Slay The Spire The Silent Guide

The Silent is Devastating. Wielding a vast arsenal of shivs, all-powerful poison, and discarding curses, the deadly warrioress is well-equipped to dominate nearly every inch of Slay the Spire.

While her moves can confuse players unfamiliar with poison mechanics or how to build discard decks, a proper Silent build can obliterate the corrupt heart in a smattering of rounds. The Silent is our best bet if we want a character well-equipped for blazing through regular playthroughs or tackling higher levels of accession mode.

In this Slay The Spire the Silent Guide, I’ll review the silent assassin’s best relic synergies and card decks. As a bonus, I’ll detail how to leverage her unique poison mechanic to make quick work of bosses and elite enemies.

Ascend to Greatness in Slay the Spire | GOG

Embark on a thrilling journey through the ever-shifting halls of Slay the Spire, where strategic deck-building meets intense roguelike action. With its dynamic challenges and endless combinations, test your skills and adaptability to ascend to greatness.

Check Price

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Bottom Line Up Front

The Silent is a deadly huntress intent on slaying the Spire and communing with the stars. She relies on poison and shivs to dispatch her foes and wears the skeleton of a demonic beast she slew.

Employ Shiv and poison cards like Blade Dance and Envenom to whittle down bosses and decimate foes. Avoid damage and end rounds quickly to quicken dangerous encounters and spend extra health on random events for additional relics.

The Silent: Nightmare In Green

A deadly Huntress wearing a Snecko skull and a conciliatory green cloak, the Silent is a violent rogue that relies on cunning and trickery to demolish foes.

While her intentions for slaying the Spire remain somewhat vague, the final comic of her slicing the Spire’s heart and gazing up into the stars suggests that her intentions are ultimately noble and meant to save the world.

Regardless of her reason for slaying the Spire, the Silent is a blast to play as and can quickly render enemies apart in the first round. If we enjoy fast and risky playthroughs with increased bloodshed and quick rounds, the Silent is the perfect Slay the Spire character for us.

Silent Stats

• HP: 70
• Starting Deck: 5 Strike, 5 Defend, 1 Survivor, 1 Neutral
• Specialty Decks: Poison, Shiv, Discard
• Starting Gold: 99
• Relic Ring of the Snake – draw two more cards at the beginning of each combat
• Card Border Color: Green
• How to Unlock: beat a run as the Ironclad

Before we Begin

Before we send our favorite huntress into the Spire’s depths, we should understand the basic rules and unique mechanics governing the Silent’s killing spree.

Avoid Tanking Damage

Unlike the Ironclad, the Silent doesn’t regenerate health after each combat encounter.

While we can obtain relics like Meat on the Bone or Bloody Idol that can heal us after combat, we’re better off minimalizing our damage intake. If we find ourselves with extra health, I advise spending it in random encounters for relics and gold.

The Power of Discard

Utilizing the Silent’s discard cards, we can remove most curses we acquire during random encounters. Therefore, I advise obtaining relics and extra gold during random events and getting rid of the curse during combat or later at the merchant’s shot. 

On the other hand, if we can obtain the Du-Vu Doll (Increases strength by 1 per curse) or Darkstone Precept (Increases max health by 6 per curse), hanging onto these curses can increase our stats.

Regardless of these relics, we should obtain more discarding cards like Prepared and Acrobatics if we’re comfortable acquiring curses.

Devasting First Turn

If we build our deck right, most first turns can turn into devasting affairs that kill several enemies or impair most bosses. I advise obtaining one or two Backstabs alongside several Blade Dances to deal a whopping 50 points of damage to foes on the first wave or leveraging debuff cards like Crippling Cloud.

While we should still activate power cards like Envenom on longer engagements with bosses, getting rid of multiple enemies or debuffing enemies with weak and vulnerable status effects can quickly end battles.

Poison Mechanics

Arguably the Silent’s most extraordinary power lies in her ability to deal Poison damage to foes. Unlike regular attacks, poison ignores the enemy’s block, deals damage at the end of our turn, and only decreases by 1 each round (i.e. 5 poison damage equals a total of 5+4+3+2+1 = 15 damage).

