Unlock first, then summon
A Rein permanently unlocks its named minion when used. Most come from the corresponding enemy; some are sold in town or obtained through other activities. Defeating a boss and receiving its rein are separate events.
- Keep an unowned rein when it appears in the inventory and use it after reading its tooltip.
- Return to town and open Minions (J).
- Select the unlocked minion and use the panel’s summoning action. The minion documentation limits summoning to town or the Training Grounds; one is active at a time.
- Check that the active selection, carriage capacity and relevant character bonus match the minion you chose. Merely owning another rein does not mean all minion passives are active together.
Choose by the actual shortfall
| Need | Example to inspect | Current reference effect |
|---|---|---|
| Early basic-attack speed | Grey Forest Wolf | +5% attack speed, with only 15 carriage capacity |
| A larger health buffer | Wild Boar | +150 maximum health, capacity 25 |
| A larger mana pool | Poison Spider | +25 maximum mana, capacity 16 |
| Continuous mana recovery later | Naga minion | 6 mana per second, capacity 25 |
| Poison defense | Venom Queen | 30% poison damage reduction, capacity 27 |
Choose a passive that addresses your character’s needs; the examples do not guarantee you will obtain those minions. A larger mana pool is different from restoring mana per second. A higher carriage capacity can also matter when ordinary loot is filling it.
Black Horse provides movement speed, rather than mana recovery. Bloodmoon Werewolf boosts Life on Hit; this is not a percentage of your attack damage.
Find the rein without assuming a guaranteed drop
Use the enemy and region matching the rein. Raptor and Bloodmoon Werewolf are the early Kings Woods boss targets; the latter needs the relevant skull for its Golden boss stage. Merchant minions, including Black Horse, are an alternative to random capture when that vendor is available.
The reins filter keeps unowned reins not already in the bag or carriage when enabled. Patch 1.0.0i makes Legendary Reins always get picked up regardless of that filter. A successful boss kill still does not guarantee a rein, and a static drop chance is not a measured Online capture rate.
Recheck after changing the active minion
Compare the same run’s healing, mana and carriage behavior. If collection stalls, review capacity and the equipment-rarity actions as well as the pet. A useful passive does not replace the class’s equipment, healing upgrades or Life Skills.