You encounter the Fake Merchant in Act 3, in one of the random event spots that have a question mark on them in Slay the Spire 2. When you do, it’s easy to score 300 Gold and a lot of free relics for yourself. If you wanna know how, here’s how you do it.
What you will get
How to Spot the Fake Merchant in Slay the Spire 2
I gotta say, at first glance it looks like the very same merchant you always shop at. Though, there are several hints that give it away. You don’t have to be so eagle-eyed to spot them.
As you can see in the picture, these two merchants look different for sure. The Fake Merchant is noticeably larger than the real one. If you take a look at the candles, you’ll notice that in the Fake Merchant shop, they are bigger and they look artificial, too.
The sale sign that’s present in the real merchant shop is nowhere to be found in the Fake Merchant shop. Lastly, the fake shop background music is vastly different compared to the one that plays in the real shop.
Fake Merchant’s Bootleg Inventory
The Fake Merchant doesn’t offer standard shop services like the real one does. You can’t buy cards or card removals from him. Instead, what he offers is knock-off relics. These relics cost about a quarter of the normal price. Not to mention, they do provide weaker effects as well. Here are all the items I found in his inventory:
- The Merchant’s Rug: Does nothing.
- Heart of Iron: Gain 7 Plating.
- Anchor: Start each combat with 4 Block.
- Venerable Tea Set: Whenever you enter a Rest Site, start the next combat with an additional Energy.
- Strike Dummy: Cards containing Strike deal an additional damage.
- Lee’s Waffle: Upon pickup, heal 10% of your HP.
- Blood Vial: At the start of each combat, heal 1 HP.
- Orichalcum: If you end your turn without Block, gain 3 Block.
- Add a card to your deck: You get a choice here between three cards. For me, I got to choose from these three upgraded cards: Unrelenting+, Shrug It Off+, and Bloodletting+.
What Happens If You Throw a Foul Potion at the Fake Merchant?
Here’s the interesting part. If you have a Foul Potion, which normally deals 12 damage, and if you throw this Foul Potion of yours at the Fake Merchant, he isn’t going to like it at all. Therefore, he initiates a fight with you. Be warned. Expect this fight to be as tough as an elite enemy encounter or an easy boss fight. Be prepared.
Funny thing is, if you do the same and throw a Foul Potion at the real merchant, he’s gonna like it. Not only that, but he will also give you 100 Gold.
Fake Merchant Fight Reward
When you do take him down finally, you’ll be rewarded handsomely, which is awesome, to be honest.
You get 300 Gold alongside his entire inventory, that I’ve just listed, for free. Plus, there’s the Merchant’s Rug that apparently does nothing.
