TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 4,672
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Take down Vantom as fast as possible before this fight gets too slippery to beat.
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In Act 1 of Slay the Spire 2, Vantom is the toughest of the three bosses you can encounter. It's a bit of a roadblock in your journey, particularly if you're a new player, but don't be tempted to rage-quit and restart your run when you see his icon on the top of your map!
With a little extra strategizing, you can defeat this inky-looking fella no problem. Here's a primer on how to beat Vantom in Slay the Spire 2.
The main trouble you face when going head-to-head with Vantom is its Slippery status effect. In a standard single player run, Vantom begins combat with nine points of Slippery, meaning that the next nine times it takes damage, you'll only deal 1 HP damage to it.
Enemy stats (including status effects) scale up when you're in co-op, but you'll also have more opportunities to deal damage and erode its Slippery counter. Whether you're playing solo or with fellow spire-slayers, it's important to try to maximize the number of hits you're getting on Vantom, rather than how much damage you're dealing with each attack.
Vantom can be a particularly frustrating boss to go up against if you've constructed your deck around heavy-hitting attacks. Even if you go in all guns blazing, your first three turns will chip away virtually none of Vantom's HP. As you begin a run, check which boss you'll encounter at the end of the act and prepare your deck accordingly.
Some of the best cards to opt for early in your fight with Vantom are ones like Twin Strike, which allow you to deal multiple attacks for just one energy. Alternatively, you can opt for low-cost single attacks but that increases the number of turns Vantom has to take you down.
It's likely not worth using a Duplication potion unless you're in a particularly tough spot. It's best to save these for later in combat or even keep them for later acts. However, drinking an attack potion is a good fit for your game plan: not only will you get to play an attack for free that turn, but it'll stay in your deck to use later in the fight.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Remember that as your encounter with Vantom progresses, its damage output does too. Its attacks work in cycles: starting with a measly seven damage, eventually increasing to almost 30 damag...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
In Act 1 of Slay the Spire 2, Vantom is the toughest of the three bosses you can encounter. It's a bit of a roadblock in your journey, particularly if you're a new player, but don't be tempted to rage-quit and restart your run when you see his icon on the top of your map!
With a little extra strategizing, you can defeat this inky-looking fella no problem. Here's a primer on how to beat Vantom in Slay the Spire 2.
The main trouble you face when going head-to-head with Vantom is its Slippery status effect. In a standard single player run, Vantom begins combat with nine points of Slippery, meaning that the next nine times it takes damage, you'll only deal 1 HP damage to it.
Enemy stats (including status effects) scale up when you're in co-op, but you'll also have more opportunities to deal damage and erode its Slippery counter. Whether you're playing solo or with fellow spire-slayers, it's important to try to maximize the number of hits you're getting on Vantom, rather than how much damage you're dealing with each attack.
Vantom can be a particularly frustrating boss to go up against if you've constructed your deck around heavy-hitting attacks. Even if you go in all guns blazing, your first three turns will chip away virtually none of Vantom's HP. As you begin a run, check which boss you'll encounter at the end of the act and prepare your deck accordingly.
Some of the best cards to opt for early in your fight with Vantom are ones like Twin Strike, which allow you to deal multiple attacks for just one energy. Alternatively, you can opt for low-cost single attacks but that increases the number of turns Vantom has to take you down.
It's likely not worth using a Duplication potion unless you're in a particularly tough spot. It's best to save these for later in combat or even keep them for later acts. However, drinking an attack potion is a good fit for your game plan: not only will you get to play an attack for free that turn, but it'll stay in your deck to use later in the fight.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Remember that as your encounter with Vantom progresses, its damage output does too. Its attacks work in cycles: starting with a measly seven damage, eventually increasing to almost 30 damag...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?