Slay the Spire 2 Meat Cleaver Relic & Cooking

The Meat Cleaver is a relic in Slay the Spire 2 that turns the Cooking mechanic into a reliable source of healing and buffs between combats. You obtain it by defeating the new Elite enemy, the Butcher, and once picked up it lets you spend a portion of your remaining Gold at rest sites to prepare a meal, gaining a random beneficial effect that lasts for the next three combats.

Background: Where the Meat Cleaver Fits in Slay the Spire 2

Slay the Spire 2 builds on the original deckbuilding roguelike formula while introducing new systems, one of which is Cooking. The game adds a new resource, Ingredients, which drop from certain enemies and events. Rest sites now offer a Cooking option alongside the classic Rest (heal) and Smith (upgrade) choices. The Meat Cleaver relic is one of several relics that interact with this system, and it is specifically designed to make Cooking more accessible and more powerful.

In the original game, relics like the Eternal Feather or Meal Ticket provided healing or gold benefits. The Meat Cleaver follows that design philosophy but ties its effect directly to the new Cooking mechanic. It is an uncommon relic, meaning it appears at a moderate frequency, and it can dramatically change how you approach rest sites and resource management.

How the Meat Cleaver Works

When you have the Meat Cleaver, the Cooking option at rest sites becomes altered. Normally, Cooking requires you to have Ingredients in your inventory, and the quality of the meal depends on the number and type of Ingredients used. With the Meat Cleaver, you can also pay Gold to supplement missing Ingredients. The exact cost scales with how many Ingredients you are short.

The meal you cook grants a random buff from a pool of possible effects. These include:

• +2 Strength for the next 3 combats
• +2 Dexterity for the next 3 combats
• Regenerate 5 HP at the start of each turn for the next 3 combats
• Gain 1 Energy at the start of each turn for the next 3 combats
• Draw 1 extra card at the start of each turn for the next 3 combats

The buff is applied immediately after cooking and persists for exactly three combats, after which it expires. If you cook again before the buff expires, the new buff replaces the old one. The relic does not increase the number of meals you can cook per rest site—you still get one action per rest site—but it removes the barrier of needing Ingredients, making Cooking viable even if you have none.

Strategy: When to Cook vs. Rest vs. Smith

The Meat Cleaver makes Cooking a strong option, but it is not always the best choice. You need to weigh the opportunity cost of not healing or upgrading. Here are some guidelines:

• If you are at low HP and facing a tough fight: Resting to heal is usually safer than cooking. A buff won’t help if you die before you can use it.
• If you have a good deck and high HP: Cooking can provide a powerful edge for the next three combats, potentially saving you more HP than resting would.
• If you have a key card that needs an upgrade: Smithing might be more valuable than a temporary buff, especially if the upgrade is essential to your win condition.
• If you are in Act 1 and have low Gold: Spending Gold to cook might leave you unable to buy a valuable relic or card at the next shop. Consider whether the buff is worth the lost purchasing power.

The Meat Cleaver is especially useful in Act 2 and Act 3, where fights are longer and buffs that last three combats can cover a significant portion of the act. It also synergizes well with relics that trigger on combat start, since the buffs stack with those effects.

Common Misconceptions and Pitfalls

One common mistake is assuming the Meat Cleaver lets you cook for free. It does not—you still pay Gold if you lack Ingredients. Another misconception is that the buff lasts for the entire act; it only lasts three combats, so you need to plan around that. Also, the buff is random, so you cannot rely on getting a specific effect. If you desperately need Strength for a heavy attack deck, cooking might give you Dexterity instead, which could be useless.

Another pitfall is hoarding Gold for cooking when you could spend it at a shop. The Meat Cleaver’s Gold cost can be steep, especially early in the game. A good rule of thumb is to only cook if you have at least 100 Gold left after cooking, so you can still afford a basic shop purchase.

Comparison with Other Cooking-Related Relics

Slay the Spire 2 includes several relics that interact with Cooking. The Spice Rack increases the chance of getting a rare buff from meals. The Cookbook gives you a free meal at the start of each act. The Iron Pot allows you to cook without spending Ingredients, but only every second rest site. Compared to these, the Meat Cleaver is more flexible because it works with Gold, which is a more common resource than Ingredients. However, it does not guarantee a rare buff or provide free meals, so it is a middle-ground option.

If you find the Meat Cleaver early, you can build a strategy around generating Gold, such as taking Gold cards or events that give Gold, to fuel your cooking. Late in the game, when you have surplus Gold, the relic becomes a reliable way to get a useful buff before tough bosses.

Cost and Resource Management

The Gold cost to cook with the Meat Cleaver is calculated as follows: for each missing Ingredient, you pay 25 Gold. So if a meal requires 3 Ingredients and you have 1, you pay 50 Gold. If you have zero Ingredients, you pay 75 Gold. This cost is flat and does not increase over the game. The buff you receive is the same regardless of how many Ingredients you used, so it is almost always better to use Ingredients if you have them, saving Gold.

In terms of value, 75 Gold for a three-combat buff is generally worth it in Act 2 and Act 3, but in Act 1 it can be too expensive. You should also consider that Gold is used for removing cards at shops, which is often more valuable than a temporary buff. Only cook if you have a clear need for the buff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the Meat Cleaver stack with other Cooking relics?
A: Yes, it stacks. If you have the Spice Rack, the buff you get from cooking with the Meat Cleaver has a higher chance of being a rare effect. The Cookbook gives you a free meal at the start of each act, and that meal can also be enhanced by the Meat Cleaver if you have it. There is no conflict between these relics.

Q: Can I cook at every rest site with the Meat Cleaver?
A: No, you still only get one action per rest site. You can choose to Cook, Rest, or Smith, but not multiple. The Meat Cleaver only makes Cooking possible without Ingredients, not unlimited.

Q: What happens if I cook and then enter a boss fight?
A: The buff lasts for three combats, and boss fights count as combats. So if you cook right before a boss, the buff will be active for that boss and the next two combats. This can be a strong play if you know a boss is coming.

Q: Is the Meat Cleaver worth picking up?
A: Generally yes, especially if you have a deck that benefits from any of the possible buffs. However, if you are playing a deck that relies on specific cards and doesn’t need temporary buffs, you might prefer to skip it in favor of a relic that provides a permanent effect. It is also less useful if you are low on Gold most of the time.

Q: Does the Meat Cleaver work with the “Cook” event in Act 2?
A: The Cooking event in Act 2 is separate from rest sites. The Meat Cleaver only affects the Cooking option at rest sites, not event choices. So you cannot use it to reduce the cost or improve the outcome of that event.

Alternatives and Synergies

If you do not find the Meat Cleaver, you can still use Cooking by collecting Ingredients from enemies and events. The Spice Rack and Cookbook are good alternatives that provide similar benefits. For synergies, the Meat Cleaver works well with relics that trigger on combat start, such as Bag of Marbles (apply Vulnerable) or Anchor (gain Block). The buffs from cooking stack with these, making your first turns more powerful.

There is also a synergy with the Bloody Idol relic, which heals you for 5 HP whenever you gain Gold. Since the Meat Cleaver encourages you to spend Gold, you might not gain Gold as often, but if you have a way to generate Gold, the healing can offset the cost.

In terms of character choice, the Meat Cleaver is useful for all characters, but especially for the Ironclad, who benefits from Strength and has high HP to spare. The Silent can use Dexterity and card draw, and the Defect benefits from Energy and Focus. The Watcher, if present, can use any of the buffs effectively.

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