My heart sunk the first time I opened the Epoch panel and saw a row of locked names. I sat back, controller in hand, and realized the game was giving me a scavenger hunt with a map missing half its landmarks. You can feel the itch to clear the list—and you can clear it, if you play smart.
I’ve been patching runs and checking leaderboards on Steam and the official Discord for months; I know how the timeline behaves. I’ll walk you through every Epoch, how they appear on the Timeline, and the quickest paths to tick them off. No fluff—just the routes that actually work and the small habits that speed you up.
When you stare at a checklist, one empty box pulls your eye more than fifty filled ones. All Epochs in Slay the Spire 2 and how to unlock them
Epochs are chapters on the main Timeline that open as you meet specific in-run milestones: score thresholds, character milestones, relic or card discoveries, and Act completions. Some are painless; some demand repetition. Think of them like collectible stamps—some live behind routine play, others behind deliberate objectives.
How Epochs appear is predictable. They trigger when the game registers a qualifying event: finishing an Act with a character, killing a set number of elites or bosses, acquiring specific relics or cards, or completing Ascension 1 for a character. If you want the fastest progress, focus runs on the tasks tied to the Epochs you haven’t yet seen.
| Epoch | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Ancients | Unlock relics: Book of Five Rings, Kusarigama, Ice Cream |
| Open | Unlock potions: Beetle Juice, Mazaleth’s Gift, Droplet of Precognition |
| Preon | Unlock cards: Automation, Catastrophe, Entropy |
| Scribbles | Unlock relics: Reptile Trinket, Unsettling Lamp, Intimidating Helmet |
| The Architect | Unlock cards: Prep Time, Eternal Armor, Jackpot |
| The Calm | I have yet to determine the exact requirements. |
| Underdocks | Unlock an alternate Act 1 |
| Fog Rolls In | Complete a run with Ironclad |
| The Ironclad | Complete Act 1 with Ironclad |
| Devastation | Complete Act 2 with Ironclad |
| The Pact | Complete Act 3 with Ironclad |
| Ablaze | Kill 15 Elites with Ironclad |
| Snuffed | Kill 15 Bosses with Ironclad |
| My Face | Beat Ascension 1 with Ironclad |
| Anomalous Planet | Play a run with Silent |
| Bigger Prey | Complete Act 1 with the Silent |
| Ill | Complete Act 2 with Silent |
| Trophies | Complete Act 3 with Silent |
| Nemesis | Kill 15 Bosses with Silent |
| Prisoner | Kill 15 Elites with Silent |
| Soup | Complete Ascension 1 with Silent |
| Life and Death | Play a run with Regent |
| I arrive | Complete Act 1 with Regent |
| We Need a Hero | Complete Act 2 with Regent |
| Grand Strategy | Complete Act 3 with Regent |
| Discontent | Kill 15 Bosses with Regent |
| Friends | Kill 15 Elites with Regent |
| Little King | Complete Ascension 1 with Regent |
| Booting Up | Play a run with Necrobinder |
| The Twelve | Complete Act 1 with Necrobinder |
| Futility | Complete Act 2 with Necrobinder |
| Spireborn | Complete Act 3 with Necrobinder |
| Annihilation | Kill 15 Bosses with Necrobinder |
| The Giant | Kill 15 Elites with Necrobinder |
| To Kill | Complete Ascension 1 with Necrobinder |
| Tricked | Complete Act 1 with Defect |
| Hello! Hello! | Complete Act 2 with Defect |
| Resolving Bugs | Complete Act 3 with Defect |
| Laser Beams | Kill 15 Bosses with Defect |
| Confrontation | Kill 15 Elites with Defect |
| Ooh Shiny! | Complete Ascension 1 with Defect |
| Orobas | Play a run with every character |
| Neow | Finish your first run |
| Seeds | Complete Act 3 three times |
| The Daily | Complete Act 3 at least once with all five characters |
| Darv | Meet all the Ancients |
The table looks dense until you read it once like a travel itinerary. Character-focused Epochs and practical routes
Most Epochs tie to a character. If a name says “Complete Act 2 with Silent,” you don’t need a miracle—just a reliable Silent build. If a line asks you to kill 15 elites or bosses with a character, the fastest method is targeted grinding: pick runs where you can wipe elites consistently (relic synergy, boss-killing cards).
If you’re missing relic-based Epochs—like Ancients or Scribbles—use shop runs and seed-chasing techniques posted on the official Slay the Spire 2 Discord or Reddit. I watch a few Twitch streamers who highlight rare relic drops; they’ll save you time by showing routes that keep the right relic pools alive.
How do you get Epochs in Slay the Spire 2?
Each Epoch has a trigger. Finish Acts, pick up named relics or cards, complete Ascension 1, or hit kill counters for elites and bosses. If an Epoch hasn’t appeared after many runs, focus a run exclusively on that criterion—use character-specific shops, targeted rerolls, and the alternate Act routes when possible.
Which Epochs are the hardest to get?
Relic and card-specific Epochs can be slow because they rely on RNG. “The Calm” is still unclear and may require a hidden condition. Boss- and elite-count Epochs are grinding chores but predictable. If you don’t like repetition, prioritize the things you can force: Act completions, Ascension 1 clears, and playing once with each character.
Do Epochs give rewards?
Epochs themselves act as timeline milestones; they don’t directly hand you in-run items, but some are gated behind the same events that grant relics or achievements, which do help your runs. Consider them progress markers that point to permanent game additions you want to own.
Watching other runners is like standing behind a pro at a sushi bar. Practical habits that shave hours off your list
Two small changes sped me up: making one character the target per play session, and logging runs in Steam or a private spreadsheet so I didn’t repeat unproductive attempts. If you want relic Epochs faster, favor shops and elite-heavy paths and use the save-seed trick discussed on Reddit and the official Discord.
When a run is going sideways, accept the loss and reset. Refusing to quit scrambles your momentum; a few targeted runs with the right strategy are better than dozens of unfocused attempts. Also, use the community: many streamers and content creators post run seeds and relic-focused strategies—this saves time and shows variations you might miss.
I’ll leave you with one small image: the Timeline slowly filling is like watching a tide rise—steady, inevitable, and oddly satisfying. Which Epoch will you chase first?