What does the Golden Compass do in Slay the Spire 2?

The Golden Compass is one of Slay the Spire 2's more unusual floor starting bonuses, a little similar to Vakuu's Whispering Earring that lets the demon play your first hand for you—if only in terms of its weirdness. This is one of the bonuses you can claim for Tezcatara, the candle-loving floor guardian who frequently appears at the start of Act 2.

While the relic's description pretty much says what it does, it's understandable you'd have more questions, so here's exactly what the Golden Compass does in Slay the Spire 2.

Here's what the Golden Compass does in Slay the Spire 2

When you meet Tezcatara, It Which Feeds the Fire, you can potentially grab the Golden Compass as a floor starting reward. This giant jack o lantern wearing a witch hat usually appears in Act 2 for me as the starting floor guardian and offers three potential bonuses, including the also very weird Wax Relic Set.

The description for the Golden Compass reads "replaces the Act 2 map with a single special path," and that's exactly what it does, creating a single route you have to follow through Act 2 all the way to the boss. For me, this path consisted of:

1. Battle
2. Encounter
3. Battle
4. Campfire
5. Battle
6. Campfire
7. Encounter
8. Chest
9. Encounter
10. Chest
11. Encounter
12. Shop
13. Elite
14. Campfire
15. Elite
16. Campfire
17. Act boss

It's hard to tell whether this is random, but I think, considering the two elites at the end who both have campfires after them, it seems like it follows some rules in terms of fairness and consistency.

As you can see, though, it's not a bad track at all. Is it worth spending your Act 2 starting bonus on it, though? Probably not when you can just navigate a similar route yourself with a little forethought. Still, good to know it's an option if you ever get tired of planning and want to spice things up.