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Last week, Slay the Spire 2 got a controversial balance patch which – despite the fact that this is an early access game still likely to get a billion similar updates before it went 1.0 – earned developer Mega Crit a massive review bomb. The devs have tried to remind players that "no change is necessarily permanent," and that's certainly the case here, as they're already rolling back the controversial changes from the last patch.
"Reminder that nothing in the beta branch is set in stone," developer Anthony Giovannetti says in the Steam announcement, "expect lots of back and forth, and above all please let me know what you think by using the in-game feedback tool by hitting F2! I read countless pieces of player feedback and it has been instrumental in helping guide our process."
Clearly, the devs are trying to stave off piles of negative reviews over balance changes in the future, which is part of why they're now offering extensive explanations of those gameplay tweaks. First up? A takeback for the changes that kicked off last week's review bomb in the first place.
"Starting off, I am reverting the changes made last week to Prepared, Borrowed Time, and Capture Spirit," Giovannetti explains. "For Prepared, while I still think that the Sly synergies are overall too dominant of a strategy, Prepared is so integral to the Silent's core identity that I will be looking for a different approach to bring Sly in line in the future. Borrowed Time is likely to receive a complete rework in the future, but for now I prefer that the card is fun to play with in all decks."
Also of note, the devs have a massive array of empowering changes for The Regent. Here's what to expect:
- Reworked Arsenal card: "Power - Rare - Cost 1 Whenever you play a Colorless Card, gain 1(2) Strength." -> "Power - Rare - Cost 1 (Innate.) Whenever you create a card, gain 1 Strength."
- Buffed Falling Star card: Damage increased from 7(11) -> 8(12)
- Buffed Glitterstream card: Next Turn Block increased from 4(6) -> 5(7)
- Buffed Parry card: Block gain increased from 8(11) -> 10(14)
- Buffed Refine Blade card: Forge increased from 6(10) -> 9(13)
- Buffed Celestial Might card: Upgrade changed from +2 damage -> 1 additional hit
- Buffed Guiding Star card: now draws cards immediately instead of next turn
- Buffed Sword Sage card: no longer increases the cost of Sovereign Blade
- Changed Spoils of War card: now draws 2 cards, but Forge decreased from 12(17) -> 5(8)
Fans have been calling the The Regent the weakest character in the lineup pretty much since launch, as amusingly illustrated by this image of one player's stat screen. A handful of wins with The Ironclad, Silent, and Necrobinder, spread over about 25 hours of playtime. Meanwhile, 25 hours of playtime with The Regent alone, encompassing 0 wins and 43 losses.
You'll find some players arguing that The Regent still has appropriate power with the right build, but most opinions fall in line with the idea that the character just isn't as strong as the others. It seems Mega Crit agrees with that assessment.
Just, please, Mega Crit would really prefer for you to express your notes about the balance changes through the in-game feedback tool rather than Steam reviews, okay? The devs have even increased the tool's character limit "from 500 to 8000," just for you.
"Receiving in-game feedback from YOU the player is the best way we have of improving the game," Giovannetti says. "Many of you have requested the ability to write more without hitting the character cap too early. We've increased the character count 16 fold, so I am eagerly looking forward to reading your effort posts!"
No prizes for guessing who's at the bottom of our Slay the Spire 2 character tier list, but maybe The Regent is in line to move up after all this.
