The Ironclad

The Ironclad is the first playable character in Slay the Spire and serves as the game's introductory character. He is a warrior who excels at Strength scaling, Exhaust synergies, and recovering HP during combat. His playstyle is straightforward compared to the other characters: deal massive damage with Strength-amplified attacks while surviving with a combination of Block and his unique passive ability. The Ironclad's starting relic is Burning Blood, which heals him for 6 HP at the end of every combat, providing a steady stream of recovery that makes early-game attrition less punishing.

The Ironclad's starting deck consists of 5 Strikes, 4 Defends, and 1 Bash, giving him a balanced foundation of offense and defense. His card pool includes powerful Strength-generating Powers like Demon Form and Inflame, Exhaust-synergy cards like Feel No Pain and Dark Embrace, and high-impact Attacks like Whirlwind and Bludgeon. His unique strength lies in the ability to snowball through Strength gains — once Demon Form or Limit Break is online, his damage output scales far beyond other characters' early potential.

The Ironclad's main weakness is that many of his best Power cards are expensive and take time to set up, making early-game elites more dangerous. His deck can also become inconsistent if not trimmed properly. He lacks the cheap, reliable Block options that The Silent and Defect have, relying more on reactive defense. Despite this, he is considered the most beginner-friendly character due to Burning Blood's forgiving HP recovery, his straightforward damage-scaling win conditions, and a card pool that produces reliable, legible strategies.