How to beat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Messmer the Impaler is one of the hardest boss fights in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. From Spirit Ashes to elemental imbuements, you’ll want to use each software at your disposal. Messmer’s assault patterns are swift and unforgiving.

Our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree information explains how to beat Messmer, together with particulars about his weaknesses and the way greatest to put together for this boss battle.

Messmer location in Elden Ring DLC

Messmer waits for you in the Darkish Chamber, a room above the highest level of the Specimen Storeroom in Shadow Hold. He’s a compulsory DLC boss, so you’ll be able to’t skip him.

Nevertheless, you’ll be able to exit Shadow Hold by way of the Watering Gap or western gate to proceed exploring and discovering new weapons and improve supplies if you happen to want extra time to put together.

Messmer weaknesses and the way to put together

Messmer has two massive weaknesses you’ll be able to exploit to take a large chunk out of his well being bar: Bleed and Frostbite.

The setup I used is one you’ll be able to take benefit of with out severe funding in one particular stat. You’ll want:

• A totally upgraded Mimic Tear
• An Ash of Battle that imbues a regular weapon with chilly. Divine Beast Frost Stomp or Ghostflame Name are strong selections
• Glintstone Icecrag and a employees with S-rank sorcery scaling
• (Elective) A second main-hand weapon to deal heavier bodily harm

Normal weapons deal much less harm than particular ones, however stacking Frostbite (or Bleed) is simply as necessary as dealing magic or bodily harm in this battle.

This technique provides you the greatest likelihood of whittling Messmer’s well being down with out being in an excessive amount of hazard your self. Your Mimic Tear will probably prioritize the Ash-infused weapon or spells, each of which cowl Messmer’s ailment weaknesses, which leaves you to do the similar or concentrate on common magic or bodily harm along with your different spells and weapon. Don’t get too snug casting Icecrag or different spells, although. Messmer’s consideration by no means lingers lengthy on one foe, and he’ll swap to you after a pair of hits.

You possibly can change the chilly Ash of Battle for a blood one if you happen to’re operating a bleed construct, however Divine Beast Frost Cease has the added benefit of protecting a broad space. Bleed builds don’t have something comparable. Nevertheless, the Bloody Slash ability works fantastically if you happen to’re shut sufficient to Messmer for it to hit.

Different viable Spirit Ash summons for this battle embrace the Dung Eater Puppet, which is beneficial for inflicting Bleed, and, if you happen to’ve defeated Bayle and completed the related questlines, Historical Dragon Florissax. She’s more proficient at avoiding assaults than you may assume, and her personal abilities cowl a broad space. Her assaults will both hit Messmer or power him to dodge, which places him in your vary and offers you an opportunity to strike earlier than he begins one other combo.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

That stated, in case your Revered Spirit Ash degree is decrease than seven, most Spirit Ashes aside from the Mimic Tear received’t final lengthy, regardless of what they’re.

There are, of course, different methods to beat Messmer. Most melee weapons take an enormous chunk of HP with every hit, and you would overwhelm him with poise-breaking heavy assaults when you be taught the timing. In the event you do strive that possibility, use the Stonebarb Cracked Tear in your Combined Physik to assist break Messmer’s stance extra simply.

Glintstone Icecrag, Adula’s Moonblade, Ranni’s Darkish Moon, and particularly Zamor Ice Storm are all robust sorcery selections, and Rellana’s Twin Moons offers a hefty quantity of harm — if you happen to’re shut sufficient for the strikes to land, which suggests you’re shut sufficient for Messmer to hit you. For incantations, Frozen Lightning Spear hits its mark surprisingly typically, and the Facet of the Crucible: Thorns incantation you get from the Golden Hippopotamus offers excessive harm in a brief quantity of time. The draw back is that, like with Rellana’s Twin Moons, you will have to be up shut for it to work.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

Earlier than you enter Messmer’s chamber, your Scadutree degree ought to be no less than 10 or larger, so take a detour to seek out some Scadutree Fragments if you happen to haven’t stored up with that to date. It’s additionally value utilizing a Rune Arc earlier than coming into the enviornment and consuming a Fireproof Pickled Liver to buff your hearth harm resistance. Half of Messmer’s assaults are imbued with hearth, so each little bit helps.

