Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is finally out and millions of players are working their way through the harsh Realm of Shadow in pursuit of Miquella. However, many required bosses pose incredibly steep challenges – none as formidably tough as Messmer The Impaler, who you might encounter as early as the third or fourth boss on your journey. Here’s a breakdown of how to defeat the tyrant as well as recommendations to be fully equipped for the fight.
According to the lore, Messmer The Impaler reigned havoc on the Realm of Shadow and quickly became the land’s tyrannical ruler (in some ways). While his presence is never seen for a good portion of the adventure, it’s certainly felt with how many devoted soldiers and followers he has roaming around the realm, all of which are equipped with Messmer’s flames. Taking on the boss is unlike anything the DLC has thrown at you so far so it takes a good bit of preparation first.
How to Beat Messmer The Impaler in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Prep Work
First and foremost, you need to do a little bit of prep work before the fight even begins. Here’s what you need:
- Flamedrake Talisman +3: Messmer throws a lot of fire at you, so it’s best to go into the fight with the Flamedrake Talisman +3 which reduces fire damage by 20%.
- Weaknesses: Messmer is weak to frostbite, bleed and rot, though we’ve found frostbite to be the best elemental offence. Make sure you equip your best frostbite weapons or quickly respec at Rennala for an effective frostbite build.
- Mimic Tear: It’s become a running joke at this point but you’re going to need a Spirit Ash that can tank damage and there’s none better than the Mimic Tear. This is vital for drawing Messmer’s aggression since it gives you a few vital openings to attack.
- Hornsent NPC Summon: Most people might skip over the fact that you can summon the NPC Hornsent into the fight. Unlike most bosses, his summon sign is actually inside the boss arena, not at the fog gate. You can find Hornsent at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace early in the game (following Rellana’s fight). Use your Mimic Tear to distract Messmer while you grab the summon sign.
Best Strategies to Defeat Messmer
Beating Messmer The Impaler is not easy, even with the help of summons. He’s fast, aggressive and unpredictable with his attack patterns. We’ve found a few ways to make the fight less stressful:
- Dodge The First Leap: As soon as you enter the arena, Messmer will likely leap at you for an explosive attack. Don’t try to tank this. Instead, roll into the first ground slam then wait one second and roll again to dodge the explosion that follows.
- Roll Into His Attacks: It might sound dangerous but it works. Rolling into Messmer’s attacks instead of away from them is the best way to dodge them. Messmer has insane reach and plenty of AoE attacks to catch you at range, like powerful aerial slams or throwing out pools of fire.
- Avoiding The Long Combo: Messmer can perform one very long combo that starts with him jumping into the air and spinning towards you, spewing out fire as he charges. This is followed by another leap into the air and a ground slam, usually followed by spears bursting out of the ground. If you’re caught in this combo, it’s instant death. The trick here is to roll forward and stay under Messmer during this combo. You only need to dodge away from him when he performs his ground slam. Get some distance to avoid the spears too.
- Bloodhound’s Step: One of the most underappreciated skills in the game, the Bloodhound’s Step effectively flashes through any and all attacks from bosses, though it requires correct positioning to master. Against Messmer, the Bloodhound’s Step can flash through and avoid almost all of his attacks. It triggers faster than a roll and has a few more milliseconds of invincibility frames. It’s an option but it can be handy during this fight.
- Second Phase: Messmer’s second phase is where is really gets rough. He’ll harness the power of giant snakes that will spawn at a moment’s notice and charge you from every corner of the arena. Dodging this is an absolute pain and might be a matter of luck regarding its ridiculous hit boxes.
- Openings: After Messmer summons his snakes, he’ll either teleport into the arena through a floor puddle or become one of the snakes. Keeping locked onto Messmer is a good way to keep track of where he is in all the chaos. The best openings you have are directly after he spawns snakes. It takes him a few seconds to wind up for another attack directly after this, so close the gap on him and strike when he’s vulnerable.
Most of all, stay calm and take your time in the fight. There’s no need to rush Messmer The Impaler so take the failed attempts as lessons learned about his movesets and how to read them. Make sure you do the prep work beforehand to make the fight more manageable too.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is now available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
