Cultists (Darkest Dungeon II)
“ | Emptiness and disillusion have wormed their way into the world. | „ |
~ The Academic |
Cultists are a faction of enemies in Darkest Dungeon II.
Overview
Cultists are the primary antagonists in Confessions mode, where they may be encountered in every Region at Oblivion's Ingress and Oblivion's Rampart Nodes. Cultists will also ambush the party when the Flame drops to 0. Battles at Oblivion's Ramparts are essentially predetermined: the Exemplar, for example, will always appear at the end of the last region before The Mountain from Act III and onward.
In Kingdoms mode, Cultists appear as region-specific enemies in The Tundra.
Cultists boast a number of unique mechanics that can make encounters more difficult for the party.

Altar
The Altar is the main Cultist support unit. While it poses little threat by itself, it grants powerful Confession-specific buffs to its allies.
Worship
Whenever a Cultist boss (Deacon, Cardinal, or Exemplar) is present, all other Cultists will generate Worship tokens every turn. These
tokens can then be transferred to the boss, healing them and unlocking their most powerful attacks.
Worship (Token)
- When two
tokens are present, enables a new set of skills:
- After gaining two
, regular Cultists (Altar, Cherub, Evangelist, and Herald) will use the skill Worship, which heals the boss and grants it a
token.
- Cultist bosses with two
gain access to their most powerful attack, Exultation.
- After gaining two
- Consumed upon use.
- Duration: Until end of combat
- Limit: 2
List of Cultist Enemies
Enemy | Region | Types | Tiers | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Cherub | Any | Cultist | 14 | 8 | 0 | 20% | 20% | 20% | 10% | 10% | 20% | |
![]() Herald | Any | Cultist | 18 | 4 | 0 | 30% | 10% | 40% | 20% | 20% | 10% | |
![]() Altar | Any | Cultist | 20 | 7 | 0 | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% | 10% | 10% | |
![]() Evangelist | Any | Cultist | 28 | 3 | 1 | 20% | 20% | 20% | 40% | 40% | 20% | |
![]() Deacon | Any | Cultist | Boss | 41 | 2 | 2 | 20% | 20% | 20% | 40% | 40% | 40% |
![]() Cardinal | Any | Cultist | Boss | 46 | 4 | 2 | 30% | 30% | 30% | 20% | 20% | 30% |
![]() Exemplar | Any | Cultist | Boss | 101 | 6 | 2 | 40% | 40% | 40% | 60% | 50% | 40% |
![]() Exemplar (Kingdoms) | Any | Cultist | Boss | 145 | 6 | 2 | 40% | 40% | 40% | 60% | 50% | 40% |
Rewards
Defeating Cultists is the only way to gain Unforgettable Trinkets—powerful trinkets that come with huge advantages and disadvantages, and must be equipped as a set to unlock their full effects.
Strategy
Because of the Worship mechanic, it is imperative to kill regular Cultist enemies, especially Altars, as quickly as possible before they can empower their bosses. However, sometimes this is risky or infeasible—the Exemplar being a notorious example of a boss that can generate large amounts of
quickly.
One Combat Item, the Shred of Decency, removes all tokens from its target.