Spellcasters ought to have the Radagon’s Icon talisman outfitted to shorten their casting time, and any construct wants the Two-Headed Turtle talisman to assist with stamina administration. Be at liberty to summon the Hornsent NPC for assist as properly. The energy of his want for vengeance doesn’t translate to competency in fight, however he’s distraction for Messmer.

How to beat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring DLC

The Messmer boss battle is a doozy. He blends the Dancing Lion’s erratic actions and delayed strikes with Rellana’s swiftness and effectivity, and he fluidly switches from one goal to the subsequent with little regard for who is definitely attacking him.

These switches typically occur in mid combo, and if you happen to strike him even as soon as whereas he’s attacking an ally summon, he’s nearly assured to come after you subsequent. Messmer has few openings for assault, besides after he ends a combo, and any melee strike places you in danger for a follow-up. Your greatest guess is a cautious stability of evasion and offense.

Messmer boss battle section 1

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

The Messmer battle begins with a bang after which one other one. He’ll stroll ahead a couple of steps, rise into the air whereas constructing an orb of flaming shadow hearth round himself, then race ahead and slam into the floor. The orb explodes the place Messmer lands roughly a second after he lands. Dodge to keep away from the first strike, wait a beat, and dodge once more to evade the explosion.

You’ve gotten simply sufficient time to summon your Spirit Ash earlier than the orb lands, so try this first. After the explosion, I like to recommend operating to the different facet of the enviornment in the hope that Messmer targets your summon as a substitute of you. That offers you time to heal if you happen to used the Mimic Tear after which to activate the Hornsent’s summon signal in order for you him to be part of in.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

Messmer has a number of flame and spear combos, and he’ll generally string them collectively in unpredictable methods. His primary spear assault is a ahead slash adopted by a backhand slash. He’ll generally finish with a thrust or simply use a spear thrust impartial of different assaults. Dodge ahead or backward to keep away from the first two slashes and ahead or sideways to evade the thrust.

Messmer will generally comply with the opening one-two spear combo with a transfer comparable to one which Margit makes use of. He’ll drag his spear behind him on the floor, delay for a second to make dodging difficult, after which lastly make an upward slash that has a excessive likelihood of knocking you backward. What path you dodge in issues lower than ensuring you dodge on time.

Whereas he sometimes sticks to simply these flame-free assaults, he extra typically mixes them along with his hearth abilities as properly. The tame ones embrace a flaming thrust and a slash in entrance of him along with his ignited spear that leads into one other slash or a flaming thrust. These frontal assaults throw flame vast and much, so keep watch over them even if you happen to aren’t close to Messmer at the time.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

Much less typically, he’ll rush ahead and ship a flaming higher minimize, and if it catches you, he’ll slam you again into the floor along with his spear. Dodge ahead or sideways to keep away from the preliminary strike.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

One of his deadliest combos begins when Messmer rises into the air, wreathed in flame. He’ll rush ahead comparable to the Dancing Lion, so dodge ahead identical to you probably did in that battle. He then turns round and unleashes a flurry of spear strikes that offers heavy harm, which you can too dodge ahead to keep away from, and he ends by slamming his spear into the floor.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

The flames round it erupt into smaller spears, and there’s nearly by no means sufficient house to escape the full space of impact. The dodge timing to keep away from the spear eruption is analogous to the preliminary orb explosion, so wait a second after evading the floor strike earlier than dodging once more.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

That’s so much to take in, and also you’ll have to simply cope with it and dodge most of the time. Messmer strikes so rapidly throughout these combos that you don’t have any room to counter, and whilst you can break his poise, he’s a bit sturdier than the earlier necessary bosses. Don’t rely on breaking him rapidly except you’re buffed up and utilizing a colossal weapon.

