The Relic

The Relic is an uncommon head armor that generates a scaled status effect whenever the wearer successfully blocks with a holy shield. The stronger the shield block, the more potent the status — making this a strong companion to shield-focused builds. Stack holy shield effects to trigger it more frequently and scale the output higher with each successful block.

The trigger requires a holy shield block specifically, meaning regular Shield HP absorption does not count. Holy shield is a distinct mechanic that provides divine protection, so The Relic rewards cats that have invested in that specific system rather than generic shield stacking. The scaling behavior means blocking a large hit delivers a stronger status output than blocking a small one, creating incentive to let bigger attacks land on the holy shield rather than spending other defensive resources. The status applied on proc determines whether this is a self-buff or an enemy debuff, which significantly affects how you position the wearer.

The Relic is best in runs where you have access to multiple holy shield sources: holy-themed abilities, relevant mutations, or complementary items that refresh or increase holy shield capacity. Without a reliable holy shield to block with, the proc never fires and the helmet contributes nothing. For dedicated holy or paladin-style builds, it is a natural include that converts defensive blocks into offensive or supportive status value. Outside that archetype, it is a narrow pick that is usually outclassed by uncommon helmets with unconditional passives.