Updated March 7, 2026Written by Marcus Vale

Status Effects

Slay the Spire 2 is currently in Early Access, so some mechanics, values, and keyword interactions may change as the game is updated. This page focuses on combat stats, status effects, and related terms that are already visible in current official or gameplay-facing material.

Combat in Slay the Spire 2 revolves around a mix of core stats, temporary buffs and debuffs, card-state effects, and character-specific mechanics. Some terms return from the first game, while others are new to the sequel. Understanding which effects scale damage, improve defense, alter card flow, or punish poor sequencing is essential when building a strong deck.

Effects

All combat effects in one table, including debuffs, buffs, and card or deck-state effects.

Effect Type What it does
Weak Debuff Weak causes affected creatures to deal 25% less damage with attacks. It is one of the most reliable ways to reduce incoming pressure in attack-heavy fights.
Vulnerable Debuff Vulnerable causes affected creatures to take 50% more damage from attacks. It is a key offensive debuff for burst turns and finishing windows.
Poison Debuff Poison causes a creature to lose HP at the start of its turn, then decreases by 1 each turn. It is a persistent damage effect and remains one of the most important scaling tools for poison-based builds.
Lock-On Debuff Lock-On makes a target receive 50% more damage from Orbs. This effect matters most in Defect strategies that use repeated Orb triggers for damage.
Confused Debuff Confused randomizes a card’s cost when it is drawn. This effect disrupts turn planning and can make low-cost decks less consistent.
Doom Debuff Doom is a new effect in Slay the Spire 2. When a creature’s Doom equals or exceeds its current HP, that creature dies at the end of its turn. This makes Doom function as both a delayed execution mechanic and a damage threshold to manage around.
Artifact Buff Artifact negates the next debuff applied to the target. It is one of the strongest protection effects because it can block key setup tools such as Poison, Weak, or Vulnerable.
Intangible Buff Intangible reduces all damage taken and HP loss to 1. This is one of the most powerful defensive effects in the game.
Metallicize Buff Metallicize grants Block at the end of every turn. It rewards long fights and steady defensive pacing.
Plated Armor Buff Plated Armor adds Block at the end of the turn, but each time the user takes unblocked attack damage, one stack is lost. It is strongest when paired with reliable protection.
Regeneration Buff Regeneration restores HP at the end of each turn, then decreases by 1. It is a temporary healing-over-time effect rather than permanent sustain.
Ritual Buff Ritual grants Strength every turn. In long fights, it can create extremely dangerous scaling.
Thorns Buff Thorns deals damage back to an attacker when the user is hit. This effect punishes multi-hit enemies and can add passive value in defensive decks.
Curse Card / Deck Curse cards are negative cards that remain in your deck. They reduce consistency and usually require removal or careful deck shaping.
Status Card / Deck Status cards are negative cards that are removed at the end of combat. Unlike Curses, they are usually temporary combat clutter.
Exhaust Card / Deck Exhaust removes a card until the end of combat. This can be either a drawback or an advantage, depending on the deck.
Ethereal Card / Deck If an Ethereal card is still in your hand at the end of your turn, it is exhausted. This makes timing more important and can punish slow turns.
Retain Card / Deck Retained cards are not discarded at the end of turn. Retain supports setup turns, delayed combos, and flexible defense.
Unplayable Card / Deck Unplayable cards cannot be played from hand. They usually require another effect to remove, transform, discard, or otherwise exploit them.
Innate Card / Deck Innate cards always start in your opening hand. They are useful for early setup, but too many can weaken draw quality.
Upgrade Card / Deck An upgraded card becomes stronger, and each card can only be upgraded once. Upgrades are one of the most important sources of long-term deck improvement.
Fatal Card / Deck Fatal triggers when the card kills a non-minion enemy. This condition often matters for reward or scaling effects tied to finishing blows.

Combat Stats

Term What it means
Energy Energy is the resource used to play cards from your hand. In most fights, turn planning starts with deciding how to spend limited Energy as efficiently as possible.
Block Block prevents incoming damage until your next turn. It is the main short-term defensive stat and is often the foundation of slower or more control-oriented builds.
Strength Strength increases the damage dealt by attack cards. It is one of the most important scaling stats for physical damage builds.
Dexterity Dexterity improves the amount of Block gained from cards. It rewards defensive decks and any strategy that converts survivability into long-term value.
Focus Focus increases the effectiveness of channeled Orbs. It is especially important for Defect builds that rely on Orb scaling rather than direct attack damage.

Orb Terms

Term What it means
Channel Channeling an Orb places it into the first empty Orb slot. If there is no empty slot, the first Orb is automatically Evoked to make room.
Evoke Evoke consumes the rightmost Orb and triggers its Evoke effect. Orb management is often about deciding when to add new Orbs and when to force an Evoke.
Dark Dark is an Orb type that increases its damage over time. When Evoked, it deals damage to the enemy with the lowest HP.
Frost Frost is an Orb type that provides Block. It is a core part of many defensive Defect builds.
Lightning Lightning is an Orb type that deals damage to random enemies. It supports steady damage output and wide target pressure.
Plasma Plasma is an Orb type associated with gaining Energy. It can support explosive turns and high-cost strategies.

Character Terms

Term What it means
Sly Sly is a new keyword in Slay the Spire 2. If a Sly card is discarded from your hand during your turn, it is played for free. This makes discard synergies more explosive and rewards precise sequencing.
Afflictions Afflictions are a new mechanic that applies negative modifiers directly to cards. Mega Crit introduced Afflictions in an official 2025 preview and described them as enemies “Afflicting” cards in harmful ways; current guide material also shows an example where afflicted cards cause the player to lose 1 Energy when played. The full list of Affliction variants does not appear to be finalized yet.

Notes on accuracy and updates

Because Slay the Spire 2 launched in Early Access on March 5, 2026, some keywords may gain additional interactions, some values may change, and more mechanics are expected to be added or rebalanced over time. This page should be updated as official patches and clearer in-game documentation become available.