Bosses Be Gone: How to Beat Messmer, The Impaler in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree
Messmer The Impaler comes with a tragic backstory and brutal attacks. Match his unbridled rage with measured aggression to let your Tarnished emerge as the victor of this unforgettable encounter.
About two weeks prior to the release of Elden Ring’s brand-new expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, a select few content creators were invited to a three-hour preview event that let them get an early impression of what it would look and play like. They were shocked upon their arrival to find a life-size replica of one of its main antagonists waiting to greet them when they got there.
That antagonist is Messmer, The Impaler, who featured prominently in the game’s promotional materials and is even included as a miniature figure in its Deluxe edition. This mysterious villain raised a lot of speculation about his origins, even as a community of FromSoftware fans expected a brutal fight against him. With the expansion’s release, it seems that they were not wrong.
A Nuanced Character With a Fractured Soul
Messmer is the final boss of the Shadow Keep, an important location in the Scuda Altus region of the Land of Shadow. His influence on the world is both seen and felt, as the devastation caused by his crusade against those devoid of Grace has left devastation in its wake, especially in the Belurat Settlement.
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Widely reviled for his actions, especially by the NPC Hornsent, who is his sworn enemy, Messmer harbors a lot of secrets that guide his motivations and actions. Locked away in the Land of Shadow by his mother, Queen Marika, it is revealed that he is indeed the brother of Miquella and Malenia, driven by his need for his mother’s approval and holding fast to his cause in order to keep his dark secret from coming into the light. Your Tarnished has a lot to uncover, and defeating him is the key. Let’s get started.
Bosses Be Gone: How to Beat Messmer, The Impaler in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree
It’s no surprise that Messmer is as agile and deadly as his sister from the base game. Shadow of the Erdtree takes things up a notch, giving him a ton of complex moves and attacks that feature his distinct flame while his second phase brings his true nature out for all to see.
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If you have followed Hornsent’s questline up until this point, he can be summoned a little ahead as you enter the boss room, an important step towards completing his questline. You’re going to need all the help you can get as Messmer puts on quite the show!
He starts the fight by taking to the air, slamming his spear down into the ground next to you, creating an explosion of flame. Dodge once to avoid the slam and again to avoid the explosion, positioning yourself next to him to get a couple of hits in. We recommend taking the fight slowly, as Messmer is quick to counterattack if you get too greedy!
He has many variations of swings, stabs, and uppercuts with his spear, requiring you to dodge either to the side, towards him, or behind him, respectively. It can take some getting used to, and you may want to try and survive the fight for a while just to get into the rhythm of dodges and attacks.
He accents almost each of his swings with a touch of his deadly fire, which lingers in the air before exploding. This is primarily why you dodge to the side against most of his swipes. Try and move away from his swinging arm to position yourself for a counterattack, as he will have to turn to begin his next attack.
The next of his attacks to watch out for is when he sparks his flame in his hand before lunging at you with deadly accuracy for a grab attack. At this stage of the game, this is nearly a guaranteed one-shot kill, so look out for it and dodge out of the way as best you can. Again, positioning yourself well can give you an opportunity to counterattack.
At about half of his health, he triggers a transformation, letting the serpent that he has held at bay loose to showcase his true power. He uses it to come at your Tarnished with a lunging bite attack that’s fairly easy to dodge if you are quick enough. Punish these attacks as best you can, using Hornsent and a Spirit Ash Summon of your choice to keep him distracted if you are so inclined.
Watch out for the red miasma he creates, as this can signify one of two very powerful moves. If he is invisible at the center of the miasma, watch out for a series of bite and slam attacks from the serpent before he materializes to attempt stabbing you with a series of thrust attacks. Dodge to the side of the serpent’s attacks and behind him to get in some attacks of your own.
If he is visible at the center of the miasma, this denotes a series of six attacks from the serpent, the second and third of which are a single delayed attack with two quick bites. Adjust your dodging rhythms accordingly to avoid taking a ton of damage. We recommend keeping your distance instead of trying to punish this one.
Armor and Talismans that boost fire damage negation are a must for this fight. Messmer is particularly susceptible to Bleed damage, as we were able to melt his health bar with the Star-Lined Sword and our Mimic Tear, working in tandem with our summon to consistently build up the Bleed status to remove large chunks of his massive health bar.
Once he is taken down, his sorrowful apology to his mother is followed by your Tarnished receiving his Remembrance along with the Messmer’s Kindling item that you will need to progress the story further.
With Messmer out of the way, you are officially in the final act of the DLC. For further assistance with Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree, let our guides help your Tarnished find their way to Miquella and learn more about his time in the Land of Shadow.
