Slay the Spire 2: Best Ancients Ranked for 2026

Slay the Spire 2 has attracted over 90,000 concurrent players and boasts a 93% positive rating from 58,292 Steam reviews. This makes Mega Crit’s sequel one of the strongest early access launches of 2026. With so many players diving in, the community is buzzing about which Ancients to prioritize.

Ancients play a vital role in Slay the Spire 2, providing lasting bonuses that influence how each run unfolds from the very first floor. Unlike relics that focus on specific card synergies, the best Ancients offer broad utility that fits various deck archetypes. So, choosing wisely at the start of your run is crucial.

According to DualShockers’ ranked breakdown, top-tier Ancients have one thing in common: they reduce variance. In a game driven by random card rewards and shop inventories, anything that narrows the gap between a poor draw and a winning strategy deserves your attention. Ancients that generate extra energy, provide card draw, or offer conditional damage buffs consistently outperform those with narrow activation requirements.

Mid-tier options are more situational. Some Ancients reward players who commit early to specific win conditions, like poison stacking, strength scaling, or block generation. But if the offerings don’t align, they can hurt you. Experienced players at higher ascension levels often skip these in favor of more flexible choices, since the higher the ascension, the less room there is for adjustments.

Bottom-tier Ancients aren’t completely useless, but their benefits usually don’t justify the opportunity cost. Some provide one-time effects already covered by stronger relics, while others depend on very specific board states. You might spend more time trying to trigger them than actually benefiting. Priced at $24.99 on Steam, the game offers enough variety for experimentation. But if you’re aiming for ascension clears, sticking with proven top picks is the way to go.

By The Numbers

Steam Review Score	93% positive
Total Steam Reviews	58,292
Current Concurrent Players	90,253
All-Time Peak Players	132,000+
Current Price (Steam)	$24.99

Community reactions to Ancient tier lists have been mixed. One reviewer on Steam put it bluntly: “It’s totally RNG based game.” This sentiment appears frequently in negative reviews and reflects a real tension in how players view the game. Tier lists challenge the idea of pure RNG fatalism, suggesting that making quality decisions at critical points—like selecting Ancients—can genuinely impact win rates, even with tough card offers.

What To Watch

• Balance patches targeting Ancients: Mega Crit has a track record of making aggressive changes during early access. Any adjustments to top-tier Ancient values will quickly affect established tier lists, so keep an eye on patch notes after major updates.
• Ascension ceiling data: As the player base grows, community-tracked win rate data at Ascension 20 will provide clearer insights on which Ancients truly perform, as opposed to those that just seem strong at lower difficulty levels.
• Full 1.0 release scope: Slay the Spire 2 entered early access on March 6, 2026. New characters, mechanics, and Ancient slots could greatly expand the meta before the game reaches its full 1.0 version.