Messmer the Impaler | Elden Ring Wiki

Messmer the Impaler Boss Video Guide

Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses Ranked

Messmer the Impaler Fight Strategy

The Best Tips for Messmer the Impaler:

• Recommended summons: Mimic Tear
• Recommended armaments: Staff of the Guilty, Bloodfiend's Arm, Great Stars, Reduvia, Rivers of Blood, Heater Shield, Fingerprint Stone Shield (Fire affinity)
• Recommended ashes of war: Lion's Claw, Giant Hunt, Cragblade, Golden Vow
  • Any skill, that lowers the player's position is good to both attack and avoid damage (Messmer mostly go for spear in forward, not down).
• Recommended spells: Flame Protect Me, Impenetrable Thorns, Golden Vow, Swarm of Flies, Borealis's Mist
• Recommended talismans: Flamedrake Talisman +3, Great-Jar's Arsenal, Lord of Blood's Exultation
• Other items: Albinauric Set, Briar Set, Greenspill Crystal Tear, Stonebarb Cracked Tear

Melee Users

Phase 1

Messmer, the Impaler, looks down over you as a towering humanoid boss with long limbs and a massive spear, accompanied by a red snake coiled around his body. His attacks are imbued with fire damage, making him a formidable opponent who relies heavily on his spear's reach and agility. To proceed in this boss fight, readiness for his swift movements is important. As a melee character, your strategy should begin by evading the fireball he summons upon leaping into battle. Pay attention while he's in mid-air and watch out for the white smoke that will appear around him. As soon as you see the white smoke, get ready to dodge to avoid the impact of his landing. Sometimes, the area around him will explode as soon as he lands, so you need to do a second roll going forward, and then get a free hit while he's recovering.

For the most part, you will want to stay close to him because of the long reach of his spear and flame spells. When you're fighting Messmer at a close range, you will have more chance of retaliating and chipping away at his health while he recovers. Engaging Messmer patiently is the best strategy to effectively take him down. When he finishes a string of attacks, focus on breaking his poise by pulling off heavy attacks for a chance to deal significant damage.

Due to Messmer's speed, you need to approach him with the right mix of patience and aggressiveness. This boss can quickly transition between offense and defense by quickly disengaging with a leap after he finishes a move. Be aware that Messmer counters swiftly after sustaining damage, too. His speed and precision in combat are his biggest asset, requiring observation of his movements to avoid being overwhelmed.

One of the basic moves that Messmer makes is the Flaming Spear Lunge, this is when you see him leap into the air as he thrusts his weapon and then crash on the ground with his spear engulfed in flames. This movement is dodgeable and will take some time to get used to but you can do this by rolling forward as he thrusts his weapon, waiting for the delay as he prepares to crash, and then rolling forward again to stay close to him. This allows you to attack him while he's recovering.

Next up is Messmer's Flaming Assault, which is a 3-string attack where he combines this move with his flame spells. While the spear is engulfed in flames, he will cast spells with his flaming right hand and he will do the following attacks:

1. When he swings his right arm, he will use a fire spell that affects the immediate area in front of him
2. Quick Thrust with the spear, followed by a quick jump to reposition himself and another spear thrust
3. Flame Spell where he twists in place to swing his spear and creates a flame surrounding him

To dodge this move, you need to learn when he will do this by paying attention to his arm. If you see him cross it over and it's engulfed in flames, he will do this attack. To dodge, roll to the right if you're too close, otherwise, rolling backward is safe enough. You need to dodge as soon as he swings his arm engulfed in flames. For the second part, roll forward as soon as he thrusts with his spear, wait for the delay as he jumps to reposition himself, then dodge as soon as he lands on his new spot. Finally, for the last step, you can dodge this either going to the right, backward, or forward. It is recommended to roll forward so you can get close to him and get a free attack while he's recovering.

Messmer's powerful Grab attack will kill most players instantly. It is important to dodge this attack to avoid an instant death. When Messmer's hand begins glowing, that is the sign he is about to grab you. Once he begins to descend his arm to grab you, roll either to the sides or forward. This will leave an opening to hit him. If you can break his stance, remember to go in front of him and just lightly press R1 (once) to do a light attack. This will do a critical hit and can deal a lot more damage than any attacks.

The next basic attack combo is a 4-String attack where he throws out a flame spell in close range, followed by 2 quick thrust, and a dash flame 360. To dodge this move, you will roll backward to dodge the flame spell, then wait out a bit, and roll toward him for the quick thrust, wait for the delay here, and roll toward him again for the second quick thrust, and then, roll forward towards him for the 360. This is the recommended move so you can get some free hits while he recovers. There's a variation of this move where he adds a Flame swipe and a backward 360 at the end. To dodge these additional moves, you would want to roll backward for the flame spell, hold out a bit, then roll forward again for the 360 Flame spell. This will also allow you to get some hits on him.

