Slay The Spire: Ironclad Character Guide (Unlocks, Tips & Tricks)

With its arrival on iOS and imminent release for Android, there has never been a better time to dive into Slay The Spire. This deckbuilding roguelike broke new ground when it premiered on Steam Early Access in 2017 and continues to present a challenge for even seasoned CCG pros.

There’s a lot to discover for new players of Slay the Spire. The Ironclad is the first character and card set that will be available, but thankfully it has some strong advantages that make for a smooth introduction to the game. This guide will outline some of the basics of the class that players should be aware of to maximize their chances of survival and presents some of the strongest builds that players can work towards as the climb the Spire.

Ironclad Starting Choices in Slay The Spire

One of the most important things to realize about the Ironclad is the class is gifted one of the most powerful starting relics in the game. Burning Blood restores six health at the end of every battle and is perhaps one of the strongest sources of health regeneration in the entire game. This means players can afford to make mistakes that might end the game for any of the other classes.

This also means that it is almost always a bad choice to replace the starting relic when offered the option to from Neow, the whale at the beginning of each run. While there are some powerful rare relics that players could potentially end up with, there are also some sure misses that will most likely cause players to lose. In general, when players take their starting choice from the Neow they should choose something with lasting benefits and the fewest penalties. A higher max HP is always an excellent choice, as is either 100 or 250 gold.

Ironclad Card Drafting in Slay The Spire

The main mechanic to pay attention to when playing the Ironclad is strength. No other character has cards that maximize this ability to the same effect and creating a deck that will scale strength is one of the best ways to win a run in Slay The Spire.

This makes cards such as Limit Break and Spot Weakness key to many of the most powerful builds. The upgraded version of either of these cards will let the Ironclad steadily increase their strength multiplier over the course of combat, culminating in some of the most powerful single hit attacks in the game. Look for cards that will help build this strength permanently and then choose a key attack that will take advantage of that, such as Whirlwind, Heavy Blade, or Carnage.

While the health regeneration that Burning Blood provides is important, without enough defense the Ironclad will be unable to climb past the first act. Players should look for cards that will help establish enough defense to survive while still being able to make maneuverable choices each turn. Shrug It Off, which sets up 11 defense and draws a card after an upgrade, is one of the best options for multiple drafts, and card-like Impervious helps defend from some of the big hits players will see in the second act.

Barricade Plus Body Slam In Slay The Spire

One of the strongest builds to look for comes from the synergy between the Barricade power and the Body Slam attack. Barricade is a card that prevents defenses from being eliminated at the end of the enemies’ turn, which is the standard mechanic in Slay The Spire. This means that with a good deck of defensive cards such as Shrug It Off and Entrench, players can set up a defensive engine that is almost impossible to defeat.

After an upgrade, Body Slam becomes a zero-cost attack that deals damage equal to the player’s current block. Once the Ironclad’s defenses go up, players can land single shots that will kill elites and bosses. This combination is so powerful it can make many of the hardest encounters in the game trivial and is one of the best ways to be the hidden Heart boss at the top of the Spire.

Demon Form Ironclad Build In Slay The Spire

Another extremely powerful build for the Ironclad revolves around the strength determiner discussed above. This build takes Demon Form, a power which adds two strength at the end of every turn and three after being upgraded. Once that begins to build, if players can find a Heavy Blade card or two, which takes that strength multiplier and increases it by a factor of three, the Ironclad can quickly take down big enemies.

This build also works well with area-of-effect cards and vulnerable multipliers. A Thunderclap or Whirlwind can take out mobs almost immediately. Note that this build still needs decent defense with this build, as it takes a couple of turns to build up the strength needed to deal serious damage. However, once the Ironclad’s strength engine gets going, it is almost unstoppable.

Slay The Spire is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS.

About The Author