What does the Golden Compass do in Slay the Spire 2?

The Golden Compass is one of the most unique relics to find in Slay the Spire 2, and getting it on your run can be immensely useful for one major reason.

Unlike ordinary relics, you can only get the Golden Compass after you’ve cleared the first Act. You can also obtain it only from an Ancient. Let’s find out more about getting this relic and what it does.

How to get the Golden Compass in Slay the Spire 2

Once you’ve cleared the first Act (or Act 1), you can encounter an Ancient named Tezcatara. This Ancient, like almost all other ones, is not guaranteed to spawn on your run.

If you do, the Tezcatara will offer you three relics, and one of them will be the Golden Compass. You can choose only one relic from the three, so careful decision-making is required.

How does the Golden Compass work in Slay the Spire 2

If you pick Golden Compass, it will rewire your entire map. Instead of multiple paths, you’ll have a single one that leads you straight to the Act 2 boss. However, this path will still feature events and encounters, and you’ll also face an elite (for my runs, there has always been at least one elite encounter on this path before facing the boss).

The path also has rest spots so you can use them to restore your health (or upgrade your cards). You’ll also find chests that will reward you with different treasures (rewards are random).

I don’t like the Golden Compass. While it has its benefits, I like to have more paths on offer. Sometimes, you might want to avoid a certain path if you’re playing a specific character. If there’s just one path, you don’t have that luxury. However, it’s certainly easier to manage a single path (since you don’t have to permutate and compute as much).

If you don’t want to opt for the Golden Compass, here are the alternatives on offer.

• Nutritious Soup: Enchants all Strikes with Tezcatara’s Ember.
• Storybook: Add 1 Brightest Flame to your deck.

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Ironclad is the first character you’ll play Slay the Spire 2 with, and he is surprisingly good if you know how to use him.

As with any character in the game, you’ll have to build a proper deck to stand a chance. This requires you to understand how Ironclad works and what its pros and cons are. This guide will give you brief explainers on what to expect from Slay the Spire 2‘s knight.

How does Ironclad work in Slay the Spire 2

Ironclad’s greatest strength is his ability to scale his damage with Strength. He is the only character who has a heal mechanism. Since he is the first character, he is also the easiest one to understand for beginners.

With Ironclad, you don’t have to focus on any complicated combos like Regent. He auto-heals at the end of every combat, which leaves you with some room to make an error. However, he really struggles once you’re past Act 2 if you don’t have a great deck to counter his limitations. Additionally, Exhaust isn’t the easiest of mechanics to master.

For Ironclad, you can take different approaches. Exhaust is one great choice for a deck archetype, but it’s hard for beginners. I always prefer going with a deck that ramps up his Strength since that’s going to be the easy to master (don’t mistake the ease for weakness).

Best cards for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Going for the best cards for Ironclad can be slightly confusing. The tables below include cards that work well with Strength decks. If you opt for other archetypes, the cards mentioned below won’t be effective.

Early commons and uncommons

To clear Act 1, you’ll be mostly using these cards (based on whether you manage to draft these options).

Card	Reason
Twin Strike	A simple attack card that costs 1 Energy and does 5 damage twice. Scales up once you increase your Strength.
Inflame	A staple of the Strength deck. For 1 Energy, you gain 2 Strength.
Fight Me	A slightly tricky card that gives 1 Strength to enemies. However, you get to 5 damage twice while gaining 2 Strength for 2 Energy.
Rupture	For the cost of 1 Energy, you’ll gain 1 Strength whenever you lose health.
Whirlwind	A blockbuster option that doesn’t have a definite Energy cost. It does 5 damage to all enemies times the amount of energy you have.

Best cards

If you get the chance to draft any of the following cards, you should add them to your deck as a priority.

Card	Reason
Demon Form	While this card is pretty expensive to set up, it generates 2 Strength every turn.
Brand	For no Energy, you get to exhaust cards that you don’t want, while losing just 1 HP and gaining 1 Strength.
Hellraiser	At 2 cost, you set up an auto-firing system. Every Strike card you draw will automatically target a random enemy without the requirement of any Energy.
Thrash	The card, by default, does 4 damage twice for 1 Energy. However, you can exhaust another Attack card in your hand and add its damage.

Best relics for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Here’s a list of relics you’ll want to prioritize on if you’re going for a Strength-focused deck.

• Ruined Strength: Allows you to get double Strength when you get it for the first time during combat.
• Sword of Jade: Grants three Strength for free.
• Relics like Anchor and Horn Cleat are also necessary if you want to set up cards like Hellraiser and Demon Form.

Best Block build for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

If you want to play something with more synergy than Strength, you can try out the following Block build. First, here’s a list of cards you will want to add to your deck.

Card	Reason
Body Slam	Shore up your Block and do equal damage to an enemy.
Shrug It Off	For 1 Energy, you get to draw a card and gain 8 Block.
True Grit	You get to thin your deck by exhausting a card (preferably Strike) and gain 7 Block.
Taunt	For 1 Energy, you get 7 Block and apply Vulnerable for 1 turn. It forms perfect synergy with Body Slam.
Store Armor	It helps you gain 4 Block passively every turn.
Juggernaut	Allows you to deal 5 damage whenever you gain Block.
Barricade	Allows you to retain the Block across turns.
Crimson Mantle	For 1 Energy, you get to add 8 Block. Losing the HP isn’t a problem with Ironclad thanks to his relic.

For Relics, you can opt for anything that helps you to gain Block. You can also get Parrying Shield that does 6 damage for every 10 Block that you gain.

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