Slay the Spire is one of the absolute bestdeckbuilding roguelikesout there, largely due to how polished and well-designed the entire experience is. From the relics to the card synthesis, the game is near perfectly crafted, but one of its most memorable characteristics has to be its unique enemy types.
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The foes you’ll encounter on your adventures certainly don’t pull punches, and with all of their unique abilities to keep things interesting, this game has one of the most impressive lists of challenging enemies in recent memory.
11Sentry
Although at first it can seem like an easy-enough fight, the Sentries can sneak up on you. It feels like everything is going fairly well, but then halfway through the fight, you start getting overwhelmed by the Dazed status cards these foes shuffle into your deck.
Before you know it, there’s nothing you’re able to do and they’ve taken you out. You’ll need high damage output with decent block as well to beat the Sentries – make sure not to take on this Elite fight before your deck is ready, no matter how tempting a new relic may be.
10Gremlin Nob
The Gremlin Nob is an encounter you have to play very carefully – he grows stronger every time you play a Skill card. Play too many, and he can knock you out in a few short rounds.
If you’re playing a Skill-heavy build, which can happen easily with theDefect class, for example, there’s a good chance you can back yourself into a corner without substantial damage output.
you’re able to often white-knuckle your way through this fight, but the Gremlin Nob is one of the reasons you want to be at least above half-health before going into an Elite encounter.
9Nemesis
Nemesis is one of the Act 3 Elite enemies and probably makes for the most annoying encounter in Slay the Spire. You’ve made it all the way to Act 3 with a killer build, moving down enemies left and right.
Then you encounter Nemesis, whose Intangible ability, which mitigates your hits to one damage every second turn, slows you to a grinding halt. On top of the irritating damage mitigation, this enemy also shuffles three burn cards into your deck, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
8Reptomancer
Reptomancer is an Act 3 Elite that depends on minions to chip away at you as the rounds go on, and it makes for a pretty effective strategy. One of the Reptomancer’s attacks also has a weakening debuff.
Between having a lot of enemies to keep track of, dealing less damage, and the fun surprise of one of the minions shuffling Wound cards into your deck, this fight gets tough pretty fast. Attacks that can deal damage to multiple enemies at once are going to be your best friend here.
7Darkling
What’s harder than having to kill a powerful Act 3 enemy? Having to kill three. What’s somehow even harder than that? Having to kill all three of those enemies on the same turn.
This is due to the Darkling’s ability Life Link, which makes it so that you cannot win the fight unless all three enemies have zero HP in one round.
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This is made even more difficult with the ability making enemies back up with half-health, if all three aren’t killed at the same time. Without the right build, this encounter is a nightmare and can become an instant run-killer.
6Spire Growth
The fight against the Spire Growth will likely be futile unless you have a build that can afford you a great deal of block. This enemy places an ability on you called Constricted, which deals an increasing amount of damage to you as the rounds go on, on top of the damage it’s already dishing out.
Without a block-heavy build, this encounter will take you out in only a couple of rounds. This fight might feel like an Elite, but it’s actually a regular Act 3 encounter, so it’s important to plan accordingly.
5Bronze Automaton
All of the minion-based enemies are tough, but the fight with the Bronze Automaton has a whole other level of inconvenience. This Act 2 boss has a dangerous ability to steal some of your cards, which can only be returned by killing the Bronze Orb minions.
There’s always a chance that they take away some of your build-critical cards, and in that case, it’s basically a guaranteed game over. On top of other buffs the Bronze Automaton has in its arsenal, along with some serious damage output, this is a fight you don’t want to be unprepared for.
4The Collector
The Collector’s strategy is damage, damage, damage. This enemy just keeps throwing minions at you that seem to pop up faster than you can kill them off, and the Act 2 boss fight requires a great deal of both damage output and blocking on your part.
The Collector also buffs the minions’ strength and block as well, making for a fight that feels like it’s coming at you from every angle. The cherry on top is the Mega Debuff ability the Collector throws at you, which makes you drastically weak, frail, and vulnerable.
3Donu and Deca
Although these enemies are some of the most formidable foes in the game, Donu and Deca have become fan favorites for their simple-yet-lovable character designs. On top of their insanely high damage output, these two buff each other, making for a frustrating encounter.
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While Donu’s Circle of Power ability gives them three strength (yes, this ability stacks), Deca’s Square of Protection gives your enemies 16 block as well. This fight turns into a game of dealing as much damage as quickly as possible, and if your build isn’t strong enough, you’ll find yourself whittled down within a matter of rounds.
2Time Eater
As one of the game’s Act 3 bosses, the Time Eater is one of the most formidable foes in the game. The harrowing Time Warp ability allows this enemy to automatically end your turn and gain two strength after you play twelve cards… and that count carries over between rounds.
Then there’s the haste ability, which kicks in once the Time Eater falls below half-health, makes all debuffs erased, and the foe heals back up to half-health again. If you’re underpowered going into the final fight, it can make for one of the more frustrating encounters in the game.
