Several items in Diablo 4 carry their share of lore and power, and the Ring of Mendeln has a special meaning to Necromancers. If you’re a lore aficionado, this ring belonged to Mendeln ul-Diomed, founder of the Priests of Rathma. It was lost for three millennia, but according to its flavor text, its “immense power over death” hasn’t diminished. And maybe Mendeln’s magic is why the Ring of Mendeln is an easy best-in-slot for Minion builds.
You’ll need a decent amount of investment to put the Ring of Mendeln to good use, but if you’re planning on raising an Army of the Dead and mopping up dungeons, the Ring of Mendeln is essential for powering up your Minions.
What does the Ring of Mendeln do in Diablo 4?
The Ring of Mendeln is a must for higher-level Minion builds, and just a look at its description shows why that’s so. It relies on a Lucky Hit mechanic, but when it activates, it’s enough to deal tremendous damage to nearby enemies. Here are its effects:
- + Lucky Hit chance
- + Minion attack speed
- + Maximum Minion Life
- + Thorns
- Unique Effect: While you have seven or more Minions, you gain:
- Lucky Hit: up to a 10 percent chance to empower all of your Minions, causing the next attack from each to explode for Physical damage.
The biggest caveat to using the Ring of Mendeln is you need at least seven minions to activate it. It can be a bit tricky to seamlessly slot them into an existing hybrid build, especially if you’re still lacking in Paragon Points.
Your best bet would be using Skeletal Warriors with an Aspect of the Blood Getter to reach that threshold, though you’ll need to keep a close eye on your Minions. You’ll also need Paragon Points to make the most of this mixed build.
If you’re running a primarily Minion-focused build, though, this shouldn’t be a problem: you can have three Skeletal Mages and four Skeletal Warriors (five with the first Skirmisher upgrade), and that’s before adding anything else. Using the Viscous Aspect grants an extra two Skeletal Mages (three if it’s in an amulet), and the Blood-Getter Aspect has similar effects for Skeletal Warriors. And if you have room in your action bar, you can always slot in a Golem. This means you’ll usually have at least seven Minions, granting you a constant chance of activating Ring of Mendeln’s Lucky Hit mechanic.
Of course, Ring of Mendeln synergizes well with other Aspects related to Minions. Coldbringer’s Aspect is a simple one since your Skeletal Mages can chill and freeze enemies even more easily with it (and these super-lucky freezes have saved us more times than we’d like to admit). Aspect of the Frenzied Dead increases Minion attack speed when they hit targets, and Aspect of Reanimation grants them more damage reduction.
You can also use Army of the Dead as an ultimate skill and pair it with the Unyielding Commander’s Aspect, which grants your Minions more attack speed and damage reduction while that ultimate is active.
As far as weapons go, there’s a case for each weapon type. If you’re looking for more agency, you can go with a greatsword for heavier crits or a two-handed scythe for more sustain for yourself. Items with higher attack speeds grant you more opportunities to proc Mendeln’s Lucky Hit, though, so keep that in mind when settling on your weapon of choice.
Where to find the Ring of Mendeln in Diablo 4
The Ring of Mendeln is a random drop, so you can find it off most content and containers—though the real tricky part is being lucky enough for it to drop.
We’ve obtained Uniques from Cellar chests, enemy kills, and even as a reward at the end of Nightmare dungeons. Our Ring of Mendeln dropped for us at level 75, and we found it from a random mob during a Tier 37 run of Demon’s Wake in Scosglen.
Like other Uniques, you’ll need to be playing in at least World Tier Three.
Can you upgrade, imprint, or change affixes in the Ring of Mendeln?
Since the Ring of Mendeln is a Unique item, you’re limited in what you can do with it. You can’t reroll its affixes, so you’re stuck with what it grants you. Its Unique effect also can’t be imprinted, so you’ll need to use this ring specifically.
If you’ve found a Ring of Mendeln, though, you can upgrade it up to level five at any Jeweler, which should bump its stats up a bit. It’s not the same as choosing a new affix, but it’s enough to give it a little more juice.
