Need advice on how to beat any of the Cult of the Lamb bosses? It wouldn’t be a roguelike game without some punishing challenges along the way, and the bishops that control the regions of The Lands of the Old Faith are no exception. Each bishop is guarded by four apostles, and these makeshift minibosses must be defeated before you can gain entry to the boss room. The apostles have limited attack patterns that are appropriated from the bishop they’re guarding, making them useful preparation for taking on the boss.
Defeating a Cult of the Lamb boss is incredibly straightforward: simply deal damage to them until their health bar is completely empty. Of course, that’s easier said than done, and your capacity to deal damage will depend upon which Cult of the Lamb weapons the random nature of the game deigns to offer you. That said, regardless of whatever build you’ve ended up with on your crusade, this guide to every Cult of the Lamb boss will allow you to defeat them with ease.
Leshy (Darkwood)
Leshy is the first Cult of the Lamb boss you’ll encounter, but don’t underestimate her. This enormous spiked worm burrows into the ground, popping up to vomit green goo and summon hordes of regular-sized worms. When she’s on the move, take care to avoid the trail of spikes she leaves behind. Leshy will send out a wave of spikes whenever she roars, requiring you to dodge through them in order to avoid taking damage.
Occasionally, Leshy will also leap up into the air between attacks. Flee from the flashing reticle that will chase you across the floor to avoid the area-of-effect (AoE) damage she deals with her ground slam. Once you’ve whittled Leshy’s health bar down to its final third, be wary when you approach her to deal damage. She will slam her face into the ground three times after performing an attack, punishing anyone greedy enough to get too close.
Heket (Anura)
As the second Cult of the Lamb boss, Heket is a big step up in difficulty from Leshy due to her extensive moveset and chaotic battlefield. Staying true to her amphibian roots, Heket hops around the area at random, and each time she lands she sends out a small shockwave that will deal AoE damage if you’re caught in its perimeter.
Over the course of the fight, Heket releases a stream of homing flies from her mouth at regular intervals which deal damage if you get caught up in their swarm. These flies disappear after a short time, so keep your distance and don’t be tempted to engage them. Heket also has a tendency to vomit bombs into the air, which will either fall at random or target you specifically. Either way, use the flashing reticles on the floor to avoid them before they land.
One particular attack is guaranteed to trip you up if you’re not paying attention. Whenever she pauses her attacks to close her eyes, get ready to dodge – the moment she opens them, she’ll attempt to hit you with her tongue. Not only is this attack incredibly fast, it’s also paired with an AoE shockwave, so be sure to stand well clear.
Once Heket is reduced to half of her health, she’ll leap out of the area, leaving two smaller, faster versions behind. Unfortunately, dealing damage to them won’t affect Heket’s health bar – but you will need to defeat them both before you can whittle down her remaining health.
Kallamar (Anchordeep)
If you’re a fan of bullet hell, Kallamar is the Cult of the Lamb boss for you. While there are plenty of spiders and bombs to contend with during this fight, the real challenge is avoiding the energy bullets that Kallamar fires in a variety of attack patterns. More often than not, they’ll stream outward from Kallamar in a circular fashion – sometimes at random, sometimes in a set pattern. Take care to watch out for the energy rings that frisbee toward you at high speed, as well as the cone-shaped barrage tracking your position. The trick to avoiding all of these permutations is to keep your distance and dodge, dodge, dodge.
Unfortunately, that’s not all you have to contend with in this Cult of the Lamb boss fight. Kallamar will occasionally try to take a swing at you with her sword, but these are easily telegraphed the moment she holds it aloft. Your biggest problem will be avoiding the aforementioned spiders and bombs – or rather, avoiding them without placing yourself in the path of an energy bullet. To keep their numbers down, knock the bombs towards them, taking care not to accidentally dodge into the ensuing AoE blast.
Shamura (Silk Cradle)
Arachnophobes beware of this particular Cult of the Lamb boss. Shamura is devastatingly fast, and it’s easy to get caught in the damage she deals as she leaps around the battlefield. She prefers to attack by swiping at you with her razor-sharp forelegs, so prepare to dodge during the split-second pause she takes to rear back on her hind legs. When you see Shamura swing out of the battlefield entirely, don’t be fooled. She’ll be back seconds later, so time your dodge so you can be well out of her way when she lands.
As is likely apparent at this point, projectiles are a Cult of the Lamb boss staple, and Shamura is partial to letting loose a flurry of bombs in all directions. As is the case with previous boss encounters, avoid the flashing reticles on the ground before they land and you’ll make it through unscathed. Later on in the fight, a ring of energy bullets spreads out from her position every time she finishes a leap. Keep your distance so you don’t get caught in their path, and only move in to attack Shamura when she’s caught up in her swipe animation. This will allow you to chip away at the last of her health in relative safety.
Cult of the Lamb boss rewards
Once you beat any Cult of the Lamb boss for the very first time, be sure to immediately pick up the Heart of a Heretic that spawns over their corpse. Hearts can be used to bolster the power of the red crown from the ‘Crown Offering’ menu in your temple back at your base.
The heretical hearts of Cult of the Lamb bosses unlock the following crown abilities:
- Resurrection: When killed on a crusade run for the first time, sacrifice a follower to be resurrected.
- The Hunger: Once a day, eat a meal to receive a blue heart.
- Omnipresence: Focus whilst on a crusade to instantly return to the base.
Darkness Within: Receive a Diseased Heart at the beginning of each crusade run.
Slaying any major Cult of the Lamb boss will also reward you with a blueprint of a trophy for defeating that particular boss which can be displayed in your base once you collect the required materials to construct it. Trophies don’t provide any statistical benefits for your cult, but they do look very cool.
Finally, a gold chest will spawn containing a variety of ample rewards such as gold, follower forms, blueprints, and Commandment Stone fragments. It’s worth noting that subsequent victories over a Cult of the Lamb boss you’ve previously defeated will only award you a gold chest. However, you’ll likely end up returning to earlier regions to collect materials like lumber and stone, and chest rewards are indispensable when it comes to both expanding your base and declaring Cult of the Lamb doctrines.
That’s everything we have for our Cult of the Lamb bosses guide, at least as far as the bishops are concerned. If you find you’re still having trouble, check out our Cult of the Lamb beginners guide for some helpful combat tips. Your followers are guaranteed to have shored up a lot of devotion while you’ve been busy tearing the hearts out of bosses, so take a look at our guide to Cult of the Lamb Divine Inspiration for all the best building upgrades for your cult.