Key Takeaways
- Universal S-tier picks: Ice Cream, Gambling Chip, Paper Phrog, Bag of Preparation, and Tungsten Rod are strong on every character and should almost never be skipped
- Character fit matters more than raw power: a relic like Snecko Skull is average on Ironclad but dominant on Silent, so always evaluate relics in context
- Wax Relics from the Toy Box melt in order: pick the weakest relic first and the strongest last, since the leftmost wax relic melts every 3 combats
- Shop relics are worth saving for: Membership Card, Orange Pellets, and Chemical X can single-handedly carry a run if you have the gold
Slay the Spire 2 has over 150 relics across Common, Uncommon, Rare, Shop, Event, Ancient, and Starter categories. Some of them will carry your run. Others will sit in your relic bar doing nothing while you die on floor 40.
After dozens of runs across all five characters, here’s a full tier list ranking the best relics in Slay the Spire 2, plus character-specific picks, wax relic strategy, and which shop relics are actually worth your gold. If you’re just getting started, check out our Slay the Spire 2 beginner guide first.
How Relics Work in Slay the Spire 2
Relics are passive items that provide permanent bonuses for the rest of your run. You collect them from elite fights, boss rewards, events, treasure chests, and shops. Unlike cards, you can’t remove relics once you pick them up, so every choice is permanent.
The relic system in Slay the Spire 2 expands on the original with several new categories. Ancients replace Boss Relics: Neow offers blessings in Act 1, while Tezcatara (or Pael in co-op) offers them in Act 2. Event relics come from specific encounters. Wax relics are temporary picks from Tezcatara’s Toy Box that melt over time.
Rarity determines where you find relics: Common relics drop frequently from basic encounters, Uncommon from elites, and Rare from bosses or special events. Shop relics cost gold but include some of the strongest options in the game.
Slay the Spire 2 Best Relics Tier List
This tier list ranks relics by how much they improve an average run regardless of character or build. Character-specific picks are covered in the next section.
S Tier: Take These Every Time
| Relic | Rarity | Why It’s S Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Cream | Rare | Unspent energy carries over between turns. Enables explosive combos and eliminates wasted energy entirely. |
| Gambling Chip | Rare | Discard any cards from your opening hand and redraw. Fixes bad hands every single fight. |
| Paper Phrog | Uncommon | Enemies with Vulnerable take 75% more damage instead of 50%. Massive damage multiplier for any build that applies Vulnerable. |
| Tungsten Rod | Rare | Reduce all HP loss by 1. Sounds small, but it blocks chip damage from multi-hit attacks, thorns, and burn cards. |
| Bag of Preparation | Uncommon | Draw 2 extra cards on turn 1. More cards on your opening turn means more options before the enemy acts. |
A Tier: Strong in Most Runs
| Relic | Rarity | Why It’s A Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Lantern | Uncommon | Gain 1 extra energy on turn 1. One free energy at the start of every fight adds up fast. |
| Mummified Hand | Rare | Playing a Power reduces a random card’s cost by 1. Snowballs hard in Power-heavy decks. |
| Paper Krane | Uncommon | Weak reduces attack damage by 40% instead of 25%. Makes Weak one of the best defensive debuffs in the game. |
| Beating Remnant | Rare | Retain your hand at the end of turn 1. Lets you set up a massive second turn without losing options. |
| Lizard Tail | Rare | Revive with 50% HP once per run. A free death is a free death. |
| Ornamental Fan | Uncommon | Every 3 attacks played, gain Block. Free defense just for playing attacks you were already playing. |
B Tier: Solid Picks With the Right Build
| Relic | Rarity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pen Nib | Common | Every 10th attack deals double damage. Reliable but slow to trigger. |
| Vajra | Common | +1 Strength. Small but permanent damage boost that scales with multi-hit cards. |
| Oddly Smooth Stone | Common | +1 Dexterity. The defensive equivalent of Vajra. |
| Anchor | Common | Start each combat with 10 Block. Solid early game, falls off later. |
| Thread and Needle | Uncommon | Start combat with Plated Armor. Consistent passive Block each turn until you take damage. |
| Frozen Egg | Shop | All Power cards you pick up are upgraded. Incredible if you find it early. |
C Tier: Situational or Underwhelming
Relics like Tiny House (small bonus to everything, excels at nothing), Dream Catcher (heal when you rest, but you should usually Smith), and Girya (spend rest sites for Strength) fall here. They’re not bad, but they rarely define a run or pull you out of a losing position.
Best Relics by Character
Generic relics are great, but the real power spikes come from relics that synergize with your character’s kit. Here are the standout picks for each of the five characters. For full build breakdowns, see our Slay the Spire 2 best builds guide.
Ironclad
Red Skull gives +3 Strength when below 50% HP. Ironclad already thrives at low health with cards like Berserk and Rupture, making this a natural fit. Self Forming Clay grants Block every time you lose HP, turning Ironclad’s self-damage playstyle into extra defense. Ruined Helmet reduces Strength loss penalties, keeping your damage output high when enemies debuff you.
Silent
Snecko Skull applies extra Poison whenever you apply Poison, amplifying Silent’s core mechanic. Twisted Funnel applies Poison to all enemies at the start of combat, giving you free damage before you play a card. Kunai and Shuriken reward you for playing multiple attacks per turn, which Silent does naturally with her low-cost card pool. Helical Dart adds more shiv synergy for shiv-focused builds.
