Slay the Spire 2 Patch 0.104.0 Targets Ascension Difficulty and Multiplayer Scaling, but Steam Deck Crashes Linger

Slay the Spire 2 has shipped beta update 0.104.0 in early access, with Mega Crit aiming to smooth the game’s baseline difficulty after weeks of heated balance debates.

The patch arrives as the roguelike deckbuilder’s community pushes for a fairer ramp into Ascension.

Mega Crit says early Ascension tiers had become too steep for new players, so the update adjusts scaling to make lower levels more approachable while preserving a high-end challenge. The studio also stressed it wants to avoid kneejerk tuning, citing internal data drawn from millions of runs.

Ascension tuning and boss tracking

A major focus is the Ascension system, where enemy health and damage changes now vary more intentionally across difficulty bands. Mega Crit also signaled it is closely watching the Doormaker boss, which many players have flagged as a frequent run-stopper.

The patch includes a notable enemy encounter change as well, reworking the Axebots fight into a single, tougher opponent. Mega Crit has positioned the shift as part of making early progression less punishing without flattening the game’s strategic edge.

Card reworks and co-op changes

Several card balance updates headline the buildcraft side, including reworks for Ironclad’s Conflagration and Drum of Battle to better fit their intended roles. Other adjustments touch Silent and Regent cards, along with relic and event tweaks meant to reduce frustrating edge cases.

Multiplayer sees nerfs to enemy scaling for Artifact, Slippery, and Skittish, plus fixes that restore certain cards to the colorless pool. New multiplayer badges were also added to track team performance, alongside additional controller navigation improvements.

Bug fixes, stability still in focus

Update 0.104.0 bundles a wide set of crash and softlock fixes across platforms, including Linux-specific issues and controller-related errors. It also adds clearer error reporting when Steam crashes.

Even so, some players report persistent stability problems on Steam Deck, especially during multiplayer sessions. Mega Crit has not announced a full release date yet, but ongoing patch cadence suggests more tuning is coming as early access continues.