Winter descends, and a long-silenced deity stirs beneath the snow

Only last month, the “dark cozy” game Cult of the Lamb received a new DLC: Woolhaven. According to the devs, this winter wonderland expansion is roughly the same size as the main game, so there’s plenty of new stuff to discover, and in this blog I’d like to touch upon a couple of elements that stood out to me. 

Endgame DLC

First things first, the content of Woolhaven is only available for players who are at the end of the base game. Knowing this, some players reported cleverly stockpiling resources before the DLC landed, expecting to pull up to winter fully prepared. Well…. Those who did had a bitter pill to swallow. Early on in the DLC, the player negotiates with a wolf who resides on the mountain the lamb must climb. The wolf makes you lose all but 5 or 10 days of food, depending on a tough choice you make. As if that weren’t enough, farm plots freeze during the winter, preventing crops from growing. Suddenly, my once-thriving cult is staring down food shortages and freezing temperatures. Yes, the winter is pretty and fun, but it also ups the challenge.

To me, it’s clear this design attempts to make Woolhaven and its winters actually feel harsh. If players could roll in with overflowing food reserves, the winters wouldn’t carry the same punch. Stripping back stockpiles ensures the new systems actually matter (although, not everybody is a fan). Additionally, managing difficulty probably also played a role in making this an endgame DLC. Imagine juggling all early-game pressures, such as food production, base building, recruiting followers, while also trying to keep everyone from freezing solid. The “cozy” feel of the game could well be compromised. Placing winters after the mains story means that the original balance of Cult of the Lamb gets preserved, while giving more veteran players a fresh (get it) challenge. 

Yngya

Rejoice! Woolhaven also brings a new deity: Yngya, the goddess of Winter and the forgotten deity of lambs. Yngya is a giant sheep, including horns with snowflake symbols, cute ears, and, oh yes, seven eyes. Like the lamb, she wears a fleece and a bell around her neck, could she be on my side? 

Her introduction is a stark tonal shift from previous gods, such as The One Who Waits. Where he coarsely groaned his lines to the lamb, Yngya ethereally sings her introduction to the player, calling the lamb home. The music, color palette, and environmental design of Yngya and winter mirror the contrast between her and Narinder. Mechanically and narratively, aiding Yngya allows the spirits of lost lambs to find their way home, and you can even interact with them. In the beginning, all signs seem to indicate: Yngya is benevolent.

I’m only about halfway through the DLC, so I’m keeping it at “seem” for now. As the story unfolds, some hints of bitterness shine through the benevolence. Yngya only wanted a safe haven for her flock, and she feels the world has forsaken them, and wants to reclaim a place. She utters “They called us sacrificial beasts… as though we were born simply to die for others. How can we forgive a world which has forsaken us so?”. That, to me, sounds like she’s ready for some revenge.

Ranching

A third point of interest is the new ranching mechanic. Now, if you’ve played Cult of the Lamb before, you might reasonably ask: Aren’t all my followers already animals? Excellent question. Woolhaven introduces a subtle distinction: there are follower-animals, and there are… animal-animals. 

The latter are less anthropomorphic and live in enclosures instead of costly beds. They can be raised for wool, gems, milk, silk, and other resources. You can pet them, walk them around on a leash, or butcher them at your convenience. Like your followers, they need to be fed, they can build loyalty and produce resources, and can mate to produce offspring. This disturbing taxonomy (animals holding animals for livestock) seems to hinge on whether they walk on two legs or not (no legs, 4 legs, 8 legs). Then again, in this cult, being a ranch animal might actually be the safer career path.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am really enjoying this DLC. It brings in fresh new challenges, resources, and characters to play around with. I do think this DLC makes the game more challenging, and I wonder how that will impact the “cozy” status of the game — not to mention the threat of wolves inside your base! So far, though, I’ve managed to survive several increasingly severe winters without losing a single follower to starvation or frostbite. Then again, even when they do die, I simply resurrect them and usher them right back into the cult. There’s really no escaping the Lamb. The grave may be temporary — but cult membership certainly isn’t.