Relics of the Spire

Relic Archive / Deckbuilder Strategy / Risk & Reward

Section Relics & Artefacts Catalogue
For Australian Spire runners & global strategists
Use this page to decode relic effects, synergies and decisions mid-run
Open relic database Browse full strategy guides

Every relic is a story: a risk you took, a route you chose, a run you refused to abandon. Use this archive like a field journal you can flip open mid-campfire.

Mark which relics carried your best Ascension clears – then chase those patterns instead of random grabs.

Catalogue Overview

Relics of the Spire

Relics are the strange artefacts that quietly dictate how every Slay the Spire run feels. A single pickup can turn a shaky deck into a scaling monster, or lock you into a fragile high-risk route. This archive treats relics like museum pieces and tactical tools at the same time.

Every entry here reads like a hand-illustrated catalogue tag: where it comes from, what it really does to your decisions, and how it reshapes your path through the Spire. Whether you are climbing Ascension for the first time or optimising high-A builds, you will find practical, run-tested insight.

Merchant / chest relics
Elite-only relics
Events & special sources
Boss relics that define a run
Parchment spread showing hand-drawn relic catalogue entries from the Spire
Treat this page like a travelling catalogue. Flip from relic lore to hard numbers and back again whenever your map forks.
Illustrated Lizard Tail relic with notes and diagrams
Pinned in the margin: when you play like you still have Lizard Tail in your pocket, you are already spending its value.

Featured Relic Study

The Lizard Tail

Life-Saving Passive
Rarity: Rare Typical sources: Chest, event reward, occasional shop Best for: Risky route takers, scaling decks, unfamiliar Ascension levels

Effect in play: The Lizard Tail revives you to a portion of your max HP the first time you would die in combat. On paper it is simple; in practice it rewires how you value risk.

Strategic usage notes:

  • Permission to path aggressively: With a spare life banked, you can justify extra elites on Act 1–2 and choose riskier events that might brick a run without backup.
  • Buffer for learning new lines: When you are testing unfamiliar decks or archetypes, Lizard Tail lets you explore unfamiliar lines without instantly losing the run.
  • Insurance, not a plan: You should still route and defend as if it does not exist. The value is in the one fight where variance spikes against you.

Signature risks:

  • Overconfidence tax: Many players subconsciously spend the Tail on fights they could have played clean. Track when it triggers and ask if that fight was necessary.
  • False scaling comfort: Reviving into a scaling enemy you cannot actually beat just stretches out the loss. Respect fights like Book of Stabbing and elites on high Ascension even with Tail in hand.

Synergy hints:

  • High-tempo openers: When you lean into early aggression (e.g. strong multi-attack cards), Lizard Tail lets you target elites to lock in snowball relics.
  • Combos with chip healing: Paired with small but repeatable healing effects, reviving mid-run means you can convert the second life into multiple extra fights.
  • Boss relic gambles: On Act 1, Tail supports greedier boss relic picks and riskier skips of safe options, particularly if your base deck already feels stable.

Field note: A Tail-triggered survival into a campfire is worth more than into a dead-end merchant. Plan your route around the worst-case fight.

See how Tail changes walkthrough routes Read more artefact spotlights

Run Dynamics

How relics alter your run

Relics are not just power boosts; they rewrite the questions you ask every time you look at the map. With the same deck, a different relic spread can turn a safe campfire route into a chase for elites, or push you to avoid certain enemy types entirely.

Think about relics in three layers:

  • Baseline upgrades: Things that make every turn smoother – extra energy, card draw, block padding. These reward stable, low-risk routes.
  • Conditional engines: Relics that spike in value when you commit to a specific archetype or card pattern: exhaust, powers, discards, strength, poisons.
  • Routing constraints: Relics that make some fights trivial but others terrifying, which should explicitly shape which icons you chase on the map.

When you pick a relic, you are also choosing:

  • Which cards you overvalue or ignore in future card rewards
  • Which events you are happy to see because your relic set turns the downside into upside
  • How hard you push Ascension mechanics, from hallway fights to enhanced elites

Australian runners often chase consistent, low-fuss builds for longer sessions. Let your relics push you into sharper specialisation instead – the Spire rewards commitment.

See how relics reshape deckbuilding

Editorial Study

Best synergistic relic combos

Ten potent relic pairings that turn ordinary decks into ruthless, self-sustaining engines.