Finally, one more move that is worth mentioning is the Messmer's Assault which consists of multiple string attacks and usually ends with an explosion at the end. The move will begin with Messmer jumping up with an Airborne Sweep 360, followed by a quick spear swing, an upward thrust to launch himself upwards and end the move with a plunge to create an explosion. This move will create spears exploding from the ground. To dodge this move, you will do the following per string of attack:

1. Roll to your right back
2. Roll towards him to be point blank or back to mitigate damage
3. Roll towards him
4. Again, roll towards than him and punish/heal, since recovery is long

There's also a variation of this move called Airborne Sweeps Combo, which is more manageable to dodge.

As the battle goes on and Messmer's health reaches the halfway mark, the fight stops. The fight pauses and a cutscene shows Messmer kneeling and performing a ritualistic act, removing one of his own eyes and shattering it, causing the area to glow red. This indicates the beginning of Phase 2.

Phase 2

Base Serpent Messmer steps up once you've depleted Messmer the Impaler's health to 50%. His health remains at 50% at the start of the fight. In this new phase, Base Serpent Messmer not only retains his old form's original attacks but also introduces a set of new, more lethal attacks with the help of the Abyssal Serpent revealed after he gouged out his golden eye.

The battle begins with the Serpent Explosive Bite which is where he turns into a big serpent with Scarlet Rot crawling on its skin. The Serpent bites down on the ground and as the fang hits, the ground beneath it will explode. Then, Messmer will revert to his humanoid form. While in this state, he executes his attacks with increased speed compared to his previous form, making him a more powerful boss.

Among the fresh additions to his move set is a serpent transformation that rises up to the ground to throw a fireball. However, one of his most powerful attacks is the Fire Grab. This technique has his right hand engulfed in flames. He'll unleash a torrent of fire from his grasp while impaling his spear to you with flames, almost guaranteeing instant death.

Proceeding in this battle requires a slow approach to Base Serpent Messmer's abilities and vulnerabilities. Capitalize on the small opening right after he uses Serpent Fireball to unleash a ton of heavy strikes, increasing your damage output. When engaging his humanoid form, maintain an aggressive approach but be ready to switch to defensive the moment he transforms into his serpent form. His serpent attacks pack a punch, requiring you to dodge and counter. To emphasize this, he can also summon the Serpent at will, while he retains his humanoid form. He will stand in place, and raise his right arm to beckon the Serpent. The Serpent will strike fast with a bite and then vanishes right after. Messmer is ready to disengage as soon as the serpent vanishes. You can roll forward as the Serpent prepares for a bite so you can get closer to Messmer.

There's also the variation of the Triple Serpent Bite where he fully transforms into a Serpent to execute 3 successive Serpent Bite attacks. During this attack, you can dodge it by rolling forward as the serpent strikes. The Serpent's head will linger after the third strike, giving an opening for you to attack, then, as Messmer reverts to his humanoid form, you can strike him again for the second time as he materializes.

One thing to note when Messmer transforms into the Serpent is when he creates a large pool of red liquid on the ground. If you can't see Messmer in the middle, this means that he will attack you with a single Serpent Bite, where you can hit him twice (similar to the ending of the Triple Serpent Bite). However, when he casts the large pool, and you can see him in the center, there will be 3 Serpent heads floating near him and will do 3 strikes. The first one will strike fast to slam its fangs on the ground in an attempt to bite you, followed by a delayed attack from the second which deals 2 attacks, then, the third one is almost simultaneous with Messmer's attack. Messmer will follow up with a Flaming Spear Lunge attack, where he flies up, pauses mid-air, and slams his spear onto the ground to create an explosive area around him.

When dealing with this version, the first thing you will do is to run away from him. Run to your right to create a distance between you and them. Then, roll forward as the first snake bites down, then roll twice to your right with the second snake attack, and finally, roll as Messmer lands on the ground with his Flaming Spear Lunge. This gives you enough space to roll away from the explosion from his spear. However, he usually continues this move with spears erupting from the ground. Make sure to roll towards him as the ground beneath him explodes. When you are within attacking range, you can land an attack while he recovers.

Above all, remain alert when you notice Base Serpent Messmer's right hand glowing with flames it's a sign of his powerful Fire Grab. React by backing away and rolling back, giving you a high chance to evade this lethal attack.

