How Diseased Hearts Work in Cult of the Lamb

Cult of the Lamb has a plethora of enhancements for the Lamb that changes the dynamic of gameplay. As you advance through the cult roguelike, you can obtain abilities, items, garments, and effects that will aid you in your Crusades. The Diseased Heart is one of these items you can obtain. Below will show you how the Diseased Heart works and how to obtain one in Cult of the Lamb.

How Does the Diseased Heart work?

In Cult of the Lamb, Hearts convey how much life the Lamb (and now the Goat) has. When taking damage, one of your Hearts will be split in half. You can regain Hearts through drops in a Crusade or Tarot Cards. However, there are three variants of Hearts in Cult of the Lamb.

Red Hearts are the base health for the Lamb. Unlike the other Hearts, Red Hearts do not disappear after finishing a Crusade. Red Hearts can also be added permanently with Sermons. Sermons are a way to upgrade the Lamb. Blue Hearts are similar to Red Hearts with the exception that they disappear when you finish a Crusade. To obtain more Blue Hearts, you must find them during Crusades. Diseased Hearts are similar to other Hearts in Cult of the Lamb with an additional effect.

Diseased Hearts work similar to Blue Hearts. The gray Hearts that are next to the player’s other Hearts disappear once you leave a Crusade. When these Hearts are active, the enemy receives damage any time the Lamb takes damage themself.

How Do I get Diseased Hearts in Cult of the Lamb?

Diseased Hearts can be obtained as drops and Tarot Cards during Crusades similar to other Hearts. However, you can also get these Hearts by Crown upgrades. Crown upgrades are permanent abilities that are unlocked using a Heart of a Heretic. To acquire a Heart of a Heretic, you must beat the four Bishops. Once you’ve secured a Heart of a Heretic, head to your Temple to upgrade these abilities. The Temple is one of the first buildings you build in Cult of the Lamb. With Crown Abilities, there are two upgrades pertaining to Diseased Hearts:

• To get two Diseased Hearts, use a Heart of a Heretic to obtain The Hunger Crown Ability. This allows you to eat Minced Follower Meat before a Crusade. Although you do receive two Hearts, you won’t be able to get two Diseased Hearts during a Crusade using this method.
• To receive one Diseased Heart, use a Heart of a Heretic to get the Darkness Within Crown Upgrade. At the start of each Crusade, a Diseased Heart is added to your health.

You can also obtain a Diseased Heart with a fleece. Fleeces are garments the Lamb wears that give both positive and negative effects. The fleece you need to get a Diseased Heart is the Fleece of the Diseased Heart. With this item, each Tarot Card you obtain during a Crusade becomes a Diseased Heart card. However, you can only have one Diseased Heart Tarot Card active at a time. The Lamb also takes poison damage when hurt with this fleece equipped.

Cult of the Lamb is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.