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

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

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

Messmer location in Elden Ring DLC

Messmer waits for you within the Darkish Chamber, a room above the best level of the Specimen Storeroom in Shadow Maintain. He’s a compulsory DLC boss, so you possibly can’t skip him.

Nonetheless, you possibly can exit Shadow Maintain by way of the Watering Gap or western gate to proceed exploring and discovering new weapons and improve supplies when you want extra time to organize.

Messmer weaknesses and find out how to put together

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Messmer has two massive weaknesses you possibly can exploit to take a large chunk out of his well being bar: Bleed and Frostbite.

The setup I used is one you possibly can make the most of with out critical funding in a single particular stat. You’ll want:

• A completely upgraded Mimic Tear
• An Ash of Struggle that imbues a normal weapon with chilly. Divine Beast Frost Stomp or Ghostflame Name are strong selections
• Glintstone Icecrag and a workers with S-rank sorcery scaling
• (Non-compulsory) A second main-hand weapon to deal heavier bodily injury

Normal weapons deal much less injury than particular ones, however stacking Frostbite (or Bleed) is simply as essential as dealing magic or bodily injury on this struggle.

This technique offers you the perfect likelihood of whittling Messmer’s well being down with out being in an excessive amount of hazard your self. Your Mimic Tear will seemingly prioritize the Ash-infused weapon or spells, each of which cowl Messmer’s ailment weaknesses, which leaves you to do the identical or concentrate on basic magic or bodily injury together 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 few hits.

You would change the chilly Ash of Struggle for a blood one when you’re operating a bleed construct, however Divine Beast Frost Cease has the added benefit of overlaying a broad space. Bleed builds don’t have something comparable. Nonetheless, the Bloody Slash ability works fantastically when you’re shut sufficient to Messmer for it to hit.

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

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That mentioned, in case your Revered Spirit Ash degree is decrease than seven, most Spirit Ashes aside from the Mimic Tear received’t final lengthy, no matter what they’re.

There are, after all, different methods to beat Messmer. Most melee weapons take a giant chunk of HP with every hit, and you may overwhelm him with poise-breaking heavy assaults when you be taught the timing. If you happen to do strive that choice, use the Stonebarb Cracked Tear in your Blended 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 sturdy sorcery selections, and Rellana’s Twin Moons offers a hefty quantity of harm — when you’re shut sufficient for the strikes to land, which implies you’re shut sufficient for Messmer to hit you. For incantations, Frozen Lightning Spear hits its mark surprisingly usually, and the Side of the Crucible: Thorns incantation you get from the Golden Hippopotamus offers excessive injury in a brief period of time. The draw back is that, like with Rellana’s Twin Moons, it’s a must to be up shut for it to work.

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Earlier than you enter Messmer’s chamber, your Scadutree degree must be at the very least 10 or larger, so take a detour to search out some Scadutree Fragments when you haven’t stored up with that up to now. It’s additionally price utilizing a Rune Arc earlier than getting into the sector and consuming a Fireproof Pickled Liver to buff your hearth injury 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 power of his want for vengeance doesn’t translate to competency in fight, however he’s a very good distraction for Messmer.

Easy methods to beat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring DLC

The Messmer boss struggle 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 following with little regard for who is definitely attacking him.

These switches usually occur in mid combo, and when you strike him even as soon as whereas he’s attacking an ally summon, he’s nearly assured to come back after you subsequent. Messmer has few openinings 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 steadiness of evasion and offense

Messmer boss struggle section 1

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

You’ve 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 opposite facet of the sector within the hope that Messmer targets your summon as an alternative of you. That offers you time to heal when you used the Mimic Tear after which to activate the Hornsent’s summon signal in order for you him to hitch in.

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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 unbiased of different assaults. Dodge ahead or backward to keep away from the primary two slashes and ahead or sideways to evade the thrust.

Messmer will generally comply with the opening one-two spear combo with a transfer just like one which Margit makes use of. He’ll drag his spear behind him on the bottom, 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 course you dodge in issues lower than ensuring you dodge on time.

Whereas he sometimes sticks to only these flame-free assaults, he extra usually 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 regulate them even when you aren’t close to Messmer on the time.

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

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One in all his deadliest combos begins when Messmer rises into the air, wreathed in flame. He’ll rush ahead just like the Dancing Lion, so dodge ahead similar to you probably did in that battle. He then turns round and unleashes a flurry of spear strikes that offers heavy injury, which you may also dodge ahead to keep away from, and he ends by slamming his spear into the bottom.

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

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That’s so much to absorb, and also you’ll have to only cope with it and dodge more often than not. 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 sooner necessary bosses. Don’t rely on breaking him rapidly until 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 injury if he’s profitable, impale you and inflict bloodloss, after which lastly allow you to go. I had a vigor stat of 52, and until my HP was utterly full, the assault all the time resulted in demise. The precise strike is delayed by a second or two, so it’d take just a few situations of getting hit and dying earlier than you be taught the timing. If he does this to certainly one of your allies, it offers you about 4 seconds to assault with out restraint, and also you even have a quick alternative to assault whereas he recovers after lacking you.

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He’ll additionally create a flame blob that hovers after which flies towards you, just like the Flame Knights in Shadow Maintain. 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 — just like how Mohg sears the air with bloodflame — he’ll comply with up with a brutal spear strike or combo. The flame offers no injury until you’re proper in entrance of him, so when you dodge that, his spear strike is assured to hit you. Then again, he additionally makes use of his spear to fling a protracted string of flame outward horizontally. That fireside will injury you, and he could or could not comply with up with a thrust or begin certainly one of his different combos. You’ve sufficient time to dodge the flame and no matter comes subsequent, although.

The important thing to damaging Messmer on this section is ready for the fitting 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 when you get grasping and check out for greater than two assaults, you’ll find yourself regretting it. You can even make the most of ally distractions to land just a few hits, however it’s price noting that

when you 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 when you can maintain dodging and attacking with out worrying a few dodge-counter from him.

Messmer boss struggle section 2

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Part two begins the identical as the primary 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 greater than the primary section explosion.

Messmer alternates between snake assaults and spear assaults on this section, and he retains nearly all his combos from the primary section. He’s much less seemingly to make use of his flame arc assaults, although, and tends to favor the three-part aerial combo or the flaming thrusts. He’ll additionally do some roll into the air and crash down along with his spear.

The snake strikes are his most typical strikes on this section. Messmer turns into a large shadow snake and shoots ahead throughout the sector, focusing on you — and the goal of this assault is nearly all the time you, even when an ally continues to be on the sector. The snake often repeats this two extra instances earlier than coming to a cease, and you’ve got a second to strike the top after which Messmer after it does cease. Much less steadily, it stops after one assault, however it’s often greatest to plan for the complete combo.

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Dodge any course to keep away from taking injury. Simply be sure you’re able to dodge once more to keep away from the following strike.

Messmer may also flip right into a pool of shadows, hover beneath you for just a few seconds, and burst out of the bottom because the snake earlier than slamming his head again down onto the bottom. 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 on this section, he’s additionally simpler to hit. You’ve a window of roughly a second or two after certainly one of his snake assaults the place he’s reworking again into his human type, and he’s not attacking. Use this chance to deal as a lot injury as you possibly can, and whereas he’s in human-ish Messmer type, simply concentrate on dodging his assaults until a very good alternative presents itself.

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After the battle ends, you obtain the Remembrance of the Impaler, which you’ll alternate for his sphere or the incantation that summons his flaming orb. You’ll additionally get a flame that clears away shadow, however it’s not time to open Belurat Tower simply but. Exit Shadow Maintain 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 bought location guides on the place to search out Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.