STS2 v0.105.0: Aeonglass, Bestiary & the Defect Renaissance

~10 min read · Strategy analysis of the biggest STS2 content patch since launch

📅 Published: May 7, 2026 · Beta Patch

Patch Overview: This One's a Game-Changer

v0.105.0 isn't just a balance patch — it's a content milestone. Mega Crit replaced an entire Act 3 boss, shipped the long-requested Bestiary, gave Defect its biggest round of buffs since launch, and committed to a bi-weekly update cadence. For anyone who felt STS2's EA was slow-moving, this patch is the clearest signal yet that development is accelerating.

⚡ TL;DR — Biggest Changes:
▲ DEFECT BUFFS: Hyperbeam 26→28, Shatter evokes orbs TWICE, Infused Core +1 Lightning damage, Uproar 5→6
▲ NEW BOSS: Aeonglass replaces Doormaker as Act 3 boss — completely new fight to learn
▲ NEW SYSTEM: Bestiary lets you view enemy stats and animations in-game
▲ NEW RELICS: Kaleidoscope, Fishing Rod, Silken Tress (Neow starters)
▼ NERFED: Blade of Ink Inky Shiv damage +2→+1, Bulwark block 13→12, Patter block 9→8

🐉 Aeonglass: The New Act 3 Boss — What We Know

Doormaker Is Gone — Aeonglass Takes Over

The controversial Doormaker has been removed entirely and replaced by Aeonglass, a brand-new Act 3 boss. Mega Crit's stated design goal: a boss that "better fits the game's complexity requirements." Aeonglass introduces the Wither mechanic — a status that progressively weakens your cards over the course of a long fight.

Aeonglass Fight Mechanics

Based on community testing and data, Aeonglass operates on a 3-turn pattern:

Turn 1 — Withering Presence: Applies Wither to your deck — affected cards lose effectiveness over time. Think of it as a slow-burn scaling debuff.
Turn 2 — Attack Pattern: Moderate damage with a secondary effect (varies by encounter RNG).
Turn 3 — Power Turn: Heavy attack that scales with how many Wither stacks you've accumulated. This is the kill window or the death sentence.

✅ Strategy: Burst beats sustain. Unlike Time Eater (who punishes card spam) or Awakened One (who punishes Powers), Aeonglass punishes long fights. The longer you take, the more Wither stacks cripple your deck. Scalable burst damage — Demon Form + Heavy Blade, Catalyst + Burst, Focus + Dark Orbs — is the optimal approach. Turtle/block strategies will get Wither'd to death.

⚠ Per-Character Warnings:
• Ironclad: Exhaust engines indirectly counter Wither by removing weakened cards. Corruption builds thrive.
• Silent: Access to cleanse effects gives her an edge. Catalyst burst can end fights before Wither matters.
• Defect: Biased Cognition + artifact charges block Wither application. Frost orbs don't save you here — go aggressive.
• Necrobinder: Summons absorb Wither applications, serving as status sponges. Strong matchup.
• Regent: Star resource system means longer setup. Bring Sealed Throne OR plan to end fights fast.

📖 Bestiary: Knowledge Is Power

What the Bestiary Does

Accessible from the Compendium menu, the Bestiary lets you view every enemy's full animation set and stat block. This is huge for strategy players — you can now study enemy attack patterns, HP ranges, and intent cycles without external wikis or trial-and-error deaths.

💡 Pro Tip: Use the Bestiary before boss fights. Knowing the exact HP threshold for phase transitions and damage ranges lets you calculate lethal precisely — no more guessing whether you can tank one more hit.

⚡ The Defect Renaissance: Biggest Buff Round Yet

v0.105.0 is the Defect patch. Four core cards received significant buffs, and the net effect is a substantial power boost across all Defect archetypes.

