BoberInSpire – Slay the Spire 2 Combat Assistant

BoberInSpire is a hybrid C# + Python assistant for Slay the Spire 2.
A custom C# mod exports the current combat / merchant state to JSON, and a Python bridge analyzes it and streams a view model to a React + Tauri overlay window (semi‑transparent, always on top).

Main features

• Real-time combat state – mod exports hand, energy, block, and enemy data to JSON.
• Damage and block summary – overlay shows net damage and per-enemy incoming damage.
• Relic summaries – combat-relevant relic effects shown in a compact list.
• Semi-transparent overlay – always-on-top window; Settings (⚙) toggles which panels are shown and sets transparency (saved to %APPDATA%\SlayTheSpire2\bober_overlay_settings.json).
• Card reward advisor – on the post-combat Choose a Card screen, ranks the three offered cards using Mobalytics S/A/B/C/D tier lists (per character) combined with deck/archetype heuristics from local build guides. The overlay shows BEST, tier letter, blended score, and a short reason (e.g. Mobalytics B-tier; …).

Card pick advisor (screenshot)

The mod writes reward options to %APPDATA%\SlayTheSpire2\bober_reward_state.json; the overlay reads them and updates the CHOOSE A CARD / CARD REWARD section. Tier data lives in data/tier_lists/mobalytics_cards.json (see data/tier_lists/README.md to refresh from Mobalytics).

Refresh build/tier datasets for advisor

From repo root run:

python scripts\update_build_and_tier_data.py

This command refreshes:

• data/tier_lists/slaythespire2_com_cards.json from slaythespire-2.com
• data/build_guides/*/wiki_builds.json from slaythespire-2.com/builds
• data/build_guides/ironclad/mobalytics_builds.json from Mobalytics Ironclad guide
• data/build_guides/*/guide_archetypes.json generated from local guide.md files

python_app/reward_advisor.py consumes these files directly, so data refreshes affect live card-pick scoring without code changes.

Installing using installer

If you only want to play with the mod and overlay, you do not need to clone the repo or run dotnet. The easiest path is the Windows installer (BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe), built from this project with build.bat + Inno Setup (see Release package (installer) for maintainers).

One-time prerequisites

1. Slay the Spire 2 installed (e.g. Steam).
2. Mods folder — the game reads mods from <Slay the Spire 2>\mods\ (same folder as the game executable). You do not need GUMM or any extra launcher: the installer can copy the mod files there for you, or you copy them manually (see below). After a game update, if mods is missing, create it yourself.
3. Python 3.11 — install from python.org (Windows installer). During setup, enable “Add python.exe to PATH” so the py launcher can find Python. The overlay launcher runs py -3.11; if py -3.11 --version works in Command Prompt, you are set.

Optional: Some players use GUMM (Godot Universal Mod Manager) to manage many mods. It is not required for BoberInSpire — Steam (or the game exe) is enough once the files sit in mods\.

Run the installer

1. Download BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe from the project Releases page (when published), or use a build shared by someone else.
2. Close Slay the Spire 2 before installing or updating mod files.
3. Run the setup wizard and choose an install folder (the wizard suggests a default location).
4. On the tasks screen:
   • Optionally enable Create a desktop shortcut.
   • Recommended: enable Copy mod to Slay the Spire 2, then on the next page select your game folder (typical Steam path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Slay the Spire 2).
5. Finish the installation.

Turn the mod on in-game (once)

1. Start Slay the Spire 2 the normal way (e.g. Steam).
2. Open Settings and find the Modding / Mods section (exact labels can change slightly with patches).
3. Make sure modding is allowed and BoberInSpire is enabled. If you do not see it, confirm the three files are in mods\ and restart the game.

Start the overlay

• Launch BoberInSpire Overlay from the Start Menu (or the desktop shortcut). The first run may take a short while: the launcher runs pip install for watchdog and websockets (internet required once). The installer also places BoberInSpireOverlay.exe (Tauri shell) next to the Python app; without it, run npm run tauri dev from overlay-ui while Python is running (see development section below).
• Leave the overlay running while you play. Start the game from Steam (or your usual shortcut); the mod loads automatically from mods\ when enabled in settings.

If you did not use “copy mod”

Manually copy from the install directory’s Mod folder into <Slay the Spire 2>\mods\ (flat layout next to other mods):

• BoberInSpire.dll
• BoberInSpire.pck
• BoberInSpire.json

Quick troubleshooting

Issue	Try this
Overlay does not start	Open Command Prompt and run py -3.11 --version. Install Python 3.11 with PATH enabled, then run the shortcut again.
“No Tauri overlay binary” in console	Install Rust, then from the repo run cd overlay-ui && npm install && npm run tauri build, and copy overlay-ui\src-tauri\target\release\bober-inspire-overlay.exe to BoberInSpireOverlay.exe next to python_app, or set BOBER_OVERLAY_EXE to that file.
Errors about pip / packages	Ensure you are online; from the install folder, run: py -3.11 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
Mod missing in game	Put the three files in ...\Slay the Spire 2\mods\ (flat, not a subfolder). In Settings → Modding, enable BoberInSpire and restart the game.

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Data source & acknowledgments

Card and relic data used by the overlay comes from Spire Codex, the Slay the Spire 2 database and API built from decompiled game data. Many thanks to the Spire Codex project for making this data available.

