Slay the Spire 2 has introduced us to two new characters, one of which is the Regent, and almost immediately, it’s clear that he has some serious firepower. The cosmic royal brings resource management into the mix with his kit, and it’s what many players must master.
The starting Relic of the Regent is the Divine Right, granting 3 stars at the start of each combat. This is not replenished with each turn, and players must draw cards that replenish this resource if they wish to use it.
There’s a lot going on with the Regent, so we have prepared this complete guide to help you master the character and understand different ways you can develop synergy between his cards.
Table of Contents
Basic Outline of His Kit
Stars
Right off the bat, the Regent has a new mechanic called Stars. These are an additional energy-like source, as many of his cards have a star cost as well. The stars can only be earned through specific cards, such as Genesis, Hidden Cache, Glow, etc.
A run that utilizes Stars to the max must have a consistent source of replenishment, as it is the most important thing. With enough Stars, you can use heavy hitters like Comet and Seven Stars to deal with Elite enemies and generate a good amount of Block from cards like Reflect and Particle Wall to ensure your safety.
Forge
The other mechanic to keep note of in his kit is Forging the Sovereign Blade. If your stars align well in the playthrough, Sovereign Blades can easily get you through all the acts without an issue.
Cards like Bulwark and The Smith grant you a specific amount of Forge and generate the Sovereign Blade. The more stacked your Forge is, the greater the damage dealt with the blade. Combine its power with debuffs and Strength, and your damage will be in three digits.
Strong Stars Build
This build is a bit more challenging to get going, but once you find consistent Star generation, everything will get much easier. The cards that utilize Stars have various functions, meaning there’s flexibility even within this build and room for creativity.
There are over 30 cards that utilize Stars in one way or another, which goes to show you how much room for creativity there is.
Common Cards
Solar Strike | Costs 1 Energy | Deal 8 damage. Gain 1 Star.
(An upgrade to normal Strike.)
Venerate | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 2 Stars.
(Quick way to convert 1 Energy to 2 Stars.)
Glow | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 1 Star. Draw 2 cards.
(A chance to improve your hand while gaining more Stars.)
Gather Light | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 7 Block. Gain 1 Star.
(An upgrade to normal Defends.)
Hidden Cache | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 1 Star. Next turn, gain 3 Stars.
(Perfect to set up for costly cards like Seven Stars and Comet.)
Cloak of Stars | Costs 0 Energy 1 Star | Gain 7 Block.
(An upgrade to normal Defends at the cost of a Star.)
Meteor Shower | Costs 0 Energy 2 Star | Deal 14 damage to ALL enemies. Apply 2 Weak and Vulnerable to ALL enemies.
(Good amount of damage to all enemies and a great debuff.)
Falling Star | Costs 0 Energy 2 Stars | Deal 7 damage. Apply 1 Weak. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
(Worse than Meteor Shower.)
Astral Pulse | Costs 0 Energy 3 Stars | Deal 14 damage to ALL enemies.
(Worse than Meteor Shower.)
Crescent Spear | Costs 1 Energy 1 Star | Deal 6 damage. Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Star cost.
(A much better replacement for Strike if you have some 1 Star cost cards.)
Guiding Star | Costs 1 Energy 2 Stars | Deal 12 damage. Next turn, draw 2 cards.
(Decent damage with a chance of better hand next turn.)
The Sealed Throne | Costs 1 Energy 3 Stars | Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Star.
(Great way to regain Stars across multiple turns.)
Uncommon Cards
Radiate | Costs 0 Energy | Deal 3 damage to ALL enemies for each Star gained this turn.
(In a build where you are constantly gaining and spending, the damage is nice.)
Particle Wall | Costs 0 Energy 2 Stars | Gain 9 Block. Return this card to your Hand.
(Great way to stack up Block if you have a lot of Stars and the enemy is about to deal big damage.)
Quasar | Costs 0 Energy 2 Stars | Choose 1 of 3 random Colorless cards to add into your Hand.
(Great if you get lucky.)
Alignment | Costs 0 Energy 2 Stars | Gain 2 Energy.
(Good conversion of Stars to Energy if required)
Gamma Blast | Costs 0 Energy 3 Stars | Deal 13 damage. Apply 2 Weak. Apply 2 Vulnerable.
(Nice damage and great buffs.)
Royal Gamble | Costs 0 Energy 5 Stars | Gain 9 Stars. Exhaust.
(More Stars at a lesser cost.)