Card	Old Value	New Value	Impact
Hyperbeam	26(34) damage	28(36) damage	+8% base damage — now one of the hardest-hitting AOE cards in the game
Shatter	Evoke all orbs once	Evoke all orbs TWICE	Doubles orb payoff. Dark orb builds now have an instant-kill button
Infused Core	Lightning orbs: standard	Lightning orbs +1 damage each	Small but permanent passive buff. Compounding effect over long fights
Uproar	5(7) damage	6(8) damage	20% base damage increase. Better early-game pick
Tesla Coil+	6 damage, 1 trigger	4 damage, 2 triggers	More total damage (8), better synergy with Strength/Focus

💥 The Shatter Change Is Meta-Defining

Shatter going from 1 evoke to 2 evokes is the single biggest buff in this patch. A Defect with 3 Dark Orbs at 50+ damage each can now deal 300+ damage in one card play by evoking each orb twice. This makes Defect one of the strongest burst characters in the game — a role traditionally held by Ironclad and Silent.

✅ New Build Priority: Dark Orb + Shatter is now a legitimate S-tier build path. Prioritize: Loop, Darkness+, Defragment, and any orb slot expansions. Save Shatter for the turn you have maximum Dark Orbs charged.

💎 New Neow Relics

Relic	Effect	Best For
Kaleidoscope	Gain 2 cards from other characters on pickup	Hybrid build experimentation, co-op synergy
Fishing Rod	Upgrade a random card every 3 normal fights	Any character — passive scaling like Girya but for upgrades
Silken Tress	First reward cards all gain Glam enchantment	Aggressive early-game pathing into elites

🎣 Fishing Rod Analysis: Over a standard 3-act run (~15-20 normal fights), this relic gives 5-7 free upgrades. That's comparable to a Fusion Hammer without the downside. For Ironclad and Defect who benefit heavily from upgrades, this is potentially the strongest Neow relic in the pool.

📉 Other Balance Changes

Silent — Blade of Ink Nerfed

Inky Shiv bonus damage: +2 → +1. This tones down the Shiv archetype's snowball potential in Act 1. Shiv builds are still viable but no longer auto-win early encounters. The Inky Shiv still applies Weak, so the utility isn't gone — just the raw damage.

Regent — Sword Sage Reworked

Sword Sage's effect changed: "Sovereign Blade gains Replay 1." This creates a deliberate synergy chain with Parry (from v0.104.0). Play Parry → Sovereign Blade gains Block → Sword Sage gives Replay → play Sovereign Blade again for double value. Regent's combo potential just got a structured upgrade path.

Defense Cards — Slight Tuning

Bulwark: Block 13(16) → 12(15)
Patter: Block 9(11) → 8(10)
Crescent Spear: Damage 6 → 8 (actually a buff)
Royalties: Gold 30(35) → 30(40)

📈 Updated Tier List Shifts (v0.105.0)

Character	Previous Tier	New Tier	Reason
Defect	A	S	Shatter double-evoke + Hyperbeam buff + Infused Core passive. Highest burst ceiling.
Silent	S	S (slightly down)	Blade of Ink nerf hurts early snowball but Catalyst builds untouched.
Ironclad	A	A	No direct changes. Aeonglass favors Corruption builds over Strength.
Necrobinder	B	A	Summons absorb Wither — best Aeonglass matchup. Borrowed Time energy engine.
Regent	B	A-	Sword Sage/Parry synergy adds structured combo lines. Needs time to optimize.

🔄 How to Adapt: 5 Actionable Takeaways

Learn Aeonglass immediately. Spend your next few runs pathing toward Act 3 and dying to learn the new boss patterns. The Bestiary will help — use it.
Pick Defect more often. Shatter + Dark Orb is now one of the strongest burst combos in STS2. If you see Darkness+, take it.
Prioritize Fishing Rod at Neow. 5-7 free upgrades per run is absurd value. It's now in contention for best Neow relic overall.
Build for burst, not sustain. Aeonglass's Wither mechanic punishes long fights across the board. Reevaluate your boss preparation strategy.
Silent Shiv is still fine. The Blade of Ink nerf brings it from "oppressive" to "balanced." Don't overreact by abandoning Shiv builds — the Weak application is still valuable.