Best Ancients in Slay The Spire 2, Ranked

Slay the Spire 2 raced onto the scene with a whole host of fresh, never-before-seen features. Gone are the days of simple after-boss relic choices. Now we have an eclectic cast of characters, or Ancients rather, supporting us from the sidelines in our fight against the Architect.

If you’ve had a few runs of this exciting new Roguelike deckbuilder, you’ll know that picking the right offer from the Ancients drastically changes your deck, often making or breaking your entire run. And naturally, some Ancients are better than others. While, of course, the power of the choices offered is going to depend on your current cards and relics, some Ancients simply just want you to succeed! Others… well, you might have to pay a little more for their help!

Let’s take a look at these Ancients and evaluate some of their most powerful offerings. You never know, at the end of the day, you might just have a new favourite!

8 Neow

From Death, You are Born Anew!

The only real reason Neow is on this list is that she’s an Ancient, and she has to be placed somewhere. Naturally, the relics that Neow provides aren’t going to be the most powerful relics in the world, but that’s by design.

Nothing that Neow gives is run-defining, and neither is it going to completely brick your deck. The gifts are simply little boosts in the right direction, giving you a slight advantage, but nothing more.

Whether you need to trim your starting deck, get a nice rare card, a little HP boost or even some extra starting cash, Neow has what you need. Just don’t expect anything game-breaking! And don’t be too greedy either. It’s never a good idea to start with an extra curse!

7 Tezcatara

Go Forth, by the Flame of Candlelight

OK, now we can start with the mid-game Ancients. Tezcatara is by no means a weak option. In fact, they have a few decent options that can really sustain a deck in the right circumstances.

However, there are so many times when you visit this ancient, and none of the rewards really mesh with your specific deck. The problem is, many of Texcatara’s buffs don’t have permanent effects throughout your run. For example, while Toy Box and Pumpkin Candle are strong, they only give you a temporary boost before running out.

In the worst-case scenario, you even have relics that can destroy your deck, like Toasty Mittens and Biiig Hug. The buffs are too situational and often come with fairly difficult drawbacks. While I do love Brightest Flame, I still dread seeing Tezcatara.

6 Vakuu

There is No Victory Without Sacrifice

I think many of you will understand why Vakuu is so low on this list. He’s very much a run-breaker, rather similar to Tezcatara.

The whole shtick with Vakuu is that you’re doing a deal with the devil. You want something nice? Well, you’re going to have to pay for it with a bit of your soul. And by soul, I mean devastating curses, a loss of Max HP, or even Vakuu ruining your turn by playing cards for you.

But it gets worse. Fiddle means you can’t cycle through your deck, and Lord’s Parasol, while it sounds cool on paper, gives you a ridiculously large deck full of dead cards that don’t synergise with your strategy. While there are some decent relics, like Jewelled Mask and Sere Talon, the downsides can often outweigh the benefits.

5 Darv

Some May Call this Junk, but I Call them Treasures!

Darv is certainly a tricky one. Generally, when I see this Ancient, I give a slightly exasperated sigh. Darv's whole gimmick is that he gives you boss relics that you might remember from Slay the Spire.

The problem is, these relics have pretty horrible drawbacks, and whether they work with your deck can be a bit of a coin toss. Free energy is always amazing; however, losing the ability to obtain Gold or Potions can be fairly brutal. In addition, you have relics like Snecko Eye, which can totally ruin your deck, and relics like Empty Cage, which simply don’t feel powerful enough to be Ancient relics.

On the other hand, some of the special cards obtained from Dusty Tome can win you the run, like the Silent’s Wraith Form, The Regent’s Sealed Throne or the Ironclad’s Corruption. Darv is a tricky one indeed!

4 Pael

Dine Upon the Flesh of the Melting Dragon

Honestly, I used to hate Pael. He was one of my least favourite Ancients when I was climbing Ascensions in Slay the Spire 2.

However, I have been swayed now. The interesting thing with Pael is that while the effects of his relics aren’t exactly earth-shattering, there are very few downsides, unlike other Ancients. Whenever you pick a relic here, you’ll almost always get something that will consistently benefit you in small ways for the rest of your run.

And sometimes, you might get something that wins you the run by itself, like the famous cloning mechanic, which is utterly broken. Most of the time, however, you’ll simply get some more energy, a few extra cards or some great defensive capabilities. There isn’t as much deliberation that goes into your choice here, and sometimes, that can be a blessing.

3 Orobas

Ignorance is Bliss

Orobas Friend! What can I say? Seeing this jolly rainbow-worm-thing always brightens up my day! And honestly, similar to Pael, Orobas is great because there’s pretty much no bad choices to be found here!

Want energy? Here’s a Prismatic Gem or a Luminesce card. Want more potions? Alchemical Coffer will help you out! You can even upgrade your starting relic or starting class card to something that packs an extra punch! Orobas is great for amplifying what you already have to greater heights.

You even have run-winners like Electric Shrymp, which plays a skill for free at the start of every match. If you’ve managed to find an expensive skill like Decisions Decisions or End of Days, you’re honestly set for the rest of the run!

2 Tanx

Glory to the Big High War God

You may have noticed a pattern here. The best Ancients, generally, are those who have relics that have very few downsides and work regardless of what is inside your deck already.

Tanx is another one of these. While Tanx is mostly an Ancient that specialises in boosting aggressive decks, he, oddly enough, actually has a good amount of defensive options too.

You have great offensive choices, such as Crossbow, Claws, and Tri-Boomerang, that help you beat down your opponents more quickly and aggressively. But you also have relics like Spiked Gauntlets, Throwing Axe, and Whistle, which can benefit literally any deck. The options here are all really simple, offering big upsides with basically no drawbacks.

Tanx has a little something for everyone. He really is a big softy after all!

1 Nonupeipe

Who said Ancients Couldn't be Stylish?

At last, we’ve arrived at the most broken of all the Ancients: Nonupeipe. What makes her my favourite is not simply how powerful her rewards are, but how fun they are! Fun is always best, after all!

The thing is, Nonupeipe has a lot of relics that don’t directly affect your deck. So if you’ve already got your game plan sorted, you have a lot of options to strengthen yourself outside of simply gaining more cards.

Want to go mad at the shops? Here’s 999 gold! Feeling a little frail? Perhaps try Looming Fruit or Diamond Diadem to bolster your defences. Maybe Orobas and Neow granted you extra potion slots. Well, here are unlimited potions and a free win for you!

Of course, if your cards are looking a little shabby, Apotheosis can save any struggling deck while Glitter can bolster it further.

Honestly, while some Ancients have those dud relics that you never pick, there’s nothing that Nonupeipe offers that wouldn’t be at least decent in basically any deck. You can’t go wrong here, and that’s what makes this Ancient so amazing. I certainly hope she doesn’t get nerfed!