The balanced starting weapon class, with a variant for every playstyle, a lightning-fast legendary, and a hidden Fervour-farming staff.
The sword is the one weapon class with no glaring weakness. Balanced damage, balanced range, balanced speed, it does everything well enough to carry any build, which is why it is the first weapon the Lamb ever picks up.
Every sword shares that profile but layers a different effect on top. According to the wiki, the sword line runs from the default Crusader's Blade through poison, lifesteal, and critical-hit variants unlocked by leveling up Sermons.
Two swords break the mold. The legendary Golden End adds a flat attack-speed boost, and Ratau's Staff is a secret weapon that farms Fervour instead of dealing damage.
This guide covers how the sword class plays, every variant and how to unlock it, and the two special swords worth chasing.
The balanced starter weapon, good for any build.
Godly Sword, which doubles base damage.
Golden End, a flat 1.5x attack speed.
You want a specialist, as daggers and hammers hit harder in their niche.Swords are the most balanced weapon in the game, which makes them the safe default. Per the wiki, they have even damage, range, and attack speed, so they stay useful in any situation rather than excelling in one.
Mechanically the base sword lands a three-hit combo. The wiki lists the Crusader's Blade dealing 1 damage per hit at speed 1, sitting between the faster 
weapon types like daggers and the slower hammers.
That neutrality is the appeal. A sword never leaves you helpless against jumping enemies the way a hammer can, and it never runs out of range like a dagger, so it pairs cleanly with any 
Tarot card or curse setup.
Every sword variant keeps the balanced stat line and adds one effect on top. According to the wiki, the variants are unlocked by leveling up 
Doctrines through Sermons, each tier granting a new weapon type across all classes.
| Sword | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Crusader's Blade | Default | The balanced base sword, no special effect. |
 Bane Sword | Bane Weapons (Sermons) | Chance to poison enemies on hit. |
 Vampiric Sword | Vampiric Weapons (Sermons) | Chance to heal from a slain foe. |
 Necromantic Sword | Necromantic Weapons (Sermons) | Killing a foe summons a ghost that attacks. |
 Zealous Sword | Zealous Weapons (Sermons) | Fervour also fills your Divine Inspiration. |
| Merciless Sword | Merciless Weapons (Sermons) | Chance to land a critical hit. |
| Godly Sword | Godly Weapons (Sermons) | Double base damage, but rare to roll. |
The Godly Sword is the ceiling. The wiki notes Godly weapons deal significantly more damage than mortal ones but are rare to appear, so seeing one on a crusade is a strong start.
The Merciless Sword pairs beautifully with the sword heavy attack. A charged critical smash triples its damage, and because swords already have balanced timing, landing that crit is easier than on a slow hammer.
Golden End is the legendary sword, and it is arguably the best legendary weapon overall. Per the wiki, it grants a flat 1.5x attack speed, turning the already-balanced sword into a rapid, reliable damage engine.
You unlock it by destroying a statue. The wiki states the Golden End shard drops when you break a 
Marchosias statue during any crusade at Ewefall, or a Yngya statue during any crusade in The Rot.
Then it goes to the blacksmith. Like every legendary weapon, you carry the shard to 
Rami with Wool to restore it, and you can name it once.
Ratau's Staff is a secret sword-type weapon built for farming, not fighting. Per the wiki, it deals only 0.5 damage per hit, described as barely more than a stick, but every hit makes enemies drop Fervour.
Getting it depends on Ratau's fate. The wiki explains that if Ratau is still alive, you give a Rotten Follower to The Night at Woolhaven to receive the staff.
There is a backup route. If you already sacrificed Ratau, the wiki says you instead bring Ratau's Cloak and speak to Sariel in Woolhaven to claim the staff.
In practice Ratau's Staff is a Fervour battery, not a main weapon. Swap to it when you want to charge Divine Inspiration fast on weak enemies, then switch back to a real sword for anything threatening.
The sword's heavy attack hits like a small hammer. According to the wiki, the Lamb jumps and smashes the ground, dealing heavy damage and knockback in a burst, which is best saved for a moment when the enemy is not about to swing.
Play it as your reliable neutral option. Because swords are balanced, they reward good spacing over gimmicks, and the curse you bring can cover any gaps, such as ranged threats.
Scale it with cards and fleeces. The wiki lists Tarot cards and the Golden Fleece as multipliers on weapon damage, and a sword's steady combo makes those multipliers easy to apply consistently.
The sword is one of six weapon classes. These guides cover the other weapons, the bosses tied to sword shards, and the Doctrines that unlock every variant.
Game data and screenshots adapted from cult-of-the-lamb.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Massive Monster and Devolver Digital.