Easy to pick up but hard to master, rogue-likes offer a bite-sized experience with addictive gameplay loops and a procedurally generated layout that keeps the game feeling fresh after many hours. However, in such a saturated market, it's hard to stand out. Cult Of The Lamb found its niche in the horror rogue-like genre, executed it well, and only had to make a few infernal deals along the way.
Cult Of The Lamb takes players on a crusade as a sacrificial lamb. After making a deal with a host of Old Gods, the player must build up a following of other animals, spreading the word that players belong to the one true cult. One standout feature is Fleeces, a type of gear that players can equip to augment their runs. These come with a buff that improves the Lamb's skills or abilities, but the catch is this also comes with a disadvantage of some type, so it's up to the player's experimentation to learn which one suits them best.
Updated February 11, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Praised as one of the best indie games of 2022, Cult of the Lamb still retains its popularity over a year later. New content updates and bug fixes continue to entertain more experienced players and attract new ones. Many of the updates include more choices for the Lamb's fleece, and the developers have added some creative and unique choices that are as much about fun as they are combat. The most recent content update, Sins Of the Flesh, offers a couple of variations which include both.
Cult of the Lamb: How to Bring Followers on Crusades
Followers can come along on crusades to help players in Cult of the Lamb.
13 Fleece Of The Diseased Heart
Unlock Using One Completed Holy Talisman
- Gain: Get one extra diseased heart.
- Loss: The Lamb can't keep any of the items or resources they pick up from the Crusade.
Taking an eye-for-an-eye approach, this fleece causes harm to those who damage the player. The added extra damage sounds great on the first read, but the downside is quite drastic. The player must sacrifice all items so far gathered on the quest.
The upside of inflicting gradual damage also comes with the catch that the player must first accrue damage from incoming enemy attacks, meaning this item is only for those fans who feel like gambling with life totals to reap the fleece's rewards. For a fleece with a big drawback and a conditional boon, the Fleece of the Diseased Heart ranks last, especially for gamers who aren't yet comfortable with the game's mechanics.
12 Fleece of the Heretics
Heretic Pack DLC
- Gain: Cosmetic only; recalls the design of the Old Faith.
- Loss: Not Applicable
There are a few special Fleeces that are awarded as a perk with new content, and the Fleece of the Heretics is one of them. The design is intended to recall the Bishops of the Old Faith, who are now heretics because of the Cult of the Lamb's dominance.
It doesn't give any bonuses, nor does it take anything away, so it's a good starting Fleece for those who are new to the game and are still determining the best builds, weapons, and combat strategies. It also looks more regal and formal than the others, making the Lamb look like a proper-ranking member of the clergy.
11 Fleece of a Cursed Crusade
Relics Of The Old Faith Update
- Gain: Receive four Curses at the beginning of the Crusade.
- Loss: Physical weapons are not available.
Curses are a great way to augment the Lamb's fighting style, giving them abilities that include crowd control and area-of-effect damage, but using them as primary weapons is a matter of preference. The other drawback here is that the player can't choose the Curses they get, and not all of them are equal when it comes to damage levels or usefulness.
This is one of those Fleece choices that might be appealing to players who like to give themselves an extra challenge. The random choice of Curses and Crusade layout would be fun depending on what the luck of the draw brings. It's possible to restart the dungeon and try again if the options are really poor.
10 Fleece Of Fragile Fortitude
Unlock Using One Completed Holy Talisman
- Gain: Replace red hearts with blue hearts.
- Loss: Without red hearts, the player can't use their Life as currency, nor can they resurrect.
A real game-changer, the Fleece Of Fragile Fortitude can alter the way a player approaches their crusades by switching out the replenishing red hearts health bar with blue ones. The game provides more blue hearts to play with, but in exchange, once that heart disappears, the only way to get it back is through dying and restarting the run.
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While the higher constitution might seem nice at first, this fleece ensures the player will be worrying about their fragile health pool. The vampiric alignment of this garment does not erase the fact that some extra planning comes into play. It's already a tense fight through each realm, made that much deadlier with a diminishing health bar.
9 Fleece of the Berserker
Relics Of The Old Faith Update
- Gain: Weapons deal ten times more damage.
- Loss: The Lamb gets no more than half a heart and can't resurrect if they fall.
Extra weapon damage is always great, but gamers know that dealing ten times more damage than usual is a huge jump that's going to come with a high price. The limitation of only half a heart means that the Lamb can take one or maybe two hits before they die, and they can't resurrect when they do.
It might be a better deal for players who are highly skilled or want to give themselves an extra challenge that has a nice return. On the other hand, the extra damage isn't much use if there's no time or opportunity to use it before getting killed.
8 Fleece Of The Glass Cannon
Unlock Using One Completed Holy Talisman
- Gain: Fervor generated is doubled and Curses do more damage.
- Loss: Life capacity and damage dealt are halved.
The title may be self-explanatory to those who are familiar with roguelikes or RPGs. In such games, the term "glass cannon" refers to a character that has powerful special attacks, but may be one hit away from heaven — or in this case, hell. Adorning the Lamb in sage green, the Fleece of the Glass Cannon doubles the fervor of attacks, while halving melee attack power.
