The Season of the Malignant may not have been the most popular event in Diablo 4 , but it left behind a legacy of powerful Malignant hearts that players are still seeking. These hearts provided substantial buffs to characters during the event, and their absence has been felt since Season 2, the Season of Blood , began. Notably, Necromancers enjoyed a significant advantage with the Sacriligeous Soul Malignant power, which passively triggered corpse and skeleton abilities, allowing players to free up a space on their action bar for another skill.
Good news awaits the Diablo 4 community! The developers have answered our pleas, and as of November 7, 2023, they are introducing five class-specific Malignant Rings in Patch 1.2.2. Each of these rings carries a familiar Malignant power from the first season, promising exciting gameplay enhancements for various character classes. They’ll also pair nicely with the best Season of Blood Vampire powers .
But what exactly are these rings, and how can you obtain one? Let’s dive into the details!
Here’s a breakdown of the five class-specific rings that will be added to Diablo 4, along with the unique powers they offer for each class:
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Class
Name
Power
Rogue
Writhing Band of Trickery
Casting a Subterfuge Skill leaves behind a Decoy Trap that continuously Taunts and lures enemies. The Decoy Trap explodes after 3 seconds dealing (5,500-8,300) Shadow damage. Can occur every 12 seconds.
Sorcerer
Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop
For each type of Elemental damage you deal, gain (10-14%) increased damage for four seconds. Dealing Elemental damage refreshes all bonuses.
Barbarian
Ring of Red Furor
After spending 100 Fury within 3 seconds, your next cast of Hammer of the Ancients, Upheaval or Death Blow is a guaranteed Critical Strike and deals (10-30%) bonus Critical Strike damage.
Druid
Airidah’s Inexorable Will
When casting an Ultimate Skill and again 5 seconds after, you pull in Distant enemies and deal (1,300-2,700) Physical damage to them. The damage is increased by 1.0%x per 1 point of Willpower you have.
Necromancer
Ring of the Sacriligious Soul
You automatically activate the following equipped skills on Corpses around you: Raise Skeleton every (2-1) seconds, Corpse explosion every (2-1) seconds, Corpse Tendrils ever (16-8) seconds.
In order to obtain a coveted Malignant Ring, you’ll need to embark on a journey to the Tree of Whispers and confront Varshan in World Tier 4. Here are the steps to acquire your ring:
Head to the Tree of Whispers Waypoint and locate the ‘Malignant Burrow’ as indicated on the map below:
Head to the Malignant Burrow under the Tree of Whispers to summon Varshan and obtain your Malignant Ring. (Image credit: Jennifer Young – Windows Central)
Once inside the burrow, you’ll need to perform the Ritual of Hatred to summon Varshan, and you will need the following materials, which are Varshan’s body parts:
Gurgling Head
Blackened Femur
Trembling Hand
Malignant Heart
You’ll need these parts to summon Varshan in World Tier 4 and obtain your Malignant Ring. (Image credit: Jennifer Young – Windows Central)
You can obtain these items by defeating Grotesque Debtors during Whispers of the Dead activities. Completing Whisper quests across the map will grant you a Whisper Cache from the tree, which may contain the required materials. If you have been diligently opening Whisper Caches, you might already have a surplus of these.
It’s essential to note that the ‘Malignant Heart’ only drops in World Tier 4 Whispers of the Dead activities.
If you find yourself short on any of the parts for this recipe, you can craft the missing pieces of Varshan at the Alchemist. To do so, combine the following items:
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Part needed
Recipe
Trembling Hand
Malignant Heart + 4 Baleful Fragments + 15 veiled crystals
Blackened Femur
Malignant Heart + 4 Coiling Wars + 15 veiled Crystals
Gurgling Head
Malignant Heart + 4 Abtruse Sigils + 15 Veiled Crystals
Once you’ve successfully defeated Varshan, there’s a chance that a Unique item will drop, which may be the Malignant Ring you desire. While it’s not clear whether the Malignant Ring is a guaranteed drop or a chance-based one, the developers at Blizzcon 2023 did advise players to “hold on to those summoning materials.” This suggests that you may need to face Varshan multiple times to secure your ring. So, when Patch 1.2.2 is released later today, cross your fingers and hope for the best as you confront the whims of RNG-esus.
