Slay the Spire 2 entered early access on March 5, 2026, and it brought a massive expansion to the potion system. The roster has grown from the original game's roughly 40 potions to 63, spread across the Ironclad, Silent, Defect, and two brand-new characters — the Necrobinder and the Regent — plus a large pool of Colorless potions available to everyone. Potions remain single-use consumables that cost no Energy and don't count as playing a card, making them powerful tempo tools for swinging elite and boss fights in your favor.
Quick answer: Slay the Spire 2 has 63 potions in its early access build, categorized by rarity (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Event, and Token) and by character affinity. Many returning favorites have been reworked, and over two dozen potions are entirely new.
Colorless Common Potions
Colorless potions can appear for any character. The Common tier is the most frequently dropped, making these the potions you'll encounter most often across runs.
| Potion | Effect |
|---|---|
| Attack Potion | Choose 1 of 3 random Attack cards to add to your Hand. It's free to play this turn. |
| Block Potion | Gain 12 Block. |
| Colorless Potion | Choose 1 of 3 random Colorless cards to add to your Hand. It's free to play this turn. |
| Dexterity Potion | Gain 2 Dexterity. |
| Energy Potion | Gain 2 Energy. |
| Explosive Ampoule | Deal 10 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Fire Potion | Deal 20 damage. |
| Flex Potion | Gain 5 Strength. At the end of your turn, lose 5 Strength. |
| Power Potion | Choose 1 of 3 random Power cards to add to your Hand. It's free to play this turn. |
| Skill Potion | Choose 1 of 3 random Skill cards to add to your Hand. It's free to play this turn. |
| Speed Potion | Gain 5 Dexterity. At the end of your turn, lose 5 Dexterity. |
| Strength Potion | Gain 2 Strength. |
| Swift Potion | Draw 3 cards. |
| Vulnerable Potion | Apply 3 Vulnerable. |
| Weak Potion | Apply 3 Weak. |
Note that the old Explosive Potion has been renamed to Explosive Ampoule, and the Fear Potion has been replaced by the Vulnerable Potion, though the effect of applying Vulnerable remains similar.
Colorless Uncommon Potions
Uncommon potions show up less frequently but tend to offer more impactful or specialized effects. Several of these are brand new to the sequel.
| Potion | Effect |
|---|---|
| Blessing of the Forge | Upgrade all cards in your Hand for the rest of combat. |
| Clarity Extract | Draw 1 card. At the start of your next 3 turns, draw 1 additional card. |
| Cure All | Gain 1 Energy. Draw 2 cards. |
| Duplicator | This turn, your next card is played an extra time. |
| Fortifier | Triple your Block. |
| Fysh Oil | Gain 1 Strength and 1 Dexterity. |
| Gambler's Brew | Discard any number of cards, then draw that many. |
| Heart of Iron | Gain 7 Plating. |
| Liquid Bronze | Gain 3 Thorns. |
| Potion of Binding | Apply 1 Weak and 1 Vulnerable to ALL enemies. |
| Powdered Demise | Enemy loses 9 HP at the end of each of its turns. |
| Radiant Tincture | Gain 1 Energy. Gain an additional Energy at the start of your next 3 turns. |
| Regen Potion | Gain 5 Regen. |
| Stable Serum | Retain your Hand for 2 turns. |
| Touch of Insanity | Choose a card in your Hand. It is free to play this combat. |
Fortifier is a standout newcomer — tripling your existing Block can be devastating when paired with a big defensive turn. Powdered Demise and Radiant Tincture are also entirely new and offer sustained value over multiple turns rather than a single burst.
Colorless Rare Potions
Rare potions are the hardest to find naturally but deliver the most dramatic effects. Several returning favorites sit alongside powerful new additions.
