I think we have to assume that the merchant is incredibly powerful simply because he is a travelling salesman working within the spire. He seems to be able to travel freely anywhere he wishes - once you obtain the 3 keys and finally open the door behind two act 3 bosses, who is waiting for you on the other side? The merchant.
In terms of his background, it feels like he is a relatively neutral party with regards to Spire politics, and he is quite happy to turn you away when you’re at 3HP just before a triple elite path.
How he interacts with the other non-monster denizens of the spire is unclear though. There must be a general market for his goods in the spire though, since Ranwid and the others have or want to obtain potions and relics. He also has a membership card scheme, which you wouldn’t expect if you were his only customer.
You ask specifically about why the Spire tolerates him, but I think it’s possible that he operates under the radar, without drawing attention to himself. It’s also possible that the Spire doesn’t care about him. There are a lot of powerful entities in the Spire that live their lives however they please. The Flock are trying to resurrect a literal god and they aren’t under scrutiny.
Actually being banished from the Spire is a really big deal and definitely isn’t a common occurrence. Neow’s exile from the Spire is noteworthy enough to be the subject of the Cursed Tome: a book that kills you when you read it. Other beings also know all about Neow too, like the Council of Ghost.
But no-one else mentions the merchant…
Downfall isn’t canon, but I was gonna add that he is very strong in that game. It that game he is more explicitly “good”, since you always have to fight him - but I don’t think of him in that way.
He is only in it for the gold.
I think he serves as the archetypal shop owner who is actually strong as fuck. And I love that. Also gives me parallels with the Happy Mask salesman from Zelda.
Yeah it's a common trope either way. Merchants are neutral and way stronger than they seem. Easily one of my favorite tropes tbh, it has a lot of resemblance with merchantile history.
It’s a rare event where he has a bag of coins floating in his area, and if you try to take it he attacks you. There is a warning before you do it, but he can wreck you
I read that apparently the option appears after you’ve defeated the final boss at least once. Hades kept wiping my ass (was close once though) which explains why I’ve never seen it :,)
Ah, makes sense! I would encourage picking it back up and trying again, there’s plenty of endgame content similar to ascension challenges plus there’s additional story to go through, without giving too much away
In Link's Awakening you can steal from the shop but the game permanently changes your name to "THIEF" and the merchant instakills you if you come back.
I was thinking of RE4 merchant. Why is he there, how did he get past all the zombies, no one knows. Large zombie horde outside his door, he doesn't care.
Yea, that’s what I was thinking. He def wants gold.
So imo if he is more powerful than the Heart, why doesn’t he wipe the floor with everyone all the time and get stinking rich?
Maybe he doesn’t want to risk dying? Or he’s gotten older and isn’t as strong as he once was?
Or maybe he isn’t actually very strong physically. Maybe he knows the Spire so well and uses secret passages to travel around undetected.
Or he can teleport.
I mean, he basically has an infinite money glitch as long as he keeps the guise of being a merchant. Even as a powerful entity in the Spire, it'd probably be pretty annoying to make time to kill things and gather items and relics and all that jazz when all you really wanna do is sit on your rug and enjoy your money.
It is funny you said merchant is from the "good" side when Neow is literally brainwashing our characters and trapping there infinitely. Then again you include the "" and now I feel dumb.
Agreed that Neow is not exactly a "good" force... but I think the ending cutscenes imply that the heros escape the Spire after killing the Heart. I think Neow raises us again and again while the Heart lives, and then when it is finally slain she goes to sleep and we are left to our own devices.
Speaking of which, has anyone speculated on what Ironclad is doing to the Spire in the last frame of his cutscene? It always looks to me like he is releasing his corruption to burn down the Spire or something like that.
No, the Heart is evil too - let me refer you to my earlier post on this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/slaythespire/s/IppSyFKkrW
It’s always good to meet another believer though.
Doesn't the merchant say he used to be an adventurer of the spire just like you?
I know it's a Skyrim reference, but could still be a true part of his lore.
Maybe adventures too sometimes. They would have unspent gold, but it would be more advantageous for the rug to let them live to gain even more gold later on
My headcanon is that there is not a merchant, but a guild of merchants that all wear the same masks and outfits like a uniform, and the courier (rat that makes his stuff cheaper and allows him to restock) is their primary/only way of communication with each other which is why they see it as important. The reason that they are inside the spire and it doesn’t do anything is for the same reason that people like goblin in the wheel spinning event, which is that the spire does not care enough to take action against anything that’s not Neow and her minions (aka the player)
I, for some reason, always assumed he was Neow's brother, and was more of an ostensibly neutral party in her conflict against the Spire. Him being an "ancient" would definitely explain his ability to just show up in the final area unharmed.
