Ascension 10 and Double Boss

Ascension 10, Double Boss, is the top of the ladder. There is no Ascension 20.

Ascension 10, Double Boss, is the top of the ladder in Slay the Spire 2: the final act ends with two different bosses fought back to back, and the second one is drawn when the run is created from that act's other bosses.

There is no Ascension 20. The game caps the ladder at 10 and the list of levels ends at Double Boss, so any guide promising A20 advice for this game is describing nothing.

Top level
10Double Boss
Final act
2 bossesback to back, never the same one twice
Rewards
Nonefrom either boss
Ascension 20
Nono such level: the ladder stops at 10

How Double Boss works

  1. 1Drawn when the run is createdThe game builds every act's rooms up front. For the last act only, with level 10 on, it draws a second boss from that act's boss list with the first boss removed, so the two are always different.
  2. 2One more node on the mapThe second boss sits one row past the usual boss node, as that node's only exit. After the first boss falls you walk straight into the second.
  3. 3Two full boss fightsEach has its own HP and its own Ascension 8 and 9 numbers. The top bar shows both boss icons, and the Double Boss tooltip names the pair.
  4. 4Neither fight pays outA boss room in the final act gives no rewards. That is also why a normal final boss gives nothing: the run ends there.

The pair is two of these three

Aeonglass
Aeonglass
512 HP
Torch Head AmalgamQueen
Queen
599 HP in total
Test Subject
Test Subject
100 HP

Every level in order

  1. 1Swarming Elites8 elite nodes per act instead of 5 (5 x 1.6, rounded)
  2. 2Weary TravelerAncients heal 80% of your missing HP instead of all of it
  3. 3PovertyGold x0.75: fights 7 to 15, elites 26 to 33, bosses 75, chests 31 to 39
  4. 4Tight BeltOne potion slot fewer for the whole run
  5. 5Ascender's BaneThe curse Ascender's Bane is in your deck from floor 1
  6. 6InflationShop card removal costs 100 + 50 per use instead of 75 + 25
  7. 7ScarcityRare rewards 1.49% instead of 3% after fights, 5% instead of 10% after elites, 4.5% instead of 9% in shops; rare pity grows 0.5% per miss instead of 1%; upgraded reward cards 12.5% per act instead of 25%
  8. 8Tough EnemiesEvery enemy switches to its higher HP values
  9. 9Deadly EnemiesEvery enemy switches to its higher damage, Block and Strength values
  10. 10Double BossTwo different bosses end the final act, one after the other
  • Levels stack. The game asks "is the run at least this level", so an Ascension 10 run carries all nine effects below it.
  • On enemy pages. The level 8 HP and level 9 damage stand side by side with the base values.

Unlocking the next level

  1. 1Reveal the fourth epochAscension is tracked per character. It opens once that character's fourth epoch is revealed: The Pact for the Ironclad, and the matching fourth epoch for each other character.
  2. 2Win at your maximumWinning a single-player run at your current maximum raises that character's maximum by one. Winning below your maximum changes nothing.
  3. 3The save stops at 10The maximum can never pass 10. The lobby clamps whatever you pick to the saved maximum, and co-op keeps its own counter.
  4. 4A bonus at Ascension 1Clearing Ascension 1 for the first time also reveals the character's seventh epoch. See the Timeline for the epoch chain.

Is there an Ascension 20?

No.
  • The game's highest allowed level is 10.
  • It names ten levels, and the last one is Double Boss.
  • The level text in the game files stops at level 10.
  • The lobby clamps your choice to a saved maximum that can never pass 10.

Any page offering "Ascension 20" advice for the sequel is describing something that does not exist in this version. If a later patch adds levels, the game's list, its text and this guide will change together. The Ascension page lists the game's own text for each level.

AeonglassQueenTest SubjectAscender's Bane
Ascension levelsDouble BossGloryThe PactCard reward oddsShop prices
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