Slay The Spire 2 Faces Backlash on Steam Due to Upcoming Balance Changes

In the last day, Slay the Spire 2 has seen its Steam rating drop to a Very Positive 83% from an Overwhelmingly Positive 97% on March 19. While it’s not a disaster, it’s a significant decline considering the game has around 60,000 reviews. So, what’s behind the sudden influx of 11,000 negative reviews? A balance patch that hasn’t even officially launched yet.

Last night, Mega Crit unveiled Beta Patch v0.100.0. “Welcome to the first BIG post-launch patch, Slayers!! This one has a huge balance pass, the main aim of which is to make infinites harder to achieve,” the announcement states. “We’re also introducing a Phobia Mode with bespoke assets that should mitigate various creepy phobia concerns.”

To clarify, this patch is currently available only through opt-in. To access it, players need to navigate to the Game Versions & Betas tab on Steam and select the “public-beta” branch. Mega Crit has emphasized that these beta patches are optional and may change. So, what could be in this beta patch that has upset around 11,000 players? Card nerfs.

The most controversial change appears to be the adjustment to Silent’s Prepared skill. In the beta, it’s been swapped out for a new skill called Prepare. Instead of drawing and discarding two cards at no cost, the new skill costs 1 energy, discards two cards, and grants 2 energy for the next turn. Personally, I think Silent was a bit overpowered before, and now she’s just slightly less so.

Another significant change that’s causing frustration is the buff to the Doormaker boss fight at the end of Act 3. In the beta, Doormaker now permanently removes the tenth card you draw for the rest of the fight and gains 1 strength when it does. This has upset players because, as noted in a popular post on r/slaythespire, there’s “almost no reliable counterplay” if Doormaker takes a crucial card from your deck. I can see both sides here; while I understand the complaints, Doormaker was pretty weak before. The boss definitely needed a buff, but this might be a bit excessive.

Ultimately, whether you agree with the changes in the beta patch or not, review bombing the game is an immature response. Many negative reviews express a desire for Mega Crit to “notice” their complaints and revert the changes in Beta Patch v0.100.0. Instead, why not use the “Feedback” option that’s conveniently available in the game?