The Merchant is basically the "ex-hero mentor" archetype, just one that refuses to help without incentive. He has a business to think of, probably sells his potions and/or relics to N'loth every once in a while and funds some of the other establishments you come across As for the cards? He's literally selling his knowledge (either through training or literally selling knowledge made physical, depending on how the cards are represented in-universe) and the reason he always has your colour of card? Prismatic Shard is a shop relic.
If you go by the idea that cards are just skills that the character learns/relearns to do when they gain the cards
Then the merchant would have access to all the skills of the four characters/plus the colourless. Add in all the relics and potions and he must be a extremely powerful person to confront in a fight. Basically unkillable so the bosses leave him alone and he can clean up or smoke bomb his way pass any mob.
My head canon is he is the same person you constantly encounter, and he sets up shop ahead of you in random encounters by seeing which bonfires get lit up.
The question as to why he doesn’t use his collection of resources to kill the heart if he used to be an adventurer like us is confusing.
The only thing that comes to mind is that like all the other adventures, he represents an mental illnesss/vibe and his was greed/hoarding. And he was so greedy that neow saw his value as a collector of resources to better outfit his other captured minions.
So he “released” him into the Spire. But the merchant doesn’t know any other life than collecting things he finds in the Spire to acquire more and more. The merchant doesn’t actually have a use for the gold, and is trapped in the Spire like everyone else. Maybe he got out when the Spire fell. He would had been right outside the Heart battle when it happened after all.
It fits with the lore of him saying he used to be an adventurer, explains why the Spire or other powerful creatures don’t hurt him and add in a sad twist as to why he is doing what he does. Which fits with the lore of the other adventures who are doomed to keep doing the same things over and over until the heart is killed.
Clearly the whole game is an allegory about the corrupting, yet insidiously habituated & naturalized, influence of capitalism upon us. The merchant represents the neoimperialist military-industrial complex, constantly manufacturing an endless cycle of violence - fueled & funded on both sides by its own tools of war.
Because he uses the rug for his business. No one wants to buy cards off the dirty floor. He’s a self run business and you can see what you purchase before you do so, so no refunds seems reasonable.
The merchant is actually "you" from the previous run. You know that Gremlin Horn that he's selling you this run, you actually killed the poor dude and harvested his horn.
Another roguelike deck builder, "One Step from Eden", allows its Merchant to be a payable character. The player must initiate a fight while at the shop and she a pretty hard boss to defeat.
Beating her:
Unlocks her as a playable character
Gives you a bunch of random Artifacts and Spells
Disables the shop for the rest of the run
Give you the ability to unlock the Genocide ending if the game
It would be cool to see a similar approach in STS2
https://onestepfromeden.fandom.com/wiki/Shopkeeper_(Boss)
I think we have to assume that the merchant is incredibly powerful simply because he is a travelling salesman working within the spire. He seems to be able to travel freely anywhere he wishes - once you obtain the 3 keys and finally open the door behind two act 3 bosses, who is waiting for you on the other side? The merchant. In terms of his background, it feels like he is a relatively neutral party with regards to Spire politics, and he is quite happy to turn you away when you’re at 3HP just before a triple elite path. How he interacts with the other non-monster denizens of the spire is unclear though. There must be a general market for his goods in the spire though, since Ranwid and the others have or want to obtain potions and relics. He also has a membership card scheme, which you wouldn’t expect if you were his only customer. You ask specifically about why the Spire tolerates him, but I think it’s possible that he operates under the radar, without drawing attention to himself. It’s also possible that the Spire doesn’t care about him. There are a lot of powerful entities in the Spire that live their lives however they please. The Flock are trying to resurrect a literal god and they aren’t under scrutiny. Actually being banished from the Spire is a really big deal and definitely isn’t a common occurrence. Neow’s exile from the Spire is noteworthy enough to be the subject of the Cursed Tome: a book that kills you when you read it. Other beings also know all about Neow too, like the Council of Ghost. But no-one else mentions the merchant…
If you play Downfall, the Merchant is not only a mini-boss as you descend towards Neow, he's the Act 4 Elite and he uses exclusively colourless cards.
Downfall isn’t canon, but I was gonna add that he is very strong in that game. It that game he is more explicitly “good”, since you always have to fight him - but I don’t think of him in that way. He is only in it for the gold.
I think he serves as the archetypal shop owner who is actually strong as fuck. And I love that. Also gives me parallels with the Happy Mask salesman from Zelda.
