Cult of the Lamb: Should You Bow or Refuse the Bishop?

Usually, cults aren’t about choices, but in Cult of the Lamb, you must decide whether to refuse or bow to the Bishop. Luckily, you have us to tell you what happens when you refuse or bow to the Bishop in Cult of the Lamb.

Should You Refuse or Bow to the Bishop in Cult of the Lamb?

The Four Bishops are your primary foes in Cult of the Lamb, and they make that fact brutally clear right out the gate when they try to sacrifice you in the game’s intro. Even after you escape your death sentence, the Bishops will do everything in their power to stop you from expanding your cult and feeding The One Who Waits.

Each Bishop will appear before you as you Crusade through their respective Cursed Land to drop some vague lore, threaten your life AND soul, and offer to show mercy if you bow before them. In these moments, you will be given a “Bow to the Bishop?” prompt, with your options being “Bow” or “Refuse.”

What Happens if You Bow to the Bishop in Cult of the Lamb?

If you decide to bow to the Bishop, your followers will lose 20 Faith in you. The strength of its leader is the backbone of every cult, and nothing shakes a cultist’s faith more than seeing their leader show deference to someone or something other than themselves. Now that your followers know that leaders of another religion can bully you around, their reverence for you will be dulled significantly.

Losing Faith is one of the worst things that can happen to you in Cult of the Lamb. The bitter departure of even a single follower can trigger a domino effect that ends with more than a few members of your cult leaving, so you’ll need to hold a sermon and perform a few rituals to renew your follower’s belief in you.

What Happens if You Don’t Bow to the Bishop in Cult of the Lamb?

On the other hand, if you decide to be brave and refuse to bow to the Bishop, each scenario in your current Crusade will turn into a battle room. These battle rooms feature enemies that hit harder and are more challenging to take down. Since you stood your ground to the Bishop, they will punish you by making your current Crusade much harder, but you will look strong in front of your followers.

So, now that you know the consequences of bowing and refusing the Bishop, which will you choose? If you need more help deciding how to grow your cult best, check out our Cult of the Lamb page. We’ve got guides on everything: how to farm devotion, which Fleece you should get first, accessibility options, and much more.

Cult of the Lamb is available on August 11, 2022, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, and PC.