MegaCrit's card-based roguelike hitSlay the Spire throws enough at the player from as early as the first run to be considered quite the challenging game, but it only gets harder with each success. If beating the assorted Act III bosses wasn't enough, with each victory the play can attempt a new ascension, increasing the challenge in lots of small ways. But much more dramatically, there's a whole new act to play and boss to fight when the right conditions are met. The guide will reveal how to unlock the game's hidden Act IV, how to prepare for and handle the challenging encounters within, and what kind of rewards the player can expect for succeeding at this considerable challenge.
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Slay the Spire, which received praise both for its solid mechanical systems and its robust transition from early access last year, has a lot to keep track of on any particular run. Between different characters, loads of cards and relics to pick up, and randomized maps and events, each run always offers something a little different than those before it. Even still, Act IV manages to push the game beyond where it would otherwise stop, offering one last challenge before the credits truly roll.
How to Unlock Act IV in Slay the Spire
The first step in unlocking Act IV is pretty straightforward. Just beat the game for the first time by defeating the Act III boss, with each of the first three characters: the Ironclad, the Silent, and the Defect (the Watcher and presumably any characters added in the future won't be necessary for this requirement). Each of the three has a very different set of abilities, mechanics, and styles of play, so don't be discouraged if this first victory takes a good handful of runs. Experiment with different builds, learn the ins and out of different card and relic interactions, and get a feel for what strategies work because from here each run will only start to get more difficult. Each character's victory earns a different key, and once all three keys are unlocked, they all become available to acquire in future runs.
Once you've satisfied this first requirement, you'll be able to earn all three keys on a single run up the Spire in order to unlock Act IV. The keys that have already been collected can be seen in the upper left corner of the screen, and each key is found through a slightly different method: TheRuby Key is earned by choosing the Recall option at a Rest Site. Keep in mind this will always be an option until the Key is taken, so wait until there isn't a more important Rest Site option to take, like recovering health or upgrading a crucial card. TheEmerald Key is earned bydefeating a powered-up elite enemy. You can differentiate this enemy from normal elite enemies on the map by the flame effect behind their icon. This elite will be one of the ones normally encountered in that Act but will have an extra buff such as extra max HP, extra strength, or health regeneration every turn. There is only one such icon per Act, and once beaten it won't show up in future Acts, so plan your route accordingly. Last, theSapphire Key is earned from one of the many relic-containing chests throughout the Spire. Some relics will be linked with the Key, and you must choose between the relic and the Key. There is at least one chance to find such a chest in each Act, but the opportunities are still fairly limited so lean towards the side of getting the Key as early as possible so it's not a worry for the rest of the run.
Once you've acquired all three keys, just continue playing the game as normal. After beating the Act III boss, you'll be taken to the same screen as usual where you do some damage to a pulsing heart. However, instead of falling unconscious afterward, the heart will rise and your keys will unlock a door, taking you onto Act IV!
The Ending in Slay the Spire
Act 4, or The Ending, is a lot shorter and more linear than the first three acts. It always has the exact same layout: First, there is a Rest Site. Unless you're on one of the higher Ascensions, you should already be at full health, so focus on upgrading one last crucial card or taking some other Rest Site action earned along the way. Next is the final shop on the run. Since there's nowhere else to use it, spend all the gold you can, especially on potions or relics that will help with survivability, which will be very important for the upcoming fights. Now, all that's left between your character and the final boss are a pair of unique elite monsters.
TheSpire Spear andSpire Shield act as a final miniboss and behave quite similar to one of the potential Act III bossesDonu & Deca, who take turns buffing each other and striking for large amounts. At the start of the fight, your character is inflicted with the Surroundedcondition, representing how they have been flanked by these two enemies. While both are still alive, your back will always be to one of them, taking 50% extra damage from behind. You can turn around either by targeting one of the enemies with an attack or by using a potion, so make sure to end your turn in the direction that'll mitigate the most damage. Once one of the enemies is defeated the Surrounded condition ends, so try and take down one of the two as quickly as possible. As for actual attacks, the Shield and Spear are unsurprisingly more defensively and offensively oriented, respectively. The Spire Shield has a weaker attack that lowers your strength, a fortifying skill that grants both enemies Block, and a stronger attack that will also generate some Block for just it. The Spire Spear has a weaker attack that will add two Burn status cards to your discard pile, a buffing skill that'll increase it and its partner's strength, and a strong multihit attack that will become much scarier as its strength increases.
All in all these elite enemies don't have too much health, but watch out for the considerable amount of block and damage the two can put out together! Try to conserve as much health as possible, as right after this fight you'll have no time for rest before the final boss, theCorrupt Heart.
Fighting the Corrupt Heart in Slay the Spire
By far the hardest challenge inSlay the Spire, the Corrupt Heart you've whacked away at all those times at the top of the Spire is now fighting back in earnest. With a few frustrating abilities, strong attacks, and a massive 750 health, you'll need a lot of skill and some luck to boot to take down this final adversary.
The main ability that can make the Corrupt Heart so frustrating is theBeat of Death. Whenever you play a card, you take 1 damage. The ability helps to soften you up to its other attacks and can quickly add up to a ton of damage if not careful. This damage will target your Block first, so you can use that to protect you from some of the damage, but keep in mind it can chew through your block quickly enough as well. The Tungsten Rod relic is absolutely invaluable if you can find one, reducing all of the hits on your health bar to 0, but keep in mind that it doesn't protect your Block from Beat of Death damage as well. The Corrupt Heart's other insurance against crazy burst damage from the player isInvincible. The Heart can only take 300 damage each turn, so even if you pull off a giant combo it will still take at least three turns to finish the Heart off completely. Because of these two abilities, it's crucial to keep an eye on every number on the screen during your turn. Watch your health, your Block, the Heart's attack damage for the turn, and how much damage you've dealt it to make sure each play is deliberate and more importantly will help keep you alive.
The Corrupt Heart will start every battle with a debuff, filling your deck with a host of different status cards and applying 2 stacks each of Weak, Vulnerable, and Frail, limiting the effectiveness of many of your cards during the second and third turns of the fight. After that, it will follow the same pattern of actions on a three-turn cycle: First, it will do either one massive attack or a large barrage of weak attacks. Next, it will do whichever of the two attacks it didn't just do. Finally, it will take a turn to buff itself, removing any strength down effects and giving itself a variety of strength buffs and other powers. The Corrupt Heart quickly spirals out of control, especially with its multihit attack, as its strength grows higher, so it's important to try and defeat it before it can. Cards that temporarily lower strength, or that trigger upon being hit by an opponent, are especiallyeffective against the Heart on turns where it uses its multihit attacks, so try and save those effects for the right moment if possible by using whatever hand and deck manipulation abilities you have access to. Aside from that, carefully manage your resources and with any luck, you should be able to take the Corrupt Heart down!
As a reward for defeating the Corrupt Heart, you will get to see a small illustration of your character defeating them and completing the Spire, as well as see a little more of the story, potentially hinting at things to come. More importantly, you will earn an achievement for your victory with each character, and access to the Beta Art for all of those character's cards! In future runs as that character, examine any of its cards and check the option to alternate between the Beta and Full Release Art, and pick and choose whichever you like best on a card-by-card basis. Then, try and go all the way back up with every other character until you trulyconsider yourself a master ofSlay the Spire.
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Slay the Spire is available for PC, the Nintendo Switch, the Xbox One, and the Playstation 4.
