The modding community for Slay the Spire 2 continues expanding the game's multiplayer possibilities. A new mod called SlayThePlayer, created by Maimun, transforms the cooperative experience by adding competitive elements where friends can test their deck-building skills against each other mid-run.
The core concept is straightforward: two players start a co-op run on the same map seed but navigate their own independent paths through the Spire. Rather than facing the act bosses together, they face each other. The match is decided on a best-of-three basis, with the winner having the option to continue the run as normal or push forward to the final act.
To prevent early exits from wasting time, the mod includes two special relics. The Fate Thread acts as a safety net for regular combat, reviving players at 20 per cent health if they die before reaching a PvP encounter. The Grin and Grave serves as a one-time revival specifically for PvP battles, bringing players back with 1 HP when defeated in direct competition.
What sets SlayThePlayer apart is its approach to turn-based combat in a multiplayer setting. Turn order is randomly determined at the start of each battle. When a player plays cards and deals damage, the damage is queued and displayed as an intention icon visible to both players. The opponent then has a full turn to respond with blocking or offensive plays before the damage resolves. Player HP scales based on the act to account for growing deck power as players progress.
The mod is part of a broader trend of multiplayer modifications for Slay the Spire 2. Other mods expand the base game's four-player cooperative limit to allow up to 16 players in standard runs, whilst quality-of-life improvements add damage metres and other competitive tools to shared lobbies.
SlayThePlayer is available on Nexus Mods with full installation instructions and technical breakdowns of its combat system.