• Website: https://spire-codex.com/
• Repository: https://github.com/ptrlrd/spire-codex

Card reward tiers are based on Mobalytics’ Slay the Spire 2 card tier list (Early Access / preliminary list — update the JSON when their rankings change).

Run locally (development)

1. Build the mod (with STS2 closed):

   dotnet build STS2Mods\sts2_example_mod\ExampleMod.csproj -c Debug

   This builds BoberInSpire.dll, BoberInSpire.pck, and BoberInSpire.json into your STS2 mods\ folder (flat layout next to other mods — not a subfolder). The project file is still ExampleMod.csproj; the mod name and output DLL are BoberInSpire.

2. Install Python deps (once):

   py -3.11 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the Python bridge (always required for the overlay):

   py -3.11 -m python_app.main

   It starts a WebSocket server on ws://127.0.0.1:18765. If BoberInSpireOverlay.exe sits next to the python_app folder (or you set BOBER_OVERLAY_EXE), this command also launches the Tauri window. Otherwise start the UI separately — see Overlay UI — build and run below.

4. Start STS2 (e.g. from Steam). In Settings → Modding, enable BoberInSpire if it is not on by default, then enter combat. The overlay watches %APPDATA%\SlayTheSpire2\bober_combat_state.json (combat) and bober_reward_state.json (card rewards) and updates in real time.

If the mod build fails with "file is being used by another process", close STS2 and run the build again.

Overlay UI — build and run

Prerequisites for building the shell: Node.js (LTS) and Rust (cargo in PATH). From the repo root:

A) Development (hot reload, two terminals)

1. Terminal 1: py -3.11 -m python_app.main

2. Terminal 2:

   cd overlay-ui
   npm install
   npm run tauri dev

3. Play with the mod enabled; the dev app reads BOBER_OVERLAY_WS_URL if set, otherwise ws://127.0.0.1:18765.

B) Release binary (one window after you start Python)

1. cd overlay-ui
2. npm install (once)
3. npm run tauri build
4. Output: overlay-ui\src-tauri\target\release\bober-inspire-overlay.exe. Copy it next to python_app as BoberInSpireOverlay.exe, or point BOBER_OVERLAY_EXE at that file. Then py -3.11 -m python_app.main alone opens the overlay.

Icons (optional) — after editing overlay-ui\src-tauri\icons\icon.png: cd overlay-ui && npm run icons (regenerates .ico / PNG sizes for the bundle).

Installer / full dist — from repo root, build.bat builds the mod, copies Python and data into dist\BoberInSpire, and (if cargo is available) runs npm run tauri build and copies the overlay EXE into the dist folder as BoberInSpireOverlay.exe.

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Release package (installer)

Can players use “just one .exe”?

Not the Tauri overlay alone. bober-inspire-overlay.exe / BoberInSpireOverlay.exe is only the window (WebView). It still needs the Python bridge (python_app), data\ (tier lists, etc.), requirements.txt, and the game mod writing JSON. So you do not publish a single self-contained exe for the whole product.

What you do ship for normal players:

• BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe — Windows installer built with Inno Setup. It unpacks the full app (Python sources, data, mod files under Mod\, optional BoberInSpireOverlay.exe, launchers). The user installs Python 3.11 separately, then runs BoberInSpire Overlay from the Start Menu (run_overlay.bat starts Python, which opens the Tauri window if the overlay exe is present).

Alternatively you could zip dist\BoberInSpire and ask users to run run_overlay.bat from that folder — same idea as the installer, without a wizard.

Where each exe is produced

Artifact	Typical path	What it is
Raw Tauri build	overlay-ui\src-tauri\target\release\bober-inspire-overlay.exe	UI shell only (after npm run tauri build)
Bundled overlay name	dist\BoberInSpire\BoberInSpireOverlay.exe	Same binary, copied/renamed by build.bat step 6 for the launcher
Windows installer	dist\BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe	Full install package for players (see installer.iss, #define MyAppVersion)

Maintainer steps (publish a release)

1. Version — Set #define MyAppVersion in installer.iss to match the release (e.g. 1.3.0).

2. Build payload — From repo root, run build.bat.

   • Produces dist\BoberInSpire\ with python_app\, data\, Mod\, requirements.txt, and BoberInSpireOverlay.exe if Rust/cargo was on PATH (otherwise build the overlay separately and copy it in as above).

3. Compile installer — With Inno Setup installed, run:

   iscc installer.iss

   Output: dist\BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe (see OutputDir / OutputBaseFilename in installer.iss).

4. GitHub Releases (or similar) — Upload BoberInSpire_Setup_<version>.exe. In the release notes, remind players they need Python 3.11 on PATH, Slay the Spire 2, and enabling the mod in-game.

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Optional: custom game path

If STS2 is not in the default location, create STS2Mods\sts2_example_mod\local.props:

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <STS2GamePath>C:\Path\To\Your\Slay the Spire 2</STS2GamePath>
    <GodotExePath>C:\Path\To\Godot_mono.exe</GodotExePath>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

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Overlay controls

• Drag window – click and drag the custom title bar.
• Resize – drag the small grip in the bottom-right corner.
• Close – click the X in the title bar.
• Settings – click the ⚙ icon to choose which sections appear (combat summary, enemies, strategy, relics, merchant relics, card advisor) and transparency. Settings are saved for the next session.