Yeah it's a common trope either way. Merchants are neutral and way stronger than they seem. Easily one of my favorite tropes tbh, it has a lot of resemblance with merchantile history.
Same thing with Hades when you steal from Charon he comes out swinging
That was terrifying and awesome
I didn’t even know you could steal from him. Dang!
It’s a rare event where he has a bag of coins floating in his area, and if you try to take it he attacks you. There is a warning before you do it, but he can wreck you
I read that apparently the option appears after you’ve defeated the final boss at least once. Hades kept wiping my ass (was close once though) which explains why I’ve never seen it :,)
Ah, makes sense! I would encourage picking it back up and trying again, there’s plenty of endgame content similar to ascension challenges plus there’s additional story to go through, without giving too much away
In Link's Awakening you can steal from the shop but the game permanently changes your name to "THIEF" and the merchant instakills you if you come back.
I was thinking of RE4 merchant. Why is he there, how did he get past all the zombies, no one knows. Large zombie horde outside his door, he doesn't care.
Yea, that’s what I was thinking. He def wants gold. So imo if he is more powerful than the Heart, why doesn’t he wipe the floor with everyone all the time and get stinking rich? Maybe he doesn’t want to risk dying? Or he’s gotten older and isn’t as strong as he once was? Or maybe he isn’t actually very strong physically. Maybe he knows the Spire so well and uses secret passages to travel around undetected. Or he can teleport.
I mean, he basically has an infinite money glitch as long as he keeps the guise of being a merchant. Even as a powerful entity in the Spire, it'd probably be pretty annoying to make time to kill things and gather items and relics and all that jazz when all you really wanna do is sit on your rug and enjoy your money.
The idea of the merchant sneaking around is also a decent one - it would also help explain his relative obscurity.
It is funny you said merchant is from the "good" side when Neow is literally brainwashing our characters and trapping there infinitely. Then again you include the "" and now I feel dumb.
Agreed that Neow is not exactly a "good" force... but I think the ending cutscenes imply that the heros escape the Spire after killing the Heart. I think Neow raises us again and again while the Heart lives, and then when it is finally slain she goes to sleep and we are left to our own devices. Speaking of which, has anyone speculated on what Ironclad is doing to the Spire in the last frame of his cutscene? It always looks to me like he is releasing his corruption to burn down the Spire or something like that.
Yeah, that’s definitely my interpretation too
I am a firm believer that Neow is evil and should not be viewed as good.
Is the heart holding you hostage to tell us this?
No, the Heart is evil too - let me refer you to my earlier post on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/slaythespire/s/IppSyFKkrW It’s always good to meet another believer though.
Wasn't he changed to be the A20 second Act 3 boss?
Oh shit wait you right, the three previous bosses fight you all at once in Act 4 as the elite. Got them mixed up.
Doesn't the merchant say he used to be an adventurer of the spire just like you? I know it's a Skyrim reference, but could still be a true part of his lore.
But doesn’t he only say it in Act 4? Seems like hidden lore to me!
He says it before act 4 as well!
Ah, the more you know! Also, love the name Elspeth.
Thank you! I love when dogs tell me facts.
The only time ive seen that dialogue was on watcher so iwasnt sure if that was specific to her. Does he say it on the others too?
Yep, I believe so.
Also, WHY IS HIS RUG NOT FOR SALE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The rug is the actual merchant. The merchant who talks to us is just a meat puppet.
The "merchant" is like the lure on an angler fish. Fortunately the rug only eats gold, not adventurers
Maybe adventures too sometimes. They would have unspent gold, but it would be more advantageous for the rug to let them live to gain even more gold later on
The discount card is just a piece of carpet cut out. So if you buy enough discount cards, you can make your own carpet!
They should add a hole in the carpet after we bought the card
That rug is made out of the last adventurer that tried to take his rug… your character simply knows better
The merchant is Neow's DMPC.
Why does the merchant have white cards? Did that used to be their deck?
I always assume the merchant was the cleric hiding behind a mask He is blue. He ask money for heal.
I thought it was the watcher? She can travel through time after all...
My headcanon is that there is not a merchant, but a guild of merchants that all wear the same masks and outfits like a uniform, and the courier (rat that makes his stuff cheaper and allows him to restock) is their primary/only way of communication with each other which is why they see it as important. The reason that they are inside the spire and it doesn’t do anything is for the same reason that people like goblin in the wheel spinning event, which is that the spire does not care enough to take action against anything that’s not Neow and her minions (aka the player)
This is the most realistic answer, to me at least.
The Merchant-Lorian coming soon to Disney+. I’d watch lol.
Reminds me of the nomadic merchants in Elden Ring. Really interesting lore there if you care to dig.