Defect
Data Disk starts you with a free Focus, directly boosting all Orb output. Gold Plated Cables prevents Orb slot loss, protecting Defect’s scaling engine. Emotion Chip triggers all passive Orb effects when you take damage, turning incoming hits into Orb activations. Symbiotic Virus gives extra Channel on the first Orb each combat.
Regent
Lunar Pastry boosts Royal abilities, which are central to Regent’s kit. Mini Regent grants a companion that acts each turn, adding free actions. Galactic Dust enhances Regent’s cosmic card synergies. Fencing Manual gives Block cards on demand, shoring up Regent’s sometimes inconsistent defense.
Necrobinder
Bone Flute enhances summon abilities, directly scaling Necrobinder’s core mechanic. Book Repair Knife lets you upgrade or modify bound creatures. Charon’s Ashes triggers effects when summons die, creating powerful death-loop combos. Funerary Mask and Joss Paper both support the sacrifice-and-resummon playstyle that makes Necrobinder so strong in late runs.
Wax Relics and the Toy Box
When you reach Tezcatara’s Toy Box in Act 2, you pick 4 wax relics from a selection. These relics are temporary: the leftmost wax relic melts and disappears every 3 combats. That means your first pick lasts the shortest and your last pick lasts the longest.
Pick order is everything. Put your weakest pick first (it melts first) and your strongest pick last. A relic like Mango (heal 10 HP) gives its value immediately, so it doesn’t matter if it melts. A relic like Prayer Wheel (extra card reward) gets stronger the longer it survives.
Best wax picks:
- Frozen Egg / Toxic Egg / Molten Egg — upgrade future card pickups. Pick early in the Toy Box if possible.
- Whetstone / War Paint — instantly upgrade cards in your deck. Immediate value that doesn’t care about melting.
- Prayer Wheel — extra card reward from fights. Best as your 4th (last) pick so it lasts the longest.
- Strawberry / Mango — permanent max HP gains. Instant value, great as a first pick.
Some relics with permanent effects (like max HP boosts) are actually better as wax picks than regular relics, since you get the benefit and the melting doesn’t matter. GameRant’s community highlighted this as one of the most important early game strategies for new players.
Shop Relics Worth Buying
Shop relics cost gold, so you need to weigh them against card removes, potions, and card purchases. These are worth saving for:
- Membership Card — 50% discount on all future shop purchases. Buy this early and it pays for itself multiple times over.
- Orange Pellets — removes all debuffs when you play a Power, Skill, and Attack in the same turn. Counters some of the nastiest boss mechanics. See our boss guide for full attack patterns.
- Chemical X — adds 2 to all X-cost cards. If your deck has Whirlwind, Malaise, or similar X-cost cards, this is an instant buy.
- Frozen Egg — auto-upgrades Power cards you pick up. Found early, this saves you 5+ Smith visits.
Skip shop relics if you’re low on gold and still need card removes. A tighter deck usually matters more than one extra relic.
Relics to Avoid
Not every relic reward is worth taking, especially Ancients that come with drawbacks.
- Busted Crown — +1 energy but 2 fewer card choices after combat. The energy is tempting, but fewer card options cripples your deck building.
- Philosopher’s Stone — +1 energy but all enemies get +1 Strength. Enemies already hit hard enough in Act 2+.
- Sozu — +1 energy but you can’t gain potions. Potions are your emergency button for hard fights. Losing them is rarely worth 1 energy.
- Tiny House — small bonuses to HP, gold, potion, card upgrade, and a card draw. Sounds good on paper, but none of the bonuses are meaningful enough to impact your run.
The pattern here: extra energy relics with harsh downsides are usually traps. The exception is Coffee Dripper (+1 energy, can’t rest) which is strong if your deck can win fights without needing to heal, something aggressive builds can pull off.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best relics in Slay the Spire 2?
Ice Cream, Gambling Chip, Paper Phrog, Tungsten Rod, and Bag of Preparation are the strongest universal relics. They improve nearly every run regardless of character or build.
How do wax relics work in Slay the Spire 2?
Wax relics are temporary relics from Tezcatara’s Toy Box in Act 2. You pick 4, and the leftmost one melts every 3 combats. Pick order matters: put the weakest first and strongest last.
What replaced Boss Relics in Slay the Spire 2?
Ancients replaced Boss Relics. Neow offers blessings in Act 1 and Tezcatara (or Pael in co-op) offers them in Act 2. These work similarly to Boss Relics but have their own unique pool.
Should I buy shop relics or remove cards?
Card removes are usually the priority, especially early in a run. Buy shop relics only when your deck is already lean or when the relic is exceptionally strong like Membership Card or Orange Pellets.
Do relics work differently in co-op?
Most relics function the same in co-op, but some scale better with two players. Relics that buff the whole team or provide passive healing are more valuable. Check our Slay the Spire 2 co-op guide for team-specific relic strategies.
Need a Headset?
Slay the Spire 2 runs are long. A comfortable headset makes those 3-hour sessions a lot more enjoyable, especially if you’re playing co-op and need clear voice chat.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7
Wireless with great mic quality for co-op callouts.
HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
300-hour battery life. Charge it once a month.
Logitech G435 Lightspeed
Lightweight wireless under $50. Hard to beat at the price.
Summary
The best relics in Slay the Spire 2 are the ones that fit your run, not just the ones that sound powerful in isolation. Ice Cream and Gambling Chip are universally strong, but a well-timed Snecko Skull on Silent or Data Disk on Defect can be just as run-defining.
Focus on the S and A tier picks when they show up, learn which relics synergize with your character, and don’t sleep on wax relic ordering. For more Slay the Spire 2 strategy, check out our best builds guide and co-op guide.