Slay the Spire 2 – Relics Tier List

Relics decide how strong a Slay the Spire 2 run feels long before your final deck is complete. The best ones smooth out weak draws, add passive scaling, or turn a character’s natural game plan into something much harder to stop.

This tier list covers the strongest universal picks, the best relics for each character, the starting relics that shape Act 1, which relics are worth buying or building around, and the traps that can quietly ruin an otherwise promising climb.

1. How Relics Function in Slay the Spire 2

Relics are passive items that give permanent bonuses for the rest of a run. You can get them from elite fights, boss rewards, events, treasure chests, and shops. Unlike cards, relics cannot be removed once you take them, so every pick matters for the entire climb.

Rarity also affects where relics usually come from. Common relics show up more often from basic encounters, Uncommon relics are tied more closely to elites, and Rare relics come from bosses or special events. Shop relics cost gold, but some of the strongest run-defining effects in the game sit behind those shop prices.

Uncommon Relic

2. What Makes a Relic Top Tier in Slay the Spire 2

The best relics usually do one of three things. They either generate energy, scale passively without needing extra setup, or cover weaknesses that would otherwise force bad turns. That is why effects like carrying energy between turns, fixing opening hands, improving debuff damage, or adding reliable block are so valuable across multiple characters.

Durability also matters. Some relics only work a limited number of times per combat, so an effect that looks amazing on paper can underperform if it burns too early. High-Durability relics are stronger when saved for dangerous boss turns instead of hallway fights where their value is wasted.

3. Best Slay the Spire 2 Universal Relics Tier List

The best universal relics are the ones that improve almost any run by fixing weak opening turns, preserving energy, boosting damage, or shaving off the chip damage that slowly ruins elite and boss paths.

3.1 S Tier Relics

• Ice Cream – Unspent energy carries over between turns. This removes wasted energy completely and creates explosive combo turns later in the fight.
• Gambling Chip – Lets you discard any cards from your opening hand and redraw. It fixes bad starts in every fight and keeps shaky decks playable.
• Paper Phrog – Enemies with Vulnerable take 75% more damage instead of 50%. Any build that applies Vulnerable gets a huge damage spike from this.
• Tungsten Rod – Reduces all HP loss by 1. It looks modest at first, but it cuts down chip damage from multi-hit attacks, thorns, and burn effects.
• Bag of Preparation – Draw 2 extra cards on turn 1. Extra opening cards create stronger first turns and give you more room to solve fights before the enemy snowballs.

Icecream Relic

3.2 A Tier Relics

• Lantern – Gives 1 extra energy on turn 1. That extra energy adds up over a full run and makes early turns much smoother.
• Mummified Hand – Playing a Power reduces a random card’s cost by 1. It becomes especially strong in Power-heavy decks that can keep chaining tempo.
• Paper Krane – Weak reduces attack damage by 40% instead of 25%. This turns Weak into one of the best defensive tools in the game.
• Beating Remnant – Retain your hand at the end of turn 1. It sets up an enormous second turn and gives combo decks more room to plan.
• Lizard Tail – Revive once per run at 50% HP. One free death can be the difference between a failed climb and a salvaged boss clear.
• Ornamental Fan – Every 3 attacks played gives Block. Attack-heavy decks get free defense while doing what they already wanted to do.

3.3 B Tier Relics

• Pen Nib – Every 10th attack deals double damage. It is reliable, but slower than the best relics.
• Vajra – Gives +1 Strength. A clean permanent damage increase that works better in multi-hit builds.
• Oddly Smooth Stone – Gives +1 Dexterity. This is the defensive version of Vajra and stays useful across the run.
• Anchor – Start each combat with 10 Block. It is strong early, though it loses some impact later when enemy turns get more demanding.
• Thread and Needle – Start combat with Plated Armor. Solid passive block until you take damage.
• Frozen Egg – All Power cards you pick up are upgraded. It is excellent if you find it early enough to shape your drafting around it.

3.4 C Tier Relics

• Tiny House – Gives a little of everything, but does not excel at anything.
• Dream Catcher – Heals when you rest, but rest sites are usually stronger when used to improve your deck instead.
• Girya – Lets you spend rest sites for Strength, but it is often too slow compared to more direct power spikes.

4. Best Ironclad Relics in Slay the Spire 2

The Ironclad wants relics that make self-damage safer, reward Strength scaling, or turn Exhaust into real pressure. That is why his best relics are not just generically strong. They directly improve the way his strongest decks already function.