Fervor directly feeds into the player's curse attacks, secondary abilities doled out at the beginning of each crusade. Considering the game is hell in a hand-basket, players should not expect the RNG for curses on their runs to be favorable. Curses may nerf the potential power of this fleece, and leave players flailing in hand-to-hand combat if they don't get good luck on their curses.
7 Golden Fleece
Unlock Using One Completed Holy Talisman
- Gain: Get a 5% bonus for damage.
- Loss: Lose that bonus the first time the Lamb gets hit, then take double damage for the rest of the Crusade.
Taking it back to Grecian regalia with Chrysomallus' fine fleece, beyond the filigree and finery, this fleece is not for the faint of heart. If players think they are sly enough for the Golden Fleece, then they may find this suits them well. The fleece stacks damage enemies with every consecutive hit. However, if the player is hit first, then they will receive double the damage and lose their multiplier too.
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Farm layout is important in Cult of the Lamb, and these tips can help players keep things running smoothly.
Players might want to take this fleece as a later addition to the arsenal, leaving it on the rack until they are fully familiar with what the game expects them to tackle. Predicting enemy attack patterns and movement is key to beating them quickly and taking no damage whatsoever.
6 Fleece of the Hobbled Heels
Relics Of The Old Faith Update
- Gain: One full heart is healed every time the Lamb enters a room.
- Loss: Rolling is disabled.
This Fleece falls in the middle of the rankings because how good or bad it is depends entirely on one's individual style of gameplay. Getting some healing just for walking into a room is a nice advantage that's hard to pass up, but the price paid is the loss of rolling.
The roll movement, which acts as a dodge and a charge function, is easier to go without if the Lamb has a longer-range weapon like the blunderbuss or the hammer. Those who prefer the dagger or sword, which has a shorter reach, might find it more difficult to go without a dodge function.
5 Fleece Of The Lamb
The Default Cult Leader's Garb From Game Start
- Gain: Only cosmetic to denote the Lamb as the cult leader.
- Loss: Not Applicable
This fleece is already on the player's backs when they first jump into the game. A good base choice, the Fleece of the Lamb requires no resources to unlock. Even though there are no pros to this item, there aren't any cons either.
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This fleece may be good for the first couple of runs a player decides to embark on, keeping benefits and detriments in neutral territory. This fleece helps keep runs neutral for any player. Cosmetically, this item also thematically helps the protagonist blend in with his fellow cultists.
4 Fleece of Fervor's Favor
Relics Of The Old Faith Update
- Gain: Picking up Fervor regenerates health.
- Loss: Hearts won't spawn in the Crusade.
The negative effect of this Fleece prevents hearts from spawning, which sounds like a serious loss, because it means the Lamb's ability to heal is limited. Fear not, however, because the gain makes up for this loss, allowing the Lamb to heal using Fervor instead.
Fervor is used to power Curses, one of the Lamb's most powerful attacks. The real disadvantage here is that healing and attack power are now draining the same resource. The Fleece is pink, and two hearts make up the clasp, which references its main ability.
3 Fleece Of The Fates
Unlock Using One Completed Holy Talisman
- Gain: Grants four random Tarot Cards at the start of the Crusade.
- Loss: The Lamb won't be able to pick up any more Tarot Cards.
The Fleece Of The Fates is an essential unlock for the lamb. It unlocks more possibilities at the start of each crusade, allowing gamers to draw four tarot cards instead of one or two when they encounter Clauneck, the mystical NPC.
Tarot cards are powerful boons that can potentially change the trajectory of each crusade. They can be immensely powerful if benefits are reaped and rewarded as soon as possible. The fleece also has a very minor drawback: after pulling more cards, the player cannot draw any more cards during the rest of the run.
It may seem like a big deal, but players will already have received double the potential bonuses and won't need to search each realm for Clauneck if needed.
2 God of Death Fleece
Relics Of The Old Faith Update
- Gain: Gain two diseased hearts upon resurrecting.
- Loss: Not Applicable
This is one of the few Fleeces that doesn't have any disadvantages, but there are a few steps the Lamb has to take to unlock it. Before the Lamb can wear the God of Death Fleece, they have to defeat and rescue the Bishops a second time. Then, the entity is known as ??? will grant them this Fleece.
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If the Lamb should fall during a Crusade, they can resurrect at the entrance again with two extra diseased hearts. The design is reminiscent of the game's original antagonist, The One Who Waits, complete with shoulder pads, chain link, and blood splatter.
1 Fleece of the Natural
Sins Of The Flesh DLC
- Gain: The Lamb is free to experience a natural look.
- Loss: Not Applicable
This Fleece is the only one that provides no bonuses, in combat or otherwise. Yet, it can still count among the best and most popular. It's only accessible to players that have the Sinful Pack, which should be obvious considering that the only changes it makes are cosmetic and intrinsically connected to the theme of the DLC.
The real advantage of this Fleece, other than playing as an adorable and silly naked critter, is that it doesn't affect any other stat or skill. The Lamb doesn't gain anything, but they don't lose anything either. And thankfully, being naked doesn't affect the Lamb's ability to hold or use a weapon.
Cult of the Lamb
- Developer(s)
- Massive Monster
- Genre(s)
- Roguelite , Indie Games , Simulation
- Metascore
- 86
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Released
- August 11, 2022