When Messmer’s hand glows with flame, and he holds it behind him, he’s about to make a seize for you. He’ll deal hearth harm if he’s profitable, impale you and inflict bloodloss, after which lastly allow you to go. I had a vigor stat of 52, and except my HP was utterly full, the assault all the time resulted in loss of life. The precise strike is delayed by a second or two, so it’d take a couple of situations of getting hit and dying earlier than you be taught the timing. If he does this to one of your allies, it provides you about 4 seconds to assault with out restraint, and also you even have a short alternative to assault whereas he recovers after lacking you.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

He’ll additionally create a flame blob that hovers after which flies towards you, comparable to the Flame Knights in Shadow Hold. Dodge away simply earlier than it makes contact.

Messmer has some merciless feint methods up his brief sleeves, too. If he throws hearth at you along with his hand — comparable to how Mohg sears the air with bloodflame — he’ll comply with up with a brutal spear strike or combo. The flame offers no harm except you’re proper in entrance of him, so if you happen to dodge that, his spear strike is assured to hit you. On the different hand, he additionally makes use of his spear to fling an extended string of flame outward horizontally. That fireside will harm you, and he might or might not comply with up with a thrust or begin one of his different combos. You’ve gotten sufficient time to dodge the flame and no matter comes subsequent, although.

The important thing to damaging Messmer in this section is ready for the proper alternative. He’s briefly open to assault after ending any of his heavy combos – the aerial one, the seize, and the dragging spear strike – however if you happen to get grasping and take a look at for greater than two assaults, you’ll find yourself regretting it. You can even take benefit of ally distractions to land a couple of hits, but it surely’s value noting that if you happen to assault him whereas he’s attacking an ally, Messmer will, like Rellana, casually goal you with out breaking his present combo. He’s not as evasive as Rellana, although, so if you happen to can, maintain dodging and attacking with out worrying a few dodge-counter from him.

Messmer boss battle section 2

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

Part two begins the similar as the first section. Snake Messmer generates a large orb of flame after which crashes down the place you’re standing. The orb explodes after a second, and the affected space is larger than the first section explosion.

Messmer alternates between snake assaults and spear assaults in this section, and he retains nearly all his combos from the first section. He’s much less probably to use his flame arc assaults, although, and tends to favor the three-part aerial combo or the flaming thrusts. He’ll additionally perform a little roll into the air and crash down along with his spear.

The snake strikes are his most typical strikes in this section. Messmer turns into a large shadow snake and shoots ahead throughout the enviornment, focusing on you — and the goal of this assault is sort of all the time you, even when an ally continues to be on the area. The snake normally repeats this two extra instances earlier than coming to a cease, and you’ve got a second to strike the head after which Messmer after it does cease. Much less continuously, it stops after one assault, but it surely’s normally greatest to plan for the full combo.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

Dodge any path to keep away from taking harm. Simply be sure you’re prepared to dodge once more to keep away from the subsequent strike.

Messmer will even flip right into a pool of shadows, hover underneath you for a couple of seconds, and burst out of the floor as the snake earlier than slamming his head again down onto the floor. There’s loads of time to dodge away from this assault, and he’s susceptible to strikes after ending.

Regardless of Messmer being extra harmful than ever in this section, he’s additionally simpler to hit. You’ve gotten a window of roughly a second or two after one of his snake assaults the place he’s reworking again into his human kind, and he’s not attacking. Use this chance to deal as a lot harm as you’ll be able to, and whereas he’s in human-ish Messmer kind, simply concentrate on dodging his assaults except a very good alternative presents itself.

Picture: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco by way of Polygon

After the battle ends, you obtain the Remembrance of the Impaler, which you’ll be able to trade for his sphere or the incantation that summons his flaming orb. You’ll additionally get a flame that clears away shadow, but it surely’s not time to open Belurat Tower simply but. Exit Shadow Hold by way of the western gate for the journey’s subsequent section.

Searching for extra Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Try our guides on new Elden Ring DLC weapons, armor, bosses, map fragments, websites of grace, and talismans. We’ve additionally acquired location guides on the place to discover Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.