However, we can continually stack poison damage and even multiply its effects leading to 50 or even 100 points of damage a round. I advise utilizing this deadly mechanic so long as the enemy lacks artifact buffs to negate this skill.

Best Playstyles for the Silent

The Silent’s unique deck and relics can make for powerful playstyles if we gather the right cards and relics. Even if there’s some overlap between playstyles (i.e. making shivs deal poison damage), we’re better off sticking to a specific set of cards to deal with most foes.

The Shiv-pocalypse

Relying on the Silent’s vast arsenal of zero-cost Shivs, we can deal near-endless damage in a few rounds. This strategy consists of unleashing vast amounts of shivs which we can augment to deal more damage, increase our strength, or even poison damage.

Strengths

Reliable Damage – With a deck full of Shivs, we can reliably deal damage every round. While it’s still possible for us to draw a hand full of Defends, we’ll never have to worry about lacking enough energy to play zero-cost Shivs.

Especially with low hp enemies in the first few areas, we can skirt through Act 1 and most of Act 2 with a Shiv-filled deck.

Stacks with Relics – Shiv decks benefit from relics that increase our strength (Shuriken), dexterity (Kunai), and energy (Nunchaku) after playing enough attacks. Especially after unleashing a horde of shivs, we can find ourselves with +10 strength, dealing nearly four times more damage than we started.

Weaknesses

Malleable enemies – This strategy is weak against enemies with Malleable (Gains increasing block the more damage dealt) and relies on us being able to deploy many shivs in a few rounds. If we cannot obtain cards or relics that amplify shiv damage, we should pivot to poison-related cards.

The Time Eater – Also, this strategy can backfire against the Time Eater boss that automatically ends the current round after we play 12 cards and increases its strength by 2. If we see this boss on the world map (a clock symbol with two hands), switch to a poison deck immediately.

Best Shiv Cards

Blade Dance (1 Energy) 3 shivs – The best common card for this play style, the Blade Dance summons 3 zero cost shivs (four when upgraded) that deal four damage apiece for a total of 12 points of damage (16 when upgraded).

While this damage is acceptable for low-level enemies, we can double and triple the amount of damage shivs deal with Accuracy and Wrist Blade for a total of 36 damage and even leverage the shuriken relic to increase our strength by one.

We can commonly obtain the Blade Dance in most low-level encounters, especially in the first area.

Accuracy (1 Energy) +4 damage for shivs – An incredible card for shiv-heavy decks, Accuracy increases the amount of shiv damage we deal by four points.

While this card is worthless for decks without Shivs, its rarity can make it worthwhile if we expect to add shivs to our dec later on. I advise obtaining one or two copies of Accuracy for decks with at least two shiv summoning cards to make it a worthwhile power.

Burst (1 Energy) x2 skill – An excellent or useless card depending on our hand at the current moment; Burst uses the next skill we use twice.

I advise using it in conjunction with Dance of Blades or rare cards like Adrenaline to double our shivs or increase our amount of cards and power. We usually find Burst in most boss encounters and rarely from regular foes.

Storm of Steel (3 Energy) 1 shiv for every card discarded – Great for getting rid of useless cards like Slime or Curses; Storm of Steel can wreck most enemies depending on the number of cards in our hand.

When used with relics like Dead Branch and Runic Pyramid, we can prolong our turn, wiping out enemies and wrecking bosses. We can find Storm of Steel beside other rares and enjoy a hand full of shiv +1’s if we reinforce the card.

Also Fine

Infinite Blades (1 Energy) 1 extra shiv each round – While this card seems excellent at first glance, its utility only comes into play several rounds later.

I only advise using this card over Blade Dance if we expect a long engagement lasting 5+ rounds. Otherwise, prioritize cards that deal damage outright, giving us access to and reinforcing shivs.

Finisher (1 Energy) 6 damage for every attack – While this card is fantastic after using a hand full of shivs, it relies on us having a hand built for several attacks.