Ironclad

4.1 S Tier Ironclad Relics

• Demon Tongue – The first time you lose HP on your turn, heal HP equal to the amount lost. This works perfectly with self-damage cards like Hemokinesis and Breakthrough, turning HP loss into sustain instead of a drawback.
• Self-Forming Clay – Whenever you lose HP in combat, gain 3 Block next turn. Self-damage Ironclad lists trigger this constantly, so every painful turn becomes safer on the follow-up.

4.2 A Tier Ironclad Relics

• Ruined Helmet – The first time you gain Strength each combat, double the amount gained. It is especially powerful with Inflame and other Strength-focused builds.

4.3 B Tier Ironclad Relics

• Charon’s Ashes – Whenever you Exhaust a card, deal 3 damage to all enemies. This gives Exhaust decks real damage output while they thin the deck.
• Paper Phrog – Still excellent on Ironclad when you can apply Vulnerable consistently through cards like Uppercut or Taunt.

4.4 Ironclad Starting Relic

Burning Blood heals 6 HP at the end of every combat. On a character that starts with 80 HP, that sustain is what makes the Ironclad the most forgiving character early on. It smooths out bad fights, keeps elite routes safer, and supports Strength and Exhaust archetypes throughout the run.

5. Best Silent Relics in Slay the Spire 2

The Silent gets the biggest payoff from discard, Shiv, and Poison synergies. Her best relics either turn discard into direct value every turn or scale her cheap attack patterns so quickly that fights become hard for enemies to stabilize.

Silent character

5.1 S Tier Silent Relics

• Tingsha – Whenever you discard a card during your turn, deal 3 damage to a random enemy for each card discarded. In discard-heavy runs, this becomes one of the strongest relics available.
• Tough Bandages – Whenever you discard a card during your turn, gain 3 Block. Paired with Tingsha, it gives Silent both damage and defense from the same engine.
• Helical Dart – Whenever you play a Shiv, gain 1 Dexterity this turn. Shiv-heavy decks stack this quickly, turning cards like Blade Dance and Hidden Daggers into both offense and protection.

5.2 A Tier Silent Relics

• Snecko Skull – Whenever you apply Poison, apply 1 additional Poison. It is a direct amplifier for Poison decks and effectively doubles the pace of stacking.

5.3 B Tier Silent Relics

• Twisted Funnel – Apply 4 Poison to all enemies at the start of each combat. It is great in Poison builds and much less impressive outside them.

5.4 Silent Starting Relic

Ring of the Snake gives 2 extra cards drawn at the end of each combat before the next fight begins. Since the Silent starts with only 70 HP, that extra draw needs to become faster kills and cleaner turns. It is strongest in decks that keep the list lean enough for those bonus draws to matter every fight.

6. Best Defect Relics in Slay the Spire 2

The Defect cares most about Focus, Orb slots, and reliable Orb value over long combats. Its best relics either increase output immediately or make each combat start with more scaling already in place.

Defect

6.1 S Tier Defect Relics

• Data Disk – Start each combat with 1 Focus. It passively improves every Orb trigger and is one of the cleanest scaling relics in the game.
• Runic Capacitor – Start each combat with 3 additional Orb slots. More slots mean more passive triggers each turn and a much stronger Orb economy.

6.2 A Tier Defect Relics

• Metronome – The first time you Channel 7 Orbs in a combat, deal 30 damage to all enemies. This rewards Orb-heavy decks and can swing elite or boss fights.
• Symbiotic Virus – Start each combat by channeling 1 Dark. A free Dark Orb keeps growing in longer fights and gives Defect an early scaling threat.

6.3 B Tier Defect Relics

• Gold-Plated Cables – Your rightmost Orb triggers its passive an additional time. That makes positioning matter more and doubles the value of the Orb you want most in that slot.

6.4 Defect Starting Relic

Cracked Core channels 1 Lightning Orb at the start of every combat. It gives the Defect a head start on Orb setups, but the character is still heavily draft-dependent. Without enough Focus or more Orb slots, Lightning and Frost can lose impact in later Acts.

7. Best Regent Relics in Slay the Spire 2

The Regent scales through Stars, and the best relics either create Stars for free, reward spending them, or patch the defense problems that appear while the deck is trying to build toward a big payoff turn.

Regent

7.1 S Tier Regent Relics

• Lunar Pastry – At the end of your turn, gain 1 Star. This is passive Star generation every turn without spending cards or energy, which is exactly what the Regent wants in longer fights.
• Mini Regent – The first time you spend a Star each turn, gain 1 Strength. It turns the Regent’s main resource into steady damage scaling, and it pairs naturally with Lunar Pastry.

