Relic Guide
Introduction
Relics are the most run-defining elements in Slay the Spire. Adding one card shifts the deck slightly; a single Relic can redefine how the entire deck functions. This guide covers every Boss Relic with its tradeoff, Elite Relic priority rankings, character-specific picks, and when to spend gold at the Shop.
Relic Types and Sources
| Type | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Relic | Fixed per character | Defines the character's baseline identity |
| Common Relic | Chests, events | Small-to-medium utility effects |
| Uncommon Relic | Elite kills (primary) | Meaningful strategic advantages |
| Rare Relic | Elite kills (low rate), events | Powerful but inconsistently obtained |
| Shop Relic | Merchant (150–300 Gold) | Expensive; fills specific run gaps |
| Boss Relic | 1 of 3 after each Boss kill | Strongest tier; most carry a downside |
| Event Relic | Specific events only | Unique conditional triggers |
Elites are the primary source of Uncommon Relics, which makes aggressively hunting Elites in Acts 1 and 2 one of the highest-impact decisions in any run.
Boss Relics — Full Breakdown
Boss Relics offer one of three choices after each Boss kill. Most follow the "powerful effect + significant downside" pattern. Always evaluate them against your current deck, not in isolation.
Energy Boss Relics (Highest Priority Category)
Energy is the universal resource in Slay the Spire. Going from 3 Energy to 4 Energy per turn dramatically changes how many cards you can play each turn.
| Relic | Effect | Downside | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runic Pyramid | Unspent Energy carries over to next turn | None | S |
| Coffee Dripper | +1 Energy per turn | Cannot Rest (heal) at Campfires | A |
| Ectoplasm | +1 Energy per turn | Can no longer gain Gold | A |
| Sozu | +1 Energy per turn | Can no longer obtain Potions | A |
| Cursed Key | +1 Energy per turn | Opening a non-Boss chest adds a Curse | B |
| Busted Crown | +1 Energy per turn | Card rewards reduced from 3 choices to 1 | C |
Runic Pyramid is a clear S-tier pick. Carrying over unspent Energy means that Energy-efficient early turns bank into explosive late-turn plays. It is the only Energy relic with no downside.
Coffee Dripper shifts your Campfire strategy entirely to Upgrade rather than Heal, which is workable in well-built decks. Ectoplasm is near-equal to Coffee Dripper if your build does not rely on Shop purchases.
Card Manipulation Boss Relics
| Relic | Effect | Downside | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astrolabe | On pickup: choose 3 cards to Transform then Upgrade | None | S–A |
| Tiny House | On pickup: 1 Potion + 50 Gold + Max HP +5 + 1 card + 1 random Upgrade | None | A |
| Snecko Eye | Draw 2 additional cards per turn; all card costs are randomized (0–3) | Cost randomization makes planning harder | B–S |
| Runic Dome | +1 Energy per turn | Enemy intents are hidden | A–S |
Astrolabe effectively acts as card removal and upgrades simultaneously. Transforming Strikes and Defends turns dead weight into playable cards at no cost and no downside. Picking it at the Act 1 Boss clears the path for a leaner, more focused deck from Act 2 onward.
Snecko Eye is deceptively strong. The extra two cards drawn per turn is a massive advantage. Randomized costs can be exploited deliberately by building around high-cost and X-cost cards that benefit from occasionally costing 0.
Runic Dome hides enemy intents, a meaningful penalty for newer players. At higher skill levels, with known boss patterns and reliable Block generation, the downside becomes trivial and the +1 Energy is simply free value.
HP and Scaling Boss Relics
| Relic | Effect | Downside | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion Hammer | +1 Energy per turn; upgrades all cards in deck on pickup | Can no longer remove cards at the Shop | A |
| Philosopher's Stone | +1 Energy per turn | All enemies gain +1 Strength per turn | B |
| Black Star | Elites drop 2 Relics instead of 1 | None | A |
| Velvet Choker | +1 Energy per turn | Maximum 6 cards per turn | C |
Fusion Hammer upgrades every card in the deck at pickup — an enormous boon if taken early. Losing Shop card removal is only a real problem if the deck still has weak filler cards at that point.
Black Star has no downside and compounds over the run. Every Elite kill from that point on becomes two Relics instead of one. Pick it whenever you have enough damage output to reliably clear Elites.
Potion and Curse Boss Relics
| Relic | Effect | Downside | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark of Pain | +1 Energy per turn | At the start of each turn, draw 1 fewer card | B |
| Pandora's Box | On pickup: all Strikes and Defends in deck are Transformed into random cards | None | B–S |
| Calling Bell | +1 Energy; on pickup adds 3 Curse cards | Curses are dead weight in hand | B |
Pandora's Box is run-defining if taken at the Act 1 Boss with a deck still full of starter cards. The more Strikes and Defends remain, the stronger the payoff. The random element means some results are weaker, but statistically the average outcome is strongly positive.
Elite Relic Priority Rankings
Elite Relics come from the Uncommon and Rare pools. They form the strategic backbone of a run and justify the cost of fighting Elites aggressively.