For example, drawing a hand full of Defends renders this attack useless, and using Storm of Steel would discard this card anyway. I advise picking up Finisher after we’ve built a deck full of shiv-related cards and if we feel comfortable relying on more RNG for using it.

Best Shiv Relics

Wrist Blade (Uncommon Relic) – zero cost cards deal 4 additional points of damage – The single greatest relic for shiv decks, Wrist Blade doubles the damage of regular shivs and other zero-cost cards.

While there’s no secret effect besides an excellent damage buff, applying vulnerability to enemies can further increase our already incredible amount of damage, allowing us to deal nearly 50 points of damage with a single Blade Dance. We can find Wrist Blade as a reward for boss encounters or as a costly shop item.

Dead Branch (Rare Relic) – Cards that exhaust turn into random cards – Since our shivs count as exhaustible cards, this relic creates a random card for each shiv we use.

While the value of these cards is up RNG and our current energy, receiving an Adrenaline or yet another Blade Dance allows us to continue our round, leading to a potentially unlimited hand. I highly advise this relic if you have two or more shiv-related cards or plan to purchase them later.

Du-vu Doll (Rare Relic) – Increases our strength by 1 per curse – Du-vu Doll drastically raises the amount of damage we can deal with regular shivs by 25%.

While this relic requires us to obtain curses willingly, it makes up for its drawback with devasting attack power. I advise purchasing this relic if we already have several curses or are still in Act 1 or early in Act 2.

Shuriken (Uncommon Relic) – Increases strength by 1 every 3 attacks – Excellent for steadily increasing our damage during battle; Shuriken turns the three shivs we get with each Blade Dance into a +1 strength boost.

While this relic is less helpful for decks built with high-cost cards, like Eviscerate, it drastically increases the damage of shivs during a long battle. I also advise pairing this relic with Riddle with Holes for a high-damage card.

Best Shiv Card Combos

Blade Dance + Bust = 6 Shivs (8 if reinforced) – Because Blade Dance is considered a skill, Burst (which doubles the effect of skills) doubles the number of shivs we spawn.

This combination generates a deck full of shivs if we’re nearly empty. I advise caution if our hand is full; the leftover shivs will get discarded. Also, if we’ve upgraded Burst and have a second Blade Dance in our hand, we can generate a total of 16 shivs in a single round.

Storm of Steel + Acrobatics =3 Shivs (4 Shiv+) – Another way to generate shivs, we can draw more cards with Acrobatics and create more shivs from excess cards in our hand.

While this isn’t the most potent combination, it allows us more flexibility to approach a given opponent (i.e. making them more vulnerable or discarding Reflex/Tactician) and create value from the excess.

A Thousand Cuts + Shivs = 1 area of effect damage per card – Great for increasing the damage of our shivs and attacking multiple enemies, this power card essentially increases our shiv’s total damage by the number of enemies in a given battle.

While this combination is less useful against single-boss opponents, it helps eliminate their minions and increase our total damage over several rounds.

Poison and Perish

A damage type unique to the Silent, Poison deals massive damage to foes over several rounds and entirely ignores an enemy’s block.

While it steadily decreases by one each round, we can use a few cards to amplify the effects of poison and one-shot most enemies and bosses. I advise using poison if we want a reliable way to tackle most endgame bosses and elite enemies.

Strengths

Extreme Multiplier – Utilizing the magical power of multiplication, we can drastically raise the poison an enemy suffers from with the Catalyst card. While this is less useful at lower levels of poison, combing Catalyst with Burst allows us to x6 the number of poison damage.

Chain Reactions – If we take advantage of a few cards and relics like the Specimen and Corpse Explosion, we can create destructive chain reactions that take out multiple foes simultaneously.

While these reactions are somewhat useless when facing a single enemy, we can quickly remove several enemies with the right poison hand.

Weaknesses

Artifact – Like any debuff, artifact negates the effect of poison until we can disable it. While most enemies lack this powerful buff, facing off against bosses like the Bronze Automaton or Elites like the Three Sentries can test our playthrough.

