Slay the Spire 2 status effects & keywords

This page summarizes all major combat status effects, core combat stats, orb-related terms, and character-specific keywords in Slay the Spire 2. Values and interactions may change while the game is in Early Access, but this should give you a clear reference when building decks and reading cards.

On this page

Status effects Combat stats Orb terms Character terms

Status effects

These effects cover offensive and defensive debuffs, buffs, and card- or deck-state keywords that you will see across characters. Understanding how Weak, Vulnerable, Poison, Doom, and key card tags work is essential for evaluating both threats and synergies.

Weak

Debuff

Weak causes affected creatures to deal 25% less damage with attacks. It is one of the most reliable ways to reduce incoming pressure in attack-heavy fights.

Vulnerable

Debuff

Vulnerable causes affected creatures to take 50% more damage from attacks. It is a key offensive debuff for burst turns and finishing windows.

Poison

Debuff

Poison causes a creature to lose HP at the start of its turn, then decreases by 1 each turn. It is a persistent damage effect and remains one of the most important scaling tools for poison-based builds.

Lock-On

Debuff

Lock-On makes a target receive 50% more damage from Orbs. This effect matters most in Defect strategies that use repeated Orb triggers for damage.

Confused

Debuff

Confused randomizes a card's cost when it is drawn. This effect disrupts turn planning and can make low-cost decks less consistent.

Doom

Debuff

Doom is a new effect in Slay the Spire 2. When a creature's Doom equals or exceeds its current HP, that creature dies at the end of its turn. This makes Doom function as both a delayed execution mechanic and a damage threshold to manage around.

Artifact

Buff

Artifact negates the next debuff applied to the target. It is one of the strongest protection effects because it can block key setup tools such as Poison, Weak, or Vulnerable.

Intangible

Buff

Intangible reduces all damage taken and HP loss to 1. This is one of the most powerful defensive effects in the game.

Metallicize

Buff

Metallicize grants Block at the end of every turn. It rewards long fights and steady defensive pacing.

Plated Armor

Buff

Plated Armor adds Block at the end of the turn, but each time the user takes unblocked attack damage, one stack is lost. It is strongest when paired with reliable protection.

Regeneration

Buff

Regeneration restores HP at the end of each turn, then decreases by 1. It is a temporary healing-over-time effect rather than permanent sustain.

Ritual

Buff

Ritual grants Strength every turn. In long fights, it can create extremely dangerous scaling.

Thorns

Buff

Thorns deals damage back to an attacker when the user is hit. This effect punishes multi-hit enemies and can add passive value in defensive decks.

Curse

Card / Deck

Curse cards are negative cards that remain in your deck. They reduce consistency and usually require removal or careful deck shaping.

Status

Card / Deck

Status cards are negative cards that are removed at the end of combat. Unlike Curses, they are usually temporary combat clutter.

Exhaust

Card / Deck

Exhaust removes a card until the end of combat. This can be either a drawback or an advantage, depending on the deck.

Ethereal

Card / Deck

If an Ethereal card is still in your hand at the end of your turn, it is exhausted. This makes timing more important and can punish slow turns.

Retain

Card / Deck

Retained cards are not discarded at the end of turn. Retain supports setup turns, delayed combos, and flexible defense.

Unplayable

Card / Deck

Unplayable cards cannot be played from hand. They usually require another effect to remove, transform, discard, or otherwise exploit them.

Innate

Card / Deck

Innate cards always start in your opening hand. They are useful for early setup, but too many can weaken draw quality.

Upgrade

Card / Deck

An upgraded card becomes stronger, and each card can only be upgraded once. Upgrades are one of the most important sources of long-term deck improvement.

Fatal

Card / Deck

Fatal triggers when the card kills a non-minion enemy. This condition often matters for reward or scaling effects tied to finishing blows.

Combat stats

Core combat stats define how your deck scales damage, defense, and orb power. They appear on cards, relics, and status effects, and are especially important when evaluating long-term scaling.

Energy

Energy is the resource used to play cards from your hand. In most fights, turn planning starts with deciding how to spend limited Energy as efficiently as possible.

Block

Block prevents incoming damage until your next turn. It is the main short-term defensive stat and is often the foundation of slower or more control-oriented builds.

Strength

Strength increases the damage dealt by attack cards. It is one of the most important scaling stats for physical damage builds.

Dexterity

Dexterity improves the amount of Block gained from cards. It rewards defensive decks and any strategy that converts survivability into long-term value.

Focus

Focus increases the effectiveness of channeled Orbs. It is especially important for Defect builds that rely on Orb scaling rather than direct attack damage.

Orb terms

Orb-related terms are especially relevant for Defect and any future characters that interact with orbs. They control how orb slots are filled, evoked, and scaled.

Channel

Channeling an Orb places it into the first empty Orb slot. If there is no empty slot, the first Orb is automatically Evoked to make room.

Evoke

Evoke consumes the rightmost Orb and triggers its Evoke effect. Orb management is often about deciding when to add new Orbs and when to force an Evoke.

Dark

Dark is an Orb type that increases its damage over time. When Evoked, it deals damage to the enemy with the lowest HP.

Frost

Frost is an Orb type that provides Block. It is a core part of many defensive Defect builds.

Lightning

Lightning is an Orb type that deals damage to random enemies. It supports steady damage output and wide target pressure.

Plasma

Plasma is an Orb type associated with gaining Energy. It can support explosive turns and high-cost strategies.

Character-specific terms

Some keywords only appear on certain characters or in specific mechanics. These often drive unique deck identities or encounter patterns and are worth learning if you focus on those archetypes.

Sly

Sly is a new keyword in Slay the Spire 2. If a Sly card is discarded from your hand during your turn, it is played for free. This makes discard synergies more explosive and rewards precise sequencing.

Afflictions

Afflictions are a new mechanic that applies negative modifiers directly to cards. Official previews describe enemies afflicting cards in harmful ways, including examples where afflicted cards cause the player to lose Energy when played. The full list of Affliction variants may change as Early Access evolves.

Slay the Spire 2 is currently in Early Access, so some mechanics, values, and keyword interactions may change as patches are released. Check patch notes and card text in game for the most up to date details.

For more context on how these effects show up in runs, you can explore:

Slay the Spire 2 cards to see which cards apply Weak, Vulnerable, Poison, Doom, and other effects.
Relics that modify Strength, Dexterity, Focus, or interact with status effects.
Characters to understand which keywords are most important for each hero.

Status effects

Combat stats

Orb terms

Character-specific terms

Related STS2 Wiki pages