Black Hole | Costs 1 Energy | Whenever you spend or gain 1 Star, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies.
(Better version of Radiate. Works better on single enemies and if you have the Tornado Relic, allowing you to start combat with this.)
Shining Strike | Costs 1 Energy | Deal 8 damage. Gain 2 Stars. Put this card on top of your Draw Pile.
(An upgrade to the normal Strikes, but can be double-edged since it goes back to your Draw Pile.)
Child of the Stars | Costs 1 Energy | Whenever you spend 1 Star, gain 2 Blocks for each Star spent.
(Nice way to stack Block as a Star build.)
Convergance | Costs 1 Energy | Next turn, gain 1 Energy and 1 Star. Retain your Hand this turn.
(Could be very useful if you wish to retain the useful cards in your Hand.)
Knockout Blow | Costs 3 Energy | Deal 30 damage. If this kills an enemy, gain 5 Stars.
(Perfect for Bosses with Minions with lower HP.)
Resonance | Costs 1 Energy 3 Stars | Gain 1 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength.
(Decent buff and debuff, although a little costly.)
Reflect | Costs 1 Energy 3 Stars | Gain 17 Block. Blocked attack damage is reflected to your attacker this turn.
(Remain offensive even while you block.)
Devastate | Costs 1 Energy 4 Stars | Deal 30 damage.
(Big single-target damage, better if you stack debuffs on the enemy before using this.)
Rare Cards
Comet | Costs 0 Energy 5 Stars | Deal 33 damage. Apply 3 Weak. Apply 3 Vulnerable.
(Incredible damage with very nice debuffs.)
Decisions, Decisions | Costs 0 Energy 6 Stars | Draw 3 cards. Choose a Skill in your Hand and play it 3 times. Exhaust.
(Overall, an amazing card to give yourself more options in battle.)
Genesis | Costs 2 Energy | At the start of your turn, gain 2 Stars.
(Ensures you always have a good amount of Star supply for each turn. Can take care of more than half of your Star needs.)
Dying Star | Costs 1 Energy 3 Stars | Ethereal. Deal 9 damage to ALL enemies. ALL enemies lose 9 Strength this turn.
(Decent damage to all enemies, and a great debuff to lower enemy damage, especially against multiple enemies.)
The Smith | Costs 1 Energy 4 Stars | Forge 30.
(The damage is great enough that you don’t need to build around Forge for the benefits.)
Neutron Aegis | Costs 1 Energy 5 Stars | Gain 8 Plating.
(Decent Block that spans across multiple turns.)
Seven Stars | Costs 2 Energy 7 Stars | Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies 7 times.
(One of the best offensive cards, and with the right setup, it can easily melt Bosses.)
Relics & Synergies
Lunar Pastry | Rare Relic | At the end of your turn, gain 1 Star.
(Passive Star regeneration is always great)
Mini Regent | Rare Relic | The first time you spend 1 Star each turn, gain 1 Strength.
(Strength is always good to deal more damage)
In terms of synergy, Star builds allow you to keep a good amount of Block, stack up enough damage, and even apply debuffs efficiently. As long as you don’t overstack on one or the other, you should be good.
Additional Tips
Since there are many cards to go with in this build, it’s better not to stick with one archetype or goal. Go with generic options, and you will find synergy as you progress.
Star generators are good, but avoid having too many, as your deck also needs to do damage and defend.
It’s good to pick up Star generators even if you decide to go with a Forge build later on, as many cards that buff you or debuff enemies cost Stars. You can also convert some Stars into Energy with some cards.
Strong Forge Build
This is perhaps more straightforward and easier to get going once your deck is lean and you have sufficient ways to regain energy through stars and vice versa. The cards that give Forge have varying costs, but the Sovereign Blade itself is always 2 energy.
Luckily, Sovereign Blade has retain, meaning it will always remain in your hand till its time to play the card. You can do your setup across a few turns until you are ready to use it.
There are over 10 cards, some of which are stronger than the others. Depending on the type of synergy you wish to create, you can focus on only some as your targets.
Common Cards
Refine Blade | Costs 1 Energy | Forge 6. Next turn, gain 1 energy.
(An easy way to get Forge going at the start of your playthrough.)
Wrought in War | Costs 1 Energy | Deal 7 damage. Forge 5.
(Perfect replacement for the Strikes.)
Spoils of Battle | Costs 1 Energy | Forge 10.
(Good to stack high Forge early on.)
