Slay the Spire 2 developer shows artwork and concepts for Doormaker boss replacement Aeonglass
Slay the Spire 2 developer Mega Crit has revealed the design process behind Aeonglass, the new Act 3 boss that replaced the recently removed Doormaker. The reveal offers fans a rare look behind the scenes as the studio continues to overhaul the early access roguelike deckbuilder's late-game bosses in pursuit of better balance and challenge, with Act 3 alone having now had four different bosses.
In a Steam blog post, animator Chris Gortz explained the team first explored concepts building on Doormaker's "rocky portal" design, including a rotating "pillar of death", before settling on an hourglass theme. Five Aeonglass designs were considered, with one dubbed "option B" chosen after testing 2D simulations of rotating metal rings; its "big atom" combat style combines blast and slice attacks, while art director Marlowe Dobbe asked for its contents to move like lava lamp goo rather than sand, achieved using the same smoke shader as the Living Smog boss. A recent beta patch has already nerfed Aeonglass' damage and altered its animations, and Slay the Spire 2 isn't expected to leave early access until 2027 at the earliest.
In short
- Mega Crit detailed the design of new Act 3 boss Aeonglass
- It replaced the previous boss, Doormaker, last month
- Slay the Spire 2 remains in early access until at least 2027
Explained simply
Slay the Spire 2 is a strategic video game being developed by Mega Crit, where players build custom card decks and battle enemies. The game is currently available as an early access release, meaning it is still in active development and players can try it before it is finished. The developers expect the game to remain in early access until 2027 at the earliest.
Games in development require ongoing adjustments to provide the right level of challenge to players. The final act of Slay the Spire 2 features powerful boss encounters, and Mega Crit has been testing different boss designs to achieve the right balance and difficulty. The studio recently unveiled a new Act 3 boss called Aeonglass, which replaced an earlier design called Doormaker after determining the new boss offered better gameplay.
The development team has publicly shared the design concepts and artwork that went into creating Aeonglass, allowing fans to see how developers make decisions about a boss's appearance and combat abilities. This kind of transparency is relatively unusual in game development and provides insight into how studios try different ideas before settling on a final design.
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