Path of Exile (PoE) is a popular action role-playing game (ARPG) with a huge wealth of different types of content. The underlying mechanics of most content are obfuscated or unknown, requiring experimentation, data collection, and analysis to discover precisely how they work. One type of content in PoE is Harvest. Havest allows players access to the Sacred Grove, where they kill monsters to collect various types of lifeforce. This lifeforce can then be used to craft items. If a player is looking to maximize the amount of lifeforce gained from the Sacred Grove, it is important to understand the underlying mechanics behind monster spawns and lifeforce drops in the Sacred Grove.

Practically every day, I see people ask for advice on a few of the achievements in Slay the Spire. To avoid having to respond individually to all of these requests, I decided to try to give my thoughts on the most efficient ways to obtain each one. This is a topic I’ve put some thought into, as one of the few people to run the “all achievements” speedrunning category for this game in the past. Of course, given my background, I will include ways to take advantage of exploits or weird game quirks to more easily set up the achievements. But those will only be mentioned as additional options for those who are interested. For this first post, I will only cover the four challenge run achievements: Who Needs Relics?, Minimalist, Common Sense, and Speed Climber. In future posts, I may discuss some of the other achievements which people often find difficult.

Here are three true statements about the game of Slay the Spire:

There is a lot of randomness in a game of Slay the Spire. From the cards and relics offered, to the potions dropped, to the map layouts and random encounters, very little remains the same between two playthroughs. This is part of the beauty of the game, forcing you to adapt and make the most out of the resources you have been given in each new attempt. However, with such randomness comes a natural question: can every run of Slay the Spire be won? In this article, I will discuss what I believe to be the current state of knowledge about the answer to this question.