Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven: Review of the best winter expansion

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A reason to return to a good game

Even though the holidays are past, the Lamb and its followers are embarking on new winter quests. With the bishops defeated and peace restored to the Old Faith, ancient gods are waking up. But their return isn’t all good news—Ingja, the spirit of winter, is bringing a harsh, unforgiving cold to the land, creating new challenges.

This exciting adventure puts you in the role of the Lamb, who must brave a harsh world, care for their followers, and climb Sheep Mountain to solve an age-old mystery. When you’re not on expeditions or managing your base, it’s easy to take a break and explore other online activities – some players even quickly check for casino bonuses, like a no deposit offer from Hidden Jack, before returning to the game.

The Forgotten Goddess

You can only reach Woolhaven after defeating the four bishops, which happens near the end of the main story. It’s also a good idea to fully upgrade your base beforehand, as the new area is quite challenging – even experienced players might find it tough. Winter brings more than just snow; expect harsh conditions like cold, hunger, blizzards, and dangerous wildlife.

To learn ancient secrets, you need to journey to the ruined city of Sherstopol, once home to the goddess Ingya and her devoted followers. Now, all that remains is a desolate landscape and a forgotten goddess who has lost her power. As the Lamb, you must seek out the lost spirits of Ingya’s flock, scattered throughout the snowy mountains, and help restore the goddess of winter to her full strength.

I find her singing incredibly enjoyable. Normally, I fast-forward through conversations, even if the voice acting is good, but Ingya’s voice is captivating.

While you won’t be able to establish a permanent home in Sherastopol, the Lamb will frequently visit and work to restore the city. This involves hearing the tales of lingering spirits, assisting with reconstruction, completing tasks for residents, and caring for the local cemetery. From Sherastopol, you’ll also embark on journeys to explore the surrounding lands.

Rot on the Mountain

Initially, players can only access Sheep Mountain, where Marhosias leads a group of free wolves. Reaching the wolf who replaced Ingya is difficult, and Marhosias will occasionally challenge you with trials. But as you gain new curses and weapons, Marhosias and his followers will become less of a threat to the Lamb.

The new weapons were already showcased in the trailer.

Marhosias isn’t the only challenge you’ll face on this journey. As you climb the mountain, you’ll discover a spreading corruption that’s twisted the wildlife. Instead of wolves, you’ll encounter bizarre worms and other monstrous creatures. To stop the source of this rot, you’ll need to navigate through the foothills, battle corrupted monsters, solve puzzles, and find new companions to help you.

The mountain is scenic, covered in snow like many others, but its caves and lower areas are deeply disturbing, bringing to mind the unsettling and surreal art of Zdzisław Beksiński.

As Ingya gains more followers, her power increases. However, this growth isn’t good for the Lamb’s followers, as her awakening causes the first, biting frosts of winter to arrive.

I was surprised to see many players thought the expansion was too short after I finished it and read their reviews. It took me around 15 hours to complete, but Woolhaven isn’t just a series of dungeons and boss fights – it’s a complete season with lots of new features, buildings, rituals, and things to do. I hadn’t felt this excited about a game since the release of Don’t Starve’s Reign of Giants, which really changed the way the whole world felt.

Even during the cold winter months, the people in the settlement find ways to enjoy themselves. They have fun with snowball fights and building snowmen, cozy up with warm drinks by the fire, and unwind in the jacuzzi.

The only things missing are presents under the tree and some Krampus with a sack of coal.

Winter dramatically changes life in the settlement. When frost arrives, you’ll need to manage a new ‘Freezing’ level. This means building and maintaining a stove, crafting warm clothing from wool, and making sure you have plenty of hot drinks. Your garden won’t grow anything in the winter, so you’ll have to use food stored from the summer or hunt for meat.

Okay, so I’ve built this weather station in my game, and it’s supposed to give me a heads-up about when winter’s coming. It’s cool, but honestly, the frost still always seems to hit me out of nowhere! It’s like, I check the station, and everything looks okay, then BAM – winter is here. It’s a bit frustrating, but I guess that’s part of the challenge.

Okay, so the folks in Sherstopol really showed me the ropes when it came to dealing with the freezing weather. They taught me all sorts of stuff – like how to dance around the fire to keep from shivering, and even how to raise animals for food and milk. It’s all about surviving out here, and they’re the experts!

With each passing winter, conditions get increasingly severe. What starts as typical frost soon escalates to full-blown blizzards, and wolves sometimes venture out of the woods, driven by hunger. To survive, you’ll have to improve your heating system, learn new practices, add heaters, carefully manage fuel, and defend your livestock with traps.

Under these circumstances, followers afflicted with the ‘rotten’ condition can actually be quite helpful. They require no food, sleep, or protection from the cold. However, they will perish after ten days if the Lamb doesn’t discover a way to heal their sickness.

You’ll be busy with all sorts of tasks, like finding partners for your followers, training them, providing medical care, decorating, bringing snowmen back to life, and even employing unusual helpers. Plus, you’ll constantly be expanding your settlement to accommodate everything you’re building. Honestly, with so much going on, it’s hard to see how anyone could find this expansion lacking in content.

Thinking of starting a new game and building something from scratch? Woolhaven is a great choice. You can expand and improve your base, learn new crafting recipes, discover stunning environments, play a fun new mini-game, forge powerful weapons, and solve a captivating mystery hidden in the mountains. Plus, you might just get into the holiday spirit, even if it’s a little late! I already know which game I’ll be revisiting next winter, and it’s this one.

Summary

This game offers a massive new adventure and a complete winter experience filled with things to do. The environments and characters, particularly the ‘rotten’ ones, are beautifully designed, and the music creates a great atmosphere – especially the track for a certain minor boss, composed by the late River Boy. Expect even more funny voice acting from both enemies and allies! Plus, many requested features have been added, including the ability to marry and divorce followers, hunt spies, use first-aid stations, and change character traits.

Cons: occasional bugs, both minor ones and some that require exiting the menu.

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2026-01-30 19:39