Developer Shiny Shoe is preparing to release the final faction for Monster Train 2, introducing a masochistic, ritualistic clan that transforms self-inflicted pain into devastating offensive power. Arriving on November 10 as a paid downloadable content expansion, "The Punished" trade away conventional defensive caution for a dramatic aesthetic defined by chains, whips, spikes, and dark, brooding mechanics.
While existing factions in the deckbuilding sequel, such as the Melting Remnant, have historically flirted with various forms of sacrifice and self-harm, The Punished take the concept to an entirely new extreme. They are built around a core theme of self-inflicted damage, rewarding players with immense power in exchange for actively hurting their own units. The central philosophy governing the faction’s design is simple yet aggressive: your own pain becomes your enemies’ ultimate bane.
The faction introduces several fresh mechanics and keywords to the game, most notably the "Chained" status, which forces enemy units to take a fraction of the damage dealt to your own roster. This mechanics shifts damage from a liability into an active, proactive solution for clearing oncoming waves of enemies. The self-flagellation angle breathes new life into existing spells and equipment while pairing exceptionally well with supporting partner clans. Players can combine The Punished with factions like the Lazarus League to gain protection from pain, or lean into the Pyreborne to discover even more aggressive ways to inflict self-damage.
At first glance, damaging your own carefully curated deck of units sounds like a high-risk, high-reward strategy requiring intricate, brain-wracking calculations regarding damage absorption. However, early hands-on impressions suggest that the new clan is surprisingly accessible, serving as one of the most powerful and mechanically straightforward additions to the game—particularly when utilizing one of their primary champions.
A significant portion of this accessibility stems from the utility of the faction’s signature gimmick: a large, glowing purple crystal known as the Monolith. Functioning as a central hub for the clan’s strategy, the Monolith allows players to sacrifice cards in exchange for Devotion. This resource subsequently generates Zeal, a persistent buff that permanently scales both attack power and hit points for every unit on the floor. While the process essentially amounts to clicking a purple crystal to make cards disappear in exchange for permanent stat scaling, the resulting Zeal sets up devastating synergies with items like the Zealot’s Halo equipment, which grants bonus attack power for every point of missing health.
More potent still are the faction’s two distinct champions, each offering vastly different approaches to the self-harm mechanic. The starter champion, Archus, ranks among the strongest characters in the roster, scaling his damage output directly based on lost hit points while retaining the versatility to debuff enemy onslaughts. All of Archus’s available build paths grant him the Flight keyword, allowing him to reposition dynamically across different floors.
Archus’s most powerful variant deploys a zero-attack artifact known as a "Darkshard" into any lane he flies into. These Darkshards can be customized to trigger various beneficial effects, and because Archus can deploy them across multiple lanes with a remarkably short cooldown on his flight ability, the synergy with whole-floor scaling from received hits creates a devastating engine for sweepers and backline bruisers.
By contrast, the second champion, Zariel, offers a significantly more advanced and challenging playstyle. Lore-wise, Zariel is depicted as the first angel cast out of heaven, imprisoned for so long that the nature of her original crime has been lost to the annals of time. Because her arms and wings are bound in heavy chains, Zariel possesses no base attack power. Instead, her three diverse progression paths revolve entirely around absorbing as much damage as possible to fuel her abilities.
According to Shiny Shoe CEO Mark Cooke, Zariel’s design rewards creative cross-clan experimentation. Cards from the Hellhorned faction—such as Branding Rite, Dark Deal, and Inferno—integrate seamlessly with Zariel’s Pain and Chain paths. Spells like Pox offer consistent, reliable friendly damage by applying Decay stacks to all units on the floor. Furthermore, Zariel’s Pain Maiden path pairs exceptionally well with specific faction units like The Condemned. Because The Condemned possesses the Tenacious trait, it effortlessly survives friendly damage while amplifying it and redirecting the hostile energy directly toward incoming enemies.
Despite the raw power available to the faction, The Punished do possess distinct strategic vulnerabilities. Acquiring instantaneous, direct damage can occasionally prove difficult, forcing players to carefully construct their engines. The faction’s sole sweep unit, the Reaper of Suffering, begins combat with a hefty 60 attack power but starts in a Suppressed state that prevents her from attacking. The suppression lifts only after a lengthy cooldown of four turns expires, though taking damage actively accelerates the countdown. Upon emerging from suppression, the Reaper heals to full health and gains the Flight keyword.
Other units fill vital roles across the roster. The Forsaken Berserker gains stacking multistrike for every two levels achieved by the Monolith, while the Scarred Justicar serves as a reliable damage solution by gaining massive attack boosts whenever he is targeted by a friendly spell or ability. Coupled with custom equipment like the Sineater—which deals self-inflicted damage to trigger immediate attacks—these units can achieve staggering offensive outputs given adequate setup time.
Perhaps the true superstar of the roster, however, is the Penitent Sentinel, an uncommon tank unit capable of becoming the most durable frontliner in Monster Train 2 if drafted early in a run. Although this stoic, statue-like defender cannot be healed through traditional means, it gains permanent hit point scaling every time it triggers a revenge effect. Players can easily find themselves utilizing high-difficulty combat trials to intentionally force more attacks against the Sentinel, watching its health pool climb to staggering heights.
After spending extensive time exploring the mechanics of The Punished, veterans of the game have found that the faction breathes fresh life into the core formula, offering viable alternative playstyles that challenge traditional deckbuilding conventions. Even when running a deck devoid of standard damage-dealing spells, sweepers, or traditional tanks, the unique scaling provided by self-inflicted pain can carry a desperate run through to a surprising victory against the toughest late-game bosses.
While The Punished embrace a grim, stoic aesthetic that leaves little room for lighthearted comedy, their integration into the broader universe of the game proves that even a masochistic theme can fit naturally into the established mechanics. For a game focused on climbing an infernal locomotive, ending its update cycle with a faction centered around enduring and leveraging pain feels entirely appropriate.
Studio leadership has indicated that while this expansion represents the final planned DLC for the sequel, the team’s journey with the franchise may not be permanently finished. Shiny Shoe has expressed a profound affection for the world of Monster Train, leaving open the possibility of returning to the universe for future projects once the dust settles on the rails.
