Congratulations, Slay the Spire 2 players: first "Major Update" lets you experience the pain and bliss Steam beta players have endured for weeks, and you're in for a treat

Slay the Spire 2's first major update is here, compiling the recent changes from the game's beta branch.

Earlier today, Mega Crit released new Slay the Spire 2 patch notes for what it's calling "Major Update 1," which brings "all of the content, changes, and fixes from the beta branch over the past month" to the game's main branch. The post on the game's Steam page explains that with the feedback from the game's many beta testers, "we feel that the beta version has been shaped into a stable enough position for main branch players to try out the changes."

This means that starting today, anyone playing on the regular branch will get the chance to check out some of the major changes that have come since launch. These include Badges, which are a pseudo-achievement system that shows you a nice reminder of what you got up to on a given run – for example, beating a boss without losing any HP or not spending any gold during a run.

In terms of balance, you'll be able to check out last week's patch that gave the Ironclad some well-needed buffs, reworked The Silent's most overpowered card, and finally nerfed the Living Fog to make it a far less tedious fight. Plus, there's some new card artwork, which is always nice. However, Mega Crit notes that beta branch patches aren't guaranteed to make their way to the main game, saying "this is still an Early Access game, so just because something made it from beta to main does not mean it's set in stone."

I haven't had the chance to give Slay the Spire 2 a go yet (and likely won't until it gets its full release and comes to Switch 2), but I have to say I'm a big fan of the way Mega Crit is approaching patches. Players can get a stable version of the game to latch onto for a while, and Mega Crit can test out patch ideas to see what works and what is a terrible idea. It seems like a win win for everyone.

Slay the Spire 2 dev teases 3 new modes: something "very competitive," one for players who don't "have the time" for "the Slay the Spire experience," and a new multiplayer setting.