7.2 A Tier Regent Relics

• Fencing Manual – At the start of each combat, Forge 10. That is free enchantment value before the fight even starts and makes attack cards stronger for the rest of the run.
• Galactic Dust – For every 10 Stars spent, gain 10 Block. This turns the Regent’s main spending pattern into defense and helps solve the character’s fragility.

7.3 B Tier Regent Relics

• Regalite – Whenever you create a Colorless card, gain 2 Block. It is a steady defensive relic in the right build.
• Orange Dough – At the start of each combat, add 2 random Colorless cards into your hand. The randomness keeps it below the top tier, but it gives immediate options and works well with Regalite.
• Vitruvian Minion – Cards containing “Minion” deal double damage and gain double Block. It is narrow, but in a dedicated Minion deck it can be a very strong shop buy.

7.4 Regent Starting Relic

Divine Right gives the Regent 3 Stars at the start of every combat. Since Star Energy does not reset between turns, those free Stars push the character toward explosive late-combat turns. The downside is that poor sequencing hurts more here than it does on most characters.

8. Best Necrobinder Relics in Slay the Spire 2

The Necrobinder has only 66 base HP, so her best relics either make the Doom plan safer, stabilize the Soul economy, or reward constant companion and summon play.

Necrobinder

8.1 S Tier Necrobinder Relics

• Undying Sigil – Enemies with at least as much Doom as their current HP deal 50% less damage. On a low-HP character, that defensive swing is huge.
• Funerary Mask – At the start of each combat, add 3 Souls into your draw pile. It removes a lot of the setup awkwardness that can make the early game rough.

8.2 A Tier Necrobinder Relics

• Book Repair Knife – Whenever a non-Minion enemy dies to Doom, heal 3 HP. The healing adds up and helps offset chip damage.
• Bone Flute – Whenever Osty attacks, gain 2 Block. Since Osty attacks every turn while active, this becomes a steady defensive engine.

8.3 B Tier Necrobinder Relics

• Ivory Tile – Whenever you play a card that costs a Soul or more, gain 1 Soul. It supports expensive Soul plays without draining the resource economy as quickly.
• Bookmark – At the end of each turn, lower the cost of a random Retained card by 1 until played. It can be strong in Retain-heavy lists, but the randomness keeps it from being consistent.

8.4 C Tier Necrobinder Relics

• Big Hat – At the start of each combat, add 2 random Ethereal cards into your hand. On a fragile character, that opening-hand clutter can do more harm than good.

8.5 Necrobinder Starting Relic

Bound Phylactery summons 1 unit at the start of each turn. That free board presence matters immediately in Act 1 and gives the Necrobinder more room to build around graveyard loops and Soul management before fights get out of control.

9. Best Starting Relics by Character

• Ironclad – Burning Blood: the safest and most forgiving starting relic because the 6 HP heal after every combat smooths out bad rooms and weak drafts.
• Silent – Ring of the Snake: strongest when extra draw turns into faster kills through a trimmed deck, Poison stacking, or Shiv pressure.
• Regent – Divine Right: immediately powerful because free Stars push the class toward its strongest late-turn scaling patterns.
• Necrobinder – Bound Phylactery: valuable because it gives free summons every turn and helps a low-HP character survive Act 1.
• Defect – Cracked Core: useful early because it starts Orb generation immediately, though it still needs proper scaling to stay dominant in later Acts.

10. Relics to Avoid in Slay the Spire 2

Not every relic in Slay the Spire 2 is worth taking just because it looks good or offers a unique effect. Some relics are outright traps that can end strong runs, while others are simply too slow, too narrow, or too underwhelming to justify the opportunity cost.

• Tiny House gives a small bonus to everything, but it does not excel at anything.
• Glass Cannon downside is brutal, because it doubles damage taken
• Dream Catcher gives healing when you rest, but rest sites are usually better spent on stronger upgrades.
• Girya lets you spend rest sites for Strength, but that payoff is often too slow compared to more immediate power spikes.

These relics are not completely useless, but they rarely define a run or rescue a weak deck when you actually need help.

Best Guides for Slay the Spire 2

Best Ironclad Builds

Beginner's Guide To Help You Get Started

Ironclad Guide – Best Strategy, Cards & Unlocks

Best Character Tier List

How to Unlock All Characters