Slay the Spire 2 adds end-of-run badges 'to let you know what was unique about each adventure' in latest beta patch

The update, available in the public beta branch, makes numerous reworks, tweaks, and fixes, and so far hasn't sparked nearly the level of backlash the last one got.

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Slay the Spire 2 is getting badges—not the ones you get on Steam, but not entirely different, either.

In the notes for a new beta patch, developer Mega Crit said badges are a bit like achievements, in that they let you know about the cool things you accomplished during your run.

"Badges may appear at the end of a run, noting various things that happened during a run like defeating a boss without losing HP, beating the game quickly, specific easter eggs, or pointing out that you forgot to spend your gold," the studio explained .

"They're meant as little reminders to let you know what was unique about each adventure."
The addition of badges is the top-line thing, but there's quite a bit more going.

Map generation via Ascension, the Blade of Ink and Borrowed Time cards, and Doormaker's Grasp have all been adjusted, and numerous smaller balance changes are also in place.

There's also "new art additions for various cards and a few enemies, as well as some cool new VFX for afflictions!"
So far, the response seems fairly positive—or at least, not hugely negative.

The previous beta balance patch sparked a massive backlash from players that resulted in nearly 9,800 negative reviews in one day.

Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano said he wasn't bothered by the review bombing because he understands that players are simply "trying to interact with the game and be heard" using the tools they have at hand, but even so, that kind of forcefully negative response has to be a little rough.

There's been a surge in negative reviews in the wake of this balance patch too, but not nearly as ferocious: 801 negative reviews posted so far today, compared to 817 positive.

That's still not a great balance, but it's a lot better than the last time around.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80.

From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters.

He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer.

He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill.

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