Uncommon Cards
Furnace | Costs 1 Energy | At the start of your turn, Forge 4.
(Consistent Forge for longer battles.)
Conqueror | Costs 1 Energy | Forge 3. Sovereign Blade deals double damage to the enemy this turn.
(The doubling capability makes it such a great card for Elites and Bosses.)
Bulwark | Costs 2 Energy | Gain 13 Block. Forge 10.
(Perfect replacement for Defends)
Summon Forth | Costs 1 Energy | Forge 8. Put Sovereign Blade into your Hand from anywhere.
(The ability to re-use the blade easily is a must-have)
Rare Cards
Beat into Shape| Costs 1 Energy | Deal 5 damage. Forge 5. Forges an additional 5 for every other time you’ve hit the enemy this turn.
(Similar to Wrought in War, but much better in turns when you use zero-cost attacks.)
The Smith | Costs 1 Energy 4 Stars | Forge 30.
(Massive Forge)
Seeking Edge | Costs 1 Energy | Forge 7. Sovereign Blade now deals damage to ALL enemies.
(Makes your attacks wider, affecting all enemies. Especially good against multiple stronger foes.)
Big Bang | Cost 0 Energy | Draw 1 card. Gain 1 Energy. Gain 1 Star. Forge 5. Exhaust.
(Quick way to gain more of everything at no cost)
Sword Sage | Costs 2 | Increase the cost of Sovereign Blade by 1. Sovereign Blade now hits an additional time.
(Essentially doubles your damage output for a reasonable cost)
Relics & Synergies
We found a few ways you can improve the synergy between your cards. However, since the game is very new, players are bound to find more ways to utilize their cards.
Fencing Manual | Common Relic | At the start of each combat, Forge 10.
(Gives you a headstart from turn one.)
In terms of synergy, you can benefit a lot from zero-cost cards that further buff the Regent, like Monologue, and from cards that debuff enemies, like Know Thy Place.
Cards like Glow are also nice to have, as some cards that cost Star are really great at debuffing enemies.
Additional Tips
If you find yourself not using Stars too much, getting the Alignment card can significantly help you regain Energy for better setups. Gather Light, Convergence, and Orbit are some great ways to do that.
When going with a Forge build, you may find yourself lacking in defense. Try to gather Block cards depending on the Energy you wish to expend.
Universal Cards
There are a few cards when it comes to the Regent that are great regardless of which build you go for. Some of these can help a ton when doing set-ups.
Glow | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 1 Star. Draw 2 cards.
(Great way to replenish Stars and draw some cards.)
Glimmer | Costs 1 Energy | Draw 3 cards. Put 1 card from your Hand on top of your Draw Pile.
(Better chance at getting cards you actually want to use, allowing you to set up more effectively.)
Foregone Conclusion | Costs 1 Energy | Next turn, put 2 cards from your Draw Pile into your Hand.
(Makes it easier to do your setups.)
Bundle of Joy | Costs 2 Energy | Add 3 random Colorless cards into your Hand. Exhaust.
(It is a bit of a gamble, but it can sometimes pay off.)
Spectrum Shift | Costs 2 Energy | At the start of your turn, add 1 random Colorless card into your Hand.
(If your setup involves Colorless cards, this could be extremely useful.)
Arsenal | Costs 1 Energy | Whenever you play a Colorless card, gain 1 Strength.
(Good way to buff your character for the remainder of a combat)
Cosmic Indifference | Costs 1 Energy | Gain 6 Block. Put a card from your Discard Pile on top of your Draw Pile.
(Great way to get back the Blade for the next turn.)
Monologue | Costs 0 Energy | Whenever you play a card this turn, gain 1 Strength this turn.
(Synergizes really well in long setup turns.)
Know Thy Place | Costs 0 Energy | Apply 1 Weak. Apply 1 Vulnerable. Exhaust.
(Quick way to apply Vulnerable at no cost, better if you follow it up with your Blade.)
Monarch’s Gaze | Costs 3 Energy | Whenever you attack an enemy, it loses 1 Strength this turn.
(Great to stack up Strength)
Void Form | Costs 3 Energy | End your turn. The first 2 cards you play each turn are free to play.
(Can make some of the most expensive cards like Seven Stars and The Smith very easy at the start of a turn)
The Regent is incredibly strong and sometimes difficult to get going. However, once you do that, there’s so much fun to have in your run. His cards help you keep an open mind without fixating on any one card.
What are some ways you have been using the Regent in your runs?