Versioned tier list
Slay the Spire 2 Character Tier List
A returning-player character ranking that separates ease of use, consistency, and patch confidence.
Ranking comfort is not the same as ranking ceiling
Character tier footage should be interpreted through the reader profile. Returning players often need a stable first focus more than the highest theoretical ceiling. A character can rank high for learning value if the early decisions are readable, even when another character has stronger late-run highlights after the engine is solved.
- Use Ironclad and Silent as returning-player baselines before ranking new systems.
- Score Necrobinder and Regent with extra confidence labels until more patch footage is reviewed.
- Do not let one highlight run override a character page unless the decision pattern repeats.
Ranking claims need combat context
A character ranking is stronger when the footage shows how that character survives ordinary turns, not only where the creator placed them on a tier board. When a class-tier video cuts to combat, use that frame to ask why the placement might be repeatable: does the character stabilize with common cards, does the build survive bad draw, and does the run still make sense before the payoff appears?
- Attach each ranking movement to a visible survival or payoff pattern.
- Use generic class-tier footage as a review queue before changing live rankings.
- Keep beginner comfort, high-ascension ceiling, and patch confidence as separate scores.
Beginner-edition rankings need learning labels
A beginner character tier list should not replace the main tier list. It should answer a different question: which character teaches the cleanest first decisions, which one punishes missed resource timing, and which one gives returning players enough familiar structure to relearn the sequel without drowning in new systems.
- Keep beginner comfort separate from maximum power.
- Use Ironclad as the clearest baseline for returning-player learning speed.
- Mark new-system characters as higher effort even when their ceiling is strong.
Duplicate tier takes still need a new reason
A second character tier-list video should not be treated as fresh evidence unless it adds a different comparison. Combat-backed tier overlays are useful when they show why two characters share a lane, why one is easier for returning players, or why a low-HP situation changes the confidence label.
- Reject tier-list footage that only repeats a letter grade.
- Keep class comfort and combat survival evidence together.
- Use alternate ranking videos to identify missing character-page sections.
Every-character rankings should create page tasks
Broad every-character videos are useful because they reveal which classes readers will compare in one session. Instead of treating one ranking as final, convert it into page work: which character needs a stronger starter section, which one needs a patch warning, and which one needs more boss-matchup proof before the tier label changes.
- Use comparison videos to update internal links between character pages.
- Create follow-up tasks when a character ranking depends on a single patch claim.
- Prioritize pages where searchers are likely choosing their next run, not only reading tier letters.
Methodology
- Separate beginner comfort from high-ceiling power.
- Mark new-character claims with lower confidence until more runs are logged.
- Link each character to cards, relics, and boss matchups.
Best first focus
Characters that give returning players clear learning value.
Needs more patch data
Characters that should have pages now but conservative rankings.