Handwritten synergy notes and diagrams connecting multiple relics
Circle the relics you already know well. The rest are prime targets to consciously experiment with on your next few runs.
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Synergy combo field notes

Best 10 relic combinations to chase

  1. Energy + card filter

    Example: Extra energy relic plus a card-draw filter effect. More energy is wasted without the ability to dig; together they let you high-roll specific answers every turn.

  2. Strength engine + multi-hit relic

    Stack a scaling strength engine with any relic that rewards frequent small attacks. Perfect for aggressive Act 2–3 routes where you need to race elites.

  3. Poison relic + stall tools

    Pair ongoing poison boosts with relics that help you block chip damage. You win long fights almost on autopilot and can choose safer routes.

  4. Power discount + power triggers

    When playing multiple powers is cheaper, any relic that cares about powers cast per combat turns ordinary scaling into a runaway snowball.

  5. Discard tools + on-discard relic

    This combination turns what is usually a drawback into free damage or block. Draft card-draw discards confidently when you spot this line.

  6. Exhaust payoff + exhaust density

    Whenever you gain bonuses from exhausting, prioritise relics or events that add exhaust tags to your deck to multiply the value of every turn.

  7. Block on skill use + cheap skills

    Grab low-cost skills and card draw. Your block relic quietly converts routine sequencing into robust defence even at high Ascension.

  8. Gold bonus + reliable shops

    Gold-boosting relics get dramatically better when you route through merchants and take card-removal events instead of generic fights.

  9. Upgrade-focused relic + early campfires

    Relics that improve upgrades or reduce their cost shine when you hit multiple early campfires. Bend your path to exploit this spike.

  10. Healing on elite/boss kill + elite-heavy map

    If you can sustain your HP through elites, pick relics that give you post-fight healing. This lets you turn the whole Act into a relic farm.

Try running a few nights where you commit to learning just one combo – even if it means skipping tempting off-plan relics.

Read more synergy editorials

Acquisition & Rarity

Relic rarities & source guide

Not all relics are competing for the same decision slot. Understanding where they come from and how often you can expect to see them helps you judge when a pick is genuinely special.

Common relics

These usually nudge your deck in a helpful direction without demanding commitment. Treat them as comfort picks that smooth fights and slightly widen your lines.

Uncommon relics

Often reward you for leaning into a mechanic: exhaust, discard, strength, powers, shivs, poison. If you are already dabbling in a pattern, these can justify fully committing.

Rare relics

Rare relics can single-handedly define your build or routing. Many of them are worth minor short-term pain (HP, curses, awkward events) because they reshape the run.

Shop relics

Because you pay gold and an opportunity cost in skipped card removals, shop relics should be evaluated against your deck's current problems. Fix consistency issues first.

Boss relics

These are the biggest pivot points in a run. Compare each option against your energy, card draw and sustain. Do not auto-pick an extra energy relic if it undermines your core plan.

Event & special relics

Event relics are wildcards that often ask for a cost in max HP, curses or card loss. Evaluate these by asking, “Will this relic still be good in Act 3?” – not just whether it looks fun now.

Filter relics by rarity in the database
Field report page focused on cursed relics and their consequences
Write down the worst curse relic trade you have taken. Would you make the same call again at higher Ascension?

Curse relics: power at a price

Curse relics – artefacts that arrive bundled with negative effects or literal curses – are some of the most run-defining decisions you will ever make. They offer massive upside in exchange for long-term baggage.

Types of costs you will see:

  • Dead draws: Curses that clog your hand at the wrong time and cause lethal damage spikes.
  • Max HP loss: Fine when you can reliably block; dangerous for fragile, scaling-light decks.
  • Deck distortions: Forced card additions, removals or shuffled mechanics that can scrap a clean archetype.

Gameplay examples

  • Greedy event trades: Trading HP and a curse for a rare relic can be excellent only if your deck has reliable card draw and removal access later.
  • Boss relic gambles: Taking a curse or permanent restriction in exchange for energy can be worthwhile when your core scaling is already online by the end of Act 1.
  • Cursed synergy decks: In rare cases, certain builds lean into curses as fuel. Only attempt this when both relics and cards explicitly reward it.

Australian ladder tip: On long evenings grinding multiple runs, protect your mental load by avoiding curse relic lines when you are tired. These builds demand close sequencing.

Study full curse management guides

Archive Tools

Interactive relic archive & search

Use the database like a living card catalogue – sorted by effect, source and synergy potential.

On the actual database page, this field will search relic names, effects and synergy tags.

How to use the archive mid-run

Before the run: Skim the archive for relics that support your favourite archetypes. Note which ones you would happily pay HP or accept a curse for.

