Select Language:
Slay the Spire 2 is officially here, bringing new battles against many different monsters, including some hidden surprises. Most of your gameplay will involve fighting a variety of enemies that vary in difficulty. Along the way, you’ll face regular enemies, Elite foes, and Act bosses. There is also a secret boss that you might miss if you’re not careful.
This secret boss is connected to a special encounter with a fake merchant. The opponent is a sneaky snake oil salesman trying to sell fake Relics. Here’s how you can trigger the fight and what you earn afterward.
The Merchant??? Secret Boss Walkthrough
First, you need to get a Foul Potion from the Potion Courier.
This is part of an unknown event that appears randomly. During this event, you’ll have the choice to take up to three Foul Potions or one Uncommon Potion. To trigger the secret boss fight, you must choose the Foul Potions. These are the only items you can throw at the merchant to start the battle.
You won’t find Foul Potions anywhere else, so finding this event signals that the next encounter with the fake merchant will happen later in Act 2 or in Act 3.
Warning: Don’t waste these potions on regular merchants who sell cards, relics, and potions. Throwing them at the regular merchant will only give you 100 gold coins each time instead of starting the boss fight.
How to Throw the Foul Potion at the Merchant???
To find the fake merchant, you must land on a specific unknown event space in the game and hope he appears. Unlike regular merchants who show up in every Act, this secret boss might only appear during your progress in Act 2 or Act 3.
Once you’ve located the fake merchant, make sure you have a Foul Potion in your inventory. When you’re looking at the merchant, select the Foul Potion and move the cursor over to the snake oil salesman. Tossing the potion at him—despite not being in combat—will trigger the fight. Make sure you’re prepared with enough health to handle the enemy.
Boss Stats and Combat Tips
The secret boss has 165 health and his attacks do roughly 9 to 20 damage each. He’s similar to a mid-tier enemy and doesn’t have any unique tricks, making him easier to defeat. His attack pattern isn’t particularly dangerous, so an aggressive strategy is effective. Normally, you should be able to quickly take him down before he becomes a bigger threat.
Rewards from Defeating The Merchant???
Winning this fight grants you all of the Relics he was trying to sell, along with his fake rug—which does nothing—and 300 gold coins. You also get between four and six Relics for free. While these Relics are usually weaker versions, they still offer useful effects for your run. Just be sure to read their descriptions carefully, as some might not fit well with your current strategy.
Alternative: If you prefer not to fight, you can always throw the Foul Potions at the genuine merchant, earning 100 gold coins each time. This is a good option if you haven’t met the fake merchant during your run. Keep in mind that defeating the secret boss is more profitable since you’ll get Relics and a hefty amount of gold instead of just coins.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
