across all your runs, interacting with the new Ancient NPCs, or simply finishing the tutorial phase.
Class-Specific Progression
The bulk of the timeline is tied directly to character performance. You cannot just farm points on the Ironclad to unlock the Silent's poison cards.
Every character follows the exact same progression structure. You get an Epoch for playing them once, beating each of the three Acts, killing 15 Elites, killing 15 Bosses, and finally beating Ascension 1.
The Ironclad Epochs
If you want to know the best way to rush these milestones, check out my Ironclad builds guide.
Fog Rolls In: Play a run with the Ironclad. (Unlocks the Silent character).
The Ironclad: Beat Act 1. (Unlocks Molten Fist, Dominate, Cruelty cards).
Devastation: Beat Act 2. (Unlocks Red Skull, Paper Phrog, Ruined Helmet relics).
The Pact: Beat Act 3. (Unlocks Blood potion, Ashwater, Soldier’s Stew).
Ablaze: Kill 15 Elites. (Unlocks Cinder, Drum of Battle, Pact’s End cards).
Snuffed: Kill 15 Bosses. (Unlocks Self-Forming Clay, Charon’s Ashes, Demon Tongue relics).
My Face: Beat Ascension 1. (Unlocks Blood Wall, Inferno, Tear Asunder cards).
The Silent Epochs
If you are struggling to survive long enough to clear Act 2, read my Silent builds guide.
Anomalous Planet: Play a run with the Silent. (Unlocks the Regent character).
Bigger Prey: Beat Act 1. (Unlocks Snakebite, Bubble Bubble, Accelerant cards).
Ill: Beat Act 2. (Unlocks Tingsha, Tough Bandages, Paper Krane relics).
Trophies: Beat Act 3. (Unlocks Poison Potion, Cunning Potion, Ghost in a Jar).
Nemesis: Kill 15 Bosses. (Unlocks Snecko Skull, Twisted Funnel, Helical Dart cards).
Poisoner: Kill 15 Elites. (Unlocks Reflex, Hand Trick, Master Planner relics).
Soup: Beat Ascension 1. (Unlocks Hidden Daggers, Phantom Blades, Blade of Ink cards).
The Regent Epochs
If you cannot figure out how to balance his absurd resource economy without dying, you absolutely need to check out my Regent builds guide.
Life and Death: Play a run with the Regent. (Unlocks the Necrobinder character).
I Arrive: Beat Act 1. (Unlocks Spoils of Battle, Furnace, Sword Sage cards).
We Need a Hero!: Beat Act 2. (Unlocks Fencing Manual, Galactic Dust, Lunar Pastry relics).
Grand Strategy: Beat Act 3. (Unlocks Star Potion, King’s Courage, Cosmic Concoction).
Discontent: Kill 15 Bosses. (Unlocks Regalite, Mini Regent, Orange Dough cards).
Friends: Kill 15 Elites. (Unlocks BEGONE!, Supermassive, Arsenal relics).
Little King: Beat Ascension 1. (Unlocks Patter, Lunar Blast, Heavenly Drill cards).
The Necrobinder Epochs
Managing her fragile health pool requires a mathematics degree. If you are struggling to pull off the Doom execution mechanic, read my Necrobinder best cards guide.
Booting Up: Play a run with the Necrobinder. (Unlocks the Defect character).
The Twelve: Beat Act 1. (Unlocks Scourge, Countdown, Oblivion cards).
Futility: Beat Act 2. (Unlocks Bone Flute, Funerary Mask, Book Repair Knife relics).
Spireborn: Beat Act 3. (Unlocks Potion of Doom, Bone Brew, Pot of Ghouls).
Annihilation: Kill 15 Bosses. (Unlocks Ivory Tile, Big Hat, Bookmark cards).
The Giant: Kill 15 Elites. (Unlocks Afterlife, Calcify, Sacrifice relics).
To Kill: Beat Ascension 1. (Unlocks Sculpting Strike, Veilpiercer, Banshee’s Cry cards).
The Defect Epochs
The RNG on this robotic spellcaster is brutal this time around. I explain exactly how to survive it in my Defect builds guide.
Tricked: Beat Act 1. (Unlocks Loop, Null, Consuming Shadow cards).
Hello! Hello!: Beat Act 2. (Unlocks Data Disk, Symbiotic Virus, Metronome relics).
Resolving Bugs: Beat Act 3. (Unlocks Focus Potion, Potion of Capacity, Essence of Darkness).
Laser Beams: Kill 15 Bosses. (Unlocks Gold-Plated Cables, Emotion Chip, Power Cell cards).
Confrontation: Kill 15 Elites. (Unlocks Barrage, Smokestack, Flak Cannon relics).
Ooh Shiny!: Beat Ascension 1. (Unlocks TURBO, Scavenge, Heelix Drill cards).
Item-Based Score Milestones
The remaining Epochs are tied entirely to your global score accumulation. You do not have to do anything specific to unlock these other than play the game and perform relatively well. As your total score increases, the timeline will automatically pop these nodes.
Preon: Unlocks the cards Automation, Catastrophe, Entropy.
Scribbles: Unlocks the relics Reptile Trinket, Unsettling Lamp, Intimidating Helmet.
The Architect: Unlocks the cards Prep Time, Eternal Armor, Jackpot.
Ancients: Unlocks the relics Book of Five Rings, Kusarigama, Ice Cream.
Open: Unlocks the potions Beetle Juice, Mazaleth’s Gift, Droplet of Precognition.
Traitors: Unlocks the cards Prowess, Rend, Beat Down.
Elsewhere–Slumber: Unlocks the cards Alchemize, Nostalgia, Scrawl.
Consequences: Unlocks the relics Miniature Cannon, Tungsten Ron, White Star.
Buy Something!: Unlocks the cards Splash, Anointed, Calamity.
If you want to speed up the entire process, stop actively avoiding Elite fights on the map. Elites grant a massive chunk of score upon defeat, which directly accelerates your global unlocks while simultaneously feeding into your character-specific Elite kill trackers. Happy hunting.
