Slay the Spire 2 Chronicles Guide - Unlock Conditions and Efficient Progress

What Is Chronicles?

Chronicles is Slay the Spire 2's progression system. Playing a character unlocks new Cards, Relics, and Potions, and everything you unlock is added to the pool for future runs.

How It Works

Every character has their own Chronicles track
Meeting a condition rewards you with Cards, Relics, or Potions
Unlocked items are added to the appearance pool for all following runs
Unlocks are permanent

Character Unlock Order

Characters unlock in this order. Only Ironclad is available at the start.

Ironclad (starting character)
Silent - unlocks after one run on Ironclad
Regent - unlocks after one run on Silent
Necrobinder - unlocks after one run on Regent
Defect - unlocks after one run on Necrobinder

For early Chronicles progress, just rotate one run per character and you'll unlock the whole cast efficiently.

Types of Unlock Conditions

Chronicles unlocks come in six flavors.

Clear Act 1 (3 Cards)

The easiest condition. Just beat Act 1 on that character to unlock 3 cards. Reachable even for beginners.

Clear Act 2 (3 Relics)

Reach and beat the Act 2 boss to unlock 3 character-specific Relics. The Act 2 boss is often where runs die, so make sure Act 1 leaves you with a strong deck.

Clear Act 3 (3 Potions)

This is essentially "beat the game." Killing the Act 3 boss unlocks 3 Potions. Hard to hit without a real understanding of the character's main builds.

Defeat 15 Elites (3 Cards)

Cumulative across runs. Pick the Elite branch of the map whenever you reasonably can and this one takes care of itself. Elites show up as the flame icon on the map.

Clear Ascension 1 (3 Cards)

The hardest condition. After you beat the game normally, Ascension unlocks, and you need to win on Ascension 1. Ascension raises enemy HP, damage, and other difficulty knobs, so get comfortable with the character on normal first.

Defeat 15 Bosses (3 Relics)

Cumulative across runs. Since you fight up to 3 bosses per run, 5 or 6 full clears gets you there. Like Elites, this counts across runs.

Character Tips

Ironclad

Strength builds are the most consistent. Whirlwind and Barricade builds are also strong. His HP pool is generous, so you can absorb some chip damage. For Ascension 1, I'd lean on a Barricade build or a Strength build.

The unlock rewards include Inferno and Self-Forming Clay, both very strong, so push for these early.

Silent

The main builds are Poison and Shiv. Shiv comes online fast, so it's beginner-friendly. Poison is reliable in long fights and stable against bosses.

Snecko Skull and Spiral Darts are core to Poison, so push the 15-boss reward early.

Regent

Star stack and Sovereign Blade builds are strong. Use the forge (upgrade) system well - upgrading card quality is what lets you run a lean, elite deck.

Armory and Small Shield deployment massively improve defense, so unlocking them makes runs much easier.

Necrobinder

A minion-driven playstyle. Doom stacking and Reaper-form builds hit hard. The Soul deck build uses draw-minion synergy for a more consistent plan.

Ivory Tile and Big Hat are core Relics for minion builds.

Defect

Built around Orbs: Frost for defense, Lightning for offense, Dark for execute damage. Many possible builds, and Focus is always worth stacking.

Gold-Plated Cables and Power Cell are huge upgrades to any Orb build.

Efficient Progress

Early (First Run through Full Roster Unlocked)

Prioritize unlocking every character, one run each
Even if you can't clear, you still get the Act 1 card rewards
Use these runs to learn each character instead of grinding clears

Mid (Full Roster through Consistent Normal Clears)

Start pushing Act 3 clears on your best character
Take Elite branches on purpose to bank Elite kills
Learn the main build patterns for each character

Late (Ascension Push)

Once normal runs are stable, go for Ascension 1
Ascension 1 rewards clean deck-building, so tighten your pick accuracy
Lean into card removal to drop dead weight

Shared Rewards

Three Act 3 clears unlock Seeds, which is a custom mode that lets you enter a specific seed. Handy for playing the same run as a friend.

Beyond that, hitting score thresholds unlocks Colorless cards, shared Relics, and shared Potions. For high scores, fight more Elites, keep your HP high, and finish runs in fewer turns.