Slay The Spire 2 Update Eliminates Controversial Doormaker Boss

Slay the Spire 2 has just rolled out its most substantial beta patch yet, and while there are plenty of balancing tweaks, bug fixes, and fresh content to dive into, players are buzzing about one major change in patch 0.105.0: the Doormaker has been removed.

For those who might not be familiar with the backstory of the Doormaker boss, the first beta patch back in late March revamped the Act 3 encounter significantly. The Doormaker was reworked to introduce a mechanic that cycled through three phases, which permanently exhausted your cards, limited your draws, and increased card costs.

This overhaul didn’t sit well with the community, particularly among players in China. The game faced review-bombing on two occasions due to the Doormaker: first when the initial changes hit the beta, and again when they were implemented in the main game. A third wave of negative reviews came just yesterday, but that can be chalked up to some less-than-constructive feedback.

Despite developer Mega Crit claiming that the Doormaker was statistically the easiest Act 3 boss, the decision to remove it raises questions about whether they’re bowing to the backlash. However, according to the patch notes for v0.105.0, Mega Crit had a different perspective: “While Doormaker had interesting micro decisions in the fight, he was over the complexity threshold of what we want and had lingering issues. We decided that starting over fresh will let us hit what we actually want for an Act 3 boss.”

So, what about the new boss, Aeonglass? I’ve faced it once so far, and it’s… decent? Its unique mechanic introduces a “Wither” status card to your deck every time you play your fourth non-status card. These Withers stick around, cost 1 energy to play, and deal 2 damage to you if they linger in your hand at the end of your turn. Additionally, Aeonglass alternates between applying the Ebb debuff (which lowers your strength and dexterity) and boosting its own strength.

Personally, I found it relatively easy to defeat, even on Ascension 10. Characters like Defect and Regent, who can leverage status cards, will likely breeze through this boss. But as Mega Crit mentioned, this is a “fresh start,” and I expect they’ll refine Aeonglass in future updates to make the encounter more engaging.

In terms of character-specific adjustments, Defect and Regent saw the most changes. Regent received a mix of buffs and nerfs, but my main man Defect is the real MVP of this patch. Hyperbeam’s damage jumped from 28 to 36, Shatter now evokes all your orbs twice, and Tesla Coil triggers your lightning orbs twice as well. On the flip side, Silent’s Blade of Ink got a slight nerf from +2 damage to +1, but it’s still a powerful card.

And Mega Crit has finally introduced the Bestiary! Well, sort of. You can now access the Bestiary and check out the artwork, but the monsters currently lack animations and flavor text—though Mega Crit has promised these will be added in future updates.

Overall, this patch is a solid step forward, but I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed the Doormaker fight. I hope it makes a comeback in some form down the line, even if it’s been completely revamped by then. Most importantly, I hope Mega Crit continues to tune out the noise from the critics. I want to experience the Slay the Spire 2 that Mega Crit envisions, not one shaped by popular vote.