I advise deploying cards like Cripling Cloud that apply multiple debuffs to remove an enemy’s artifact quickly.

Rarity – Unlike shivs, poison cards are a rarer find. While we can play through most encounters with a few poison cards to buff our playstyle, a full poison deck requires at least five or six of the stylized cards.

I advise purchasing them from the merchant or switching to a Shiv deck if we cannot find enough related cards.

Best Poison Cards

Catalyst (Energy 1) x2( x3) enemy poison stat – The most crucial card for any poison build, Catalyst drastically raises the amount of poison damage applied to a single enemy.

While this card requires the enemy to have a high enough poison stat already, it can stack with Burst to increase the enemy’s poison stat by x4 or even x6. Catalyst is the card for us if we’re looking to insta-kill most endgame bosses.

Corpse Explosion (2 Energy) 6 poison and enemy’s total hp damages other enemies upon death – Great for causing chain reactions, Corpse Explosion deals an enemy’s total hp as damage to other enemies upon death.

This means that using this card to kill one of three enemies, all with the same hp, will take the entire trio. I recommend using this card against groups of enemies like Three Sentries, Taskmaster, and Darklings.

Envenom (1 energy) each attack deals 1 poison damage – Essentially turning all of our attacks into poison damage, Envenom is the quickest way to start building an enemy’s poison stat without Catalyst or pure poison cards.

While the 1 point of poison damage may seem pathetic, sending a plethora of shivs can drastically raise an enemy’s poison stat. Also, I advise using this card with the Snecko Skull to double the poison we apply to enemies.

Bouncing Flask (2 Energy) 3×4 poisons random enemy – The bouncing flask is the best pure poison card to raise an enemy’s poison stat.

While the randomness of the flasks bouncing means this card is less useful against grounds of enemies, killing the rest means we can reliably apply 12, 16 when reinforced, points of poison damage to an enemy. I advise obtaining the Snecko Skull to add another 4 points of poison damage to this already dangerous card.

Also Fine

Noxious Fumes (1 Energy) 2 poison each round – An excellent card for preventing poison decay and steadily raising an enemy’s poison stat, Noxious Fumes is fantastic throughout a long fight.

While the Silent is generally better suited to finishing her foes off in a few rounds, this card also offers a quick way to get rid of other enemy’s artifact or whittle down several enemies at once.

I advise reinforcing this card and synergizing it with the Snecko skull to drastically increase its poison gain to 4 each round.

Crippling Cloud (2 Energy) 4 poison every enemy and 2 weak – While the poison gain on this card is relatively weak, the Weak debuff can come in handy when facing off against a horde of attacking enemies. I advise carrying this card as a surefire way to ride foes of artifact and save ourselves from a killing attack.

Best Poison Relics

Snecko Skull (Uncommon Relic) – Whenever you deal poison damage, apply one more point of poison – Arguably the best relic for a poison build, Sneko Skull amplifies cards like Envenom, Noxious Fumes, or any other attack, skill, or power that creates poison.

Overall, this relic can lead to us dealing twice as much poison damage as before and cutting the length of battles in half. We can acquire Snecko Skull as a boss reward or for a costly purchase at the shop.

Runic Pyramid (Boss Relic) – No longer discard cards at our round’s end – Great for assuring the proper use of Catalyst, Runic Pyramid is crucial for our playthrough to mitigate the effects of RNG.

For example, saving a Catalyst and Burst after we’ve poisoned our foe ensures we can quickly end a fight after we’ve dealt enough points of poison. I advise picking up this incredible relic after defeating any boss unless we have a deck full of curses. 

The Specimen (Rare Relic) – Transfers poison to other enemies upon death – Great when facing several foes at once, the specimen is fantastic against bosses with minions and facing down several enemies at once.

While it’s no help against the Corrupt Heart or single enemies, it’s great for crowd control and area of effect poison damage. 

Best Poison Combos

Burst + Catalyst – Potentially the best combo in the entire Silent deck, using these two cards together can multiply our total poison value by 6, leading to ludicrous amounts of damage.

