Upgrades in Cult of the Lamb come from Sermons at the Temple, and they are the main way a run gets easier over time. The system looks flat until you see the structure: a Follower’s level is what pays for sermons, and the tree is gated by total upgrades bought (2, then 5, 8, 12, 16). That gating creates a clear priority order — some upgrades snowball your whole account, while others are sidegrades. This guide gives the order the numbers support.
How sermons and points work
- The Temple unlocks Sermons, one per day.
- Sermon points = the sum of your Followers’ levels, so a few high-level Followers beat a crowd of low-level ones.
- Tier gates open at 2, 5, 8, 12 and 16 total upgrades bought.
- Once every upgrade is unlocked, each sermon gives one blue Heart instead.
That last point matters: the tree is finite, so the goal is to reach the strong tiers fast, not to hoard points.
The single best line: Might of the Devout
This is the power line, and it is the reason to rush tiers at all. Each step raises the starting level of weapons on a new crusade:
| Upgrade | Starting weapon level | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Might of the Devout I | III–IV | 2 upgrades |
| Might of the Devout II | VI–VII | 8 upgrades |
| Might of the Devout III | IX–X | 12 upgrades |
| Might of the Devout IV | XII–XIII | 16 upgrades |
| Might of the Devout V | XV–XVI | after IV |
| Might of the Devout VI | further increase | after V |
Every crusade begins with a stronger weapon, which means the early rooms — the ones you replay most — stop being a slog. This is the highest-return line in the whole tree, and it is why reaching 8, then 12, then 16 total upgrades matters more than any single side pickup.
Take these early: Hearts and Fervour
Two support lines are worth buying alongside the Devout line:
- Hearts of the Faithful I (Tier 1) and Hearts of the Faithful II (Tier 3) each permanently add half a Heart — one full Heart across both. Tier 1 is also your cheapest route to the “2 upgrades” gate.
- Fervour of the Righteous I (Tier 2) and II (Tier 4) each add one more Curse you can hold and cast. If your build leans on Curses, this is effectively a second weapon slot.
Weapon mastery unlocks the heavy attack
- Weapon Mastery (Tier 3) unlocks the Heavy Attack button, and each weapon gets its own heavy move.
- At Tier 6, per-weapon Masteries (Sword, Axe, Dagger, Gauntlet, Hammer, Blunderbuss) increase that weapon’s heavy-attack damage. The Blunderbuss Mastery also adds +1 bullet capacity and better range.
Heavy attacks are a large damage source, so Weapon Mastery is the best Tier-3 pick once Hearts II has opened the tier.
Curse unlocks — each adds three Curses
Every Curse tier adds three new Curses to your crusade pool. If you play a curse build, these are worth taking; if not, they are safe to delay.
| Tier | Unlock | Curses added |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curse of the Horde | Hounds of Fate, Maelstrom, Point of Corruption |
| 2 | Curse of the Occultist | Cleansing Fire, Divine Guardian, Path of the Righteous |
| 3 | Curse of the Tundra | Divine Blizzard, Death’s Squall, Touch of Ithaqua |
| 4 | Curse of the Necromancer | Death’s Attendant, Touch of the Revenant, Divine Blight |
| 5 | Curse of the Beguiler | Strike of the Crown, Oath of the Crown, Call of the Crown |
Weapon-type upgrades appear on crusades
These do not buff a single weapon — they add new variants that can drop on your runs:
- Bane Weapons (Tier 1) — chance to poison on hit.
- Vampiric Weapons (Tier 2) — chance to heal from a slain foe.
- Necromantic Weapons (Tier 3) — chance to summon ghosts from dead enemies.
- Zealous Weapons (Tier 4) — collected Fervour fills your Divine Inspiration bar.
- Merciless Weapons (Tier 5) — chance for a Critical Hit.
- Godly Weapons (Tier 6) — rare, significantly more damage than mortal weapons.
They widen the pool rather than stacking, so unlock them after the Might and Hearts lines.
Relic upgrades sit at Tier 6
Late in the tree, Eyes of the Lost Relics adds new Relics to crusades, then Blessings of the Relics and Damnation of the Relics let some Relics appear as Blessed or Damned versions. These are endgame depth, not early power.
The gate math: why 8 upgrades is the real target
The tiers are gated on total upgrades bought, not on any single line, so reaching Might of the Devout II means buying eight upgrades in total. That is the number to plan around:
- 2 upgrades opens Tier 2 — Hearts I plus one more is the cheapest way in.
- 5 upgrades opens Tier 3.
- 8 upgrades opens Tier 4, where Might of the Devout II (VI–VII) lives — the biggest single power jump in the tree.
- 12 opens Tier 5 (Might III, IX–X) and 16 opens Tier 6 (Might IV, XII–XIII).
The practical consequence is that you cannot rush Might II by itself. You buy the cheap Tiers 1–3 pickups — Hearts I, Bane Weapons, Curse of the Horde, Might I, Fervour I, Hearts II, Weapon Mastery — to reach 8, and those side pickups are not wasted: Hearts and Fervour are permanent stat gains you would want anyway.
How to farm sermon points faster
Because points equal the sum of Follower levels, leveling Followers is the real bottleneck. Feeding them good meals, keeping Faith high and using level-up rituals all raise Follower levels, which in turn raises your daily sermon income. A cult of ten level-3 Followers earns more sermon points than a crowd of level-1 newcomers, so prioritize quality over headcount while you are pushing for the Might tiers.
The priority order, summarised
- Hearts of the Faithful I — cheapest path to the 2-upgrade gate.
- Might of the Devout I — stronger starting weapon immediately.
- Fervour of the Righteous I if you run Curses, otherwise bank toward Might II.
- Might of the Devout II at 8 upgrades — the biggest single jump.
- Hearts of the Faithful II and Weapon Mastery to open and use Tier 3.
- Might III → IV as you pass 12 and 16, then clean up Curse and weapon-type unlocks.
For what to pair these with, the weapon tier list ranks the weapons the Devout line empowers, the crusade guide covers run structure, and the curses database lists every Curse the unlocks add. The best builds guide shows which lines suit which build, and the follower guide explains how to level Followers for faster sermons.