Magic and Ranged Users

Consider bringing heavy fire-resistant equipment for this fight. Upon entering the arena, roll twice to avoid Messmer's initial attack, and the aftershock. Opportunities for ranged attacks will be minimal without summoning spirit ashes. Given an opportunity, dragon incantations such as Borealis's Mist and Ekzykes's Decay are rather damaging, as Messmer is weak to frost and susceptible to rot. Bear in mind that Messmer's phase two transformation cleanses his rot status.

One of the safest ways to kill Messmer from a distance is with repeated casts of Impenetrable Thorns enhanced by Beloved Stardust. In addition, Greatshield Soldier ashes will hold the boss's attention for a decent amount of time, providing an opening to cast Thorns. For players that prefer DPS summons (Tiche), equipping Glovewort Crystal Tear will end the fight a lot quicker.

Messmer the Impaler Attacks & Counters

Attack	Description	Counter
Phase 1
Spear Thrust	Peforms a simple thrust forward. Often used as a combo ender when the player is at a distance, but it can rarely be used on its own.	Roll forward to punish.
Double Spear Thrust	Peforms two quick thrusts forward. Follows up with Spear Thrust or Spear Swing depending on distance.	Roll forward into point blank range.
Circling Spear Thrust	Quickly dashes around the player then thrusts at them. If this was used as a combo starter, he will follow up with Flaming Thrust.' If this was used as a follow up to Flaming Thrust', he will sprint around the player instead of dashing, and follows up with Spear Thrust or Spear Swing depending on distance.	Roll in any direction, ideally forward.
Lunging Spear Thrust	Lunges at the player while thrusting his spear. Follows up with Flaming Thrust.	Roll forward.
Spear Swing	Spins around while swinging his spear. Often used as a combo ender when the player is up close, but it can rarely be used on its own.	Roll forward to punish.
Double Spear Swing	Swings his spear twice. After the second swing, will either dash foward to retreat, or follow up with Flame Wheel or Spear Flame Throw.	You can counter this attack by rolling backward each time he sweeps with his weapon. You need to dodge exactly at the same time he swings his weapon.
Swing and Thrust	Swings his spear, then drags it on the ground before performing a thrust afterwards. Can be used on its own or as a follow up to Flaming Thrust.	Roll both attacks accordingly. Don't let the spear drag throw you off.
Flaming Thrust	Throws a cloud of Messmerfire with his right hand, then thrusts his spear forward, engulfing the spear with Messmerfire for the rest of his combo string and causing swipes to release waves of Messmerfire outwards. Follows up with either Spear Swing, Double Spear Thrust, Circling Spear Thrust, or Swing and Thrust depending on distance and position. In Phase 2, only follows up with Spear Swing or Spear Thrust and performs Serpent Agility immediately after.	Roll backwards to consistently avoid the cloud of flames, then roll in any direction for the thrust depending on your preferred follow up attack.
Flaming Swipe	Throws a cloud of Messmerfire with his right hand, then swipes with his spear while retreating backwards, causing a wave of Messmerfire to be released.	Roll backwards to consistently avoid the cloud of flames, then roll forward to avoid the wave.
Fire Serpent	Launches a flame orb with a serpentine coil towards the player.	Roll forward when the flame orb is launched.
Spear Flame Throw	Engulfs his spear on fire, then thrusts his spear upwards and swipes in front of him, creating waves of Messmerfire. Follows up with Spear Dive. If the player is close, he will follow up with another swipe before Spear Dive.	Roll to the right and forward for each respective wave.
Spear Dive	Thrusts his spear upwards and leaps into the air then crashes on the ground.	If you are close, roll to avoid the upward thrust, then roll forward when he dives.
Flame Wheel	Engulfs his spear on fire then jumps towards the player while spinning in the air. Always follows up with Spear Dive.	Roll into Messmer as he spins into the air, then away from him as he lands.
Spear Throw	Leaps in the air and throws his spear at the player.	Roll forward and punish, as Messmer's recovery time is long.
Messmer's Assault	Runs towards the player (if far) then jumps into the air and unleashes a a fierce succession of attacks with a flame-coated tip, consisting of a swipe, a rapid flurry of 5 spear thrusts, and ends with him thrusting the spear into the ground, causing countless spears to form in the surrounding area.	Once Messmer jumps into the air, roll forward or stand under him to avoid the swipe, roll into Messmer's point blank range to avoid the flurry, then roll the initial ground thrust and the secondary AOE. Recovery time is long, so use this as a big punish or heal opportunity.
Impale	Runs forward as his hand glows with Messmerfire to snatch his target. If it connects, the target will be lit on fire, impaled by his spear, and then ignited again.	When Messmer begins to descend his arm to grab you, roll towards him. The wind-up can be deceptively long, especially if you are mid range.
Messmer’s Orb	Leaps into the air and shapes Messmerfire into a giant orb that soars towards the player's position and explodes after a slight delay. This is usually Messmer's opening attack.	Once Messmer jumps in the air, roll both the dive and the explosion respectively.
Phase 2
Serpent Agility	Performs an attack based on distance: Up close, Messmer will jump sideways and dive forward with his spear. At a distance, Messmer will retreat backwards while swinging his spear.	For the close variant, you can roll backwards to be pushed along with the dive without taking damage and remain in punish range. For the distance variant, roll forward.
Serpent Strike	Transforms into a large serpent, then lunges and bites at the player once before reverting back a distance away. Follows up with Lunging Spear Thrust or Flame Wheel.	Roll forward or to the sides.
Triple Serpent Strike	Transforms into a large serpent, then bites his target three times. Has two variants: Bites to his left, then to his right, before lunging forward and bites upward to the left. Lunges forward twice while biting, then does an overhead bite.	For the first variant, roll backwards to the right twice for the first two bites, then roll backwards and to the left for the final bite. For the second variant, roll to the side for each lunge, then roll backwards for the overhead bite.
Serpent Summon	At a distance, summons a large serpent that bites ahead of him.	Roll forward.
Serpent Ambush	Transforms into a large serpent as he sinks into the floor. A pool then appears below the player. He erupts out of it, twists around and lunges at the player while biting.	Run out of the pool, then roll forward for the bite.
Base Serpent's Orb	Transforms into a large serpent then shapes Messmerfire into a giant orb in the serpent's mouth, then dives at the player before the orb explodes after a short delay. The explosion is larger than the one created in Messmer's Orb. This is always Messmer's opening attack in Phase 2.	Dodge the same way you normally dodge Messmer's Orb.
Base Serpent's Assault	Forms a pool of dark liquid around him before releasing a burst of energy, summoning a total of five serpents to strike in front of him. The first two consecutively lunge while biting forward, the third slams downward, and the last two lunge consecutively while biting, with the fifth performing an extra bite forward. Afterwards, Messmer performs the ground spear thrust of Messmer's Assault.	If he uses this up close, sprint away from him quickly, as the initial burst of energy does extreme damage. After evading the burst, you will want to be overall moving to the left while rolling as the serpents attack. Roll once for the first two, roll again for the third, and one more roll to avoid the last two, with said roll hopefully putting you out of the way of the extra bite the fifth serpent performs. Afterwards, dodge the ground spear thrust the same way you would dodge it in Messmer's Assault.