Since both of these cards are rare, and their combo is only worthwhile after inflicting 20 or more points of poison, I advise obtaining the Runic Pyramid to secure the chance of using these cards together.

Envenom + Shivs – A common combo that is easier to create and synergizes well with Shiv decks, playing Shivs-creating cards after using Envenom allows us to inflict poison quickly on a foe.

I highly recommend using this combo with Sneko Skull and Blade Dance or Storm of Steel to demolish opponents with poison; few enemies besides Intangible elites can stand against this unrelenting damage.

Burst + Bouncing Flask – While this combo doesn’t ensure we can insta-kill a foe, using these two cards together can allow us to inflict around 36 points of poison damage in a single round. I advise inflicting this combo before using Catalyst to bring our foes’ lives to a swift end.

Other Amazing Combos

Besides Poison and Shiv deck the Silent can more frequently discards cards and employ unique powers.

While these builds are less viable for combat or boss encounters, they are a great way to obtain invincibility, potions, energy, and cards for any given round. I advise keeping a few of these cards in our deck if we want access to their indomitable power.

Invincibility (for six rounds)

Nightmare + Wrath Form = 3 Intangibility (6 Intangibility) – Whether we’re worried about surviving the final boss’s final attack or want to conserve our health for later, this combo ensures we can turn nearly invincible (wholly invincible with Tungsten Rod) for the next six rounds.

While the cost of using these three cards can remain somewhat high, having Bullet Time in our deck, which reduces the cost of all cards to zero, ensures we can afford this prestigious buff. I advise obtaining the Runic Pyramid relic to make this combo a reality.

Double Free Potions

Alchemize + Burst – If we appreciate having access to potion for each fight or regaining health with the Toy Ornothoper relic, this combo can give us access to all the potions we could ever need.

I advise abusing this combo to make quick work of most fights or get lucky and conserve a handy potion for later, like Ghost in a Jar ( Intagability for 1 round). Also, using this combo with the relic Sacred Bark, which doubles the effect of potions, can turn this combo into a game breaking one if we’re lucky.

Reliable Discard

Tools of The Trade + Tactician/Reflex – If we want to get assured use out of these two discard cards, we can employ this combo to ensure we can discard Tactician or Reflex for extra energy or cards.

Being able to discard every round means we can always get use out of these two cards and never have to deal with the frustration of drawing a useless card.

FAQs

Conclusion

Well done, hearty adventurer! Through care deck manipulation and relic synergizing, we’ve constructed a fearsome warrioress ready to Slay the Spire and give every surviving monster PTSD of the hero in green.

Whether we’re poisoning our foes or raining down a torrent of Shivs upon them, the Spire has no chance in the face of our tactical know-how. Even if we can’t get the cards or relics we need for a proper build, the Silent’s flexibility between her different cards means we can effortlessly switch and combine playstyles.

So let’s gather the keys, choke out a gremlin, and make Neow proud! The Spire’s doom awaits!

Ascend to Greatness in Slay the Spire | GOG

Embark on a thrilling journey through the ever-shifting halls of Slay the Spire, where strategic deck-building meets intense roguelike action. With its dynamic challenges and endless combinations, test your skills and adaptability to ascend to greatness.

Check Price

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

• About
• Latest Posts

JT Hussey

Indie games have a special place in JT's heart. Writing about indie games gives him an opportunity to unpack and examine the genuine care individuals and small groups pour into their projects. Whether its Lucas Pope turning passport verification into a fun gameplay mechanic in Papers Please, Omocat spending over 8 years hand-drawing the entirety of Omori, or Toby Fox designing the absolutely banger soundtrack of Undertale, the palpable care put into these games is worth the writing about.

Latest posts by JT Hussey (see all)

• Best Games Like Hollow Knight - February 25, 2024
• House Flipper 2 Review – In This World, It’s Clean or Be Cleaned! - January 1, 2024
• Dredge The Pale Reach Side Quests Guide - December 18, 2023