Shadow of the Erdtree: How to beat Messmer the Impaler? Elden Ring guide, walkthrough

Messmer the Impaler is one of the main bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree add-on for the Elden Ring game. On this page of the guide we described how to fight him and what rewards you will receive for defeating him.

Last update: 25 June 2024

Messmer the Impaler is one of the bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. You will face him at the end of Shadow Keep, the second main dungeon added in the DLC. This is one of the main, mandatory bosses of the expansion - you must defeat him to continue the main story. On this page of the guide, we described how to fight the boss and what rewards you will receive for defeating him.

• Reward for defeating
• Messmer in a nutshell
• How to fight Messmer?

Reward for defeating

For defeating the boss you will receive 400,000 runes, Remembrance of the Impaler and Messmer's Kindling.

Messmer in a nutshell

Related map marker: Messmer the Impaler @ Shadow of the Erdtree

1. The fight with Messmer has two phases - the second phase begins when the boss loses half of his health.
2. Messmer is very aggressive, his melee attacks have a long range and his ranged attacks deal huge damage and are difficult to avoid - stay close to the boss, attack him and heal yourself only after his attack sequences.
3. Regular spear attacks can be easily blocked - fire spear attacks are better dodged.
4. Messmer usually ends his attack sequences with a wide swing of his spear or by thrusting his spear into the ground - that's your time to attack.
5. Be careful not to be grabbed - it does massive damage and will probably immediately kill you.
6. You can avoid the fireball attack by dodging when Messmer hits the ground and by dodging a second time with a slight delay when the ball explodes.
7. You can recognize Messmer's most dangerous combo by him rising into the air while spinning his fire spear - dodge towards the boss, back away to avoid the quick stabs, do another dodge to avoid the ground punch and one last dodge to avoid the spears shooting out of the ground.
8. In the second phase, Messmer becomes extremely agile - keep an eye on him by aiming the camera at him.
9. Many of Messmer's punch combos are finalized with an additional jab at the end.
10. Snakes that attack directly can be blocked, snakes that attack from above must be dodged.
11. Once Messmer melts into the floor, move away from the goo puddle on the ground to avoid the huge snake that will shoot out of it in a few seconds.
12. After avoiding transformation attacks, try to attack Messmer before he turns into a human again - this will give you an extra moment to deal more damage.

How to fight Messmer?

Messmer may seem very overwhelming at first - he has a lot of health, his attacks deal a lot of damage and he is extremely aggressive, charging at you almost all the time. His attacks are quite predictable, but any mistake can be disastrous - Messmer's spear gives his attacks a long range, which makes it difficult to heal safely, which should rather discourage you from keeping your distance. To defeat him, you must be equally aggressive - stay close to the boss, attack and heal only during the breaks after his attacks. By standing close to Messmer, you will avoid the flame splashes caused by his attacks and will have plenty of opportunities to attack.

Messmer's punch combos usually end with a wide swing of the spear or stabbing the spear into the ground. The boss can also ignite his weapon in the middle of a combo - regular attacks can be safely blocked, but fiery attacks are better dodged, because some of the damage will go through your block.

Beware of Messmer's grab - the boss runs towards you with a raised, burning hand. You have to dodge at the right moment, a little later than expected - the grab deals enormous damage and will kill you instantly, unless you have invested in a very high level of health and collected many Scadutree fragments.

You also have to watch out for the fireball attack, which Messmer can create after rising into the air. The boss will hit the ground, forcing you to dodge - you must then dodge again with a slight delay to avoid the explosion. Messmer's most dangerous combo starts with him rising into the air while spinning his fire spear - Messmer will charge towards you (you should dodge towards him), perform several quick stabs towards you (you should either retreat or block), hit the ground (now dodge) and summon many spears, which will shoot out of the ground (now dodge with a slight delay).

In the second phase of the fight, Messmer becomes extremely agile - many of his punch combinations are finalized with an additional jab at the end, during which the boss slides on the floor. He also gains the ability to summon snakes and transform into a huge snake himself - front and side snake attacks can be blocked, attacks from above are better dodged. Messmer retains his fireball attack, which is dodged in the same way - but he only uses it in his snake form. The transformed Messmer moves extremely quickly around the arena - keep an eye on him with your camera so as not to lose sight of him.

One of the boss's new attacks is to melt into the floor - a huge puddle of dark goo will appear on the ground. Move away from the puddle to avoid Messmer, who will soon shoot out of the ground. The second phase gets aggressive again. When Messmer hits the ground in his snake form, he is vulnerable to your attacks for a short while - hitting him before he turns back into a human will knock him out of his snake form and make him vulnerable to attacks for longer than in the first phase.