The Sunken Statue

Both Sunken Statue event choices in Slay the Spire 2 and when Sword of Stone is better than trading 7 HP for Gold.

Quick answer

The Sunken Statue appears in the Overgrowth and Underdocks. Grab the Sword to obtain Sword of Stone, which transforms into Sword of Jade after 5 Elite kills. Dive into the Water instead to gain 101–121 Gold and lose 7 HP. The right choice depends on remaining Elite opportunities and your immediate need for Gold.

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Regions	The Overgrowth and The Underdocks
Grab the Sword	Obtain Sword of Stone
Dive into the Water	Gain 101–121 Gold; lose 7 HP
Sword completion	Defeat 5 Elites
Completed relic	Sword of Jade: start combat with 3 Strength

Both event choices

Grab the Sword has no immediate HP or Gold cost, but Sword of Stone provides its meaningful payoff only after five Elite victories. When that requirement is completed it becomes Sword of Jade, which grants 3 Strength at the start of each combat.

Dive into the Water gives a variable 101–121 Gold and deals 7 HP immediately. The Gold can create value at the next Merchant, while the HP loss can remove an elite or aggressive route from consideration. The amount is not a fixed 106 Gold; screenshots can show different rolls.

When should you take Sword of Stone?

Count reachable Elites before choosing. The sword is attractive early enough in the run that five realistic Elite fights remain, especially when the deck already survives those encounters and converts Strength through multi-hit attacks or other scaling. An impossible quest is effectively an empty relic slot.

Do not route into five Elites merely because you accepted the sword. Recalculate after each floor. If the deck falls behind or HP drops, preserving the run is more valuable than forcing the transformation.

When should you take the Gold?

Take the dive when a nearby Merchant turns the Gold into an immediate upgrade, card removal, potion, or relic and 7 HP does not threaten the next fight. It also makes sense late in the run when there are too few Elite opportunities left to complete Sword of Stone.

Skip the HP-for-Gold line when it forces a Rest, blocks a planned Elite path, or leaves the deck exposed to the next hallway encounter. The useful comparison is not Gold versus a free completed Sword of Jade; it is immediate Gold versus an unfinished relic with a five-Elite requirement.

Related guides

Item Sword of Stone & Sword of Jade

How Sword of Stone becomes Sword of Jade on the current main branch, plus when its delayed payoff is worth routing toward.

Event Trash Heap: Dive In or Grab Junk?

Slay the Spire 2 Trash Heap event guide: compare Dive In's random relic with Grab Random Junk's 100 Gold and random card, including the 8 HP cost.

Relic Colossal Flower: Worth 18 HP?

Slay the Spire 2 Colossal Flower guide: compare the 18 HP path to Pollinous Core with the safer Gold exits.