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Back in 2022, Cult of the Lamb impressed me against all odds. The rogue-lite genre was booming then, making the action component of the game immediately appealing to me. But there was something about how the game perfectly balanced the cute and cosy vibes of Animal Crossing with a dark, macabre sense of humour that really spoke to me. It felt like a complete experience, and while I only revisited the game a month ago to experience all of the cool free new content that Massive Monsters had added to the game, a paid expansion was on the horizon, too. That expansion is called Woolhaven, and it’s easily the meatiest and most substantial update to Cult of the Lamb yet and well worth your time.
And I don’t say that lightly. Woolhaven adds a new titular area to restore, as well as opportunities to expand your already existing cult area. It also adds two new dungeons to explore, a new weapon type, and a whole bunch of new enemies and bosses to do battle with during your crusades. Not only that, but it also adds elements that fundamentally change how you manage your cult in the game, adding more depth to the management experience without betraying the spirit of the base game. And, of course, this is all sprinkled with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humour that helps bring some levity to the otherwise wholly unwholesome proceedings.
The brunt of the plot in Woolhaven, which I appreciate for being included at all, has your little Lamb finding himself in the titular land of Woolhaven. Previously an ancestral home to the lambs, the settlement at the base of a holy mountain is in a state of disrepair. Enlisted by the god Yngya, you must climb the holy mountain (or dig beneath it, kind of) to fight off the heathen Marchosias and free the spirits of your ancestors. It’s a cute little story that expands the lore of Cult of the Lamb in a significant way without just retreading the ‘kill all the bishops’ plot from the base game. The biggest and most notable change here, however, is that as you bring more power back to Yngya, they also bring back and intensify the winter.
Winter is easily the biggest change that Woolhaven brings to Cult of the Lamb. When it’s brought back, as you progress through Woolhaven’s story, it eventually adds layer upon layer to winter to add some new challenge to managing your cult. When winter hits your cult, a few things will happen. Crops will freeze, potentially halting food supply to your cultists. Your cultists themselves will become less productive, get sick, or sometimes even pass away when exposed to the elements. There are even some days when the nights get significantly longer. New structures can be built in your camp that can combat the effects of winter – including the most obvious – heating. But most of these new structures require a new component only available in one of Woolhaven’s two new dungeons, but I’ll touch on those later.
The other major addition to the game with Woolhaven is animal ranching. With this update, the Lamb can collect animals from Woolhaven and bring them back to the cult. Animals can be petted and walked daily to improve their happiness. A happier animal provides better spoils – more wool from a happier sheep, for example. But when the going gets tough, especially during winter, when crops might wither and die, the new butcher block can be used to cut up these animals instead. It’s tonally jarring to go from riding a pet llama to feeding it to your unknowing followers, but it’s the kind of disparity that made me fall in love with Cult of the Lamb in the first place.
But the majority of your progression through Woolhaven has you tackling two dungeons – Ewefall and the Rot. To help get your cult through the winter, you’ll want to explore The Rot more regularly. It feels like Massive Monster’s take on hell – but trades the fire and brimstone in for fire and…well…wet gore. Depicted as a hot and infectious force that slowly seeps through the locale, defeating enemies in The Rot and progressing through its many chambers will award you with the Rotburn you need to power your heating back at your cult. The Rot is a truly unique addition to Cult of the Lamb’s many zones already, filled with oozy and explosive enemies and bosses that will truly test your skills as a crusading lamb.
The other area, Ewefall, is a snowy tundra filled with enemies modelled after the wolf-like Marchosias, who wield the powers of wind, snow and lightning. It’s a simpler-looking area than The Rot, but still unlike anything featured in the base game. While it’s less difficult and harrowing than exploring The Rot, it’s still an essential part of Woolhaven. On the topic of difficulty, however, there are accessibility options in Woolhaven that carry over from the recent updates that will allow players to customise the experience in a way that makes things more approachable if you’re not as well-versed in action games. But be warned, Woolhaven is designed to be played towards the end of the game or even in the postgame, so expect a bit of a challenge when you start your journey to Woolhaven.
Though if you do want to engage with the combat in Woolhaven, you’ll not be disappointed. The new flail weapon is a joy to use and allows the Lamb to attack from a distance while also pulling himself to enemies in a pinch. These are supplemented by a whole bunch of new relics and tarot cards, which help widen the perks and abilities that the Lamb can pick up on his crusades. It’s a meaty upgrade, and in a game that’s procedurally generated like Cult of the Lamb, it only means every crusade has much more variety to pull from when building your best version of the Lamb.
And, of course, the Woolhaven update brings a whole bunch of cosmetic items too. New winter-themed outfits for your followers, new decorations for your cult and even some new fleeces for your Lamb as well. There’s a heap of content here to plough through and unlock, and no matter how you play Cult of the Lamb, whether it be for base management or just combat, you’re bound to find something that’s catered to you here.
When Massive Monster promised that Woolhaven would be their biggest update yet, they meant it. I already adored Cult of the Lamb, but Woolhaven only serves as a reminder of why. It’s a chillingly perfect update that adds just the right amount of challenge, story and mechanics to make things feel fresh and new again. It’s an incredible piece of DLC that is well worth your time, and should this be the final send-off for Cult of the Lamb, a sobering reminder that this could be the last we see of Massive Monster’s cheeky little Lamb.