During Act 1: When a relic reward appears, quickly filter for its source and role. Ask whether it fills a gap or drags you off-plan.

Between Acts: Use the database to forecast upcoming boss patterns and highlight relics that cover their worst attacks.

After the run: Tag memorable relics and replay them in your head like critical turns in a footy final. What did they actually change about your decisions?

Browse the full artefact index
Parchment decision tree diagram showing relic pick and skip routes
Print this tree or replicate it in your own journal. The goal is to make relic choices feel like known patterns, not coin flips.

Choosing relics: a decision tree

Step 1: Check your deck's core plan

Ask, “What actually wins my current run?” Is it scaling strength, poison, powers, a block engine, or raw tempo? Any relic that does not help this plan must justify itself heavily.

If you cannot answer in one sentence, prioritise flexible relics over narrow ones.

Step 2: Measure current weaknesses

Are hallway fights hurting? Do elites feel scary? Are you struggling with draw, energy or scaling? Relics that plug the biggest leak are usually correct even if they are not flashy.

Step 3: Evaluate risk & cost

For curse relics or HP trades, estimate how many extra elites or events the upside will safely enable. If the numbers do not add up, skip and stay healthy.

On high Ascension, assume worst-case fights, not best-case rolls.

Step 4: Compare to map & boss

Look ahead: which elites, events and boss patterns are likely? A relic that solves the next boss is worth more than one that only buffs the next two hallway fights.

Step 5: Decide pick, park or skip

Pick when a relic clearly advances your plan or fixes a weakness. Park when it is strong but demands a new archetype you are not ready to commit to. Skip when it offers small upside with big routing or deck costs.

Read full decision-making guides

Top 10 Feature

Top 10 relics for every class

A cross-class shortlist of relics that slot into almost any build and pay off even when a run goes sideways.

Stylised top ten relic list with sketches and annotations
This list is deliberately cross-class. The goal is to sharpen your instincts for universally powerful pickups.
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Run-saving artefacts

Most versatile relics across all classes

  1. Reliable energy boosters

    Extra energy each turn upgrades every card in your deck at once. Prioritise when your hand is often full of plays you cannot afford.

  2. Card-draw accelerators

    Relics that cycle your deck faster transform mid-tier cards into premium tools by letting you see them more often.

  3. Scaling strength enablers

    Any relic that passively adds strength over time will carry multi-hit and finisher cards well into Act 3.

  4. Passive block engines

    Small, consistent block per turn reduces the pressure on your hand, which is crucial against chip damage elites.

  5. HP sustain & healing

    Relics that restore HP after combats or key kills let you route through more elites and late shops.

  6. Hand size & draw manipulation

    More cards in hand means more choices. Excellent for players who like to pivot mid-fight rather than stick to scripts.

  7. Cost reduction tools

    Reducing the cost of random cards, specific types or your first card each turn adds effective energy.

  8. Setup relics for powers

    Discounts on powers, free power casts or power triggers are outstanding in slower, scaling-heavy decks.

  9. Consistent mulligan/fixed opener relics

    Knowing what your first turn looks like lets you plan around tough elites and bosses with much more confidence.

  10. Defensive panic buttons

    Relics that dramatically spike block or damage in emergencies act like a pseudo Lizard Tail – turning one lethal turn into a narrow escape.

Community-submitted notes in the editorial section dive into which specific relics fill each of these roles for Ironclad, Silent, Defect and Watcher.

Explore more Top 10 artefact pieces

Artefact Legends

Artefact legends & community lore

This archive is built on more than numbers. It is also a home for the wild, hilarious and heartbreaking relic stories from the community – the runs where a single pickup changed everything.

Popular story threads include:

  • “The relic that made me believe” – first-time Ascension clears rescued by an unlikely artefact.
  • “The cursed bargain” – event or boss trades that looked doomed but paid off in spectacular fashion.
  • “The one that got away” – relics you skipped and only later realised were perfect for your build.

We use these stories to refine guides, adjust suggested Top 10 lists and highlight underrated relics that do not look impressive until you live with them for a full run.

If a relic has carried multiple of your PB runs, it probably deserves a bump in your personal tier list – even if the internet disagrees.

Submit your relic story

Turn relic knowledge into cleaner routes

Relics decide how brave you can be with your map, which cards you should actually draft, and when it is worth pushing one more risky elite. Treat this page as the relic chapter of your own expedition journal, and revisit it whenever a run feels out of control.

Study full Spire guides Learn relic-aware deckbuilding Ask a relic strategy question