| Potion | Effect |
|---|---|
| Beetle Juice | Enemy's attacks deal 30% less damage for the next 4 turns. |
| Bottled Potential | Shuffle ALL your cards into your Draw Pile. Draw 5 cards. |
| Distilled Chaos | Play the top 3 cards of your Draw Pile. |
| Droplet of Precognition | Choose a card in your Draw Pile and add it to your Hand. |
| Entropic Brew | Fill all your empty potion slots with random potions. |
| Fairy in a Bottle | When you would die, this potion is discarded and you heal to 30% of your Max HP. |
| Fruit Juice | Gain 5 Max HP. |
| Gigantification Potion | The next Attack you play deals triple damage. |
| Liquid Memories | Put a card from your Discard Pile into your Hand. It costs 0 Energy this turn. |
| Lucky Tonic | Gain 1 Ritual. |
| Mazaleth's Gift | Add a random Attack, Skill, and Power into your Hand. They're free to play this turn. |
| Orobic Acid | Exhaust your Hand. Draw 10 cards. |
| Shackling Potion | ALL enemies lose 7 Strength this turn. |
| Ship in a Bottle | Gain 10 Block. Next turn, gain 10 Block. |
| Snecko Oil | Draw 7 cards. Randomize the cost of cards in your Hand this turn. |
Several potions have shifted rarity compared to the first game. Blessing of the Forge moved from Common to Uncommon, Distilled Chaos jumped from Uncommon to Rare, and Heart of Iron dropped from Rare to Uncommon with adjusted values (7 Plating instead of 6 Metallicize). Liquid Memories also climbed from Uncommon to Rare.
Character-Exclusive Potions
Each of the five playable characters has a small set of potions that only appear during their runs. The Necrobinder and Regent are new to Slay the Spire 2 and bring entirely fresh potion designs.
Ironclad
| Potion | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Potion | Common | Heal for 20% of your Max HP. |
| Ashwater | Uncommon | Exhaust any number of cards in your Hand. |
| Soldier's Stew | Rare | All cards containing Strike gain 1 Replay this combat. |
Ashwater replaces the old Elixir with the same exhaust effect but under a new name. Soldier's Stew is brand new and tailor-made for Strike-heavy builds, granting permanent Replay to every Strike card for the rest of the fight.
Silent
| Potion | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Poison Potion | Common | Apply 6 Poison. |
| Cunning Potion | Uncommon | Add 3 Upgraded Shivs into your Hand. |
| Ghost in a Jar | Rare | Gain 1 Intangible. |
Defect
| Potion | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Potion | Common | Gain 2 Focus. |
| Potion of Capacity | Uncommon | Gain 2 Orb Slots. |
| Essence of Darkness | Rare | Channel a Dark for each of your Orb Slots. |
Necrobinder
| Potion | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Potion of Doom | Common | Apply 33 Doom. |
| Bone Brew | Uncommon | Summon 15. |
| Pot of Ghouls | Rare | Add 2 Souls into your Hand. |
The Necrobinder's potions revolve around its unique mechanics: Doom is a devastating debuff, Summon fuels the character's minion-based gameplay, and Souls are special generated cards.
Regent
| Potion | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Star Potion | Common | Gain 3 Star Energy. |
| King's Courage | Uncommon | Forge 15. |
| Cosmic Concoction | Rare | Add 3 Upgraded Colorless cards into your Hand. |
The Regent uses Star Energy as its unique resource, and Forge is a character-specific mechanic. Cosmic Concoction is particularly flexible since it generates upgraded Colorless cards, giving access to a wide range of effects.
Event and Token Potions
Two potions are tied to specific events, and one is classified as a Token, meaning it doesn't appear through normal drop mechanics.
| Potion | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Foul Potion | Event | Deal 12 damage to EVERYONE. Can be thrown at the Merchant for 100 Gold instead. |
| Glowwater Potion | Event | Gain 1 Buffer. |
| Potion-Shaped Rock | Token | Deal 15 damage. |
Foul Potion has a fun dual purpose — you can use it as AoE damage in combat or throw it at the Merchant to earn 100 Gold, which is a nice callback to the original game's quirky interactions. Glowwater Potion grants Buffer, which negates the next instance of HP loss entirely.
Key Changes From Slay the Spire 1
The sequel made several notable adjustments beyond simply adding new potions. Many returning potions have been rebalanced or reclassified. Blessing of the Forge is now Uncommon instead of Common. Snecko Oil draws 7 cards instead of 5 and only randomizes costs for the current turn rather than the rest of combat. Heart of Iron now grants Plating (a new buff) rather than Metallicize and sits at Uncommon rarity. The Watcher's exclusive potions (Bottled Miracle, Stance Potion, and Ambrosia) are absent since the Watcher is not in the early access roster.
Several potions that were previously character-locked have become Colorless or shifted ownership. The Ancient Potion and Essence of Steel from the first game don't appear in the current build, while entirely new entries like Beetle Juice, Fortifier, Gigantification Potion, and Stable Serum fill out the expanded roster. The game is still in early access, so expect these numbers and effects to shift as development continues.