Universal Elite Relics (All Characters)
| Relic | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Gremlin Horn | When an enemy dies, gain +1 Energy and draw 1 card | High |
| Blood Vial | Gain 2 HP at the start of every combat | Medium |
| Torii | Damage from 1–5 HP hits is reduced to 1 HP | High (anti-chip damage) |
| Ornamental Fan | Every 3 attacks played in a turn generates 4 Block | High (attack-heavy decks) |
| Dream Catcher | At Rest Sites, option to add a card to your deck | High |
| Stone Calendar | After 7 turns in combat, deal 52 damage to all enemies | High (slow decks) |
| Strange Spoon | Cards that exhaust have a 50% chance not to exhaust | Build-dependent |
Gremlin Horn excels in multi-enemy encounters. Each kill cascades into the next fight with extra Energy and draws. Acts 1 and 2 have enough grouped enemies to make this consistently impactful.
Dream Catcher turns every Campfire into a double option — heal or card, or upgrade and card. It dramatically increases the chances of finding a specific build-completing card over the course of a run.
Torii is underrated. Reducing all 1–5 damage hits to 1 effectively eliminates chip damage from most Act 1 and Act 2 standard enemies, making HP management significantly easier.
Character-Specific Elite Relics
| Relic | Character | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Skull | Ironclad only | While at or below 50% HP, gain +3 Strength | Very High (Strength builds) |
| Ninja Scroll | Silent only | Start each combat with 3 Shivs in hand | Very High (Shiv builds) |
| Frozen Core | Defect only | If hand is empty at turn end, channel a Frost Orb | High (Frost builds) |
| Champion Belt | All | Applying Vulnerable also applies 1 Weak stack | Medium |
| Singing Bowl | All | Skip card reward → Max HP +2 | Useful if skipping cards often |
Red Skull transforms the Ironclad into a glass-cannon setup that keeps HP below 50%. Counteracts Burning Blood's healing, so it works best on strength-scaling builds that deal enough damage to stay alive without relying on the HP regen.
Ninja Scroll gives the Silent three free 0-cost attacks every combat, enabling immediate Shiv synergies with Accuracy and Shuriken from the first fight of every Act.
Shop Relic Purchasing Guidelines
Shop Relics cost 150–300 Gold — roughly the equivalent of multiple card removal purchases. Spend only when a Relic directly addresses a specific deck weakness.
Worth Buying
| Relic | Effect | Buy If |
|---|---|---|
| Brimstone | +2 Strength to self per turn; all enemies gain +1 Strength | Playing an Ironclad Strength build |
| Membership Card | All Shop items half price | 2+ Shops remaining in the run |
| Runic Capacitor | Defect: +3 Orb slots | Playing a Defect Orb build |
| Sundial | Every 3 deck shuffles: gain +2 Energy | Thin decks that shuffle frequently |
| Wax Feather | Gain a random Potion at turn start | If Potion density is low |
Membership Card is the highest potential value Shop Relic. Purchased early enough, it cuts the cost of every subsequent Shop item by half. If two or more Shops remain after purchase, the investment easily pays off.
Brimstone is an auto-buy on Ironclad Strength decks. The +1 Strength enemies gain per turn is a real cost but is easily absorbed with enough Block output.
Boss Relic Selection Framework
Step 1: Diagnose the deck's weakness
Before choosing, identify the current deck's single biggest problem:
- Not enough Energy → Energy Relic (Runic Pyramid first, then the others)
- Too many cards in deck → Astrolabe, Pandora's Box
- Poor draw consistency → Snecko Eye, Dream Catcher
- Low HP entering the Boss fight → Tiny House
Step 2: Evaluate whether you can accept the downside
| Downside | Acceptable When |
|---|---|
| No Campfire healing (Coffee Dripper) | Deck wins fights efficiently; Campfire upgrades are higher priority |
| No Gold (Ectoplasm) | Shop purchases are low priority for this build |
| No Potions (Sozu) | Deck is consistent enough not to depend on Potions for survival |
| Card reward 1 choice (Busted Crown) | Deck is essentially complete and new cards are not needed |
| No enemy intents (Runic Dome) | Boss patterns are familiar; Block generation is reliable |
Step 3: Fit over raw power
A relic that perfectly complements the current deck is better than the generically strongest option. Do not take Snecko Eye on a deck built around controlled 0- and 1-cost cards. Do not take Runic Pyramid if you already have more Energy than you know what to do with.
Relic Synergy Examples
| Combination | Synergy |
|---|---|
| Gremlin Horn + AoE cards | Each enemy killed in a sweep generates extra Energy and draw for the next turn |
| Black Star + aggressive Elite routing | Every Elite doubles the Relic income, compounding across Acts 2 and 3 |
| Runic Pyramid + X-cost cards | Banked Energy turns X-cost cards into full-scale damage spikes |
| Snecko Eye + high-cost cards | High-cost cards randomly become 0-cost, enabling massive burst turns |
| Dream Catcher + Campfire-heavy routes | Every Rest Site becomes a Relic-like card acquisition opportunity |
Quick Reference: Relic Tier Summary
Boss Relics (Universal)
S: Runic Pyramid, Astrolabe
A: Coffee Dripper, Ectoplasm, Sozu, Fusion Hammer, Black Star, Runic Dome (when Block is solid)
B: Cursed Key, Snecko Eye (X-cost decks), Philosopher's Stone, Tiny House
C: Busted Crown, Velvet Choker
Elite Relics (Universal)
High Priority: Gremlin Horn, Dream Catcher, Torii
Medium Priority: Blood Vial, Champion Belt, Ornamental Fan
Build-Dependent: Strange Spoon, Stone Calendar, Singing Bowl
This article covers the original Slay the Spire (STS1).