Messmer the Impaler Notes & Other Trivia

• Voice Actor: Jack Barton
• According to Messmer's Kindling, his younger sister who "bore a vision of fire" is implied to Melina.
• A 46 cm figure of Messmer the Impaler comes in the Collector's Edition of Shadow of the Erdtree.
• His right eye appears similar to the Marika's Scarseal talisman.
• Before you take on this fight, you want to consider summoning Hornsent to progress his questline. If you fail to do so, he will feel the burden of being a failure because he couldn't exact vengeance for his people.
  • His summon is a good call, since it deals damage Messmer is neutral to, does not count towards summons (therefore does not affect healthbar), plus he can inflict Blood Loss.
• During 2nd phase, The serpent and Messmer does share a single healthbar, but does not share one hurtbox. Therefore, player can essentially double their damage by hitting them at the same time. This goes for Status Effects as well.
• Messmer is the only boss in Elden Ring to fight left-handed, which can make him more difficult to block and parry; Messmer tends to strike his foes on the right side of their bodies, while the Tarnished hold shields in their left hands.

Dialogue

Introduction:

Mongrel intruder.

Thou'rt Tarnished, it seemeth.

Mother, wouldst thou truly Lordship sanction,

in one so bereft of light?

Yet...my purpose standeth unchanged.

Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death.

In the embrace of Messmer's flame.

During Fight:

Defeating player in first phase:

Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death.

In the embrace of Messmer's flame.

Entering second phase:

Gah...hah...

I will not suffer...

A lord devoid of light.

O mother, forgive me.

Grah!

A-Argh...

Gah... Phew...

Soon, Tarnished.

Wilt thou be taken in the jaws...

Of the abyssal serpent, shorn of light.

Defeating player in second phase:

O lightless creature…

Embrace thine oblivion, as shall I.

After Fight:

Mother... Marika...

A curse...upon thee...

Remembrance of the Impaler

Messmer's Helm

Messmer's Orb

Messmer's Kindling

Fire Knight Armor

Winged Serpent Helm

Blessing of Marika

Serpent Crest Shield

Messmer's Armor

Black Pyrefly

Spear of the Impaler

Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider

Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight

Black Knight Commander Andreas

Black Knight Captain Huw

Needle Knight Leda

Hornsent

Spirit NPCs