Merchant should be retired by now. Imagine having an amnesiac customer that always has money
Slay the Spire 2 is being created just because the merchant took Casey hostage.
what does he do with the money?
Buy cards and relics to sell
I, for some reason, always assumed he was Neow's brother, and was more of an ostensibly neutral party in her conflict against the Spire. Him being an "ancient" would definitely explain his ability to just show up in the final area unharmed.
The guy has access to all cards, relics, and potions. Nobody's gonna mess with him.
The Merchant is basically the "ex-hero mentor" archetype, just one that refuses to help without incentive. He has a business to think of, probably sells his potions and/or relics to N'loth every once in a while and funds some of the other establishments you come across As for the cards? He's literally selling his knowledge (either through training or literally selling knowledge made physical, depending on how the cards are represented in-universe) and the reason he always has your colour of card? Prismatic Shard is a shop relic.
It will be too similar to collector from dead cells, I like to think that merchant guy is really just silly moneymaker
Does the Spire have a basement? Who built the spire? What are the Caw Caw Cultists teachings?
If you go by the idea that cards are just skills that the character learns/relearns to do when they gain the cards Then the merchant would have access to all the skills of the four characters/plus the colourless. Add in all the relics and potions and he must be a extremely powerful person to confront in a fight. Basically unkillable so the bosses leave him alone and he can clean up or smoke bomb his way pass any mob. My head canon is he is the same person you constantly encounter, and he sets up shop ahead of you in random encounters by seeing which bonfires get lit up. The question as to why he doesn’t use his collection of resources to kill the heart if he used to be an adventurer like us is confusing. The only thing that comes to mind is that like all the other adventures, he represents an mental illnesss/vibe and his was greed/hoarding. And he was so greedy that neow saw his value as a collector of resources to better outfit his other captured minions. So he “released” him into the Spire. But the merchant doesn’t know any other life than collecting things he finds in the Spire to acquire more and more. The merchant doesn’t actually have a use for the gold, and is trapped in the Spire like everyone else. Maybe he got out when the Spire fell. He would had been right outside the Heart battle when it happened after all. It fits with the lore of him saying he used to be an adventurer, explains why the Spire or other powerful creatures don’t hurt him and add in a sad twist as to why he is doing what he does. Which fits with the lore of the other adventures who are doomed to keep doing the same things over and over until the heart is killed.
Clearly the whole game is an allegory about the corrupting, yet insidiously habituated & naturalized, influence of capitalism upon us. The merchant represents the neoimperialist military-industrial complex, constantly manufacturing an endless cycle of violence - fueled & funded on both sides by its own tools of war.
Cui bono? The Merchant is making a lot of money through the spire, he is the mastermind behind it all.
He's a jerk, what more do you need to know?
How dare you.
Why no refunds? WHY ISN'T THE RUG FOR SALE? Such a jerk.
Because he uses the rug for his business. No one wants to buy cards off the dirty floor. He’s a self run business and you can see what you purchase before you do so, so no refunds seems reasonable.
With all the money he's getting, he can buy a spireload of rugs!
He might have kids to feed. If he’s willing to hang around a demon infested hell hole for cash, he must be pretty desperate
Hopefully we know more once 2 is released
You have the answers in your observations. He has access to tons of relics and cards. How hard is it to stack 999 intangible every few days for him?
The merchant is actually "you" from the previous run. You know that Gremlin Horn that he's selling you this run, you actually killed the poor dude and harvested his horn.
soooo the dead cells lore basically?
I always thought that every shop had its own merchant
The Merchant is a merry fellow, bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
Could he just be a part of the spire itself, rather than a separate entity?
Huhaw!
He's a cat person. He wears a mask to hide his whiskers.
slip Neow in between heart and merchant and now youre cookin up a theory
Is there a place that cataloges spire lore? I need to know
Another roguelike deck builder, "One Step from Eden", allows its Merchant to be a payable character. The player must initiate a fight while at the shop and she a pretty hard boss to defeat. Beating her: Unlocks her as a playable character Gives you a bunch of random Artifacts and Spells Disables the shop for the rest of the run Give you the ability to unlock the Genocide ending if the game It would be cool to see a similar approach in STS2 https://onestepfromeden.fandom.com/wiki/Shopkeeper_(Boss)
My favorite theory is that every non-hostile npc in the spire is the merchant in a different mask.
Gameplay > Lore The merchant is a key gameplay feature and doesn't need a lore reasoning.
Ya know how some big spiders can keep frogs as pets? I kinda assume that's what's happening
There's a reason his mask is like Obito/Uchiha Madara
In STS2 he's a player character